Just Say No

And I don't mean Nancy Reagan's drug crusade here. I'm talking about telling yourself "no" when you are tempted to say things that well, you maybe should have considered just a bit longer.

For example - at the yarn store, you can call and make an appt for a private lesson if you feel that you need it. It can really be for anything - maybe you don't know how/don't remember how to cast on, or maybe you have been making a pattern that is asking for short rows and you've never done them before. It costs $36.00, and you get someone's undivided attention and help for an hour. Which seems like a good deal, if you ask me.

Tuesday, I had one scheduled for someone who wanted to learn how to weave in the ends on their project. Most people who come in for lessons are nice, and grateful that you can teach them something they didn't know before and they can take their time learning how to do it with someone right there. Then there are those like the Tuesday Lady. Oy.

She was close to the end of knitting a scarf and had used multiple balls of yarn, so she had several ends to work with. But before that, she wanted to know "how long a scarf should be." I asked her if she was using a specific pattern, because the pattern would tell you. But no, she had a moss stitch pattern that she was repeating. So I said, "Well, the one answer is that it can be as long as you want it to be, or as long as the amount of yarn you have to knit it." To which she responded, "How long is that?" Sigh.

So I said, "Some patterns have you knit until the scarf is 60 inches long" (because one pattern I have knit long ago suggested that), and she wanted to measure what she had. What she had done so far turned out to be 59 inches, so she had another inch to go. She then said, "Will you do that for me?" and I told her no, but I'd be happy to sit while she did it. (Spoiler alert: She was not pleased with that answer.)

Then we moved on to weaving in the ends. I showed her how to do it with two ends, and then said she should give it a try. She said she didn't know how, so I showed her once again. It should be noted I had gone very slowly, explaining each movement. Then I said she should try it. She did one, and it was fine, but she then declared she didn't like doing it. I told her she wasn't alone, it was a part of a project that a lot of knitters didn't like. So then she said, "Then you should do them all." I said I'd show her one more time, and then she absolutely had to do the others. Which she did, and they were fine, and she bitched about it the whole time, because she didn't want to do it. 

Then she proceeded to knit another inch to finish the scarf, and she bound off and said that she "couldn't possibly weave in that last end, it was just too much." But I refused to do it for her (this is supposed to be to teach YOU how to do it), and she was not pleased. Then she handed it to me, and said, "You need to block this now for me so that I can give it to the recipient." I told her that we did block things for people, but it was not free and was done with the understanding that it would be done when staff members had the time to do it, and that we charged for the service.  It may not surprise you to learn that she was not pleased. Apparently a store where she used to live was "full-service." You went in and said what you wanted to make, they helped you choose yarn, took your measurements and wrote up a pattern, you knit the pieces, took them back to the store and they seamed, blocked, and finished them, and you "ended up with something really beautiful." Good for them, you know?

Finally, she kept asking me if I could recommend someone in her area who could help teach her more about knitting, and find a knitting group. She lives in a far away suburb (a very wealthy one) that I have heard of, but don't even really have a clear idea where it is on the map. So I said, I wasn't familiar with the area at all, but I know that a lot of public libraries have classes or provide spaces for knitting groups to knit, so she should look into that. And she responded:

"I'm NOT going to a public library. I HATE libraries. They let anyone in who wants to come in, and no decent people go to libraries."

At which point, I told her that I had spent my adult life working in libraries first as support staff, and later as a librarian, so I had no more ideas to share with her.

Now. At this point, the average person *might* have said, "Oh, I didn't mean all libraries," or "Oh I'm sorry if I offended you," or some other thing that you knew they didn't mean but they were saying because they were embarrassed. 

What did this lady say? "I'm not surprised. Only someone who had worked in libraries would make me do all of this myself."

And this my friends, is why it's a damn good thing that my parents taught me manners, and that I was in a professional setting and knew I had to behave as a civil adult.

But oh, she has paid for it all in my imagination, let me tell you! 😉

[Editorial note: I "made" her weave in 8 ends and knit 1 inch herself to finish the scarf. And then I guess "made" her have to block it herself.]

That's What I Get For Not Listening to Myself

Why don't I leave well enough alone?  I always plan to, and then I just *have* to give things another try.  And it always comes back to bite me on the butt.

I spent the last week carefully and dutifully taking out, stitch by stitch, the messed up border of my Park Slope Blackbird (aka Multnomah  Shawl).  Finally, on Saturday afternoon, I got it to the point where you finish the main knitting, and the next row will be the beginning of the border.  I was so pleased with myself!  I did manage to accomplish that, and then I put it aside.  Because I knew if I started over again right away, I'd be likely to mess it up again.  

Yesterday afternoon, I thought I'd give a try to starting the border again.  I messed up the beginning of the first row, so I took out those stitches, and read through the directions again.  I'd made a stupid mistake, and even better, realized what it was, so I started over, and by the time 45 minutes or so had passed, I'd managed the first repeat of the border (4 rows).  There were a few more stops and starts, but finally I "got" it.  Hooray!  So I thought to myself, "I'll put this away, and do another group of four rows in another day or so.  I don't want to mess it up now that I finally got it right."

You can probably guess where this is going.  The Tim had to work the closing shift last night, so after I ate some dinner, I thought, "What the heck, I'll do another four rows."  And then I REALLY SCREWED THINGS UP.  I thought I could only rip back the latest four rows, but I kept dropping stitches, and ended up frogging all 8 rows.  

A) Why do I keep doing this to myself???

B) Why is it that anytime even the least amount of lace is involved, I have problems?  Trust me, I never try complicated lace - it's always just some yarnovers in one row at a time, but every time I am unable to figure it out.

Tonight while I was waiting for The Tim to be ready for dinner, I tried again to knit the first four rows of the border.  I got it to work, though I can't swear it's actually correct - that remains to be seen as I continue.  But I am NOT touching it again until TOMORROW at the earliest.  For real.  Honest.

Because I do not wanna have to spend the evening ripping back again!  Instead, I'll work on sock #2 of my Hermione's Socks.  I finished the first one late last week, and cast on the second one Saturday night.  I have the cuff done, and will start on the leg tonight.  

Honest.  That's the truth.

*****

The weekend otherwise was a nice one.  We went out to breakfast at a local diner on Saturday morning.  It's a "real" diner, where the waitresses call you Honey, Sweetheart, Doll Baby, etc.  This amuses me greatly, since I'm sure I get called that more by the waitresses in one visit than I ever did by my own mother during my entire life!  I also went to the eyeglass place near us, where they were having a 50% off sale on all their frames, and picked out new glasses for my new prescription.  

And well, other than messing up a lot of knitting yesterday, I managed to clear out some clutter and get it organized to put out for recycling pickup today.  I also wrote another one of my February letters and got it ready to mail today.  So other than my knitting fiasco, it was a good day.

I had planned to watch at least some of the Oscars (I never make it to the end.  It's too late, and even if I could stay up, I'd have a hard time getting up for work the next day!), but due to actual technical difficulties with our television, I had to miss them.  We haven't seen any of the movies yet, but I enjoy seeing what people are wearing and snarking, so I did miss that.  But it sounds like an awful lot happened, huh?  Oh well I would have already been in bed and missed it anyway.

*****

Here is a picture of some crocuses that started budding/blooming already in the planter in front of our house.   I guess they think it's spring already.  They aren't looking as happy today, since we had a big storm on Saturday evening (I took this photo that morning).  We have lots of other shoots for crocuses and daffodils coming up, and I'm worried they won't survive, as there is still time to have a freeze or long cold snap.  Not that I can do anything about it.  So I decided to enjoy these while I could.  :-)

Here's to a good week for all of us!