Knit One, Purl One, Drink One

I can't believe it has taken me this long to write a post about this!  My first week here in Cork I was invited by my friend Evin to check out her Wednesday night knitting circle, affectionately named Stitch n' Bitch.  With the mention of the words knitting circle some of you may be envisioning little old grey haired ladies sitting around sipping tea and knitting tea cozies.  The only true part of that statement is someone in the group is actually knitting a tea cozy. 

Outside of that it is quite a different story.  First of all we meet in a Pub!  So obviously instead of tea, we drink beer. Often someone will bring a delicious treat to share, cupcakes seem to be a popular choice.  Oh yea and the ladies in this group are not old and grey.  They are young and fun, and amazingly talented knitters!  One of the girls in the group actually dyes her own beautiful yarn and has an amazing shop on Etsy called Hedgehog Fibres.  And when I say talented, I also mean fast!  Every week it seems someone is finishing up a jumper (sweater) or hat, starting a new one, and then I blink and that one seems to be finished as well!

So here we are about eleven weeks later and I feel confident in saying that  I am officially a member of Stitch n' Bitch.  One big problem with that... I am a terrible knitter.  It is actually really quite sad.  It's my own fault. The only time I actually pick up my needles is Wednesday night at the pub.  So I knit one, purl one, and then drink one.  Lots of fun, but not the best way to hone my craft.  The Irish girls in the group have an advantage because they were all taught to knit in primary school.  Amazingly enough children in primary school here in Ireland still learn how to knit today!  It seems crazy, but I guess most school children in the US learn to play the recorder, and that is just silly, not to mention annoying!  At least knitting is a more practical skill.

Don't get me wrong, I really do want to be a better knitter.  I have visions of making baby booties and hats for shower gifts; scarves, and jumpers to put under the Christmas tree for the family, and heck maybe even a tea cozy. I am drinking a lot more tea the more Irish I become!