Three strikes and you're out?

Before got pregnant again I was still dancing with a semi-professional ballet company and a friend's modern company here in town (I danced until I was 5 months pregnant with my daughter, then started dancing again when she was 3 months old). The result was that I danced a minimum of three days a week, usually more, for around fourteen to eighteen hours a week so even after I was a stay at home mom I still had plenty of opportunity for adult interaction. Now that I am pregnant again, not so much. I have been searching for new social outlets and thought I had found one when a search of Yahoo Groups produced Seattle Stitch'n'Bitch. It was perfect, a knitting group that met weekly at time that was convenient for me at a location that was close to my house!! What could possibly be better?

I'll tell you what would be better. It would be better if people actually SHOWED UP for the group. Two weeks ago I attended the my first meeting with much trepidation. I'm not particularly keen on walking into a social environment where I know no one, it makes me nervous - what if nobody likes me? You know, all the usual self-confidence issues (Crazy Aunt Purl had a great post about this recently). At any rate, I overcame all those things and hauled myself and my knitting bag over to Cupcake Royale. I walked in, searching frantically for folks with needles. I found, ONE. One other person was in attendance, and get this: she was new too! Eventually a third knitter joined us but I was pretty disappointed by the turn out. Not that the women who were there weren't great but as someone who is trying expand her social circle, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Last week I made arrangements for a babysitter as Hubby had a work function- I was not about to pass up my knitting/socialization opportunity. Again I walked in to CR and this time, NOBODY. Not a single one. I stayed and had a latte but I had a couple errands I needed to do so I left after thirty minutes. Tonight I decided I would give it one more try... Maybe last week's freaky weather (snow!) had my fellow Seattle knitters hibernating? Once more I had a sitter since Hubby is out of town for work. Yup. You guessed it, I was the only knitter there. I stayed. I knitted. I had a cupcake (yes, that means the Seattle Cupcake Tour Part 3 will be making an appearance soon). It wasn't too bad, sitting by myself, knitting. I needed a break and this worked. But still... I want a knitting group. I want to chat and laugh and bitch with my fellow needle wielders. *sigh* There are at least two other groups that meet to knit in Seattle but neither is really that convenient... I'm a glutton for punishment so I'll probably head back again next week, I mean, at some point someone might show up. At least next week I won't have to pay a sitter.

Oh my, this post is significantly longer than I intended - sorry for all the whining. I will end on a good note however. On my way out the door a small square red object caught my eye. Could that be? Was it? OMG, it WAS a row counter. Perched right there in front of someone with needles. And yarn. A knitter! Looking up at her I asked, "Are you here for the knitting? I mean the Stitch'n'Bitch?" (so stunned was I by the sight of knitting paraphernalia I had a hard time forming sentences) "No," the knitter replied, "but you look familiar." Lo' and behold it was Daphne from my LYS! I stood there by the door talking her ear off for ten or so minutes (thanks for being so kind and patient with me Daphne, I was in serious need of a chat!). She had just decided to pop in on her own, not realizing there were knitterly things scheduled (at least in theory). I walked out with a smile on my face.