Wednesday night knitting group

End of summer bash at knitting tonight.

Sigh.

Summer is almost over.

We get together outside of knitting a few times during the year and tonight was one of those nights. Sissy and I recently returned to knitting after being gone for five weeks to photography class. We got big hugs from the ladies we haven't seen in a while.

It's so nice to be missed. Even when they threaten to kick us out for missing so many classes. These ladies are serious about their knitting.

I call it extreme knitting.
B. hosted our gala event and she went over and above tonight. She declared the theme to be Arabic since she's partly Arabic and sent out menu requests earlier in the week. I made a delicious couscous salad that I had at my friend M.'s house last week.

We ate stuffed grape leaves, meat pies, tabouleh, couscous, chicken in yogurt sauce, and baklava.

We also had peperonata, an Italian tomato-pepper dish, brought by the Queen who just happens to be Italian.

And watermelon, brought by one of the Irish women in the group. She's not from Ireland, but her heritage is Irish. She tries to knit with kelly green yarn. We stop her every time. Hideous color. Don't ask me what watermelon has to do with the Irish.

Geesh, these people don't get the whole theme idea at all.
We made pomegranate martinis and laughed and talked while B. put together the meat pies. We teased her hubby - he wouldn't act as our bartender. I don't know why he didn't want to hang out with eight women, chattering and poking fun at each other.
This knitting group rivals any support group ever.

We share worries and frustrations, we talk about our kids and husbands, we laugh, and sometimes we cry.

We've lost husbands, sent kids off to college, welcomed new babies, moved households, and changed jobs and through it all has been the constant of Wednesday night knitting.
I never knew what I was missing until I found these women.

Thanks, ladies. You're the man.