Knitting while wind surfing

I always liked the advice that a former surfer gave us at a business conference once: be loose in the knees. Never having surfed, I have to imagine what it would be like on that board on the water. And, in my sometimes too predictable life, I have to force myself to still see the waves and paddle out to ride them.

On my commute to work, I drive past a very nice nursery. It's one of those nurseries that grows it's own plants for sale. Well, last week they had posted an enticing notice on their sign: Crafters Wanted. So I called. There was going to be an Open House with free BBQ, discounts on plants, and a small crafts fair so I left my name. By the time they responded to my calls, I had decided that they didn't need me. But I was in. Best of all, they had waived any fees and I had the table and a tent for free. I spent a long night, picking and choosing things to take and packing it all up in my car.

At 7:30 Saturday morning, my husband and I drove out there, got our assigned tent and set up. Well it was a small crafts area. The three other crafters were very friendly and none of us duplicated each others' wares. There was free BBQ and pop, and a steady stream of customers that bought plants and also wandered through our tents. By the end of the day, we all felt so encouraged by our experiences that we agreed to return the next day.

On Sunday, the weather was warmer but the wind began to blow much harder than it had the day before. Although the nursery encouraged us to borrow plants and decorate our booths, I decided against it when the plants in the other booths began to blow over. Then the tents began to lift off. Gripping the metal pole and trying not to blow away myself, I wondered what I was doing there. But the gusts eventually broke and a short time later, a little knitting circle formed in my sagging tent. A friend came by with her knitting and two girls from the day before came back with their needles and yarn. They were beginners having gotten a few lessons from their grandmother and were not totally comfortable with the craft yet. But they were interested in learning and were very sweet and pleasant to be around. I was a little sorry when they had to leave. (Okay. You can read between the lines. If I had time to have a knitting group, where were the paying customers?)

Well, I like that I was able to paddle myself out of my routine. I stayed open to the opportunity despite the initial lack of details and contact, which was not easy for me to do. And there was that very real wind.... Be loose in the knees, man. I sold some of my scarves, met some interesting people (and made some of them laugh), made the list of vendors for their (indoor!) Christmas Open House, and enjoyed knitting with friends. What's that term.... Priceless!