I know it's been coolified in recent years with 'Stitch and Bitch' books, knitting circles and apparently even some celebs admitting to knitting with their girlfriends but it still has a vaguely granny-ish image. But I don't care. I'd love to be able to knit well - indeed I've attempted it many times with varying success. I jumped at the chance to go along to a BWG organised event at The Big Knit, in Sukhumvit Soi 49.We were finger knitting a shawl with the help of a Japanese knitting expert - I don't do shawls, but I thought my mother in law might appreciate such a gift when I visit France in a few weeks. She might be terribly proud as she has after all, put in a considerable amount of time attempting to teach me to knit...
The shop was gorgeous. A work of art with shelves and shelves of delectable scuptural yarns. There were 15 women. One expert. It was hard. I've never been very good at knitting because I can't work out the individual stitches and if you have to knit into a stitch, you've really got to know where you're going. If I drop a stitch, I tend to undo and start all over again because I don't know how to pick them up and reassemble. Anyway, it transpired that everyone was quite as dim as I am.
I never did work out what they were trying to get me to do, and my knitting certainly didn't resemble the shawl they had on show. So my mother in law will have to make do without my gift. Had she owned a chihuahua I might have been able to present her little dog with a poncho...
