Thursday, August 23, 2007

 

Oh You Think So, Do You?


I was reading the newspaper today about a woman who had worked as a coroner in BC for 20 years and needed something to relieve the tension, so she took up glass etching.

Her work can be found here and it's lovely, however when reading the article I just had to gigglesnort madly.

The article reads, in part, "The etchings are handmade in a space over her Langley garage which she has usurped from her guitar-playing husband ... 'My husband probably wishes I'd taken up knitting,' she said, looking at large compressing and sand-blasting equipment."

And I thought about the hundreds and hundreds of balls of yarn in my stash, and the billyun or so pairs of needles and the needle sizer and the sitch markers and the scissors and measuring tapes and pattern books and knitting magazines and so forth.

This is quite apart from the huge sack of fleece sitting in my garage, and the bags and bins of fleece on the stairs outside my studio, and the several fleeces in my studio and the one in my dining room (a total of about 15, if you include the llama and the goat -- which you really must. You know llamas and goats hate being left out of anything). And then I thought about the 36" table loom (it's on legs, is it really a "table" loom now?) and the Nilus LeClerc floor loom and the two spinning wheels and the large knitting machine and the swift and the pots and pans for dyes and the worktable and the crockpots and the laundry tub and the batts and the roving and the couple hundred balls and skeins of stock I have for dyeing, and I thought, "Um ... would he really?"

And then I cackled a little, and went back to knitting my daughter's soul-sucking mitred square blanket (420-stitch cast on, in acrylic, what was I thinking?) and perhaps muttered a little about one being careful what one wishes for ...

Comments:
Bonjour Lapin, OMG am I the first here ??
Don't forget to mention the drill + electric sander + electric saw + various attire of the knitter actually trying to build one's own yarn swift. Yes, knitting can make for the most incredible mess.
I always enjoy reading you. Cheers!
 
Ahh fiber enthusiasts, where NOone in the house stands a chance. mwahahaha
 
I'm going with Harlots statement that all this wool is just more insulation for the house. Unfortunately since I live in Georgia I don't know what use it is.. but its cushy and warm none the less.
 
*Snork* I bet my husband wished I had taken up glass etching. While apparently not as extensive as your's, my stash is quickly outgrowing it's domain in my closet.

I find that blog contests can be a great way to,um, share that one or two balls of really beautiful yarn that you just don't know what to do with!
 
I remember when I thought how convenient my knitting habit was. Everything fit in a tote bag that I could carry around. I think many who are not Yarn Persons are under a similar delusion. I'm currently looking for a piece of furniture that is large enough to house the fiber books and the stash overflow...
 
I'm late to the party as usual, however, I must comment on prior conversations.

First, I read your blog and wish I could write like you do. Therefore, you are undoubtedly a writer and a blogger! And a knitter and all that other stuff - what could be better?

Second, my husband -bless his heart - never fusses about the yarn and needles and fabric and books even though the yarn stash has passed 220 miles worth. Of course not, as long as I don't fuss about the extra car motors, transmissions, bellhousings and the 7 flip-top bins full of washers, nuts and bolts! He says it makes me happy, and I should buy more when needed.

Thank you for the laughs and the tears, and the inspiration.
 
Y'know, if there's anything I've assimilated in my many dabbles in various hobbies, it always looks simple from the outside.

Then you get involved. And you find, say, that there are yeah-I've-knitted knitters, knitters, Knitters and KNITTERS!!!

And you discover alpaca.

And dyeing.

And spinning.

And if you've ever in your life explored more than one hobby, you know EVERY hobby is like this. There is always the next level, the next toy, the next capital letter.

Which is why I shake my head at anyone who would look at her glass-etching equipment and say, "I'm sure my husband wishes I'd taken up knitting."

More like, "I'm sure if I'd taken up knitting, I'd have two looms, three wheels and fifteen tubs of unwashed animal pelt in here right now."
 
Yeah...it starts off so innocently. You knit up that first garter stitch scarf and think, "what a nice little hobby; I'll make some Christmas gifts and save myself a bundle!" Then it all falls apart and you're surrounded by wheels, spindles, needles and wool thinking, "wha' happened?????" Oh well...it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble for the most part so I suppose it's a good obsession. I just wish I'd bought a house instead of a condo!!!
 
I'm pretty sure my husband wishes I'd stop taking up anything. Or that I'd consider sex as a hobby. (Though I hear Pyrex makes some toys that are expensive, and I'd need a whole room for a dungeon...)
 
Sometimes I think maybe I should go back to beading instead ... yeah, that would solve the space problem. Yeah. Sure it would.
 
The fiber stuff is now taking up an entire large storage closet, much of another walk in closet, part of my bedroom, and my entire dining room. I'm hoping to buy a townhouse with a basement next year because I've decided it would be kind of nice to eat at my dining room table once in a while. This one bedroom apartment just isn't cutting it.
 
Bwahaha! I love the idea of knitting as a non-room-taking-up hobby. Lucky for me, my husband is the kind of guy who likes hobbies with accouterments himself; my stash can't compete with three mountain bikes, two full wind-surfing rigs, and three pairs of skis (with the accompanying boots, poles, and bindings). Maybe I *should* go to the yarn sale I've been avoiding...
 
When I first fell into the addiction we know as Knitting, I would justify it by saying "At least it's cheaper than crack."

Then I discovered NICE yarns, and hand-painted yarns, and things like merino and baby alpaca...now I can't use the "cheaper than drugs" excuse.

But I do have sharp pointy sticks to wave about threateningly if anyone complains.
 
oh yeah, I got closets full of knitting stuff. Insanity.
 
That made me laugh too.
 
So are you going to start selling hand-dyed roving? Soon? Next week would be good for me.
 
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