Sunday, November 08, 2009

Imaginary Friends Come to Life

Let's face it. I don't get out of the house to socialize very often. Don't get me wrong, I love to do it - but I also prefer the path of least resistance and going 'out' sometimes requires 'effort'. And I tend to fixate on the unfinished tasks & projects, so I have on occasion used those tasks as an excuse not to go somewhere or do something. (I know, I have some issues).

This past year though, I've been trying to make efforts to get out and do some much needed socializing. I enjoy it. I've been trying to get to the knitting meet-ups that the CNY Ravelry group has created, and the knit-in at my local LYS The Yarn Cupboard. I really enjoy my time when I go, and most times I seem to pack 20 projects (because you never know), and not knit on any of them. I find myself just enjoying the chatting with everyone so much that I don't want to be distracted with projects (what kind of knitter am I, anyways??). I find myself the last to want to leave, willing to drop the 'to do' list faster than a bag of scratchy, worsted acrylic yarn from 1972.

Recently, at a CNY group meeting, we got on the topic of food (no, really? food? Knitters who meet at a coffee shop?). We talked about our different favorites, international dishes - things our grandmothers' taught us, or great-grandmothers shared with us, or some other special person in our lives. Food that helped us connect with heritage, or with a community or with an individual by the time spent cooking together. We decided that as we were all quite hungry now, we should turn this into an actual dinner meeting.

Marcela graciously opened her home to us last night and the food was incredible. German Potato Salad and Butternut Squash Soup (chicken optional for the vegetarians who came), Mexican Bean Soup, Chili, Pepper Steak (vegetarian), A Serbian Meat Pie, Stuffed Grape Leaves (Lebanese, not Greek)... I know I'm forgetting something. There was also desert-! Strawberry cake, Apple Pie, Ice Cream, Whoopie Pies-! It was wonderful. We brought spouses and ate food and had a wonderful, social time. Nora got to spend the evening at her friend's house, so a good time was had by all ;-)

When's the next meeting? My calendar is wide open.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally sympathize with the not wanting to go out when so many unfinished projects are calling. I find the line of least resistance is to host the potluck. You have to coordinate and clean up, but it beats going out.

Colleen said...

You had squash soup? I LOVE squash soup...that is what I miss most about my kids not being at Waldorf...finishing helping with 5th grade sock knitting, and having my older daughter pop out of her classroom as I go past, to tell me I'm gonna LOVE the lunch today (they had fabulous lunches...and the Fall Harvest soup! You can't call it "squash" in an elementary school)!

Ok...now I'm hungry too. ;-)

emily10 said...

Sounds like worth getting out for! The only thing better than knitting is good food, in my opinion.

Rachel said...

recipes please!

I've been missing my weekly knitting meeting (we meet at Panera, no not the Sunday one!) and you made me crave tomorrow when I can finally go again.