When life gives you lemons, use them to pummel the crap out of it.
I just wanted to thank you all for your kind words of support. Things are just really difficult around here and I may not have a chance to email you all. To top it all off, I’ve got a really painful bladder infection. Life is so fun!
At least the kids are cute right?
But possibly the worst news in the entire world is… I’m ashamed to even admit it… I KNIT WRONG! It seems that I twist my stitches. Instead of wrapping the yarn counter clockwise when I knit AND purl, I wrap it clockwise (which is much easier, by the way.) I taught myself out of a book, so when the yarn store owner told me over the phone that she wanted to watch me knit before I taught the class, I knew that it could be quite possible that I WAS doing it wrong. I whipped out my Stitch n Bitch book and realized the painful truth. The thing is, this was something that I thought I was really good at. I’ve taught countless people to knit and I’ve made many, many things the wrong way. It kinda breaks my heart a little. It was nice knowing I was really good at something. Even my little sister admitted that I was really good at it. (Now that’s saying something.) I hate the thought of telling her…
So today, when the thought of peeing makes me want to cry; when it seems like we’re not even wanted at our church; when there may or may not be something really wrong with my husband; when my uber hyper son takes every chance he has to make me look like a fool in public; when we’ve got a new niece that we’ll never see, now supposedly living in the SAME town as us; when the business stress could not possibly be any worse; when my relatives are being hit by tornados; when my friends are being kicked out of their bands, landing in the hospital, hating their jobs, needing stitches; and now I can’t even knit, I say BRING IT. I’m pissed and I’m ready to beat the crap out of whatever you throw at me.
Category: knitting, ouch 18 comments »
August 19th, 2005 at 10:12 am
DOTTO!
August 19th, 2005 at 10:13 am
AND at least the kids LOOK cute!
August 19th, 2005 at 10:40 am
I’ve been knitting for ten years, and while I am aware that purling that way twists stitches you’ve had some very clear and lovely successes, so I would say it’s NOT wrong, since you get those finished products. You just knit different. You get to the same place, just on a different path.
And even though I don’t know you you seem to be made of tough, tougher stuff than you realize. God sees it, and everyone reading this can see it.
August 19th, 2005 at 10:42 am
Oh, I’m sorry things aren’t going well. There are so many ways to knit I don’t think you can knit wrong if you like your stitches. That said it is probably easier for people to learn more if you teach them to knit as the book does.
August 19th, 2005 at 11:43 am
You’re awesome and I love you!
August 19th, 2005 at 12:14 pm
i just wanted to let you know that the last sentence of this post got me fired up in a way that only the opening speech of _Patton_ and The Clash doing “Guns of Brixton” have done before. RRRRAAAWWWWRRR! kick arse and take names!
August 19th, 2005 at 1:36 pm
I think you are an inspiration to many women out there. Moms and nonmoms(yet :>) alike. You handle things way better than I ever think I could and you always find ways to juggle husband, kids, work, home life, problems and most of all life. You are always a winner and whenn things look the worst, they can only get better. Start kicking some butt to the top again!!!
August 19th, 2005 at 2:06 pm
I hope things start getting better for you guys, health problems can be so scary esp. when you don’t know what’s causing them. I think you guys are smart by waiting a little to see if Jim’s problem may subside. That stuff (running tests & dr. visits) can get so costly. You sound like you have your head on pretty strait and you put your trust and faith in good hands.
As for the UTI, you should go get AZO it will temporarilly relieve alot of your discomfort. I think it helped me alot. It does make your pee bright redish orange though. There are a couple different AZOs so just read to make sure you get the right one. feel better soon.
August 19th, 2005 at 6:06 pm
It’s always darkest before the dawn.. right?
I’m sorry so much stuff is going on. :(
And as for the knitting – I would say as long as the stuff turns out – it’s working.
August 19th, 2005 at 6:57 pm
It’s hard when things seem to be piling up on you. Take comfort–it’s not forever and things will look up before long. Hopefully. Ha, ha.
Anyway, I wouldn’t say you knit WRONG or that you’re a BAD knitter. Knitting is a skill that you are always learning. There is always something new to discover. Today you discovered the traditional way of throwing wool to make stitches. Know how many times I’ve been working on a project only to discover halfway through that I’ve been doing something backwards? But I learn and I get even better. Knitting is a process. Until I’m as good as Elizabeth Zimmermann, I’ll always be just a learner.
Take heart, things will turn around. Just when the pressure of life gets to where you think you can’t take one more thing, one more thing will happen and then it will all start to let up. I’ll be thinking of you.
August 19th, 2005 at 10:41 pm
Girl. You and me, we’re going out sans kids and getting drunk and then smoking a joint and then stealing a car and driving it over a cliff like those crazy women in that movie.
Wait, that wouldn’t actually be helpful. Hmmmmm… at least our kids are cute?
Lots of hugs to you, Mama. That’s the best I can offer. That and you don’t have to return any emails from me ever, not if it’ll make life harder. Kay?
August 20th, 2005 at 6:45 am
how can you be knitting WRONG when you produce some of the most beautiful things i have ever seen knitted? ya know, not to sound all stalker-psycho alot of times i think “damn, i wish i lived closer to allison so she could teach me how to knit” or “oh, i wish i could knit something like that…allison could do it”. so if the way you are knitting works for you and you are able to make GORGEOUS works of art, then you keep doing it the way you are doing it. don’t let anyone tell you differently.
and here a few big ((((hugs)))) for you jim. i hope things get better really, really, really, really, really soon!!
:)
August 20th, 2005 at 9:30 am
Dude, you’re NOT knitting wrong. You’re knitting (I think) the combined method. I’ll send you Annie Modesitt’s URL when I get a chance later today. I repeat…you are NOT KNITTING WRONG. Hang in there…
August 20th, 2005 at 9:38 am
Duh, I too realized i knit wrong too, but it is easy to retrain yourlf. Don;t worry. I miss ya, try to hav a ok weekend. And i will talk to you soon. You are in my thoughts.
August 21st, 2005 at 11:42 am
Awww, hun, I’m sorry that things are so crappy for you right now. :( At least you CAN knit, even if you knit “wrong”, LOL. Your stuff always looks amazing, and yes, the kids are supa dupa cute, so take comfort in that.
I’m sending lots of positive vibes and hugs your way. :)
August 21st, 2005 at 2:12 pm
Yea, Allison,Pummel Away!
And take heart, God never gives us more than we can handle. :>}
(hard words to believe when you’re sipping on a BIG OLE’ LEMONADE)
Prayers.
August 22nd, 2005 at 5:30 am
I knit wrong too. And I have made lots of stuff. And when I realized it, it really took the wind out of my knit sails, so to speak.
August 22nd, 2005 at 8:36 am
That’s right! You just let it all out! You tell it! Good for you for speaking up, I bet you feel a little better now that you have! Love you, sis!