Monday, January 30, 2023

Knitspin, catalogs and streaming

First, thank you everyone for being sensitive to my blog post yesterday, and refraining from asking for more information. That's much appreciated. 

When people ask well, what happened, it forces you to relive experiences you'd rather deal with yourself, and move on from. 

And when people say, but you've said such admiring things about your sibs and parents, how come? It's simple: what I've said about their taients is quite true, and separate from their attitudes to me. It's not about me.  It's about their gifts, and they were substantial.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the one brother I really felt close to, who died in WW2, when I was six. When Harry talks about not really believing his mother was dead, but she'd sudden reappear, for years, I did exactly that. 

I was twelve before I realized that "lost at sea" meant dead. I believed Kevin would be found, on a desert island or something. Nobody ever told me he was gone.  My mother would run from the room crying when I asked about him. Everyone else would turn their head and change the subject. Years later one of my sisters claimed they didn't have to tell me because I knew. 

I vowed that when I grew up I wouldn't be that kind of coward. In fact there were quite a few things I decided as I got older, one being I would never exclude anyone, even if I didn't like them, or if they were a bit weird, like me. I couldn't bear to do that, knowing the pain of exclusion in my own family. 

I wasn't a saintly kid, just determined to do better.  No idea how well, or if,  I succeeded, but I did give it a shot.

Moving along, I'm alternately knitting and spinning, and I think I've solved the conundrum of how to spin and knit when I want to do both at once. Just spin enough to knit on with, then spin again.


See that stub of fluff sticking up? That's the end of the spun supply. Need to spin again.

I think I'll continue this idea with the next pair of gloves. I have enough white for two strands then I'll spin some bright color for the third. Done! After that I'll send three pairs off to good hands waiting for them. 

This changing of activity is much better physically than staying with one set of actions, too, an unexpected bonus.

Meanwhile, going in the background, I'm following this stream on that free streaming service I told you about

It's a guilty pleasure, terrible scripts, corny stage business, good actors doing their best with the material. 

But the production values are excellent, high budget sets and locations, marvelous interiors and cars, pretty good costuming. So overall, and since it's not a subscription service, fine.

The pig actors are very good, too, one playing Empress of Blandings, one Pride of Matchingham.  

And it's the season of catalogs, winter clearance and spring new stuff, looks like the old stuff. Models laughing hysterically over something, wonder what.


 I rarely buy from catalogs, well, I rarely buy, period. But I look out for things I might spot at the thriftie or on Freecycle.

I may have to make a thriftie run soon, because my latest Freecycle offering has fallen through twice, the second a lady who hadn't realized where I live, after arranging pickup. 

She wrote saying she's very pregnant and, with two little kids, she'd never be able to make a half hour drive. I saw her point and wished her well with her delivery, the other kind. I really appreciate people who write to explain rather than just fail to show.

Onward, everyone! Let's remember most people can handle a lot if you tell them what's up.  

And thanks again for your gentleness and kindness yesterday. 



27 comments:

  1. It had to be devastating to lose your beloved brother that way, as if he disappeared. Why couldn’t he return…seems like an obvious conclusion to a child. I am glad Harry wrote his book, opening such topics for discussion.

    Have a great week, Boud.

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    1. I think I owe him something for writing it. Already he helped people.

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  2. I got way behind, so I possibly skimmed through that or forgot about it as one tends to do when taking in a lot of info.

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  3. Abuse comes in many different forms and sometimes sibling rivalry goes beyond the norm and crosses over into abuse. Many people still seem to think that abuse is only physical and don't seem to understand that it can be mental too. Bullying is a whole other realm of abuse as I can attest far too well.
    Catalogues aren't my normal way to buy anything but since covid hit I've been buying a lot more online (fabric and yarn mainly) because I just don't want to go to the store. Mary Maxim sends me regular catalogues which I dutifully look through and then remember their shipping costs which often costs more than the item I would want to buy.

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    1. Yes, words can indeed hurt and scar, and I'm sorry you've experienced bullying.

      I wonder about buying fabric without being able to handle it. Yarn, yes, if it's a brand you're familiar with.

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    2. Yes, it's always a bit of mystery when buying fabric (yarn too) online. So far I've mostly been lucky with my choices. I suppose using reputable shops helps with the quality.

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  4. I wonder if this sibling abuse is a generational Brit thing. It sounds very similar to my mother's family.
    My father was a great catalogue shopper. When we cleaned out their house after they moved into aged care we found all sorts of bizarre contraptions (electric rubbish bin, anyone?) and drawers full of freebie gifts that came with purchases.

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    1. I see bullying particularly where there's a big age gap. I don't know if there's any national connection, though.

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  5. We had a terrible case of bullying in my family that was not addressed. My brother, five years younger than me, was a terrible bully to my five year younger sister. Perhaps my mother tried, but was not able to deal with what turned out to be bi-polar disease, an inherited disease we were able to trace easily back to her father. His daughter also inherited it. In our family, at the time it was happening, I was away at school and saw little. I could go on, but best to stop there. My brother died, my sister is damaged but carries on. It's OK with me if you do not publish this comment. Mental illness spreads like the ripple in a pond, out and out for ever and ever.

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    1. I think it's a valuable comment, and agree that there can be mental illness behind it. Parents don't always know what to do, if they notice it at all. Abusers try not to have witnesses.

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  6. I'm sorry about your brother. I'd say you've done well despite your family issues. Brava and hats off to you!

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  7. I had to go and read yesterday’s post as I missed it.
    We all have pasts where not everything was wonderful rainbows and we are all dealing with stuff. Add having to live through a war I can imagine so many painful memories for you. Spinning just enough to knit sounds like a fun thing to do n
    Your making me want a spinning wheel. I must resist

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    1. I spin using a spindle. I tried the wheel and prefer the spindle, closer to the fiber.

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  8. Spin then knit with what’s available…..certainly time and effort saved - almost like the purchasing method of some large organisations. ‘Just in time’ not having stock sitting there doing nothing.
    I’ve done similar when given an unwanted ladies newly knitted jumper (not by me) to unravel and use for charity knits. Undo pieces from each other, unpick cast off edge and knit from the piece ( sleeve - front - back) saving time from unravelling the whole garment and just having the wound balls sitting there.

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    1. That's a very cool way to reuse yarn. I've unraveled a number of sweaters, usually hanking the yarn before knitting it up, though.

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  9. In very large families, the parents can rarely watch out for all of the children and may well ignore things that should not be ignored due to absolute exhaustion.
    Onto the subject of catalog models- there used to be a web site where someone had come up with captions for the emo-looking models, many of them involving how hungry and bored the models were. It was funny.
    I love your idea of spinning then knitting, spinning then knitting...
    You're right. I'm sure that it helps prevent repetitive motion injuries.

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    1. In large families parents in fact know very little of what goes on! For better or worse.

      I'm enjoying satisfying both knitting and spinning needs, can't think why I didn't do this before. Except that skipping all those steps in spinning is frowned on by the spinning police.

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  10. It's interesting that your parents' method of dealing with that family tragedy was to not address it. I haven't seen a Blair catalog in AGES. My mom used to order from them, back when they were called Blair House.

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    1. Blair is so persistent that I've marked their e-mails as spam. But the catalogs seem to have doubled down since the start of the pandemic and a surge in on line ordering.

      Yes, that don't talk about it and it will go away attitude was common then. My older sisters held to it, too. It didn't work, but that didn't seem to make any difference!

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  11. From what you write and your attitudes in general I think you have succeeded in your resolution.

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    1. Coming from you, that's a wonderful affirmation and encouragement. Thank you.

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  12. And you can't beat a bit of Wodehouse for silliness.

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  13. First, let me say from what I see I believe you did better than do better. I can see how changing up what you are doing but still making is good, both mentally and physically. I have arthritic hands and know what hours of knitting would do to me. I am so sorry it was not made clear to the little girl you that your brother had died. How very awful for you.

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    1. Thank you for your words! They're treasured.

      I have arthritis, the rheumo tells me, but I don't have pain, just stiffness, not a big deal. I think it's arthritis that eventually knocks people out of fiber arts, particularly if they've specialized in one form, much repetitive motion.

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  14. Catalogs are winter's comic books.

    Sorry a duplicate. My finger has tapping issues. I also need new glasses. :)

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