Red Faced, once again!

Last week DH and I went to the movies. This, to all who read this blog, even on a semi-regular basis, should not come as a surprise. Nor should the fact that I was knitting at the movies.

So there we were, minding our own business when the unthinkable happened. It was so horrific. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

During a quiet part of the movie, I had just finished knitting part of a round when my now free DPN escaped my left hand and fell to the floor. I have no memory of how this happened. Was it an intense moment in the movie? Did I suddenly feel the need to make a hand gesture? I have no idea!!!!! It's possible that because the event was so tragic I have blocked it out.

Picture this, if you will. You are in a dark room full of people and without warning you find yourself with only three DPNs. All you can do is sit quietly and go through the three steps of grief.

1. Embarrassment-When a needle falls to the ground you'd be surprised at how loud the sound is during a quiet part of a movie. At least I realize, that at this point if anyone starts talking I've got no right to play "no talking during movies" police. I just don't have a leg to stand on.


2. Upset- I have no idea how much longer the movie is, so I don't know how long I'll be without my knitting. At this point, DH holds my hand to help calm me.


3. Panic - If I can't find my fourth needle then there will be no knitting during the entire drive home. This will be a whole hour of lost knitting time. Tragic, tragic, tragic. Can you feel my pain?

The movie ends and the lights turn on. People quickly leave the theater. Not DH and I. We are on our hands and knees looking for my DPN. This was NOT our finest hour and the experience was more than just a little humbling.

This story does have a happy ending, we found my needle and I was able to knit all the way home.

Personally I think the socks will be worth the humiliation.

Until next time

Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic

I'll Let You Decide

I'm not normally a rude person.
I'm not normally an inconsiderate person.
But as for my actions the other night, I'll let you decide.

DH and I were off to a Pops concert at the NAC and of course I brought some knitting along. It's a sit down event where the audience get to enjoy some great music. No different than going to a movie but different from going to a Great Big Sea concert where I'm constantly
up and down.

So there I am sitting quietly, enjoying the music, with a sock on the go. Shortly after the concert starts, I notice the woman sitting next to me, staring in my direction. It's getting rather obvious so I turned to look back at her.

Annoyed woman: Are you going to do that all night?
Me: Is it bothering you?

At this point I'm concerned that perhaps the needles are making some noise and disturbing her. If this way the case I would have gladly put the sock away.

Annoyed Woman: Yes, I can see it.

My knitting is bothering her because she can see it......I could think of only one response.

Me: Don't look at it then!

DH did say afterwards, that to my credit, I did bring my knitting lower down and made my movements much more subtle. Despite this, the annoyed woman felt the need to hold up her program to shield her peripheral vision from the sight of my knitting.

The annoyed woman and her friend left during intermission. When they came back, for the second half, the two woman switched seats so the annoyed woman wouldn't be disturbed by the sight of my knitting. I should mention there were plenty of other seats they could have moved to for the second half including a stretch of 8 empty seats two rows in front of us.

So...am I rude and inconsiderate??????

I'll let you be the judge.

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

Flashing my needles at the public

Me: This Saturday I'm going downtown to a Knit in Public event.
Teen: Why? You knit in public every day.

She does have a point but off I went to Majors Hill Park with chair and sock yarn blanket in tow. I met up with a group of ladies and had a great number of laughs. This is a picture of my view from my knitting spot under the shade of a tree.


We have a number of Gothic style buildings in Ottawa which equals lots of opportunity for sock mojo. This is the back of the Connaught Building.

While I am content to knit in the seclusion, of my corner of the world, it did make me realize that I miss a regular knitting group.

However, driving for an hour, to get together with a knitting group seems like an awful waste of valuable knitting time. What a conundrum! I need to find something local.....

But this does bring to mind the fact about how much I knit at work. I told you all that I babysit a building but I didn't mention that there are people in this building who walk by me and see me knitting. Lately some of them are calling out numbers....."7 1/2, 9, 9 1/2, 11" they sound suspiciously like shoe sizes. I think these people want socks. HAH!!!! I'll put it on my TO DO list just before the large man's sweater and the car cozy I've been asked for by these people.

A co-worker once gave me the "I can buy socks for next to nothing at Wal-Mart" spiel. (The nerve!!!!)
My reply? "That's because no one likes you enough to give you hand knit socks"

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

I wanna Real Man

Since the guy who works opposite shifts from me will come into work and 90% of the time will find me knitting, he decided that he would treat me to a knitting video. He found Real Men Knit on DVD at the local library last weekend and brought it to work for me to watch on my next shift.

While I don't want to give this production two thumbs down, I felt that it lacked in a few places. Any topic that was discussed was only briefly mentioned. I was hoping for something with a bit more meat of the matter. The movie talked briefly about how, historically hand knitting was a male dominated occupation. That is, until the knitting machine made hand knitting no longer financial feasible so the task was handed off to women. (Sounds familiar!!!)


Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably and and host of average Joes were interviewed. It turns out that both men and myself knit for the same reasons: texture, colour, to alleviate boredom, stress relief, to make something for a loved one, because it's fun...... These are all reasons (plus several more) why I pick up the sticks and string.

From Jocks to stressed out tech geeks and everyone in between were featured on this video.

Now before I go any further, I want to make it perfectly clear that I know knitters come in all shapes and sizes and have a wide assortment of appearances from formal to very casual. A few of the knitting guys were visibly pierced and I don't have a problem with that, at all (honestly).

However...........watching a guy stick a cable needle through the piercing in his nose (because that's where you can keep it so it doesn't get lost) and then hold the tip of it in his mouth is something no one should have to see.

But I digress.....


Knitting is a craft that is so versatile that it can appeal to every different type of person. What I love about knitting could be different for someone else, but it doesn't matter. I get excited about cables and they might drive the person next to me to the frog pond. I can't stand knitting mittens and someone else could live for making them. It's all wonderful as there is room in this craft for everything and everyone.


So to use a South African saying from Brandon Mably.....when it comes to knitting "what lifts your skirts?"

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

Deja Vu

There was Deck the Hall-ing, there was Fa la la-ing and even even some Ho Ho Ho-ing. And I had to sit through all of it. DH got to miss out using work as a lame excuse. The things people miss out on when the have a full time, can't get out of it, type job.

The Kindergarten kids were, as usual, the most entertaining. They got to sing a song with so many verses that after a while we honestly thought the song was over, so we applauded. Nope.....not done yet.....there's another verse. I guess the little ones think that it's normal for the audience to clap 3 - 4 times during a song. Here is DD #2...can you tell which one she is....I think that she spent the whole time on stage waving at me...



Two of my kids attend a small school. It goes from JK to grade 4. But when they hold the Christmas concert, enough people show up to cause problems. The Fire Marshall told the school the the capacity of the gym is 177 people, not 250. So what do they do? Divide the concert in two with half the classes performing today and the other half yesterday. So if one afternoon of bad singing and crazy dance routines was bad enough.....guess what I did yesterday?

I'd like to thank however divided up the concert in a way to force me to attend both days. Hence the Deja Vu.



DS dressed up for the event. I had one lady stop me in the hall afterwards to tell me how cute he was.

I'm so glad that Christmas only comes once a year....Sigh...I know what you're thinking....in the near future my kids will get older and Christmas concerts will be a thing of the past.....and that I will miss going to them. Sigh.....you couldn't be more correct.

Plus it is a great time to work on a basic sock. It's great for when you're suppose to at least pretend that you're paying attention.




Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

KIP Day...a late entry

Okay I know that I should be keeping up with this even if no one is reading. I suppose that I started this more for myself than anyone else.

DH started playing with the computer. Trying to put all the old files onto the new computer and ending up with a hard drive crashing and precious photos being lost. Sigh... I've never truly trusted these stupid boxes.

June 9th

Where were we???? Ah yes....Knitting in Public
In all honesty, I didn't get a chance to do that, unless you count knitting at the movies. My baby turned 6 and had his birthday party at the movie theatre. It was a blast although bringing five 6 year-olds and a 7 year old to the movies is not the way to enjoy a film.

Let me think back to my visit to Aus and I'll tell you a tale.
I got on the bus and was headed to Philip to check out Addicted 2 Fabric and Bead Street. I pulled out my knitting as I always did and proceeded to work on Stripes. A few stops down the road a shabbily dressed young man gets on the bus with a three foot long skate board. He had short curly blond hair with three long dreadlocks originating from the side of his head. "Hmmm" thinks I, "What an interesting looking character." Then he blew me away.

Out of his worn satchel, he pulls out his knitting. He was knitting something in garter stitch which could have been the start of a scarf. He was using a chunky (12 ply) yarn and knitting a very tight gauge (I could tell that the needles he was using were smaller than what chunky yarn usually calls for). It took him three tries to start his row but he was a proficient knitter once he got started. I was fascinated. Talk about breaking any stereotypes about knitters. I say this because apart from the SnB meeting I went to, he was the only one I ever saw knitting in public. (Aside from myself that is)

This happened during my first week in Canberra and I thought no more about it until the next week when I'm walking through City Walk coming from the supermarket. There sitting on a bench, chatting with a mate, was this knitting in public guy. This time he was working on something with in a green variegated yarn. And yes he had the skateboard with him.

Now if I were the Yarn Harlot I would have gone up to him and taken his picture with one of the socks. But alas, I am not. But I must say that the internal conflict in me as I walked back to my hotel was horrendous. Why should I take his picture when I've got no where to publish it???? What do I say????? How do I convince him??????

I've since thought of a clever cover story if the need ever presents itself again.

It looks like that time again. Yesterday I picked up my order of dye yourself yarn and today all the kids are at school. So it's play time for me.
Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic