Saturday, December 12, 2009

Life lessons I've learned from my KnitPicks Ball Winder

Generally speaking I love Knitpicks. They carry everything, have amazing products and sell yarn for a good price. However, the more I use the ball winder I got last May the more I wish I had spent slightly more to get something that doesn't make me want to rip my of hair out.

So before I search the internet to find a hack to fix my issues I have some knowledge to bequeath.

Lesson 1: You get what you pay for. If you are paying 20.00 for a 40.00 item you might want to investigate more before making a commitment. This lesson also applies to cars and men.

Lesson 2: If you start in the middle you are looking for a disaster. Never mind that this ball winder makes a center pull ball. If you start there, you will have a huge knotty mess. So start from the beginning, there are no short cuts in life.

Lesson 3: Too much tension will cause an emotional break down. Too much tension on the line and you will have yarn wrapped around the winder, the base, the table, and your arm. Too much tension in life same deal, minus the yarn. Could probably apply to cars and men.

Lesson 4: Listen to the advice of others. If the masses didn't like something, don't think oh thats just them. No, chances are you won't like it either. Yes, this definitely applies to both cars and men.

Lesson 5: If you are going to pay good money for something, let them finish their end of the bargain. If you buy yarn at an LYS and they offer to wind it, let them. They bought a really nice winder and swift. I have a chair and this piece of plastic. This also applies to cars and men.

Lesson 6: When you make an investment, make a committment as well. I should have also gotten the swift to take the chair out of the equation. Once again this probably also applies to cars and men.

Amazing how much of knitting applies to cars and men.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Amish and other assorted friendship

Last night I attended the Pioneer Woman book signing at Borders. It was insane and wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. I was exhausted after having only attended so I can only imagine how she must feel after an entire tour of smiling, signing, chatting and taking pictures.

I spent 6+ hours in Borders, made an assortment of new acquaintances, knitted an entire hat, ran into an old acquaintance, and traded off some Amish friendship goo to someone would is, lucky for her, friend enough to get some goo in a bag.

When I finally did get up to the table to have my book signed I was hoping to have something profound to say [I seem to always be hunting for that profound moment] but alas I was much too tired to come up with something worth remembering.

As for the goo....

If you've never made Amish Friendship Bread you probably have no clue of what I'm talking about and since I have no camera at the moment I am without the ability to show you.

Amish Friendship is a sweet bread that you cook after 9 days of starter bag mushing and share with 3 friends. EVERY 10 DAYS. After last night I am officially out of actual friends in Texas to give this to. Trust me, you'll have bread for months if you keep the process going.

There is a point of this goo story somewhere I promise.

As I handed off the gallon ziplock of bread goo someone else, a total stranger, walked by and raved about how she just cooked her bread and how amazing it was. I would bet money that somehow her bread is connected with my bread.

It's a six degrees of Kevin Bacon moment. I should have taken advantage of the opportunity to interrogate the woman and find the connection but I was working on coming up with something profound.

I may not have something profound but I do have one knitted hat and a cookbook full of amazing recipes. I vote evening well spent.