Last week was so incredibly enjoyable, being able to stay home and not deal with my horrific co-workers! As you may have noticed, I didn't even post here, though to be honest, a lot of the reason was because nothing much was happening worth showing you. :-)
It was an excellent blend of getting things accomplished and relaxing, and the weather was very cooperative, which I appreciated A LOT. I didn't get all the things on my to-do list taken care of, but I hadn't really expected to, so I wasn't really upset with myself. But the things that were done gave me the chance to feel like I had finally made a dent into a lot of things!
The weekend topped it all off nicely, with the New Jersey Sheep and Fiber Festival on Saturday, and the Eagles winning their football game on Sunday.
The fiber festival was so much fun! One of the nicest things about this festival is that it is very approachable as far as size is concerned. Which is not to say that it is not as much sensory overload as the larger fairs and festivals - trust me, there's A LOT to see! Of course, I spent a lot of my time talking to and petting the sheep (whether or not they wanted me to - spoiler alert: most of them didn't care), and I even got to kiss and hug one of the sheep which was THE BEST THING OF ALL. The Tim even took photos, but as my camera and my computer are currently not on speaking terms, I'll have to show you that later. Even Instagram isn't speaking to me, so I can't send you there to see any photos at the moment either. Oh well.
It was very difficult to not buy a whole bunch of beautiful yarns. But I managed to restrain myself and came home only with a bar of goat's soap, with Franckinsense and Myrhh scent. It's put safely away until Christmastime.
I did get the chance to see some people that I had hoped to see, including Dee, Vera, three good friends from Philadelphia that I follow online but don't often get to see, and Kathleen Dames. It was so nice to run into people to briefly catch up, and to live vicariously through their purchases. It was especially nice to meet Kathleen, as we have been friends online for approximately 15 years, and had never yet met in person! We'd come close, but it just never worked out until Saturday. She was there with Kay Gardiner (one half of Mason-Dixon Knitting), and introduced us. Kay was as nice and as funny as you would expect her to be. One funny thing was that when I was talking to Kathleen, I mentioned that I ran into her when I was looking for The Tim. She said, "Oh my God - THE TIM is here???" I got a huge chuckle out of that. (And eventually I did locate him, well after the fact.)
You may also enjoy this exchange, which occurred over breakfast that morning.
The Tim: So ... is this one of the big fiber things?
Me: It's relatively small, if you remember. [He has gone with me at least 3 times in the past.]
The Tim: When did it become smaller?
Me: As far as I know, it's always been smaller.
The Tim: When did they move it?
Me: What?
The Tim: Well, didn't it used to be in Maryland?
Me: That would be Maryland Sheep and Wool, which happens in May.
The Tim: Oh, I wondered about that. I guess I'm talking about a whole other state.
Me (in my brain): !!!!!!!
Me (in person): Ya think??
Anyway, then yesterday I just hung out at home, worked on some laundry and some stitching, and watched the football game. What a nice way to finish my week of vacation.
And how sad to have to return to work. Such is life. At least tomorrow, we have our lunch hour craft group meeting.
Again, sorry for no pictures here today - hopefully I can show you some things soon. Have a good week!
Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts
09 September 2019
06 May 2019
It's Not Genetic
Here it is, the Monday of my week off from work. In an effort not to lose as much vacation time as I have in the past (and I'll still be losing a lot), I decided to take this week off from work. Since Hamlet's birthday was yesterday (as well as being Cinco de Mayo), I decided I we could celebrate with some adventures together this week. It was nice to not feel the sense of impending dread last night, and was lovely to sleep a bit later this morning.
Anyway, that's not what this post is about. Rather, I was reading Karen's post this morning about her weekend and the visit with her sister. It sounded like they had a wonderful visit, and I enjoyed reading about their crafty time together.
And I realized that as much as I love my sisters, and though we have a wonderful time together, if I suggested we did something crafty together, they would probably a) laugh, b) faint, or c) both. I know a lot of siblings who have interests that intersect practically in every way, but that's not the case in our family. Particularly in the sense of craftiness.
My mother spent the last 10-15 years of her life in a wheelchair. Though she knew how to do needlepoint, and could sew on a button or a hem, she was not much interested in any of that kind of thing while I was growing up. When she became chair-bound, her cousin taught her counted cross-stitch and she really really loved doing that. She was incredibly skilled at it, and all of us have some of her work in our homes.
She was always supportive when I wanted to learn to sew, and was proud of anything I could make, but I definitely did not inherit my love of making and crafts in any genetic way. Of course, I know my grandmothers and those before them learned to do things as necessity, but I didn't know them to know if they actually enjoyed doing any of it. So my interest is really just my own, as far as I can tell.
But my sisters? Um, that would be a big NO. My oldest sister Nancy is an amazing seamstress, having learned to sew in a high school home economics class where they covered even really advanced techniques. However, once she could afford to buy designer clothes instead of whipping up copies on her own, she lost all interest in sewing, period. I asked her a few years ago if she ever thought about sewing again, and she looked at me like I'd just eaten a baby or something.
My sister Mary Ellen is all about science. I don't know that it has ever even occurred to her to try any kind of hand crafts. She certainly likes things I make for her, and I can tell she thinks it's kind of magical but she just has no interest.
So when I am with my sisters, I can knit or do whatever I'm involved in, but we never do anything like that together. And I kind of wish we could. I am often amused by how little we have in common as far as our interests and personalities. Who knows, in our case, mabye that it why we get along so well.
Fortunately, I have many friends who fill the void to knit and craft with, and I guess since I'm around them more, it's actually better this way. I see my friends regularly, but my sisters seldom. Maybe my genetics knew that's how it would turn out.
What about you? If you have siblings, or even siblings-in-law, do they join you in your crafty pursuits?
Psssst. Guess who I get to hang out with tomorrow??? Dee! I'm so excited I could spit. :-)
Anyway, that's not what this post is about. Rather, I was reading Karen's post this morning about her weekend and the visit with her sister. It sounded like they had a wonderful visit, and I enjoyed reading about their crafty time together.
And I realized that as much as I love my sisters, and though we have a wonderful time together, if I suggested we did something crafty together, they would probably a) laugh, b) faint, or c) both. I know a lot of siblings who have interests that intersect practically in every way, but that's not the case in our family. Particularly in the sense of craftiness.
My mother spent the last 10-15 years of her life in a wheelchair. Though she knew how to do needlepoint, and could sew on a button or a hem, she was not much interested in any of that kind of thing while I was growing up. When she became chair-bound, her cousin taught her counted cross-stitch and she really really loved doing that. She was incredibly skilled at it, and all of us have some of her work in our homes.
She was always supportive when I wanted to learn to sew, and was proud of anything I could make, but I definitely did not inherit my love of making and crafts in any genetic way. Of course, I know my grandmothers and those before them learned to do things as necessity, but I didn't know them to know if they actually enjoyed doing any of it. So my interest is really just my own, as far as I can tell.
But my sisters? Um, that would be a big NO. My oldest sister Nancy is an amazing seamstress, having learned to sew in a high school home economics class where they covered even really advanced techniques. However, once she could afford to buy designer clothes instead of whipping up copies on her own, she lost all interest in sewing, period. I asked her a few years ago if she ever thought about sewing again, and she looked at me like I'd just eaten a baby or something.
My sister Mary Ellen is all about science. I don't know that it has ever even occurred to her to try any kind of hand crafts. She certainly likes things I make for her, and I can tell she thinks it's kind of magical but she just has no interest.
So when I am with my sisters, I can knit or do whatever I'm involved in, but we never do anything like that together. And I kind of wish we could. I am often amused by how little we have in common as far as our interests and personalities. Who knows, in our case, mabye that it why we get along so well.
Fortunately, I have many friends who fill the void to knit and craft with, and I guess since I'm around them more, it's actually better this way. I see my friends regularly, but my sisters seldom. Maybe my genetics knew that's how it would turn out.
What about you? If you have siblings, or even siblings-in-law, do they join you in your crafty pursuits?
Psssst. Guess who I get to hang out with tomorrow??? Dee! I'm so excited I could spit. :-)
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