Playing in Traffic

I'd never leave home without knitting; this is true of most knitters, isn't it? There are always one and sometimes two projects in my purse, along with extra needles, markers, stitch gauges -- and I know I'm not alone in this. There was recently something posted about a "knit in public day," which I found odd because I always thought that was everyday.

It's good to make a few concessions though when it comes to public knitting. For example, using metal needles while knitting in the theater can catch the spotlights and distract the actors. So I always bring wooden needles for those occasions.

And I prefer round needles or double pointed ones for airplanes because it gives us knitters a bad name if you stab your neighbor in the next seat, although the last one I speared was incredibly nice about it.

But having knitting for the car is essential. And I mean if you're the driver. No reason to be bored at red lights anymore! There's always time for a few stitches or a quick cable. Traffic jams? I welcome them now. I'm in Israel, so the traffic can be pretty crazy. People honk here, as one person said, just to let you know they are alive. Jerusalem wasn't built for the numbers of cars we have, so it can take much longer to drive through town than to walk.

If the stress of modern living, such as traffic jams, can kill you, then knitting in the driver's seat saves lives. I think there needs to be some sort of public health campaign about this.



I appreciate the nice built in features for knitting in the car, too. The clip on the visor holds my patterns (at least it did before I broke it) and the transmission is a handy swift for winding balls. The coffee holder prevents balls from rolling away especially when doing color work. My car is home away from home and often warmer in the winter and coolier in the summer than my own house (no central heat, no air conditioning in my place). Everybody else might be seething at the wheel but I'm chilling out, working on the latest sock or sweater.