Even though my ongoing depression still has me feeling peculiarly withdrawn, I did manage to drag my sorry-ass self to Ferals Monday night. TMK went, too, but didn’t bring her wheel because she’s recovering from a back injury and didn’t want to haul it around. Which meant that she wasn’t doing anything with her hands. Which meant that her hands were free to fiddle. Which meant that they reached for one of my comfortably bent-with-age-and-use size-1 bamboo needles. And tried to straighten it out. And snapped it in half. In front of all the knitters. Like a total muggle.
It’s been 48 hours, and I still don’t think she’s recovered from the embarrassment. Me, heck, I’ve moved on. I trotted home after the fact, hauled out another size 1 bamboo needle from The Needle Stash That Ate New York and cast on for the second Trekking Splock. Her, I think if she knew where to buy a hair shirt and a cat o’ nine tails, she’d be putting them both to good use. It’s not so much that she broke it; it’s that she broke it in front of all the knitters. Egad!
I did manage to explain to her that a bent needle doesn’t need to be fixed. It’s a bad thing that’s good. Like laugh wrinkles. Or accidentally pouring too many chocolate chips into the cookie dough. It’s something that’s been well-seasoned like…like a car with 5,000 miles on it. Or an iron skillet that’s been oiled and used just enough to make it perfect. Or a recliner that has shaped itself perfectly to your back and tooshie. She gets it, but is still desperately wishing she had the power to turn back time. It didn’t help when other Feralites hauled out their size 1 needles, even the metal ones, and showed her that theirs were bent, too.
Bottom line, I think occasionally TMK forgets that she’s been lifting weights. That being said, snapping a teeny-weeny and defenseless bamboo needle in half is not the way to make your girlfriend swoon.
In TMK's defense, I do wish to point out that bamboo dpn's aren't entirely defenseless. They have points - two of 'em! Plus they can splinter (at least theoretically, like when someone breaks them) and bamboo splinters are well known instruments of torture. Anyway, I bet she never does it again.
Posted by: Mel on April 9, 2008 12:09 PMPoor TMK will never be wheelless at Ferals again.
YAY I STARTED MY DISHCLOTH.
Could it be that I will get it to you in the time frame you requested? I might just. I've been knitting socks like mad (for sock madness, natch) and 4.5mm needles feel positively gigantic. I might actually maybe be getting addicted to dishcloths.
I snapped a size 2 birch sock needle while knitting. They break. I was not happy about it, but hey, I was using 5 needles to knit the sock in question, I switched to 4, the sock got done.
The little girls on my daughters' volleyball teams, that serve out the back end of the opponents court...we call them "BEAST' (for some reason, only the tiny girls do that) in the same teasing vein, TMK, you are a 'BEAST!'
Posted by: PICAdrienne on April 9, 2008 12:50 PMAw, TMK, honey, don't feel bad. Many a knitter has broken a bent needle -- and I have a friend who HATES it when they bend and won't use them at all. But the bent ones are like laugh lines -- fabulous analogy, Ryan. MaryB
Posted by: MaryB on April 9, 2008 12:56 PMSorry to hear the depression is still with you and hope it lifts soon. I broke two size 2 birch double points last week. Alas, I sat on one (luckily not on a pointed end, but a horizontal needle) and that was that. Then I was kniting along merrily and one snapped in two! I dunno, there must be a run on those things, 'cause the LYS was out of size 2 in both Clover bamboo and Brittany birch. I ended up with some metal Addi DPs in what they said was size 2, but are really between a US 1 and US 2. So the sock I was knitting is on hold. Anyhow, tell TMK that knitters manage to break DPs all the time.
Posted by: Barbara on April 9, 2008 01:09 PMThis is why I knit with 5 dpns--if one breaks, I can switch to a 4 dpn mode without losing a beat.
I've got to say, since I was sitting across the table when this happened, that TMK looked so amazed at her own strength it was comical. Yup, she sure is tough, breaking that friggin LOG of a needle!
Posted by: Janine on April 9, 2008 01:26 PMTMK needs a drop spindle. That will keep her hands busy and it doesn't weigh much!
Posted by: AnnaMarie on April 9, 2008 02:07 PMif it makes tmk feel any better, i have broken wooden needles while useing them. i think that the worse was the time where I didn't even get around two rows on my socks and had snapped two of the darn things.
Posted by: marti on April 9, 2008 02:48 PMI came to a screeching halt here: "accidentally pouring too many chocolate chips into the cookie dough"
Is this actually possible??!! ;)
Posted by: Kristen on April 9, 2008 02:50 PMUm, is there a certain princess who has herself been going to the gym regularly, and might therefore be able to haul her girlfriend's spinning wheel for her, and thus stem the current rash of needle snappage?
Posted by: Cuzzin Tom on April 9, 2008 04:27 PMI would absolutely make the same mistake. Bent thing--must try to fix.
Posted by: Becca on April 9, 2008 05:00 PMIt's times like these when I'm grateful that monks are committed to telling the truth. It lets the rest of us smartasses off the hook ;-)
Posted by: Lee Ann on April 9, 2008 07:08 PMI have to say, my OCD self loathes bent needles - one of my many sets of sock needles has a bent one and boy I wish I could fix it!
Posted by: Karlie on April 9, 2008 09:05 PMPoor TMK! That kind of embarrassment can really linger :) I'm starting my dishcloth -- am I too late? I didn't get the email with the info on when and where and all (or if I did, I missed it -- these things happen in my world). Do you still need another one?
Posted by: Jocelyn on April 9, 2008 09:28 PMHi Ryan! Hope you are feeling better soon! And there's no such thing as too many choco chips in cookie batter. Poor TMK--give her a hug and tell her my brother bent (as in bent in half--I have no idea how he did that) one of my metal needles one time. He told me he could straighten it, and when he did, it snapped. Totally accidental, but the look on his face was pretty funny too. And then, oh my, it meant another trip to the yarn store--oh dear!
Hugs to you, TMK, and Frankie. Oh, and I'm half way done with my cloth, so hopefully I can get it to you beginning of next week. :)
Posted by: Nancy O. on April 10, 2008 06:58 AMSorry TMK, but this made me giggle probably a little too much. I've been lucky so far that I haven't broken any of my dpns, though my cat has managed to chew a few (and damage cables for the Denise set, etc.). Instead I just lose them. I think I would rather have them snapped. Then I would know what had happened to them rather than wondering if my needles were conspiring to build a commune in Tahiti.
Posted by: Seanna Lea on April 10, 2008 02:59 PM