I finally saw last week's Apprentice last night. I TiVo'd it Saturday night because its initial airing interfered with The Bachelor on Wednesday. Don't the Network executive know they can't mess with the reality tv schedule? If it wasn't for the replay on Saturday I would have completely missed this episode.
Anyhow, I was struck by how awful the women look as business people – both this season and last. It's embarrassing to be a business woman and watch these girls fight with one another, talk over the top of each other, and basically look like high school kids trying to form a cheer squad instead of intelligent women trying to vie for a position in multi-million dollar company. I mean honestly, ladies, why does everything have to be so flipping personal?
It made me think of these knitting stores in the area that are alienating our group one by one. Isn't the point of a retail shop to help people spend money in your store? Especially when you're talking about yarn. Yes, there are internet sites to buy yarn from and sometimes I do, but I would much rather see and feel the yarn before I purchase it. And yes, our group does offer free instruction to beginners and have workshops to learn new things. That does not take away business from the yarn shop, it promotes more yarn purchasing. They should see us as a great opportunity, not as a threat to their business. I just don't get it. (Jessica is apparently the great exception to this rule, and I am grateful to her and her new store.)
More importantly, Madeline's poncho is done! The picture is below. I tried it on to make sure it would fit over her head and it seems to be fine. Joe says it looks like lingerie and that Madeline should like it since she is such a Britney Spears fan. I explained to him that she wouldn't be wearing it alone, there would be a shirt underneath, but I think his imagination was already off on another tangent involving teen pop idols.
I started on the Yarn Harlot poncho for Anne and it seems to be working well. The pattern called for size 13 needles, but I'm using 15s just to get more openness. And I'm using Paton Wool instead of Mission Falls. With bigger needles my gauge is still 12 stitches/4 inches and hers was 10/4. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Maybe it's because of the yarn.
I found this new site called Smileys that has cheap yarn – there is a $30 minimum purchase and a flat shipping charge of $9, so I have to work it out and see if it's worth it. But they sell the Patons wool for $3.99, and I think it's $6.99 at JoAnns. It looks like their selection is similar to the JoAnns/Michaels market, which I really only buy to make gifts or things where they yarn doesn't matter so much.
I finally found the site that convinced me I needed a blog. It's the Fiber RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) and I was accepted into the group yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out how it works, but I'm pretty excited. At first I thought it was one of those yarn-forward type of deals, where you sent your leftover yarn to someone in the group and you received mystery yarn in the mail. But apparently these women send one another all kinds of stuff. I've already received a Hallmark e-card and a discount to a tea shop. Fun.
We have knitting tonight at Changing Hands – 37 people have RSVP'd that they are coming. We are not going to fit in that little room for much longer. We're doing our first official beginners workshop and I'm hoping it goes well. I know it's frustrating for new people to try and learn at one of our meetings – there are so many people and so much going on. Plus casting on and the first knit row are the hardest parts of knitting and you have to learn them first, which I know discourages some people.
I had brunch yesterday with a fellow knitter Jen. (Kohnie's on Camelback, oh so yummy. I had the Huevos Rancheros and a berry scone. Mmmmmm) She is also always free on Sundays, and we're hoping Jessica Knits decides to open on Sundays for good – we may just trek up there and sit around and knit while our significant others do various activities. I think hers studies, mine is usually at work. We did not take our knitting, which was probably good in the end since the place closes at noon. They threatened to make us mop the floors so we hightailed it out of there.
Off to clean the kitchen and knit on Anne's poncho. I just may get all these presents completed before the little guy is born – a little over 6 weeks until my due date!
Anyhow, I was struck by how awful the women look as business people – both this season and last. It's embarrassing to be a business woman and watch these girls fight with one another, talk over the top of each other, and basically look like high school kids trying to form a cheer squad instead of intelligent women trying to vie for a position in multi-million dollar company. I mean honestly, ladies, why does everything have to be so flipping personal?
It made me think of these knitting stores in the area that are alienating our group one by one. Isn't the point of a retail shop to help people spend money in your store? Especially when you're talking about yarn. Yes, there are internet sites to buy yarn from and sometimes I do, but I would much rather see and feel the yarn before I purchase it. And yes, our group does offer free instruction to beginners and have workshops to learn new things. That does not take away business from the yarn shop, it promotes more yarn purchasing. They should see us as a great opportunity, not as a threat to their business. I just don't get it. (Jessica is apparently the great exception to this rule, and I am grateful to her and her new store.)
More importantly, Madeline's poncho is done! The picture is below. I tried it on to make sure it would fit over her head and it seems to be fine. Joe says it looks like lingerie and that Madeline should like it since she is such a Britney Spears fan. I explained to him that she wouldn't be wearing it alone, there would be a shirt underneath, but I think his imagination was already off on another tangent involving teen pop idols.
I started on the Yarn Harlot poncho for Anne and it seems to be working well. The pattern called for size 13 needles, but I'm using 15s just to get more openness. And I'm using Paton Wool instead of Mission Falls. With bigger needles my gauge is still 12 stitches/4 inches and hers was 10/4. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Maybe it's because of the yarn.
I found this new site called Smileys that has cheap yarn – there is a $30 minimum purchase and a flat shipping charge of $9, so I have to work it out and see if it's worth it. But they sell the Patons wool for $3.99, and I think it's $6.99 at JoAnns. It looks like their selection is similar to the JoAnns/Michaels market, which I really only buy to make gifts or things where they yarn doesn't matter so much.
I finally found the site that convinced me I needed a blog. It's the Fiber RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) and I was accepted into the group yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out how it works, but I'm pretty excited. At first I thought it was one of those yarn-forward type of deals, where you sent your leftover yarn to someone in the group and you received mystery yarn in the mail. But apparently these women send one another all kinds of stuff. I've already received a Hallmark e-card and a discount to a tea shop. Fun.
We have knitting tonight at Changing Hands – 37 people have RSVP'd that they are coming. We are not going to fit in that little room for much longer. We're doing our first official beginners workshop and I'm hoping it goes well. I know it's frustrating for new people to try and learn at one of our meetings – there are so many people and so much going on. Plus casting on and the first knit row are the hardest parts of knitting and you have to learn them first, which I know discourages some people.
I had brunch yesterday with a fellow knitter Jen. (Kohnie's on Camelback, oh so yummy. I had the Huevos Rancheros and a berry scone. Mmmmmm) She is also always free on Sundays, and we're hoping Jessica Knits decides to open on Sundays for good – we may just trek up there and sit around and knit while our significant others do various activities. I think hers studies, mine is usually at work. We did not take our knitting, which was probably good in the end since the place closes at noon. They threatened to make us mop the floors so we hightailed it out of there.
Off to clean the kitchen and knit on Anne's poncho. I just may get all these presents completed before the little guy is born – a little over 6 weeks until my due date!
posted by Jack and Nicholas at 8:47 AM
2 Comments:
Brooke, your poncho is so cute! You did such a wonderful job on it! Thanks for the tip off on smiley's yarn. I have purchased a couple of times from them, but never noticed that they carry Paton's for wool so cheap! Knitted coasters here I come!
Welcome to RAOK! Looking forward to getting to know you. BTW, I love the poncho!
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