Overheard on the bus
I’m sure anybody who’s knitted or crocheted on the subway or bus or plane has had all kinds of reactions from indulgent, smiling grannies and puzzled and wary businessmen. No doubt people have gently suggested that nowadays store-bought socks are cheaper. Surely someone has, as if they were the only ones to have thought of such a hilarious idea, asked you to knit something for them, gallantly offering to actually wear it. I usually smile and nod and move on. I don’t feel the need to assert some kind of "knitter" identity or give much thought to the "hipness" or historic heritage or spirituality of knitting (and this whole "represent" thing in NYC for the Harlot’s new book has left me a bit puzzled, honestly); it’s just something I like to do (okay I admit that’s an understatement) along with music and reading and travelling. But yesterday a bizarre bus encounter made me wonder about the wisdom of knitting in confined spaced with strangers. The conversation went like this:
She (a young woman in a business suit with a booming voice, sitting about five seats away, facing me): Excuse me. Excuse ME. EXCUSE ME!!!.
I (looking up after the third time, realizing it’s me she’s talking to): Yes?
She: Whatever it is you’re doing, it’s very PRETTY! (Sorry, the capitals are the only way I can give any sense of how piercing her voice was) What is it?
I: Thank you. I’m knitting a sock.
She: Well, isn’t that nice. I wish I could do that.
I: (folks will recognize the standard response): Oh it’s much easier than it looks, you should try it.
She: Well, it might be easy, but you aren’t going to make any MONEY from it, now are you?
I: (a little surprised, also embarrassed at the attention all this is getting in the bus): No, no, just for fun.
She: I suppose I could take a class. I had circular needles once, but I couldn’t cast on. I couldn’t CAST ON! You hear me?
I: Sure. Sure. Lots of yarn stores have classes.
She: Why can’t I do something fashionable? So many women from my class in school made so much money with fashionable stuff, and here I am, I can’t even cast on. Tell me, what should I do? Should I knit some socks?
I: Er, I’m getting off, it’s my stop.
She: But you won’t make any money, let me tell you….
I didn’t hear the rest. I wish I could say that her companion sitting next to her had dared her to put up this strange act in the bus: "Hey, ten bucks if you can startle that weirdo sitting there with all those needles," that sort of thing. Unfortunately, I don’t think that was the case. My Jaywalkers seemed to set off something in her.
Well.
Spiral Scarf
Spring break has brought with it a serious case of startitis. I recently bought a copy of Norah Gaughan’s Knitting Nature, and I think I’m going to start at least five projects from this wonderful book this week. (only partly kidding). I started the Spiral Scarf:
One skein Koigu in blues-greens-purples, another Claudia Handpainted in deep blues that I recently bought. The pattern calls for approx 400 yards, and I have about 350, which means a smaller scarf, but that’s okay. The pattern is somewhat oddly worded. It asks you to cast on using a "tail method" so that the tail can be used for casting on and picking up stitches for later hexagons. I’m not sure if this means you have to do a long-tail cast on for the first one, or how long the tail really needs to be, but I went ahead and started the first hexagon with a knitted cast on and left a long tail. Could anyone with a copy of the book please take a look and clarify that bit for me?
The problem is, the fabric is rather stiff. I might knit smaller hexagons of equal size on a looser gauge than spiralling down. Perhaps that will make it drapier and solve the length issue too? Let’s see. But what do you think of the way the colours are showing up? I’m still undecided, will knit some more and see.
The Namesake
Incidentally, I didn’t care much for the Namesake. The novel’s beauty lies in its spare and yet minute descriptions of everyday life and emotion, and I felt Mira Nair could have taken more liberties with it to better develop the characters on screen. It becomes
another occasion to showcase various rituals (in Monsoon Wedding it
was, well, wedding), here it is two weddings, an annaprashan (first
feeding ceremony) and a funeral. More colour and ceremony than characters, although I really liked the way she developed
Irrfan Khan and Tabu’s relationship; the bits in the Victoria Memorial
park and at the airport where they say goodbye were very well done. I like and admire both actors very much (Both of them were in Maqbool, a very interesting Hindi/Urdu adaptation of Macbeth, a film I recommend highly; Tabu also did a brilliant job in Chandni Bar.) and I
was curious to see them play very different roles from their earlier
collaboration. They both do a competent job, and I would see it again
just to see Irrfan Khan, who gets hotter and hotter with each screen
appearance, even though he looks scruffier and scruffier. He does so
much with just his eyes and body language; he’s wonderful. Kal Penn as the son is okay; he’s much better as a stoned guy than as an anguished and confused son.
Those colors are gorgeous, I can’t wait to see how your scarf turns out! I’m not sure about the long-tail issue, but I would definitely go up a needle size to get a drapier, larger scarf.
Okay, a good part of your conversation on the bus? I’ve had the same exchange, verbatim. And have given the stock response. Heh!
Once, while knitting on the subway platform, a woman approached me and asked “Are those size 3 needles you’re using?” A real live knitter! In the wild! And they were size 3 needles, I was making a pair of DK weight socks. I had a nice little conversation with her about them.
But I’m with you on the whole “represent” thing. I don’t get it. I don’t feel the need to assert my knitting on others. Rather, I want to left alone when I’m knitting in public.
Pretty colors.
The bus lady, wow, weird. I had an acquaintance at one of my kids’ classes with another mother who “didn’t have the time to sit and do that” yet asked me every darn class where *her* socks were. She seriously expected a pair. It was annoying. I get the “I wish I had time” a lot, mostly from other moms who are sitting in the kids’ classes for an hour with nothing to do. Ironic, no?
Looks like it’s too soon to tell on the scarf — but I wish you luck! The bus encounter sounds bizarre. Why the odd focus on earning money, I wonder?
wow – that sounds like quite an interesting “encounter”….very strange….
I like the color of the scarf but are the colors supposed to be blending or seperate? they work very well together. Kelp put it best – up a needle size and I think you’ll be ok on the stiffness issue.
OMG, that is so embarrassing! I would have been mortified. The other day my co-worker suggested that knitting on a bus or train would “probably keep people from bothering you” (i.e. cause they see you’re busy). I was like um, no, people bother you more! He didn’t believe me!
People are so weird, lol.
Wow, weird bus encounter. I don’t use public transport (sadly), and whenever I KIP people are very ‘Minnesota Nice’. I guess lots of people knit here, and anyway the rudest thing anybody can think to say is ‘That’s different!’ Heh.
Interesting, your take on The Namesake. I wondered how a lot of the book’s subtleties would translate to film, and it looks like they didn’t. But I’ll probably watch it anyway. I don’t feel the need to add masala to my breakfast cereal, and I didn’t have much trouble assimilating, but there are definitely aspects of the immigrant experience that resonated with me. The muted colors- haven’t gotten used to that after 8 years!
Thank you for your thoughts on the Namesake. I look forward to seeing it. I enjoyed the book and will, per usual, keep in mind that the movie is another work. Mira Nair and Jhumpa Lahiri… looking forward to seeing the collusion (collision?) And Tabu… well, she’s pretty fab.
The colors in your scarf remind me of the Mediterranean.
About to do my first bobbles on the rangoli hat. Yay.
Also about to send dissertation chapters to my committee. Ackk.
Maybe seeing Irrfan Khan for the first time will help.
Whenever I KIP, I get at least one person who is willing to pay me a not insignificant amount of money to “knit something for them.”
Hmph….as if I have time to knit all of the stuff I am doing for “free.”
Deeni, do watch the film, it’s definitely enjoyable. It’s very luminous, too. I’m actually glad she didn’t try to make it a Statement About How Indian Immigrants Feel about America, and kept the stories personal; I wish she had done more of that by not rushing through them, that’s all.
Mary, good luck with the chapters! And do watch Maqbool and Chandni Bar if you get a chance; both are available on Netflix with good subtitles, if I recall.
Andree, Charissa and Kelp, thanks so much for visiting the blog, I hope you’ll return!
oh dear… some people! I suppose that being started at like a martian is marginally better.
I saw the movie and didn’t like it as much as the book (which is expected ofcourse). I don’t know if Irfan is getting hotter but I felt that his controlled performance was the best of them all. that is a weird encounter I should say!
I have had people stare to the point that I know that their eyes are fixed on me, but that itself is weird enough!
Hi Desi,
thanks for your comment on my blog. I did send you a private e-mail with the PDF-pattern for my chunky version of the Odessa Hat. Hopefully it won’t be too large to get through.
I had to chuckle at your strange public transport encounter. Jeez, some people just don’t know the meaning of polite – or of subtle. While knitting in the underground/subway I’m pretty much used to strange, staring looks and kids asking their parents what that lady over there is doing. Most parents even know that it’s knitting, yay. Nontheless someone pointing at you and saying “THAT LADY” makes me feel at once twenty years older
But I’m totally with you on the whole “represent” thing. I mean, it’s a hobby, people, come on! Although you wouldn’t believe what kind of reactions my bi-monthly knitting group gets while we are sitting and chatting and knitting in this lovely tea house. Most people assume that it is an organized class and won’t believe that we meet up just for fun no strings attached no class fees to pay, only the bill for your tea and cake.
Regs, Susan G. aka Sooza
I must be completely out of touch. I read The Namesake a few months ago and enjoyed it; but I didn’t even realize that it had been made into a movie. I’m writing my master’s thesis on the uses of food in ethnic literature, and I thought it might be a good source. interpretor of maladiesused a lot more food references, but I liked Namesake better.