Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Oh, how I love the Brain.

That said, I've been pondering knitters. Specifically, group versus solitary knitters.

I am mostly a solitary knitter, and lately I've met a few others who confess to being solitary knitters. Please remember I'm not a sociologist or anthropologist, just someone who ponders from time to time. I think part of the huge increase in knitting in the past few years has been the chance for people to connect with other people. Knitting groups have sprung up like mushrooms after a good rain. They are all over the place, both online and in the physical world. The other night at Knit Night someone said if it weren't for knit nights they would have no social life at all. And that's so wonderful that people have found a way to connect over a common interest and find the similarities.

But what about us solitary knitters? For myself, I do go to knit night at the shop most weeks, as well as AKG. It is nice to be around other knitters for awhile, and I get to do that every day I work also. But even when I didn't work in a knit shop, I tried one of the SNB knit nights and decided that at the end of the work day I'd rather watch TV while knitting over the cat in the lap. For a little while I felt odd about that. I'd read Stitch N Bitch and come away with the impression that part of being a knitter was hanging out with other knitters. It's not that I didn't like the people going to the SNB since I found most of them quite interesting, but it's never been part of my nature to do that. I did go to quilting classes where I hung around with other quilters, but quilting requires much more attention than knitting. Quilters talked around the ironing boards and cookie tray, but not much while actually sewing. It's hard to keep that 1/4" seamline straight and discuss politics. Truth be told, I just like to have some time alone, and I'm comfortable being alone. I have usually had jobs where I work with the public, or my job was intense, and at the end of the day I need the time alone to unwind and recuperate.

To thine own self be true are words I try to live by. And for you out there who are solitary knitters, it's totally ok to be that way. Just because there are a lot of knitters who like to get out and knit in groups doesn't mean we all have to be that way. I would also say get out and try a group or two. You may find that you like to go every now and again. I've found that a lot of knitters are quite interesting people if you can stop talking about knitting long enough to find out. I've been amazed at the careers of some I've met over the past few years. Imagine little ol' me teaching a doctor a knitting tip!

One of the things I love most about knitting is that it is such a flexible craft. You can have a room of 10 or 1000 knitters, and every single one of them will be doing it a bit differently. The same goes for our personalities. So solitary knitters, enjoy the peace and quiet of solitude. For you rowdy group knitters, have a great time at knit nights. As for me, I'll enjoy my solitude most nights and venture out weekly in order to stay in touch with what all is going on.

And before you think that I'm anti-social, one of my favorite pasttimes is hanging out with friends over coffee. I happen to be the only knitter amongst all my long time friends, and I can appreciate their non-knittiness on a whole new level now. (In other words, I don't have to worry they might buy that handpainted yarn out from under me.) Not only that, I can amaze them when knitting socks on doublepoints or Magic Loop.

I'm off to knit now in front of the telly with a cat in the lap. I think I'll work on a sock since Keith's sweater is now large enough to really interfere with a feline's sleep.