I finally managed to get my laundry done. I hauled my old sea bag full of dirty clothes into the truck stop, got five bucks worth of change from the machine, and threw it all in to wash. It took three machines. I've had that old sea bag since I was in the service. No matter what else comes and goes, that old green duffel has always been with me through thick and thin. It's showing sign of age and wear, but it's still very serviceable.
There were a few other drivers sitting around waiting for their clothes to finish up. I found myself a seat, got comfortable, pulled out my knitting (I love knitting socks, the whole project will fit in my jacket pocket), and started knitting while the machines worked their magic.
I shot the bull with the other drivers while working on my sock. I noticed a couple of them kept eying my knitting but they never asked about it so I didn't offer anything. Finally one guy came in carrying his laundry in. He saw what I was doing and aksed "Knit one purl one?"
"No, " I told him, "it's actually knit two purl two."
"Oh, ok, cool. What's it supposed to be?" He was eying what at this point is basically just a ribbed tube about three inches long.
"A sock." I told him.
Then the other drivers started actually commenting about the knitting, asking questions, etc. I don't know why they were afraid to ask before as they were obviously curious. I may be tattooed and scarred but I don't think I'm that damn scary looking. LOL
I finally finished up the laundry and carried it back to my truck. I then decided that it was time to grab some lunch and headed for the restaurant. I found a seat at the counter, off in one corner where could relax. I ordered my lunch, pulled out my knitting, and quietly worked on it while awaiting my meal.
A driver down towards the other end of the counter yelled over at me (it was a tad noisy in there) "Hey, can I ask you a question?"
I looked over at him and said "Sure."
"You're knitting, right?" he asked.
"Yeah..." I replied.
He then asked "Where did you learn to do that?"
I told him that I bought a book and taught myself.
"Oh, ok." he said. "I was wondering because I've never seen a guy knitting before. Not that there's anything wrong with it and all."
I then told him that men originally invented knitting and that until just a few decades ago more men knitted than women, and that I found it to be very relaxing after a hard day of driving.
A couple of the other drivers also seemed to have a passing familiarity with the fact that it used to be common for men to knit and one older driver told the young driver that when he was a boy he had to knit his own socks if he wanted to have any and never had store bought socks until he was in his 20s.
We also talked about how the sailors used to knit their own socks, hats, and scarves while at sea. This was all news to the younger driver but the older guys seemed to know all about it and a couple of them told the kid that while they don't knit any more they did when they were kids. I think the young driver was a bit blown away by it all.
The conversation then drifted off into other topics and my food arrived. I put away my knitting and proceeded to chow down. After eating I paid my bill and was walking through the hallway that led to the exit on the truck parking side of the building when the younger driver stopped me. He was all concerned that I had been offended by his questions.
I just laughed and told him I get them all the time and he's never going to learn anything unless he asks questions. He shook my hand and I continued on to my truck.
Ah well, maybe the kid's mind has just been opened up to a whole new set of ideas that he can think about for a while and maybe, just maybe he will grow a little and have the self confidence to do something he enjoys without worrying about what anyone else may think about it.