...and knit. I've gone fiber-crazy and have hundreds of skeins of yarn, silk and cashmere and merino, hand-dyeds, hand-spun, imported, local, one-of-a-kind and mass-produced, then hundreds of needles, notions, crochet hooks, pattern books, knitting magazines...
I must have thirty or more projects in my queue at this point...and more in the hopper...more and more...it's soooo out-of-control...
I decided to post this little interview I did with Sarge; it's been floating around and about, with knitters asking their partners these questions...
Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Sarge: That you’re good at it. Cause you’re good at something, I like that. I like being impressed by you.
Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?
Sarge: you go a little bit overboard. Too many needles, and they’re all over the house, too much yarn and it’s all over the house, too many swaps and they’re all over the house.
Me: What is something I have knitted, that you recall as good?
Sarge: I really really like that leaf pattern that you worked into a scarf. It’s not knitted, but I really like the ornaments that you made for my mom. I love the giant ripple in Rowan Glace. The drape is fantastic. [yes, the man knows what drape is] The multi-colored baby blanket for Hedgehog I love.
Me: What’s something you recall as being a disaster?
Sarge: That friggin afghan out of that garnet and grey squares, out of this terrible acrylic, that was unpieced and sat around for years. Tell me you don’t remember it. God, even you've blocked it.
Then let me talk about my birthday sweater…it wasn’t so much that the sleeves were too long, and one sleeve was longer than the other, as that it was never actually finished. Cause the sleeves I could have rolled up. You must think you’re married to Lurch from the Addams Family. Or an orangutan. Or a Gibbon. And who knows, maybe I am.
Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Sarge: Yes. Yes, I do. I don’t think it’s necessarily an expensive hobby, but people who become deeply committed to it want more and better everything, bobbins and lace treadles and yarn shuttles and spinning wheels and looms, eventually alpacas…
Me: Comparing hobbies, who spends more?
Sarge: You. Because I tend to binge, whereas you steadily spend.
Me: Do you have a stash of any kind?
Sarge:You better believe it.
Me: Of what?
Sarge: I have so many model airplanes, I’ll have to live to 140 before I finish them all, certainly at my current rate of building. And then there’s the guitars…
Me: Have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public?
Sarge: No.
Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Sarge: Rowan Cotton Glace, is that right?
Me: Can you name another knitting blog?
Sarge: Knitty, is that a blog?
Me: Do you mind my wanting to stop at knit shops wherever we go?
Sarge: No. I mind your wanting to stop at generic craft stores for knitting supplies wherever we go. Sometimes.
Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?
Sarge: not in a knitting term, no I’m sorry I don’t. Is that like a test square?
Me: Do you read "The Weather in the Streets"?
Sarge: Yes, occasionally…
Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Sarge: No.
Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?
Sarge: No, I don’t think it would.
Me: Anything you'd like to add?
Sarge: I think it’s kind of interesting that of all the stuff you’ve knit, you’ve never actually finished anything you’ve started knitting for me.
************************************
Oh, and p.s. I'm answering these two other somewhat random questions posed by Suzanne, and others:
1. What do you admire most about each of your parents? I admire my mother's creativity, kindness, and wacky sense of humor. I admired my dad's ability to treat each thing that came his way, including his impending death, as a great adventure!
2. Which would you prefer and why? To have every stoplight turn green upon your arrival for the rest of your life or to have one week of the best sex any person ever had?: Oh, definitely best sex ever for a week. Not that I haven't had it already, but imagine how mind-blowing it would be if there was even better (with Sarge, of course). Sitting at red lights gives me a chance to knit that extra sock!!!!
19 comments:
Without taking *anything* away from your own blogging, which is like having a little of you on-tap whenever I want it, regardless of time and distance (and you must know how much I esteem you by now), can Sarge have his own blog? He cracks me up so totally, and yet I've never ever gotten to hang out with him as much as I'd like.
Since I recognized him instantly upon first meeting as your ideal partner, I've sometimes felt like I need to make up for lost time with Sarge. Could he produce the equivalent of "Farmer Boy"?
Perhaps the sweater's arms were designed for better brachiation.
XO
Allison
Too funny! My favorite question and response was when you asked "Would the house be cleaner if I didn't knit?" I couldn't stop laughing. Whenever you take photos of the kitchen table it looks terrific! Apparently it's the only area you clean for photos.
I also enjoyed your response to the questions I posed. Thanks for taking the time. I bet you can hardly wait till the wee one starts to drive so you can ride along and knit. Yippie! Pose the same questions to her in 25 years, then sit back and enjoy the response. You may have to cover your ears and close your eyes for the green light question.
Hope you're having a great evening.
;) Love ya!
Hi Al, I've been begging and begging Sarge to have a blog. Damn him, he's way too private. I also think he won't because he knows how much I would stalk him, and then he fears I'd become his troll...lol...I know it's true about you not getting to hang with him...I guess part of it is his job, which has turned him into a bit of a Lamont Cranston, ya know?
I miss you gal.
Suzanne, thanks for the funny questions. I love answering random questions, don't you? And reading others' answers to them. Very revealing!
Well, my house...it's actually very clean, and reasonably tidy...as tidy as any place with hundreds of skeins of yarn, thousands of books, a couple of dozen musical instruments, a little girl and pets can be...LOL!!! It is clean though. I swear it.
xoxo
LEAH! Hey girly I have missed you and your blog! How are you?? Knitting away I see...by the way I just got done reading 'Friday Knitting Club' have you read it?
Ok...I will make this fast as I have to make ALL the rounds as I have so many to catch up with! Hugs and smooches sweety!
Love ya!
If I was Sarge, this is the way the interview would go:
"What part of knitting do you...."
"Hey! Get out of the way. I'm trying to watch my show."
You know, I hadn't thought much about my significant others' sewing and knitting habit until you wrote this. She really does spend a lot of time with it. I blamed MY grandmother for it - at least in part. My grandmother loved sewing and knitting and to crochet as well! The problem was that she developed Altzhiemer's and would just forget what project she was working on at the time. So she had a literal mountain of partially worked projects. After my grandfather passed away, the day finally came when she needed more care than we could provide. So she moved into a rest home. She gave her sewing machine and supplies to us. So for Christmas last year, Mrs. Skeeter finished the squares for seven quilts that my grandmother had started. She took them to a quilting class and had them quilted up. So everyone got Christmas gifts from Mrs Skeeter and Gramma Skeeter. It was a big hit!
Best wishes,
Skeeter
Brian, seriously, can you believe he agreed to answer all those questions? In exchange, I looked at amplifiers and effects pedals online with him for an hour...
Skeeter, I love that story. It is wonderful--the collaboration--and it reminded me that I have a beautiful stack of crocheted pieces for a bedspread that my grandma left half-finished when she died...hmm...
and p.s. I'm so impressed that Mrs. Skeeter can sew and quilt--that's uncharted territory for me!
Robyn! Hey there!!! I haven't read "Friday Knitting Club," but I will now! xoxo
Oh....I so go overboard with my hobbies, too! Reading and cross stitching. One of these days I'm going to teach myself needlepoint, just never home nowadays. (teenagers....)
My mom is a knitter. In fact, she just knitted a throw for me for my birthday. It is LOVERLY! She tried teaching me years ago but threw in the towel as she couldn't figure out how to teach a leftie. So now I download patterns and buy the yarn for her and say "Ma, this would be FABULOUS, don't you think?" Then she just knits away. Do you tote your knitting bag everywhere you go, too? I have pictures of her at my son's football games knitting, at FSU games knitting, at drag races, church functions, even a Super Bowl party and Disney World. If that's not dedication, it's OCD.
So, did Sarge get all the questions right?
Where are the pics you promised us of you standing nekkid in knit socks?
Wow, and I always thought knitting was relaxing! :)
I wonder if learning to knit would help me quit smoking? Seriously, you know, to have something to keep my hands busy?
QG: I knitted my way through "Kung Fu Panda" in a dark movie theater, so I completely relate...
MJ: I am exfoliating my knees for the photo shoot.
Megan: It might help with the smoking, although I just nervously picked up the habit again! Argh! I'm relying on the knitting to get me through withdrawal AGAIN...
I knitted once. I found out about 8 years ago that my neice (16 at the time) was pregnant. I wanted to knit her something for the baby, but I didn't know how. So I checked out a beginners how to knit book from the library and attempted to knit her a baby blanket. The problem was that each line was one loop longer than the next one. I about half way through the blanket, when I was showing it to a friend of mine that does now how to knit. She laughed hysterically, then told me I was doing great for a beginner. She then proceeded to show me how to make the rows even and even showed me how to go back and add some rows to the uneven part. In the end, my neice have a very nice baby blanket for her newborn son. I have never knitted again. Too much work. Let me quilt, or needle point, or paint or write any day. But please no knitting. I'll leave that you professionals.
OH and my husband thinks I spend too much time on blogger. I almost think he would prefer if I knitted. It's "safer" that way. I don't meet any "Weirdo" sitting at home knitting. But then again, he's such a weirdo.
Hi Leah,
Hi anonymous,
Hi Suzanne,
Hi Robyn,
Hi Cecile,
Hi CSI / Brian,
Hi Skeeter,
Hi queen goob,
Hi mj,
hi megan,
Hi Cece,
I think that i spend too much time on Blogger too.
Cece, I can tell you honestly that you would meet a lot of weirdos in yarn shops...and I'd love to see a pic of that baby blanket! Pretty impressive!
Mark, Blogger and I are also waaaay too well-acquainted...
Rowan Cotton Glace. You know, for some reason I always thought that all yarn was made out of wool or animal hair. Rowan Cotton Glace ... so that's not itchy and scratchy then, right?
Best wishes,
Skeeter
I don't knit.
I don't know anything about knitting.
But yet ...
My wife calls me a knit-wit!
i like your interviews!
are you on ravelry?
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