Sunday, September 29, 2013

Knit Night Memories

We gathered once a week for years.  Knitting, Thai take-out, wine, talking, listening, a lot of laughing.  My pre-kid social life, carved into each week - which at the time felt crazy busy, packed with graduate school and career drive.  We shared weddings, milestone birthdays, break-ups, selling and buying houses, new jobs, new love, and then....new life.  I remember Aimee's last knit night.  It was her first time away from her new baby.  She sat on the edge of the ottoman, fleece zipped all the way up to her chin, purse leaning against her ankle, keys in her hand.  She looked like she was holding her breath the short 30 minutes she stayed.  She didn't take her knitting out of her bag.  She said she felt like she was missing a part of her body, her arm, or her heart.  She stood up and said she had to go and was out the door in one motion.  I wasn't a mom yet, but I knew I'd feel the same way as her when the time came.  I also knew I'd miss my friends.  That there isn't always room to fit it all in.  To be balanced. That I would try to do it all and that it would be hard. 

After Genevieve was born I kept knit night up for a few months.  Long days at work, sad and separated from my baby, career and motherhood grinding metal and shooting sparks.  I'd bring her with me, holding tight to the time that was ours.  We were always too tired.  Too hungry.  Too engorged.  Too frazzled.  Too far from our nest in the dark.  It didn't work.

Moments and time with my knit night ladies are starting to trickle back in.  Last night, after putting the girls to bed, I drove to Samish Island to Annie's cabin, our annual knit night retreat revisited.  The fire was going, lips and teeth were already purple from wine, dogs asleep in their negotiated corners.  I stayed til midnight.  Catching up in real time.  The now so much different, lives always changing, friendship spanning it all.

Annie's cabin on the beach.  Full of relics and cobwebbed vignettes.  Treasured.














1 comment:

  1. So sad I missed this one! I'm just now reading this blog post (that's how crazy my schedule has been). Hope to see you soon:)

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