Knit PH at Prospect Perk Cafe, Nov. 10 '09

This fall weather has more mood swings than a poetry major gone off-meds — freezing rain one day then a muggy mid 50's the next. It's hard to figure what to wear when you leave the house. Golden ginko leaves are the last to fall on blue slate in Prospect Heights, which means the short days of winter will soon be here.

I'm digging into my stash to put aside yarn for the Afghans for Afghans charity blanket drive. As I root through my bins I'm reminded of my collection of singles gloves. I only lose the right glove for some reason. Why do I keep these things? I wonder if there's a charity that takes single left-handed gloves — a sinister charity?

"Do you speak Spanish?" Emma asked. She and Silke were the first to arrive at Prospect Perk. I'm not very good with crochet instructions and my Spanish is OK at best. The crochet instructions were in fact English, but although a long-time Brooklynite, she is from Venezuela. We definitely need a knit to crochet form of Esperanto. Mari gladly lent a hand. She took a break from her scarf. Meanwhile Silke is reacquainting herself with knitting.

Diana is new to the group, she lives just a few stops down on the 2/3 in Brooklyn Heights. She's making a handsome orange cardigan with Knit Picks "Swish  DK" for her year-old grandson. It's her own design, rich with honeycomb cables and seed. The front and back are sewn together, now all it needs are sleeves. I admired Diana's Boye™ Needlemaster, a full set of interchangeable circular needles. It's the best deal going at around $40. Diana recommends washing and blocking each piece before sewing. I tend to block the whole garment when I'm finished, but washing a large wool sweater is cumbersome — like sponge bathing a baby seal.

Sarah is also new to the group, she live towards Crown Heights. She's making a dove gray tea cozy in a  2 X 2 rib. This belated Christmas gift for her parent is a great beginner-project. At first Sarah said that it was OK if she went off pattern, but halfway through she ripped it out and started over as mysterious holes developed. Meanwhile. I've starting another sweater. As I dug deeper into my stash I found 17 balls of Elsebeth Lavold yarn stuffed in a bag within a bag. I should investigate my bins more often, or least organize them better.

As we gathered in this cozy coffee shop I marveled at the diversity of our neighborhood. Emma and Silke are both Venezuelan by way of Italy and Germany, respectively. They've lived here for over 30 years. Diana, a native New Yorker, is ethnic Cantonese from Great Neck. I'm a pacific islander, try explaining that to someone. Murat and Ori, the café owners are from Turkey. Now where is Sarah from? I forget, but she's globe trotted her way around to Africa and back.