Monday 4 August 2008

More K-nitting Club News (or It is time to embrace my inner middle-classness.)

I have given myself 12 hours to sleep on it and see if it was quite so 'nyuh' as I thought. I don't think it was that bad just the doom and gloom emanating from the Guru corner. Or rather the d&g I was picking up from the corner - there is a difference I guess.


I made a start on a piece of intarsia with a graphic lifted from Janet Clare. Made a start but sadly shall cause endless delight to my children as I have to make curly string. Printed out the chart but with a new cartridge so the colour isn't right plus the picture is too small, as a consequence poor old Hugo seems to have developed a club foot on his back paw. It is a bit of a bugger b/c I am knitting it on small needles (3.25mm) with three different wools so the curly string process will be arduous. And probably resolved by scissors.


One thing that did wind me up about The Guru (nicknames come easily in this house. And stick! CK's doing. You are collectively known as 'The Nutters'. Feel free to send him green ink emails, it will add grist to his mill.) was how offhand she was. We were talking about knitting as therapy or zen or out-of-body experience or just plain fun and I mentioned Crazy Aunt Purl. Saying how she had used knitting and blogging as her road out of a difficult time in her life, the subsequent book, life changes, etc, etc, etc and The Guru said 'That is the book I am going to write.'



?????????



But why? I just told you it has already been written. And was reeeeeeeeeeeally successful. Apparently b/c she has very impressive technical/clinical knowledge hers would be good. Hello?! C.A.P.'s book was good. Plus it has knitting patterns at the back. Even if I can't follow them and spent Christmas Day ripping things back :-~


Plus she told me that she understood about being 'torn' (okay too strong a word but it is all I can come up with as I steam quietly here) between two countries and that home would be where your children were b/c she grew up with her mother having left Australia and chosen to live here. Blurry lucky I have no shortage of self-esteem b/c it was one of those backhand put-downs that leaves the recipient feeling about three inches tall! I dislike the whole passive/aggressive attitude thing - either diss me or not.


This knitting group is being organised as part of a transition town thing (I only know about it from The Archers) and is open to everyone and the lady organising it is very friendly and welcoming. It is just the people she invited initially all seem to have a hippy bent, which is fine if you have a hippy nature but I amn't that way inclined. I think it can be summarised with the refreshments.



The cakes on offer were groovy, and nutty and healthful and lacking in flour, flavour and humour. And one could have tea filled with twiggy bits - rooibosch or chinese flowers I think. Or there was a Japanese plum wine or somesuch. I wonder whether I am just too middle-class to really manage this because y'know? I like my cakes to look like cakes. Gooey or golden, melting or chewy I don't mind but visually cake-like.


The cakes were like the yarn most of these girlies were using - sludgey coloured with lumpy sticky out bits. The hostessy lady is a fabulous spinner and weaver and dyer and creates beautiful things but for me, it just doesn't knit up so nicely. Again with being all middle-class (but I am so why fight it? I had this argument with my b-i-l already.) but I like lovely coloured yarn with a soft feel. I love patterns and created texture. I like to get my yarn from a yarn shop or seller, all ready to be knitted, complete with some form of tag to tell me its details. It is simply a personal preference and I would try not to enforce it on anyone but don't feel I should be classified evil b/c the only sticks I like with my knitting are the ones I am holding.


I shall keep you posted!

23 comments:

  1. Oh my dear.

    I soooo know how you feel. Not hippy/crafty but still crafty. Grumpy so and so in the corner makes all your choices seem insignificant.

    I am glad you feel this way (well not glad you feel bad) but glad I'm not the only one. And if we're not the only ones, there must be others.

    I think crafty people come from all walks of life and experience. TBH I think your "guru" is a little lacking in confidence and shy. Be gentle with her and she may change- then again she may not.

    take some gooood chocolate cake next time. Show them what the real stuff is.

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  2. Wow .

    that was a long comment.

    Gotta be a record from me!

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  3. Hmmm. I don't think you and the knitting club will get on. Or possibly just you and the knitting guru.

    I could never go to a knitting club as I think my predelic ... predalec ... FONDNESS for acrylic would see me barred.

    :)

    ps. I'm sorry, I think my new pad slips under the bloglines radar.

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  4. Oh Trash - it doesn't sound much fun! I'm thinking of setting up my own group (hopefully with Patti in too) but what would our "style" be? - certainly not hippy! Can you think of a good name for it (don't like Stitch n Bitch - I'm too "nice" for that!)

    Locket xx

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  5. P.S. Get that quilt in the post even if it doesn't have tabs! I'll just use blue-tack anyway!!!

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  6. Hi,
    Thanks so much for wishing me a Happy Birthday!

    Lee :)

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  7. I bet they all eat REAL cake at home in the cupboard where nobody can see them. It must be very uncomfortable wearing a jumper that has bits of twigs and burrs knitted into it, I'm with you give me the lovely soft cuddly stuff.

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  8. You know Trashy, as I was reading this post I didn't think you sounded so much middle-class as AUSTRALIAN!! I mean seriously, they sound like whackos from NIMBIN if you ask me!
    Start your own knitting group with some NORMAL people who eat proper cake!
    PS I totally admire your self restraint re the put down about Australia....I would have just belted her one...LOL :)

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  9. I went to a class a week or so ago and there was an older woman That honestly I could have knocked to the ground if I wasn't trying so hard to pretend to be 'social'. I made a comment about so short cut in life that I take to try and cope with my 4 kids and stay in a good state of mental health. Well it turns out that she was (and still is of course) so super human mother that had 4 kids (closer together than mine)did absolutely every thing by herself and even sewed their knickers!!!! All I wanted to say was 'Yeah but I bet you have totally 'f#$%@ed up their heads!' ... but I just smiled and kept sewing. I am with you I love perfectly packaged and labled things!
    You have stimulated some long comments!

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  10. Hi Trash, I think you should have just smacked her one then told them to get a life. Eat real cake for god's sake. bugger the bull**it and get on with having some fun. Isn't that what it should be about??? If you live near lucy locket get over to her group - if she starts one - she seems nice!! :0)
    Kathryn.

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  11. Oh, and by the way, I am Australian and proud!

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  12. You simply have to go back trash,
    and I know this shows me in a bad light but your observations are so entertaining !!!

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  13. Sounds like sooo much fun!!

    I've never dared go to a knitting group yet - don't even know if there is one near here - there's a craft void in these parts!!

    The refreshments sound healthful and interesting. Bet they've all got a bar of Dairy Milk in their knitting bags ;)

    As for the Guru - maybe you should befriend her and introduce her to the world of Nutters that is blogland!! (Your husband is such a charmer - so now I'm a slave trafficking nutter, huh??)

    xxx

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  14. omigod! sounds worse than the one i went to - i think we should maybe do our own - could just be you and me tho! haha! seriously, why would you want to go back - at the very least the cakes sound awful - and where was the alcohol! (that doesn't look right!) my vision of a knitting group is maybe not quite stitch and bitch, but it should be fun, relaxing and helpful! am i asking too much?
    x

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  15. [spit] Hippie health cakes [/spit].

    I do hope you have a better time next time, and I absolutely agree about bringing chocolate cake.

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  16. Oh Trashy, wish I'd have seen this post before sendingyour package - I'd have included some lovely hand-spun, hand-dyed, labeled, sweetly soft AMERICAN yarn. And some Girl Scout cookies (mass-produced and chock full of preservatives but delicious!) We Colonists must stick together : )

    ps: btw, I have it on good authority that hippie (aka: granola-head-guru) is O-U-T and scupie* is IN.
    *Socially Conscious Urban Professional

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  17. Ugh. I do hope you go back with chocolate cake. I'll provide a recipe!

    (Tried emailing, but it was returned. Thanks for stopping by my blog!)

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  18. Hmm, I reckon it's always wise to avoid places where they serve tea made from sticks, cakes made from sawdust, knitting made from spun lumps and, most probably, knickers made of hessian.

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  19. ...hehehe...sorry...i shouldn't laugh, but then it's your own fault for being the sort of writer who can make outrage entirely *hilarious*!!! :)

    CAKES should definitely be CAKE-LIKE!!!

    neither TEA nor YARN should have bits of stick or pebbles or other foreign matter in them!

    LUXURY is actually quite pleasant on occasion...hence the name!

    (oh dear...apparently i am a bit "middle class" as well. do feel free to come to my house to knit--we can watch daniel craig films and "tut" about petrol prices if you like, and there will be PROPER non-organic snacks served!!!)

    (ps to CK: has he MET ME THEN??!?!??! b/c my god--that's UNCANNY!!!!!!!!!!) :) :) :)

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  20. I'd like to start a knitting group too. Home made cakes and proper (non-sticky) tea or maybe even hot chocolate. All snobby gurus would be banned and only nice people allowed to join.

    In fact, sod the knitting. Let's just start a cake party. Everyone round my house tomorrow for scones, clotted cream and home-made jam?

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  21. You have listed my deepest fears and linked them to public knitting. I think that you have just put me off knitting groups for LIFE.

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  22. I take back my last comment - you needed to take scissors to the Guru's knitting!!!
    From a friendly nutter x

    ps I'm with Michaela - let's just have a cake party!

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