Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Overheard in my house

Me: [grumble grumble grumble]

Husband: What are you doing?

Me: [muffled voice coming from closet] Looking for some yarn.

Husband: Hah. Well (gesturing everywhere around him to yarn in baskets, on tables, covering nearly every surface) I can see why you're having trouble.

Me: Not helpful.

Husband: Is there any in that basket? [pointing to basket full of sock yarn]

Me: No, that's sock yarn. I'm looking for something bulkier.

Husband: What about this? [holds up leftover ball of Rowan Big Wool] This is bulky.

Me: But it's not NORO.

Husband: Oh.

Me: You know, the one with all the colors? that stripes?

Husband: There's a whole bin of colored yarn over here.

Me: No, that's not it either. I'm looking for a specific ball of Noro. I know I have a leftover ball of Big Kureyon somewhere and I need it to swatch with.

Husband: Can't you just use something else?

Me: [loud sigh]

It can be tough for someone who isn't totally immersed in yarn to understand that not all yarn is fungible. If I'm looking for a really thick yarn that has tweedy tufts and changes color every fifty yards, then a really skinny sock yarn in a solid color just won't do it. If I am trying to swatch for a call for submissions for a summer magazine issue, then swatching in a mohair/angora/alpaca blend is going to look silly. If I am thinking about playing around with some colorwork, then I need solid yarns in a relatively lightweight gauge, not barberpole-marled roving with a black thread binder.

So please don't get all "We live in a yarn museum with every fiber known to humandkind, so how can you not find any yarn?" on me, honey, because all yarn isn't made alike and I NEED BULKY WEIGHT AND WORSTED ISN"T THICK ENOUGH, SELF-STRIPING BUT IN LONG COLORWAYS NOT SHORT REPEATS, PREFERABLY IN BRIGHT COLORWAYS NOT MUTED ONES, IDEALLY BY NORO, YARN.

Got it?

Now help me move those 15 bins of yarn so I can see what's in the back of the closet, 'kay?

14 comments:

Elizabeth D said...

Fungible? Fungible? At this hour? Holy cow, woman!

jlr said...

Exactly. You tell him, Carol!

DH still hasn't caught on, after 15 years of marriage and how many years of your business? Sheesh.

I'm not sure whether to hope my future spouse is a knitter or not. Knitter - my needles and stash might mysteriously wander off. Non-knitter - just won't understand. *sigh*

Ruth said...

Me - I need to knit.
Himself points at WIPs corner.
Me - nah, something different, socks?
Himself - that's a sock there.
Me - I want a playful sock not a simple sock
Himself - but if you never finish...

I know what you're talking about, hun!!!

Barb b. said...

I am with Elizabeth D. Impressive!
And obviously your husband and the old guy who lives here would get along just fine.
He was gobsmacked by TNNA.. he keeps telling everyone, "there were rows and rows and rows of yarn, as far as the eye could see. And knitters everywhere, a lot of YOUNG knitters! I tell ya, knitting is huge!"
Is yours blown away by the fact that in spite of having all that yarn, you need to spin some of your own??

Anonymous said...

Words I cannot use in my house, lest my husband give himself whiplash with the eye-rolling:

"Honey, have you seen my book?"

Anonymous said...

You gotta give him credit, though. He was *nice* about it. One of the (many) reasons my ex is my ex... (btw- did you ever find that noro?)

anne marie in philly said...

bwhahahahaha! I still think mr. GKIYH is cute!

Phro5gg said...

Mu husband asked me how many skeins of yarn I had. I looked at my inventory on Ravelry and told him. He almost choked to death. I didn't have the heart to tell him there are still a lot of yarns that are not on the list yet. I feel your pain.

Kitten With a Whiplash said...

This sounds like some conversations around my house as well. Unfortunately, I live alone and have to take both sides of the debate.

Elizabeth said...

There is a rule of yarn stashes that no matter how much yarn you have, and no matter how wide the variety, you will not have exactly what you need when you need something specific.

lanadearg said...

Interesting post!

Passionate Blogger said...

I truly understand your husband's point of view - my wife also has her stuff.

Kristin Nicholas said...

Cute and so true! Everyone has their stuff..... Right now ours are lambing nipples, dextrose, stomach tubes, etc.

JJ said...

Fortunately, BF is a knitter and has a UFO that is...2 years old. He gets stash. He has a small stash. He encouraged the spinning thing. He actually did more of the weaving. Now he is encouraging me with the soapmaking. I think the bigger problem in our household is that he is a huge enabler. (I know, you all feel sorry for me!)

At least Mr. GKIYH has other wonderful qualities!

Also, the word verification is "pactin".