K.I.P.

K.I.P.  or Knit-in-Public.  It's my new defense against all things...well...me.

Social things are hard for a person like me who is 1) Shy 2) Anxiety Prone 3) Shy and 4) Really Shy.  Public or social situations can really work me up.  I never know what to say, sometimes I can't think of conversation starters, sometimes I can't think of conversation responses, sometimes I can't even get over my shyness to excuse myself long enough to go to the restroom.  Despite all this I get crazy when I shut myself up in the house too long and I get wildly lonely when I haven't had some sort of interaction other than my cat and my baby.

But when you are knitting (or crocheting) social situations are easy.  When I can't think of anything to say I can knit, when the conversation lags I can always talk about yarn, when I need a minute to come up with something in response I just knit till the end of the row then speak.  No one minds - I'm knitting!

Earlier this week I tried it at church.  Normally time before the service is uncomfortable for me.  Every one wants to say hi, every one mostly wants to flirt with the baby, but then they expect me to continue the conversation.

"Hi!  She's cute."

"Hi!  Yes she is."

Cricket.

Obviously I suck at this.  But with my yarn this week we talked about squid, and yarn, and colors, and then the service started.  It was great.  And I also finished two squid.

Later I went to a mom's group thing at the beach and the conversation went towards schools and what teachers everyone liked.  I don't know any teachers because Emily does not go to school.  There I was, standing knee deep in the ocean, holding a baby, and thinking man I wish I had my yarn.

So K.I.P isn't that practical for all situations, but when I figure out how to knit in the water life will go, er, swimmingly.