Growing up

When I was a child I was painfully painfully shy. I wouldn't even answer the phone (heh, until I became a teenager!!) and would hardly say boo when people came to visit mum and dad.

In some circumstances now, not much has changed - I hate going to large social functions where I don't know many people, I try to avoid going to external seminars for work if I don't know anyone else going, that sort of thing. But overall, I'm much better and I keep getting better at it as I grow up (growing up, for me, is a constant state - I'm not entirely sure I'll ever be fully grown up!).

And I'm glad I'm getting better at it. Shyness is a terrible affliction (I know, not the worst by a long shot) and very misunderstood - shy people are often taken to be snobby, when in fact they are just too afraid to say hello - of course, what they are afraid of is another question entirely!! I'm most particularly glad because I got over my shyness on the weekend and travelled down to Wollongong to the Wollongong Stitch'n'Bitch exhibition. And I met Donni, and Ailsa, and Donna, and other knitbloggers and non-bloggers and it was great - I only felt slightly nervous twice, once briefly while having lunch and then when I got there, for a minute. And there was lots of fab-o knitting, and some weird almost horizontal rain, and to top it all off, I came home with a swift, courtesy of Donni, the great enabler.

So when you put these two things together (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in black purl):

and combine with ball-winder (too dark to get a good photo of the actual winding process!) you get this:

And that means one thing - my lone jaywalker will soon have a mate! Just like me (when I can overcome my shyness) (oh, and finish at least one of my current projects!)