I Am A Communicator - Speaking A Universal Language

Two strangers meet under a lamppost at the entrance path to a bridge crossing the river.  The first to arrive folds a copy of the International Times newspaper with the date visible and tucks it under his left arm.  The second arrives quickly, wearing a blue stripped scarf and carrying a book showing the title, "The Old Man and the Sea."  After looking over her shoulder furtively, she says in a quiet voice, "The tulips are blooming in Amsterdam."  He responds, "I especially like the red ones."  A connection is made.  They can trust each other.  Communication and exchange can begin.

During our auto trip to Napa Valley last week Jay and I listened to the recent best-selling book by Daniel Kahneman,  Thinking, Fast and Slow.  A fascinating book, it discusses the author's research on the two ways of thinking that each of us possesses, the fast (intuitive and emotional) system and the slow (rational and logical) system and how these systems come into play in everyday decision-making and responding to life's events.  One aspect he covered was how we quickly size up a stranger to decide...is this person friend or foe?  He claims we have an intuitive way of recognizing facial characteristics that tell us if we are safe with this person.  I claim that in addition to our eyes, we can use our ears...and listen for a "universal" language.

Case in point!  I had made a list of places to visit on our trip that included, in addition to wineries, bookstores and farmers markets, any local yarn shops.  I enjoy purchasing a skein of locally spun and dyed yarn from a trip and knitting an item with it that will recall the memory of the trip for me.  In the town of Napa I entered such a shop called Yarns on First.

I was working my way to the back where the yarns were displayed in their little cubby holes

when I heard an elegantly-dressed woman ask the salesperson, "Do you happen to carry Madelinetosh DK?" My ears perked up.  She said "Madelinetosh"... every knitter knows what special yarn this is...kind of like the Mercedes-Benz of yarns...lush, soft, beautiful colors and $$$.  This woman is a true knitter.

I approached her.  I looked at her face and she watched me come closer.  When I reached her, I stopped and said, "What is on your needles now?"  Her face lit up and she quickly went on to tell me about the delicate little cardigan with a lacy edging that she was making for a niece.  She described the pattern and told me where she got it.  She said "Ravelry" another key word in the universal language of knitting.  Every knitter worth her merino is a member of this online knitting community website.  I told her about the Baby Surprise Jacket I often made for little ones.  YES! She had heard of this pattern and also the name of the designer, Elizabeth Zimmermann.   We continued in this vein, sharing ideas and preferences, speaking familiar words.  About 15 minutes later I left the store with a skein of hand-dyed local yarn from Sincere Sheep called Agleam.

It is a blend of washable merino and tencel, in a soft red shade with a slight sheen, named Gung Hay Fat Choy!  There is enough yardage to knit a lace shawl that will have a lovely drape.

Even more wonderful than discovering a universal language of a common interest, is sharing it with another person.  So, an added bonus to the knitting aspect of my trip was beginning to teach our niece, Jayne, how to knit.  She patiently learned how to execute one stitch, a knit, as I spoke of "working yarn," "tension," "front leg of the stitch" and "run around the tree" of wrapping the yarn around the needle.

I look forward to some day in the future, when my shawl is completed, and I casually toss it around my shoulders, and am transported back to Napa, CA, recalling the new friend I made by communicating in the universal language of knitters. 

I will end with some knitting humor that I found on an interesting blog, The Panopticon: