Rhinebeck

Today was the perfect mix of fine fall weather, luxurious yarn, and outstanding friends.  At 7:15 this morning, my knitter peeps and I embarked on a 3-hour road trip to Rhinebeck, NY for the annual NY Sheep and Wool Festival, a mecca for knitters.  The fun started in the car:

That’s Melody driving and Steph riding shotgun, and Heather and Hollis knitting away in the back.  Me?  I was in the way-back, home of Luke Skywalker action figures and various Legos.  I was also the keeper of the cooler and the snacks. 

When we arrived, I was pretty overwhelmed by the vastness of the whole place.  But, like any good knitter, I just dove right in and fondled yarn all day.  And bought some:

Yes, that’s enough Brooks Farm Four Play to knit yet another Clapotis.  Since I made my first one, I’ve had some *ahem* requests from family members to make more.  And I will happily oblige. 

I must say I displayed admirable restraint otherwise.  Usually, when faced with vast quantities of very special yarn, I would make deals with the devil all over the place to justify affording it “for my stash.”  But I resisted.  And that’s OK too, because it was just so much fun to fondle and look and justify other people’s decadent purchases!  And to look at adorable animals too:

Llama!

Sheepies!

And to Kinnear certain celebrity knitters:

(Yes, that’s Yarn Harlot, from the back.  I usually wouldn’t be so bold as to take a pic of someone minding their own business, but when she “Kinneared” Greg Kinnear, she HAD to know what she was starting…)

But, most importantly, today was about spending time with the incredible women who have become my truly great friends this year.  Here we all are:

That’s (from the left) me, Melody, Bethe, happy-smiling Erin, Melissa, Hollis, Steph, Heather, and either E. or S., in Heather’s belly, who will reveal him/herself quite soon.  (She feared today, and we had the tarp and the boiled water ready, but instead it was Heather who led us through the throngs, who directed our day, who kept us walking for miles, who should have been complaining about swollen ankles, etc., but who instead was simply sublime…)

I read somewhere once, in my earlier 30’s, that women who have solid networks of friends are less likely to have heart disease, bad cholesterol, depression, etc. than women who don’t have an active “group” of friends.  I took that with a grain of salt when I read it, because I thought “Well, that’s nice, but one can’t simply conjure up a group of friends on a whim!” 

Now, I’ve always been very social, my whole life.  My mom (who is a bit more guarded) always marvels at me – “Jen, you could make friends in line the the DMV!”  She’s sort of right about that.  I DO make friends easily, and I have a slew of very close friends all around the country.  I always, wherever I go, make “BFFs”.  But, I haven’t had a GROUP of friends since high school, really, or maybe college.  Maybe none of us has.  Because the nature of adulthood is that you have your job, your kids, your partner, your family, and your friendships are intense and wonderful, but they are increasingly isolated.  Only weddings, baby showers, and “big” b-days, bring your peeps together from all stages of your life.

This is why I am so in love with my knitters.  It’s amazing to have a clan of friends like this.  We’re all different – politically and spiritually; some are married, some are single; some have kids, some do not; there are dog people, there are cat people… But, knitting is the “thread” that we have in common (impossible to avoid a pun there, sorry.)  When we’re together, knitting seems incidental.  It’s just a nice way that we MET, but it’s no longer the reason for the friendship.

My heart feels very, very full-to-bursting.