this one.
Now, how much respect would a middle-aged-but-still-reasonably-borderline-hottish-woman-in-construction get with that baby? And the story behind it? Priceless!
Today I caught a hint of knittingness among my colleagues. We bought gifts for Toys for Tots, and someone who was not me contributed a knitting kit. I must do a clandestine recon mission to find out which chick knits. The guys mostly know I knit, it is my explanation for my Zen calm and why I haven't killed anybody yet.
My reason for being secretive at work isn't what you may think - it has nothing to do with my working image. I'm scared to death that if I say I can knit or demonstrate any knitting ability in my office, I will be stampeded by stressed-out colleagues in high heels, who will stomp my lifeless body into the cheap industrial carpet begging me to teach them to knit. Or even one colleague, which would be too many. Because knitting is one of those things I can't break down into the moving parts and teach.
I can't teach knitting. I've said it before, but it is a miracle that my children are toilet trained, never mind cook, do laundry or drive stick. They get full credit for their mastery of many skills their mother could not break down into moving parts without a lot of "I don't knows," and "You justs." If I've done it for a few years I can probably share the knowledge with you. If I've done it for decades, fergit it. The physical and verbal parts of my brain haven't discussed it in years. I forget how it works, it just does, my body has taken over, and I can't explain it for shit.
So I'm a semi-secret knitter, but I'd so wear that t-shirt with jeans on Friday.
But might your life be much improved if your coworkers had that same calm as you? I hear that for some, teaching isn't fun...maybe you could ask Carla to make a field trip and come teach a class a couple of evenings after work or at lunch?
ReplyDeletei hadn't seen that one yet! i'm gonna send the link to my hubbie!
ReplyDeleteand yeah, that would be an absolute riot to wear on fridays. i dare you to do it!
Debi- I love ya but I'm still shuddering at the suggestion that I start some knitting thing. I get paid to interact with them in a work capacity, and that's as far as it's gonna get. I am already the "go to" person for everybody on everything, there is no way in hell I would introduce knitting to them, it is my relaxing thing. Sharing it with them would destroy it. If they ask, I'll point them to Carla or Doni in Winter Park. That is as far as it will EVER go.
ReplyDeleteK - it's not really like that. I am a describer as part of my job, I can create a word picture of a retaining wall or drainage system. I can't find the words to describe something physical I do on mostly muscle memory. I learned to knit at around 6 or 8 years old (crocheting started around 4 or 5) and I can't describe how I do what I do without headache-inducing effort. After 20+ years of doing something, whether it's knitting or driving a stick shift, I can't break it down into verbal parts anymore. Ask me to describe a stormwater drainage system. I can do that. But teaching knitting would make my head explode.
I'm sorry... SEMI hot? Have you seen you?
ReplyDeleteGet the shirt.
Not everyone is a teacher. It seriously irritates me when folks don't get that, so I applaud your humility.
You are far, FAR too kind, and when was your last eye exam, young lady? But I don't consider it "humility" to say I can't teach knitting. I'm not humble about things I actually can do, but teaching isn't one of my strengths. I know I can't break down something I've been doing since childhood to teach it to an adult. I've tried, it was not worth the headache. I am very good at telling people to quit worrying about doing it exactly the way Knitting Teacher said as long as the results turn out right, but I don't want to be Knitting Teacher. Or even knitting advice giver.
ReplyDelete