Irritation

For good or for bad, I am what the world calls an old woman, and with age and by quirk of personality or lack thereof, comes a certain sort of curmudgeonly boldness.  I should have used the name Curmudgeon online had not a very good imaginary friend of mine not come up with it first.

What this means in the grand scheme of things, is that I'm less likely to sit and accept certain things than I used to and that on occasion, I am darn tootin' going to say something about it.  Today is my day to say something about it. 

Makeup, Hair dye commercials:  The first things these products have always told us is that we are not good enough as we are.  Without saying a word, this is what is internalised by every single woman on the planet.  Even worse is that for those of us who no longer wear or cannot wear because of the nature of allergic reactions, we are branded as having given up (at my age) or not caring what we look like, simply because we are not wearing goo on our faces or in our hair?  So over those things. My one concession to beauty products is that I use a particular  trendy kind of hair shampoo and conditioner that have none of the chemicals I am allergic to, so that I can actually put a comb through my hair. I couldn't always do that.

Television advertising:  There is an ad on TV right now that pretty much says that the most important time we have is our vacation time.  Stupidest thing ever.  I'm sorry but vacation ought to be celebratory and the reward for working.  But most important?  I think not.  If you put more effort into your few vacation days than you do into your day to day life, you are going to be a desperately unhappy sort of person, who is always living for something else.  It would be like putting all your energy into the wedding without thinking about all the rest of the days with your partner, Bridezillas take note.  Right now, right this minute of your life is the most important time of your life. It doesn't matter what you do, or how you get there (well other than stepping on or hurting others to get where you're going), live fully in this moment before it is gone away.  Don't let anyone tell you different, not even me. If I am honest, I am not sure that I ever appreciated that so much as I do now.

Online shopping for car parts:  I need some brake work done on my car.  My mechanic son said just have other son pick some up at Napa and I will put them on for you.  Great thinks I.  Other son says mom, Napa has a great website buy them online and I will pick up.  So, trusting hm, I go looking.  yeah.  Ten thousand things, well  okay, actually only  fourteen, but I know nothing about car parts or the things required for repair.  If you know nothing and get the wrong stuff, you are kind of screwed.  Giving up. Calling said evil son who directed me to stinking website and shifting the burden to him.

In fact don't listen to me at all because seriously, these are irritations which are easy to talk of and to gripe about but not the things that drive me.  No.  The things that drive me are way weirder than that.

Enter spinning.  I have a thing about spinning and plying.  Plying is something I particularly fear.  I am no good at it so it builds in my head till it becomes a thing.  My spinning partner is helping me through this fear, first off by recognizing what I am doing but also by simply talking to me about her own troubles and pleasures with it. I value that more than I can say, which is odd, because I obviously have no difficulty talking about the miserable things (see above).

One of the things that I find painful about recent spinning is the lack of bobbins.  When I had my Julia as well as my Victoria wheel, I had six bobbins as well as three lace bobbins from my high speed set.  I was never out of bobbins.  I only have three active bobbins now unless I spin on the S51 where I have three more non transferrable bobbins.

Obviously I have to wind off the singles to storage bobbins now if I am not finishing a particular fibre project and that winding off, had issues.  I decided the large weaving bobbins from Leclerc would  work wonderfully to use for storage, and they do.  BUT and it is a big but, they are kind of a pain to wind on to. It is so much more trouble than when I could do it, wheel to wheel.  I find even winding on to my other cardboard tubes a pain.  I am not as even as I need to be on anything to get really good results for plying. Wonky bobbins added significantly to my plying troubles. 

And because I am now in my best curmudgeonly years, I am so over putting up with not having tools that allow me to advance my skills. 

I bought a bobbin winder,

a good one.  With power and  foot control, way more money than I planned to spend but the best, most use-able tool for my particular list of needs and wants and ways to use.  With a little bit of practise and a little bit of work, I mean to slay the demon plying fear, and become friends with evenly wound bobbins that roll cleanly and smoothly.  No more catching and jerking. Now I just need a really versatile kate that will fit all of my bobbins, wheels and weaving, plus give me a little tension while doing so. I intend to build that myself with a little bit of help from previously noted sons.    

In things that are astoundingly less irritating, I give you this.

Really the perfect solution to irritation of any sort. 

My first custom fitted wrist warmer from Cat Bordhi's Cat's Family of Fingerless Mitts, the Pure Garter Stitch Mitts from folio one.  I really enjoyed knitting this clever thing.  The adaptability of this design is quite simply, amazing.

Time to my day to doing rather than thinking about doing.  I need another cup of coffee, obviously (see top of blog)  before I gird my loins to deal with car repair websites and recalcitrant sons of recalcitrant mothers.