Thursday, December 13, 2007

My Husband Doesn't Understand Me

My husband doesn’t understand me. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true.

He does not understand my obsession with knitting – and the yarn, stash and patterns which go with it. He really cannot understand the whole blogging thing – he thinks it’s sad and tragic. This is a man who has no hobbies and thinks perhaps he ought to have one/some. (This is also a man who can’t understand why women need lots of clothes and more than 3 pairs of shoes – and perfume!)

So, today. Today, a parcel arrived for me (immediate excitement – in fact at first I thought it might be my tea cosy from the Ravelry Tea Cosy Swap). One of the great things about living in the country and buying things by mail order and over the internet is getting parcels.

Then I realised the parcel came from the lovely Donyale. – Could it possibly be the Harmonies? No – it was smooshy and soft. It was a gorgeous jumper worth of Cleckheaton Tencel Wool. A whole jumper’s worth!!!! 12 Balls!!!! In a soft washed-denim bluey grey – absolutely wonderful! The little note with it said she was de-stashing, and thought this would make a great Montparnasse! It surely will, Donyale! – and I’m working very hard not to cast it on THIS MINUTE!!

This yarn is luscious – I’m usually an all natural fibre sort of girl, but this is lovely – shimmery and soft and drapey and silky. MMMMMM!

My husband may not understand me – but my blogpals certainly do!

I thought I should also do my Ins and Outs (as I don’t think I have done them for a couple of weeks). I might also point out that a certain amount of yarn and yarn related paraphernalia has sort of stuck to me this week.

IN

The aforementioned 12 balls of Patons wool tencel – mmmm!
5 skeins of Aracunia Ranco – 3 multi and 2 solid colours (one spring green and one cherry red) because Tapestry Craft were having a sale and sale yarn doesn't count and sock yarn doesn't count either and this would actually take me into negative stash territory!
My first Bendigo order arrived (yes, there is another one – what are you implying?) This consisted of Mystique in Seaspray, 3 lots of Neon – 5 balls berry and 5 of pink for a pinwheel jacket for the Princess, and 12 balls of Lagoon for me. And 4 balls of Rustic in Damson, just because.
1 ball Fleece Artist Somoko in Pinata
1 ball Hand Maiden Casbah in Rainforest, both courtesy of Master Enabler (it’s a rank, now – I just decided) Irene at the Jolly Jumbuck
1 beautiful Norah Gaughn asymmetrical Cardi in alpaca!! (Mine – yum)
2 tops for me – local Opshop,
3 pairs ¾ pants – Target sale
2 pairs shoes – (see previous post) off layby
6 balls discontinued Patonyle and 4 balls discontinued Heirloom sock yarn whose name momentarily escapes me
1 box of Top Kids magazines and children’s sewing patterns – from Taph
Various assorted clothes, toys and other Christmas stuff for children
2 pairs pretend reindeer antlers, wrapping paper and stocking stuffers from local cheap crap shop.
A lovely poem from Amy – look at the comments from my last post.

Gosh, that looks like rather a lot, doesn’t it?

OUT
Several parcel containing yarn, bits and pieces and some other things which went out for Christmas presents and some people with NO SELF CONTROL AT ALL have opened already! (But they did arrive at exactly the right time to assuage awful days, raise the dead, celebrate birthdays and generally make people feel good, so that’s OK)
2 bags of clothes and baby stuff – Lifeline
1 large pile of B grade children’s assorted artwork – either binned or re-cycled (the A grade is either on the fridge or in scrapbooks
Several bottles of wine (drunk and gone – does this count, because if it does I’ll put it in every week to make myself feel better, especially about the drinking!)

See? The In side of the ledger is ready to topple over and the Out side is getting leaner.

My New Year’s resolution is going to have to be:

I resolve I will not buy more yarn until I have made 5 pairs of socks and 10 jumpers – no more than 4 of which may be children’s jumpers. This does not apply to Sock club kits, massive specials on sock yarn, gifts of yarn and yarn bought for the production of gifts, providing said yarn is cast on for the project within one month of purchase.

Despite the No Guilt Stash Manifesto to which I subscribe, I must say the amount of yarn is rather overwhelming. Rather a lot of credit cardness has helped this along, so pulling back may be a good idea.

Zephyrama, the High Priestess of Stash, suggests that sock yarn doesn’t count as stash, sale yarn doesn’t count as stash, overseas yarn doesn’t count as stash, gift yarn doesn’t count as stash and single skeins don’t count either. This reduces my stash to a couple of kilos of Bendi and 12 large balls of gorgeous Jade bulky from TasKnits.

While the rules of stash may suggest I have very little stash – I still need somewhere to store the yarn which is not stash. I suggested the Accountant could move his suits out of the spare room wardrobe and he told me to get knotted.

My husband doesn’t understand me.

18 comments:

blackie said...

doesn't have a hobby?!! now that makes him weird, not you. I hope he knows that there are a gazillion others out there just as obsessed as you. Good luck with that resolution ; )

m1k1 said...

I am so delighted to see the "overseas yarn doesn't count as stash" rule. No fibres that have come in in the last month will have to count. Why don't I feel lightened, though? No! No guilt! Me time!!!

As for husbands with no hobbies: mine's a mathematician, who spends 16 hours a day at his job, at work and at home, and approaching retirement! Eek.

Janet McKinney said...

Husbands are not meant to understand - the mystique is all gone them. If he did understand you, he would be bored with you. Remind him of this every time....

Janet McKinney

Bells said...

isn't it a pity we can't marry our blogpals then?

Taphophile said...

I'm sorry, the Accountant thinks you're sad?!

Impulse control is highly overrated and stash needs no explanation, now move the bloody suits or they'll get angora all over them!

Rose Red said...

Heh - love this post! I too am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by my stash, and really do want to knit mainly from my stash going forward, as far as I can (note all the qualifyers here already!!)

Amy Lane said...

OKay...introduce him to World of Warcraft, and then just stack the stash boxes around the computer while he's not looking. He'll come out of a WOW daze, glance around, wonder 'what the hell is all of this' and then, when he realizes that you are not screaming at him for shirking work all evening, he'll leave you alone. Works for me!

Five Ferns Fibreholic said...

We get you Tink! We understand the whole stash thing, blog thing, say that again and I'll poke your eyes out with these sharp pointy things thing.

"Santa" picked me up from work last week. I showed him the Casbah. I told him that I wanted to find some in my stocking. We'll see if "Santa" lives to see Dec. 26th.

frog ponds rock... said...

this is a bit "off post" but. I was listening to local tassie abc radio the other day.. and a fella was saying that the csiro " something something scouring and research facility" on the mainland was about to be closed.. and that this would affect local knitters and spinners and weavers. as all tasmanian and australian wool would have to be sent overseas to be scoured, then sent back..
I was wondering if you had heard about this..??/ sorry if I am a bit vague..But I thought of you straight away..

TrampledbyGeese said...

Yarn in the post, how exciting. No, non-yarn-people just don't understand, do they? Good luck with the new years resolution - yarn fasting is difficult.

DrK said...

yes if hes worried about his suits he certainly needs a hobby...i hear spinning is very relaxing. as is winding skeins into balls. and anyway, too many suits is not good for one.

Donyale said...

WOW! Bells wants to marry ME?

Donna Lee said...

My husband doesn't get it either. He seems fond of saying things like "cult, intervention, sickness" and such. Of course, I notice that he is always wearing the sweater and socks I made him and there are no complaints there.

MadMad said...

"Somewhere to store the yarn which is not stash" cracked me right up... but it's still not stash! Especially not yarn you've been gifted! Nor should it count as an "in" since you didn't "in" it. There oughta be some rules here. Just sayin'.

Bron said...

ooh I agree with those exceptions to stash - its kind of like the Christmassy baking, you know, it is calorie negative - that's the magic of Christmas!! hehe

2paw said...

I reckon Labradors are much better than a husband!!! I don't ever think sock wool counts as stash as it 'really' doesn't cost that much compared to all the wool for a jumper!!!
Isn't Donni lovely?? She sent me some green wool!!!
Hope The Accountant finds a hobby soon.

Melinda said...

I admire your resolution! 10 jumpers...6 of which will be for adults...that's a lot of jumpers!!

knightlyknitter.wordpress.com said...

My husband kind of gets it - he understands the fun I get out of creating, but just doesn't see why I can't finish one thing (anything?? hee hee) before starting the next!!!
And those sock-and-sale exceptions are going to come in really handy when a little something arrives next week :>