Monday, June 11, 2012

Wacky Happy Knitting Dance

I admit it.  I have a wacky little dance that spontaneously takes over my body when really cool stuff happens to me, usually knitting related.  It involves a little squealing, jumping, and twisting, followed by a belly laugh.  It is a dance well-suited to an elf in a Disney musical.  I am not a small person in any of my many dimensions, so in the rare instance where my little dance is witnessed, it is usually met with laughter and pointing.  And snide comments for a couple of days.  (Which is fine, because I still have some sort of knitting victory.)  I feel comfortable telling you this because I AM NOT ALONE!

I was embarrassed when I did it when I met Jill Draper.  Her mother totally filled the room with her laughter.  I was embarrassed when I did it when I met Clara Parkes, but at least she didn't see it.  (Not that I know of.)  But then, I met someone who did it when they met me.


Celine Barbeau, knitwear teacher and designer extraordinaire.
I was in a little knitting and fiber crafting shop in Montreal called Effiloche.  I met a thin, petite, beautiful woman with a ton of energy named Celine.  As we spoke, it became apparent that our knitting lives have been oddly parallel, hers in Canada, mine in the States.  She mentioned, "And do you have to check Ravelry every morning, noon, and then before bed every night?"

"Of course!  That's perfectly normal." I said.

My DH, not a Ravelry member or fiber artist of any kind, said,"I can't sleep if I haven't checked it.  And if I get up at night to pee, I have to check it again!"

Because she is seriously addicted to knitting and design, Celine ignored this.  "And when you see the favorites and projects on one of your original patterns starting to climb - "

I interrupted, "I know!  When the first one passes 100 - "

And then it happened.  She bopped into my exact  wacky happy knitting dance.  I grinned.  It's rare that you find your exact twin in any way, let alone in your spontaneous delight dance.

"Look, Dave!  I'm not the only one!"  I cried to my DH.   I couldn't have been happier.  I jumped into my own wacky happy knitting dance, and we jumped and twisted together for a moment in complete understanding.  Thankfully, my husband did not photograph us.  You'll have to see it for yourself.

Celine is cool.  She's a designer, teacher, and author.  More about her, the shop, and Celine's book in the next post.

2 comments:

Ali P said...

I lived in Quebec for 5 years and considered Effiloche my second home there. I sometimes even worked there when an extra set of hands was needed for cleanings, stocking, or yarn winding. I love that you went there and got to meet Celine! I have a beautiful pair of earrings that she made for me that I treasure and I miss her and Ginette and Jonathan pretty much every day now that I am back in Nova Scotia. I'm so glad that you discovered the treasure that is Effiloche.

Anonymous said...

how very fun to find your blog. The thing you have to watch is if you get so excited about knitting that your hands start to shake. This has been my problem. Very good to meet you ! streetcolor