Yesterday I was on the train heading home, like always…sitting there, knitting and listening to my mp3 player.
Suddenly I heard someone behind me say (loud enough I could hear over the music) “Are you knitting a sock?”
I have *never* heard that question on the train before. Over the months I’ve heard lots of others:
“Are you knitting a dog sweater?”
“Is that crochet?”
“What are you making?”
” Is that a blanket?” (“Yes a very tiny tube-like blanket. It’s for my snake.”)
“Are you expecting?”
“Are those for a baby?” (in reference to a nearly-completed Jeffsock – men’s size 10, brown yarn, stockinette)
“Is that cross stitch?”
“What are you doing?”
“Did you know nobody does that anymore?”
But never – in over a year of train-riding – have I heard “Are you knitting a sock?”
After replying in the affirmative and expressing my gratitude at the gentleman’s astucity (erm, I think that actually came out like “OMFG yes! thank you thank you thank you!” but that’s less suave-sounding). Ben (because I found out his name because I’m cool like that) told me his sister is a knitter, so he’s in the know. I’m so grateful to Ben and his sister.
Then the guy next to Astute Ben said “And I bet that you only knit socks on the train, right?”
At which point I died because OMG he seriously must have been stalking me. It was uncanny. So I replied in typical Kate manner “OMFG yes! DUUUUUDE stalker! How did you KNOW?! WOW! I only knit socks on the train. I knit sweaters and shawls and stuff at home! ” (followed by more gibberish, of course)
Right about now, if Ben and Tony (oh cause I found out his name too) had been normal people they would have avoided eye contact with me and then at the next stop they’d have discreetly moved to the next car. But they are Astute Ben and Awesome Tony, so they didn’t. In fact, they continued to talk to me, even though I’d already proven myself to be a pitiful, socially stunted excuse for a human.
I like Ben and Tony. They’re from Pennsylvania (I found that out too) and in St. Louis for a convention. And they GET ME. They really GET ME.
So I wrote down my blog URL on a slip of paper and gave it to them, and told them they’re about to become famous on my tiny little corner of the Internet. So Ben and Tony, if you’re reading this – thank you for making my day! I hope the rest of your trip is going well (even if the convention isn’t an especially fun one).
Yes, I think yesterday’s commute was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
(PS – everybody should go to Tony’s site and check out his awesome artwork – the pastels especially are my favorites)
