Another thing most of you already know about me: I love knitting. I learned how to knit when I was young and since my Grandmother, Mom, and sister all knit as well, they are good motivation for sticking with whatever project I have going on (Especially when it is a marathon of a blanket...)
One of the classes I'm in is called "Theater and Social Concerns" and it is taught by a, shall we say, very eccentric professor who I had sophomore year, but is a visiting professor for the Spring 2010 session. Basically, we are studying the immigrant culture of London by going into communities largely composed of immigrants, interacting with the people and learning their stories, and then writing a play and performing it - all in one semester. Interesting? Yes. Implausible? Hell Yes. How are 5 students who are having totally independent experiences, supposed to get involved with the community enough for them to open up about their lives, write individual scenes, then compose a play together, and then put on a production, in 8 weeks? Being the straightforward and at most times rational person that I am, I told my professor this and he said, "Have some confidence, Katherine." And I thought, "Pull your head out of you ass, Professor."
Yesterday, after two attempts to get this show on the road, I was finally able to go to the parish that I will be working with for the rest of the semester. It is an Anglican Church out in East London with a large Indian and African population. I went out early in the morning and attended church with them, and then was able to chat with some of the people at their reception afterward. It was mostly small talk, but I realized that they have a KNITTING GROUP that meets on Monday afternoons! So I asked if I could attend and they said, talk to Dolly.
Dolly is an 85 year old woman who is a born and raised Londoner. She wears a bright yellow coat (just like me) and pushes this cart around everywhere she goes. When I asked her if I could come to knitting She said in her Cockney accent, "You knit? Well 'ow 'bout that! We meet at 2 o'clock. Just come right in an' yell, Dolllyyy!"
So I made the trek back out today and my spirits were high because not only was it a beautiful day and I was going to knit for once, but I got to miss the class for which I am doing it for. Count it! I walked into the church and wandered through, following the voices until I found a small room with five women sitting around, chatting and knitting. "Yesss" I thought to myself. Granted, I brought the average age of the room down to about 60, but I was more than happy to whip out the square I was working on and knit right along with them. Dolly actually arrived after me, but she pulled up a chair right next to me and showed me this adorable baby cardigan she was just finishing that had all of these little loops on it. She showed me how to do it and then asked what I was working on. I explained, "I'm making a blanket, but I'm making it out of 20 different squares. It's like a sampler." She said, "We're making a blanket! Out of all these squares!" She pulled out these 4x4 squares and said, "you should make some!" So that's what I worked on.
I brought my unfinished square back with me so I can go back in a couple weeks with it all finished. It felt so nice to be welcomed, and I also didn't feel like I was "that American girl". When I was leaving I said to Dolly, "Thanks Dolly. I'll see you in a couple weeks!" And she replied, "What a fortnight? Alrighty then, we'll see you." So not only is she a knitter, but she uses a "fortnight" as an increment of days. Talk about kindred spirits...
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