Things I learned in Italy

My Y2Knit experience was one of a lifetime; I think I did everything I wanted to (and several things I didn't want to as well, but that is part of the whole thing)! So, here's what I learned:

1) There is a huge difference between city life and country life. City life is fast paced and exciting; country life runs on it's own time, which is not necessarily a beat I have ever seen before, but forces one to relax and go with the flow, which is very good.

2) The most meaningful moments for me were with individuals where the knitting became more of a spiritual experience than just the technical/mechanical act of manipulating needles and thread. Right, Mary from Minnesota?

3) Whether in the city or country, Italians are skilled and dedicated to parting Americans and their money. They have had so many generations of practice that it has become genetically encoded, and, just like natural selection, the ones who are best at it present themselves first for interaction!

4) Italian coffee makes Folgers look like the neighbor with cars up on jacks in their yards. You get used to it again, but the loss of it leaves one with a raging headache for days...

5) That no matter how beautiful the countryside, delicious the food (see #4), and wonderful the company (I never knew that I meet and come to adore a little blonde chick who could really knit but claimed she couldn't), I will never be separated this long from my family again without some kind of real means of communication. Thanks to Michelle for the use of the phone on the last day we were there...

6) That even though I am dreading working on the Pavone, the experience of this community knitting has been absolutely wonderful. I am so sad that we didn't get a group picture for the memory books.

Thank you all for an incredible birthday celebration. I miss you, Tiramisu...


Georgia