You've been warned. This blog post will be random and will span the worlds of home, hearth, yarn and game. Also birthdays. But to kick things off, here is a picture of my boys at Grandma and Grandpa's house, you know... raking:
People who don't know me and see me either in the act of knitting or wearing knitted garment usually say, "You're lucky to have that kind of time." People who do know me will at some point say, "How do you have that kind of time?"
I am reading the Yarn Harlot's new book All Wound Up. And wouldn't you know it? Her opening chapter is about this very thing. You can read the opening bit on Amazon to hear her take on this crazy idea that knitters have more hours in their day than non-knitters. That we have a life that supports sitting idly and doing nothing. Which is really crazy because everyone has time in their day for television where they sit with a bag of chips and a glass of diet coke zombied out for a couple of hours. Or maybe they spend inordinate amounts of time on Facebook or reading blogs. Knitters just do these things with string and sticks in their hands and instead of shoveling chips into our mouths we end up with a new sweater or a pair of wool socks. My mother is rarely without her crochet hook, yarn and an afghan in the works. Its idle time that ends up with something useful and awesome.
When I'm at the receiving end of the "I wish I had that kind of time" statement I never know what to say right away. If I come back with, "Well, I do work full time and have four kids and five pets and am planning a wedding and one of my sons is autistic and I'm trying to help my oldest find a college and my middle child is neglected between the two and the other son has to fit in there too and then there's my fiance who will be starting school in January and then there's that book I"m trying to write, so if I can do it you can too." People just think I'm either lying, bragging, an asshole or a bitch. In truth I'm only one of things and I'm not even that all the time. Just three days a month. Or when the beer runs out.
When I hear it, and I think all those things I just listed, I usually just say, "Well, its relaxing and it takes your mind off all the other crap you should be doing." And then I laugh and walk away and remember the quote, "If you want something done, ask a busy person." This is true, but it should also include "Just don't put a deadline on it."
The Yarn Harlot (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) goes on to write about the social implications and the cultural change that has changed knitting from something necessary to something unnecessary or frivolous. She writes, "In no time at all, we've manged to become such a consumeristic, product-driven society that people have stopped thinking that it's a waste to buy something you could make yourself and started thinking that it's wasteful to make something you could be buying." As if mittens or socks aren't made?
Needless to say, I love her and I love this book that I've only read twelve pages of.
Moving on.
Aaron's 30th birthday was last week. Stop laughing. He also had the week off of work. Can I just say right now that if there was any way in hell to make ends meet and have him home 24 hours a day I would do it? Dogs walked, bathed, house cleaned, help with little boys and driving teenagers, sharing a couch and a bottle of wine... all wonderful things.
We played Dungeons and Dragons. And it was so fun! Yeah, I'm a half-elf Druid. Also I have a dire wolf. Before things reach a new level of dork, I'm going to just move on.
We went to Hartford overnight Friday. I was there to review a play at TheaterWorks. The review is here if you would like to read it. If you are ever inclined to go to Hartford to see a play, I cannot recommend this little theater enough. Seriously wonderful stuff happening there.
While in the city we had a snack at Black-Eyed Sally's and then a light dinner at Hot Tomatoes. The wine we had at Hot Tomatoes was 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon and it was freaking delicious!! Sally's had delicious crab cakes and fried dill pickles. Also beer.
And then on Saturday! Guess what I did! I went to Stitches East which was a mere 2 miles from our hotel. I was in a convention center FILLED with silk, merino, cashmere, hand-spun, hand-painted and bags and baskets and all sorts of knitterly delights. And you know what I bought??? A $12 tin with hand-made stitch markers inside. Also, Aaron was the only man there under 60. He didn't complain one time and when I was ready to leave, he was actually surprised. Also he wants me to make the Great American Aran Afghan.... in cashmere. They had three on display in various yarn weights (bulky, worsted and 4-ply fingering weight) all in white. Stunning. You can sign up and receive your yarn monthly or quarterly so you don't like go into bankruptcy to make this thing. For the weight we loved, it would cost $50 a month for 20 months. That is my friends a $1,000 afghan. As in A THOUSAND DOLLARS. Did I mention it was 100% cashmere and not a blend??
The worsted weight is $30. I should be talked out of it, but talk about a great one year anniversary gift. Who am I kidding? Two year anniversary. Maybe 5.
 |
| JP and Seth "helping" Grandpa with the leaves. |
People who don't know me and see me either in the act of knitting or wearing knitted garment usually say, "You're lucky to have that kind of time." People who do know me will at some point say, "How do you have that kind of time?"
I am reading the Yarn Harlot's new book All Wound Up. And wouldn't you know it? Her opening chapter is about this very thing. You can read the opening bit on Amazon to hear her take on this crazy idea that knitters have more hours in their day than non-knitters. That we have a life that supports sitting idly and doing nothing. Which is really crazy because everyone has time in their day for television where they sit with a bag of chips and a glass of diet coke zombied out for a couple of hours. Or maybe they spend inordinate amounts of time on Facebook or reading blogs. Knitters just do these things with string and sticks in their hands and instead of shoveling chips into our mouths we end up with a new sweater or a pair of wool socks. My mother is rarely without her crochet hook, yarn and an afghan in the works. Its idle time that ends up with something useful and awesome.
When I'm at the receiving end of the "I wish I had that kind of time" statement I never know what to say right away. If I come back with, "Well, I do work full time and have four kids and five pets and am planning a wedding and one of my sons is autistic and I'm trying to help my oldest find a college and my middle child is neglected between the two and the other son has to fit in there too and then there's my fiance who will be starting school in January and then there's that book I"m trying to write, so if I can do it you can too." People just think I'm either lying, bragging, an asshole or a bitch. In truth I'm only one of things and I'm not even that all the time. Just three days a month. Or when the beer runs out.
When I hear it, and I think all those things I just listed, I usually just say, "Well, its relaxing and it takes your mind off all the other crap you should be doing." And then I laugh and walk away and remember the quote, "If you want something done, ask a busy person." This is true, but it should also include "Just don't put a deadline on it."
 |
| Meandering Vines scarf - finally finished! |
The Yarn Harlot (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) goes on to write about the social implications and the cultural change that has changed knitting from something necessary to something unnecessary or frivolous. She writes, "In no time at all, we've manged to become such a consumeristic, product-driven society that people have stopped thinking that it's a waste to buy something you could make yourself and started thinking that it's wasteful to make something you could be buying." As if mittens or socks aren't made?
Needless to say, I love her and I love this book that I've only read twelve pages of.
Moving on.
Aaron's 30th birthday was last week. Stop laughing. He also had the week off of work. Can I just say right now that if there was any way in hell to make ends meet and have him home 24 hours a day I would do it? Dogs walked, bathed, house cleaned, help with little boys and driving teenagers, sharing a couch and a bottle of wine... all wonderful things.
We played Dungeons and Dragons. And it was so fun! Yeah, I'm a half-elf Druid. Also I have a dire wolf. Before things reach a new level of dork, I'm going to just move on.
We went to Hartford overnight Friday. I was there to review a play at TheaterWorks. The review is here if you would like to read it. If you are ever inclined to go to Hartford to see a play, I cannot recommend this little theater enough. Seriously wonderful stuff happening there.
 |
| I did this in Hartford. Nobody asked me for milk or juice or food. It was heavenly. |
While in the city we had a snack at Black-Eyed Sally's and then a light dinner at Hot Tomatoes. The wine we had at Hot Tomatoes was 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon and it was freaking delicious!! Sally's had delicious crab cakes and fried dill pickles. Also beer.
 |
| Black-Eyed Sally's fried pickle chips (goes perfect with Sam Adams Octoberfest) |
And then on Saturday! Guess what I did! I went to Stitches East which was a mere 2 miles from our hotel. I was in a convention center FILLED with silk, merino, cashmere, hand-spun, hand-painted and bags and baskets and all sorts of knitterly delights. And you know what I bought??? A $12 tin with hand-made stitch markers inside. Also, Aaron was the only man there under 60. He didn't complain one time and when I was ready to leave, he was actually surprised. Also he wants me to make the Great American Aran Afghan.... in cashmere. They had three on display in various yarn weights (bulky, worsted and 4-ply fingering weight) all in white. Stunning. You can sign up and receive your yarn monthly or quarterly so you don't like go into bankruptcy to make this thing. For the weight we loved, it would cost $50 a month for 20 months. That is my friends a $1,000 afghan. As in A THOUSAND DOLLARS. Did I mention it was 100% cashmere and not a blend??
The worsted weight is $30. I should be talked out of it, but talk about a great one year anniversary gift. Who am I kidding? Two year anniversary. Maybe 5.
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