Thursday, July 23, 2009
Ibuprofen Is My Friend
I have returned from the Victoria Fibre Fest (in fact I'd returned before the last post) and although sales were very disappointing there, it was a worthwhile venture and we will likely go again next year. My kid had a fantastic time leaping about on the rocks all day with her friend and I got to meet some new faces, renew some old connections and generally have a good time while Amongst My People.
One of the really good things to come out of it was that at the end of the Fest, all of my unsold yarn (or at least all of it that I had skeined and ready) went to a fine new store called Knotty by Nature run by a lovely young couple who just happen to be the parents of the girl that Her Surreal Highness has had such fun with during the Fest the past two years. It's on Government Street in Victoria, BC, and if you're in the neighbourhood I'd really recommend popping in and saying hi. Even if you don't buy my stuff (shame on you!) it's a great place to spend some time.
Another fantastic thing was that I also got my yarn mojo back. I didn't think I'd be able to do it after TYAAHOSTAMBAATMIATUTIATT (The Year And A Half Or So That Ate My Brain And Turned Me Into A Totally Unreliable Twat In A Total Tailspin) (hmm, that's a slightly awkward acronym. I'll just call it "the missing year and a half or so", k?) but I somehow managed to dye and skein and gather up enough thangs to fill up a table in an interesting manner, and discovered -- rediscovered -- that this is the reason I get up in the morning.
I know there are a few folks waiting for yarn from me and I'll be doing my best to make it up to you if you are one of them. Some people won't forgive me, however if my best isn't good enough it in no way negates the fact that it is, in fact, my best. It's all there is. There will be extras. There will be refunds. There will be groveling. Stay tuned.
Since returning from Victoria I've been getting ready for the Sock Summit. There's been a little matter of finances (as always) as the gas bills for January through March were obscene and I've been paying them off for a few months. Who knew that heating a house this large would be so ugly? Anyhow, I've been working quite a lot at "the good job"* and my last paycheque enabled me to order some stock to go with the 200-300 skeins I have here in the house. Yes, I have that much. It's not all sock yarn but then again not everyone going knits only socks, so there will be "other stuff" in Portland also.
A few things have also found their way into my Etsy store, although not a whole lot as I live in fear of running out in Portland. Almost as much as I live in fear of bringing every single skein back with me.
*sigh*
Don't you just love the angst?
Anyhow, a couple of big boxes of yarn arrived on Tuesday of this week and I've been skeining like a madwoman, as another 40 lbs of stock is coming from Ashland Bay Trading Company tomorrow, and as well as skeining I have to, you know, like, dye the stuff. (let us not speak of my additional anxiety concerning the running out of dye powder, ok?)
Apparently one of the boxes of yarn I received is a Magic Box, hence the title of this post. The box with the 40 skeins in it? No problem. The other box? Well, there were 100 skeins in it to start. It actually comes in balls so I have to skein it before I dye it. I've been skeining like a madwoman for two days now, in between attempting to run a household, and every time I stop to count how many are left, there are 60. I'll skein five, count hopefully, and there are 60 left. I do another 7 or 8, recount ... still 60. I really need to get me one of them electric skeiner things, or even the kind you just wind, but in the meantime I'm doing it all on a niddy-noddy. One at a time. And never reducing the count.
It is indeed Magic, and I can certainly use the stock (although I think I'll have 700-800 skeins for Portland, which should surely be enough) but that whole thing with the niddy-noddy? After skein #1,896 or however many have come out of that box, using that thing hurts. I've talked the kid into cutting all of the ties I use to keep the yarn from tangling when I dye it, and she's done one or two skeins (also not reducing the count) but it's mostly been me. And quite frankly it stopped being amusing about half a bottle of ibuprofen ago. I suspect I shall be waiting for a new kidney soon -- thank the FSM for the Canadian Healthcare System (under which, should I be able to live long enough to get a kidney, at least I won't have to pay for it.)
Um, so, that's what I'm up to these days, and why you may not be hearing from me again until August 10 or so (although I'll try to update before I go, perhaps with a picture of a mound of yarn, and a still-full box of stuff waiting to be skeined).
If you're coming to the Summit, please do drop by and say hi. I and my partner in crime Barb, from Wild Geese Fibres will be in Booth #729 in the Blue Moon North area, I believe, and apparently I'll be in the "Colour Me Crazy" (how appropriate) booth on Saturday at 11:30am. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing there, I think it's a Q and A and "meet the artists and find out what in the screaming purple hell was going through their heads when they dyed that" sort of thing. Mostly I expect to cuss and blush and fall over my feet, as I'm socially inept. Come laugh at me; it'll be fun.
And now? Oh, it's only 4:40am. I think I'll go skein some more.
*(Oh hey! I don't have to differentiate any more! It's the "only" job apart from the yarn stuff -- I'm still really stoked about having quit, and have declined to participate in an exit interview as I'm done with pretending I have any respect for or loyalty to them, and if I tell them the truth then I can't ever use them as a reference again, seeing calling the entire management structure "soulless, morally-bankrupt, ass-sucking weaselfuckers" isn't something that usually goes over well. Employers are funny like that. The weasels don't think much of it either.)
# posted by Rabbitch @ 3:44 AM 
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As I can't go to Sock Summit I'm sending my friend Kathy with a little bit o' cash to purchase something from you on my behalf. Any chance of some spinning fiber being part of your to-sell pile? If not no worries, I'm sure she'll find something fab to bring back to me.
Hope you leave the Summit with a giant pile of $$ and no yarn that you need to carry home. And congrats on dumping the bad job. Yay!
Hope you leave the Summit with a giant pile of $$ and no yarn that you need to carry home. And congrats on dumping the bad job. Yay!
Hmmm- I wonder what would happen if you took your magic box and niddy-noddy to the local gym and called skeining an upper arm "bingo wing" reducing exercise... Bet that magic box would be reduced to skeins in no time.
# posted by 
: 8:36 AM
: 8:36 AM
Good luck at Sock Summit! I'm sure that if either of your fears are realized, it will be the one about running out of yarn. :)
Ooooo...congrats on quitting the sucky job! That is a marvelous change. (And one I personally fantasize about regularly, even when admitting that it could be so much worse.) Best of luck at Sock Summit - though I doubt you'll need it!
I love it when you surface long enough to communicate with us - you crack me up sometimes. Like now when I almost swallowed a cherry pit.
# posted by : 1:32 PM
: 1:32 PM
Great Big Gobs of Good Luck Blessings and the just rewards of your labour and talent my friend! I wish I could be in Portland to join the crush. Meanwhile, I'll hang out hoping for leftovers :-)
Have a wonderful time at SS! I opted to spare my brain and body, so I'll be sending some skeins to Carolina Homespun, but have opted not to go this year. The combined cash outlay of cross country travel, shipping, booth costs, product purchase,and lodging - not to mention all the work involved- made me so nervous I knew I'd be a wreck. I did enter some skeins in the contest, though.
I am very happy to see you back blogging on a more frequent basis. Must be what happens when ass weasels depart from your life.
I am very happy to see you back blogging on a more frequent basis. Must be what happens when ass weasels depart from your life.
Yay! I'll see you at Sock Summit, I can't wait! I'll be working at the Knitspot/Briar Rose booth -- I wonder how close that is to where you are? Hmmm... And I'm with you on loyalty to weasels -- my weasels have just asked us to take a "furlough" without any work reduction. ?? And sigh.
Only about a week and a half, and I get to finally hug you! Squee!!!!! I've waited SO long to get my grubby little paws on you!
I so want some of your yarn, whether to sell, keep, roll around in, knit with... you get the picture. I won't beg. It's terribly undignified for a very straitlaced, Victorian-type lady as myself.
Unless you look under my voluminous skirts and see my big glow-in-the-dark neon green strap-on.
I so want some of your yarn, whether to sell, keep, roll around in, knit with... you get the picture. I won't beg. It's terribly undignified for a very straitlaced, Victorian-type lady as myself.
Unless you look under my voluminous skirts and see my big glow-in-the-dark neon green strap-on.
Remember the story about the shoe maker and the elves? I think you should make good use of that never emptying box. You may never have to order blank stock again.
exit interviews may be one of the most pointless things assweasel managers ever invented. most companies that have $hitty working conditions have $hitty working conditions ON PURPOSE because it's cheaper -- at least on paper. being assweasels, they don't understand how much productivity is lost when employees are miserable, exhausted and/or scared. and, being assweasels, they don't believe what they're hearing if an occasional departing employee tells the naked, depressing truth. so blowing off an exit interview is an excellent idea. why waste your time?
# posted by : 7:38 PM
: 7:38 PM
Leaving the central interior Sunday morning to slowly drift south, eventually arriving Portland mid afternoon on Wednesday. Have highlighted your booth on my map of conv centre and will look you up.
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