Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Knitting on the Telephone -- & -- I don't want to be a grownup anymore, please

With the new TV season being such a [blessed] drag, I'm not left with much time to knit. That is to say, I started knitting to have something to do with my hands while watching TV -- I cut out Laini's Ladies for so long when I used to make them by hand, that now, idle hands really do feel like the devil's. . . wait, how does that proverb go? The devil's workshop? Tools? Playthings? Anyway, the knitting has progressed very slowly. I've been working on a small alpaca blanket for about 6 months, and I recently finished a long stripey scarf that took me longer than that -- but I use the term "finished" loosely because I still haven't woven in the bazillion-jillion loose ends -- it's a very long, very stripey scarf! In fact, I do not have a large eye-needle for the purpose of weaving in ends, and so the scarf is sitting in a shaggy, endy heap, waiting for me to leave the house and go anywhere in the neighborhood of a knitting shop. It should not hold its breath.

I don't leave the house much these days. These are Silksinger days. But I do knit when I'm on the phone, which isn't often. I started this striped alpaca scarf for Jim. So, there's my knitting update: slow. Some time in the post-Silksinger future, I need to go in for a second round of knitting classes and learn some new tricks. But this will do for now.

So, this morning I called my mother and told her I didn't want to be a grownup anymore, please. Judging by her snorting laugh, she doesn't exactly think I behave too terribly like a grownup anyway, but I mean it. I'm through with this new-furnace monkey business, and this tow truck malarkey. I mean, who needs it? I would like someone to bring me macaroni and cheese at noon and make sure I take a nap, and draw a bath for me and test the temperature of the water, and cut the crusts off my sandwiches. And buy me a new furnace, and a new starter for the car. Yes. The car!! When the car wouldn't start yesterday, my shock was probably a bit comical. My disbelief. I am not accustomed to cars not starting, and our car is like a calm and sedate robot being. It doesn't do things like this. It's mature. Responsible. How could this be?

Ah, my poor husband. If it were up to me, right now, with my complete disregard of everything not-Silksinger, I would, if left to my own devices: a) not get a furnace, but wear fingerless gloves and twelve layers of clothes and if things got too bad, go to a coffeehouse to write (isn't that how JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter?), and b) I would have to walk to the coffeeshop, because I couldn't be bothered getting the car fixed. I would eat every sad, unsavory can of unwanted food in the back of the pantry before going in desperation to the store -- "Ah, honey, chick peas and heart of palm for dinner again??" -- and I would not change light bulbs, or my socks, for weeks. Thankfully, my sweet husband does things like call tow trucks and go to the grocery store. He even went to the post office for me last week, so if you received something from me, you really have Jim to thank. I do, however, change my own socks.

The furnace guys are supposedly installing tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

Waaaa! Where's my binky? I think I'll go bake cookies.

10 comments:

Jim Di Bartolo said...

You're more than welcome Sweet Thang! My reward is being the first to have read the first 2/3 of "Silksinger" !!!!!!!! And for those wondering, in my opinion it's possibly (if it's even possible!) even better than Blackbringer (and I LOVE me some Blackbringer!).

Hmm. I hope that doesn't add more pressure to you Sweetie!?!

And yes, hopefully the car repair will be cheap and the furnace install will be quick -- fingers (pessimistically) crossed!

xoxo
Husbles

Anonymous said...

Yay, I cannot wait to read Silksinger.

Hope you enjoy the cookies. ;)

Heather said...

Dear me, I hope I don't need to knit Persephone some tiny mittens or seomthing! I grew up around a wood burning stove and it's truly one of the things I miss about my childhood. When there was frost on the INSIDE of my below ground bedroom window (it was -40C one winter), I could go and get dressed by the roaring fire Dad had lit. Aren't these modern day conveniences really just a drag? I say: Jim, buy your wife a wood stove and a horse and cart!

P.S. Apparently -40C is the same in Fahrenheit, -40! Blech!

Alex S said...

Silksinger is over the top and out of control and under the ocean and over the galaxies AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I agree wholeheartedly with Jimbo----------. I'm wondering if maybe somehow without my knowing it you contracted my genius because this is just top notch stuff, of the quality that is much more in character for me than you. I don't know, its something to think about. On a separate note, I wonder if you will ever leave your house again. If you plan to stay put, I am coming over and clearing out all Anthropologie items.

Anonymous said...

Baking cookies sounds like the perfect solution to me - it will warm up the house!
I can so relate to this post. Though they don't usually let kids stay up as late as I like to - so I think I'd rather just be a rich eccentric writer, with a companion or staff who takes care of all those tiresome details...at least I have the eccentric part down pretty well already... :)
Hope all goes well with the car and the furnace, and all things Silksinger!

Deirdre said...

I'm with you on this. I love, love being at home and wouldn't go out much if it weren't for that damn making a living thing. So many tinkery things to do I doubt boredom would be an issue for a long time.

I hope the furnace installation goes well - then you can be cozy at home while you write. And bake. And knit.

Anonymous said...

ahhh, that snorting laugh! who says you're grown-up. *I've* seen you at christmas! :)

your blog always brings a smile to my face. thanks.

this post is somewhat self-serving (apology in advance). i need help from you readers out there...b/c see, i, too, am working in a closet on a composition.

have you experienced only PARTIAL recall of a fantastic quote that sets the stage for a suite of paragraphs?

here's the gist of it...
we cannot plan for the future without knowing our past

i'm nowhere near as internet-search saavy as you laini and i'm overloaded w/TV references when searching "from whence we came."

any advice?

oh yeah, jimbo! you are TOTALLY the cat's meow.

Michelle (a.k.a. la vie en rose) said...

cookies are always a good answer for everything.

i don't have cable so my tv choices are pretty limited but i do have to say i'm loving chuch on monday nigths (nbc). have you tried it? it's so cute and funny and likeable.

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

When you take that next knitting class, you must ask to be taught how to knit in the ends as you go when attaching a new color. Then you will hardly ever have to sew those dreaded ends in ever again ... just CLIP them off.

Whoa, that's a "high moment" for ya to look forward to. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Knitting while talking on the phone...brilliant. Why didn't I think of that? I always get so impatient when my mother calls...because I know as soon as I answer it'll be a good 45-60 minutes. Maybe I'll start knitting through those calls...