Machine Guns & Knitting Needles

This weekend I attended the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot - if you'll pardon the pun, it was a blast! We drove down in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, so we would have time for the gun show as well. We had to park a ways away, since the main parking lot was full already. When we got out of the car, it sounded like a battle was in progress. Once we got to the range (hearing protection in place), we saw an amazing collection of automatic weapons methodically destroying old cars, boats, washing machines, and assorted junk. Here's what it looked like during one of the cease-fires:

We watched the shoots and toured the vendors' tables until we were exhausted. I rested on a bench and bemoaned the fact that I had left my knitting in the car, thinking I would have no opportunity to knit. What a mistake! Although there was a fine film of dirt over everything, it would have been worth the risk of getting my sock dirty to knit in the middle of a crowd watching a machine gun shoot.

On Saturday, we headed here:

And I did this:

Fired 50 rounds through an M1919 machine gun. What an experience! Even though I fired short bursts, those 50 rounds were gone all too soon. Being a newbie, the muzzle of the gun tended to rise as I fired; I would love to have the opportunity to practice enough so I could overcome that. *sigh* At a cost of over a buck a round, I'm afraid that is very unlikely.

After shooting and some more shopping, we sat down to rest and watch some more. I reached into my backpack, and &^%$#@! I left my knitting in the car! Much too far to hike back. Another missed opportunity. Arrrrggggghhhhh!

Even though I missed two good knitting opportunities, I did make significant progress on my sock during the drive. Here it is, somewhat shorter and no doubt cleaner than it could have been:

Since switching to the bamboo needles, I am enjoying the knitting much more than with the slippery metal ones. Even so, knitting for CIC has spoiled me considerably; little socks with thick wool go so fast! So, as a little treat for myself, on Sunday night I started this while I watched one episode each of Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1:

Two shows = 1/2 sock. That's pretty close to instant gratification in the knitting world.