Schmoozing at the Sow’s Ear

I've had to split this up because it was honkin' huge and this part is of little interest to non-local knitters.

Last Friday, after the slowest day at work evarr, Alexandra dropped by around 6 and we drove out to the Sow’s Ear for late night knitting. We were immediately greeted by the chick who had been behind the counter last time we stopped by, saying, “Hey guys, welcome back!” Geez – our second visit and already we’re regulars. I have to say, though, that after that night it sure felt like it. First off, we spent a good three hours eating, knitting, pawing yarn and lolling over the couches upstairs. The place was PACKED, but it was nice to have different areas so it didn’t feel so busy.

I started running into people almost immediately. My friend Lora, who comes to my crafting group in Madison sometimes, was there with her very tall high-school-aged son who was knitting a scarf for himself (yay!). I saw a teacher from high school and some other folks I recognized. Apparently there were also a bunch of Madison SnBers as well. This confirms my thought that it skews a bit younger than other stores, which surprised me a bit. I wonder where all of the younger knitters hang out in Madison – do they stick to coffee places?

Somewhere in the middle of the evening I went downstairs to look at patterns and the counter chick called out to me, “Hey, you’re the one who wrote the Wendy thing, right?” (I guess this is my claim to fame. I MUST branch out.) “You know TChemgrrl, right? She’s here!” So the counter chick escorted me over to the tables, and there she was, Ms. Nano Pants herself. I must say that the photos on her blog (and in Bowerbird Knits’ Sweaters From Camp-along) don’t do her sweater justice. The colors are richer and more subtle than they appear on a monitor. I didn’t realize that she’d taken a design, inverted the colors, and turned it into a cardigan. It’s just stunning. I’m so happy that we got to meet so I could see it up close!

(Side note: apparently she's feeling the same sense-of-community pangs as I. We'll have to remedy that.)

I really hope to be able to do that again sometime. It was a perfect way to relax after SUCH a long, hot week. I’m just sorry that it’s a bit of a drive… but hey, it’s certainly not as long as Alexandra had to go. I’m happy that it’s worked out for us thus far. (Alexandra, I totally owe you a sandwich or something next time we go as a token of thanks for carting yourself down here.)