…Where Lolly braves the wilds of the nation's capitol, and the public transit system, with her trusty sock by her side…
I was off to a school-related workshop on Tuesday night, and I took my sock along with me on the Metro train into DC. Any other public transit knitters know that people STARE at knitters… like they are mesmerized by the knitting motions. It is an unusual phenomenon, and has held true in my years of riding the train and knitting. And nothing seems to draw the stares more than the double pointed needles. Maybe people are afraid I will use them as a weapon… who knows.
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Yes, I took a picture of myself on the train with my sock. No, there was no one else in the car at the time. There is about a 5-minute lull where I can get this picture – from my stop (at the end of the line) to the following stop, where lots of people get on. I snapped the picture just in time too, right before anyone saw me. My second Lace (Not So) Knee High is even further along at this point, into the lovely lace panel!
See the headphones? That is to keep the weirdos away. (Yes, I know I am a weirdo too for taking a picture of myself on a train with a sock WIP… but these are different weirdos altogether).
Let me explain: I am not adverse in any way to sharing my craft with the casual stranger. I have had many nice people compliment my work, ask about knitting classes, or simply smile and nod. However, I had one particular encounter with a woman a few months ago that I just can't shake…
…It was bad from the beginning. She was a protestor – not that that is automatically a bad thing – but she was in support of something that I am very much against: Her t-shirt actually said (and I kid you not!) Make War. She was decked out too: pins and buttons and picket signs. (Okay, no more politics, I promise…) The train was not full, and yet, she came over and sat right next to me. I was working on my Trekking XXL #108 socks. She was inches away from me and was staring at my knitting. I shuffled to give her some more room (and to get a breath for myself) and she took that as a cue to strike up conversation. Let me preface this by saying: I am a nice person. I will not be mean to anyone unless insulted or provoked in some way. And although I don't remember the exact wording, this is definitely the way the conversation went:
"Is that hard?"
"No. It is not too bad."
"It looks awful."
[flustered] "No it doesn't! This is only 1 inch of the cuff, and it looks exactly like it is supposed to look."
"I meant 'awful hard'. So, it's a sock, right?"
"Yes."
"Is that wool? the scratchy kind?"
"It is not scratchy at all. It is called merino."
"Lemme give you this… [fumbles around in one of her bags] Here is my address. I want you to knit some size 8 socks for me, and some size 4 socks for my daughter. Pink for her, and purple for me, and I don't want the scratchy kind. You can mail them to that address."
"Excuse me?" [I totally heard her, I just couldn't believe what she said]
"You do make socks for others…"
"Um, no. These are for me. I only knit for my family and friends… and I don't take orders! I can't believe that you would say that to a complete stranger!"
I stood up, did not look back, and promptly got off the car at the next stop. I could not believe the audacity of this woman! I moved one car up, and thankfully there were no other propositions there!
I do wish I had seen the look on her face, however…
The point is: make things for people who will truly appreciate the work that was put into your craft. Someone who will value it, cherish it, and take good care of it. Sometimes that person is you, and you alone. Sometimes it is your mother, your sister, your dad, your best friend, but don't EVER make things for weirdos on the train.
PS-I was holding on to this story for weeks and weeks - I couldn't wait to post about it for Socktoberfest 
OH MY!!! 8-o
Well… you can’t get anything unless you dare to ask, but… she COULD have asked NICE!!!
That woman has big cajones…in a crazy bad way. You certainly had a lot of self-control handling this situation. I’m still laughing at the comments and what a wierd experience you had! I probably would have responded like Scout mentioned earlier…”Oh no you DIDN’T!”
OMG. I don’t know how you managed to sit on that story for as long as you did!
That is so funny! I have a funny KIP story, although it doesn’t quite compare to yours — I took DD to her orthodontist, and the assistant and the ortho got to commenting on the sock I was knitting, next thing I know the ortho is giving me his shoe size — I said, “I am NOT knitting you socks!” (size 12-1/2 no less.) But then I reconsidered and offered to swap them for the braces. He declined, but wanted to tell me all about his woes with store-bought socks. Weird.
I would have been forced to use my ‘drop-dead-and-crawl-away-from-me-now-look’ on her. Geez, how rude. I hate it when people think just because you are making something you’ll do it for them too. I DON’T THINK SO!! I have a small circle that I knit for and I don’t expand it!! lol
I’ve had my share of weird encounters with my knitting on the metro, but nothing to compare to that. Like Roseann, I would probably have pretended not to speak English. I actually do that all the time when someone is bothering me: “Jag tala inte Engelska!”
Why is it that some people think that knitters should consider it a privilege to knit for them? A member of my staff said to me a while back: “You knitting is actually good. I might let you knit me a sweater.”
As if!
The nerve of some people!!! All this and a bad attitutde to boot! Good answer on your part. You go girl!
I am still in shock about what that horrid woman said. I have to keep reading it over and over. Sorry but that takes *ahem* BALLS to be that rude!
=:8
Holy crap! Some people really are clueless, arent’ they? You are such a class act – who knows what would have come out of my mouth.
You look awfully cute in your pictures!
The nerve!
I can’t even believe someone could be so obliviously rude and self-absorbed to just demand socks. Like you just wave a magic wand to knit them! =)
About three weeks ago my husband was talking to a two of his co-workers about my knitting. The first one ask him to have me make her a pair of socks and the second one asked for a scarf because they both “always wanted something hand knit”. They also requested them to be made in 100% cashmere too! He came home to tell me about the conversation exited because he “found me my next project”! I was so shocked about the requests I spent a good amount of time venting about how rude that was of them and how holiday knitting for FAMILY is all I will be doing for the next few month. I even got made at him and scowled him to not offer up my hobby out again! Poor guy, he’s still pretty sensitive about that! He even knows how long even a simple project can take and how annoying it can be for me when anything envolving any shaping doesn’t go as planned! Thankfully he didn’t tell them about my knitting freak out, but I still think it is rude (In any situation) to skip being polite about the desire for something and going straight to the “I want it and you will make it for me” part! I have also never met the women who asked for these things so that didn’t make the situation any better either! And … end rant! Thank you Lolly for your great blogg and a post that I can related to so!
Public transport is full of crazies. I don’t bring my knitting on the light-rail because I usually don’t get a place to sit the hours I ride it, of course that doesn’t stop the crazies from commenting on whatever book I’m reading like I give a sh**.
I’m sure that Portland’s light-rail only has a fraction of the weirdos that DC does… so I feel for you.
The sock looks great! I hope to get started on the second half of my pair this weekend.
That’s so nuts!
I have an unfortunate (or not) tendency to just laugh when people say insane things like that. I’m afraid it may make me seem bitchy. Oh, well.
that is nearly unbelievable! people never cease to amaze me. . .
good for you for not taking any crap from her.
Awww, now I’m totally sad and all about sockless wierdos and their daughters. Maybe her feet got really cold while she was out protesting and stuff.
Where I live, weirdos just ask for money, or cigarettes. You must have a better class of weirdos down there.
Wow – people have some nerve don’t they! I rode the train to DC for 4 years and I saw some freaks. I didn’t knit at the time – but I was approached for a lot of crazy reasons!
The socks are going to be awesome!
Oh dear, that’s just wierd! I’ve had folks strike up conversations with me about my knitting, but no one’s ever demanded product… Great Socktoberfest story!
What the?!!
People can be so very strange.
What next?
Lolly, you are such a trooper! I don’t think I would have been able to handle the situation with such grace. Just recently I was on the subway knitting a (socktoberfest) sock and the guy sitting next to me was so entranced by my knitting he asked me out. Even though he was sitting to my left watching my left hand with my WEDDING RING on it! I guess I could give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn’t see the ring, and was actually appreciative of my craft.
Oh my gourd! I cannot believe she had the nerve to ask you that! I am just in disbelief that people exist like that!
The important question is – do you still have her address??
We could have some fun with it
Arrrgghhhh! That’s all I have to say….
Lolls,
Come to Berlin and we’ll takle those wierdos together!!! There are so many here!!
I can’t help but ask-have you lost weight? Your pictures look like it.
Oooo, people like that drive me crazy! The other night at our knitting group, we actually had a guy come up to us and inform us that the latest craze in knitting was to make codpieces. What the hell???? He looked so smug, like we should be laughing at his cleverness and fawning all over him. What a weirdo.
That is one of the strangest encounters I’ve ever heard of. My mouth would have been hanging open in disbelief.
That is a funny story! I’ve not had that experience yet on the Metro. Only a couple people asking me what I was “crocheting” when I was knitting some socks.
I think I spotted you walking past Bread and Chocolate yesterday in DC. Was it you? I would have said something, but both of us were walking pretty fast in opposite directions. And it wasn’t til I was past you that I thought, “hmm, that scarf looks familiar…”
Honestly. It was the Multidirectional Scarf that made me recognize you. Beautiful scarf!
he he! what a freak! you became very reasonable, i could be rude against such a “case”…
Loved your story, Lolly! And also Dez’s story about a knitter’s personal politics…I’ve been there before! But please don’t be too hard on the stare-ers out there…after all, I remember being totally mesmerized by watching someone knit in public once. I never said anything to her, but she did come to mind (several years later!) when I picked up the DVD that actually taught me to knit! I now consider myself an ambassador of the craft when I knit in public…but I don’t take orders either. I just say. “You couldn’t afford to pay the price I’d ask even if I only charged a dollar an hour…and I won’t work for that!” They usually laugh and say they understand! Happy sock knitting! Terrie
That is hilarious! I dont’ know if I would have been so contained in my response!!!!
I love that you said you couldn’t believe she’d say that to a stranger. Maybe she’ll think next time!
As my husband says, “who has more fun than people?” You’re a veritable diplomat.
I had a friend once who arrived at my house with fabric and a pattern and announced that I was going to sew a dress for her. The fact that I was packing to move to grad school didn’t phase her. What finally did it was when I handed her a community college bulletin with the sewing class pages marked.
That was weird! Strange how she would give a complete stranger her home address at that.
Oh… *wow*. Amazing. Your response was so perfect. When I was working at a yarn store, I heard way too many stories of people not respecting their own time enough, and not letting folks know how out-of-line they were when they made this sort of assumption. (And you would not believe some of the requests I got.) You rock my world.
Oh geez, that’s such a funny story! I’ve been knitting on the NY subways for 3 years and I’ve never gotten more than “That looks hard” from anyone. I’m not sure what I would have said or done but I applaud you for quickly and succinctly stating your position. Some people never leave ***their*** own world where apparently everyone else does their bidding. Ick!
Well yes, she was pushy, but I don’t understand why everyone seems to think the woman was horribly awful. After all, did you have any clue how much work went into a pair of socks until you made them?