Knitting and Knitting and Knitting

One characteristic I know, for a fact, that I lack --it's in my very genetic make-up-- is patience. Patience is not a virtue present in anyone in my family. My dad and his brothers are infamous for their short fuses and ability to get riled up over essentially nothing. Yes, it's largely due to am inability to control their temper, but it almost always surfaces when they are having to wait for something. Anything. Waiting another 5 minutes (or really any minutes) for their food at a drive-thru (FYI Whataburger, we are gonna sit here at this window and hold up the rest of the line until we get our damn Chophouse Cheddar Burger --we're not playing your pull-forward mind game). Waiting one second longer to see what is happening on the television because someone has had the audacity to pass in front of it. Every stop light is the longest in town. We are leaving at 8:00 and it's 7:55 and you're not ready and what the hell is taking so long?! We are not waiters, my family. 

I knew going in that this was the MAIN ingredient to being good at knitting, and yet... here we are. Maybe someday I'll break the vicious family cycle.

Soooo needless to say, it's off to a slow and maddening start. I was not naive enough to think I could pick this up in a day (or maybe I was?), but I may not have the je ne sais quoi to be good at this long term.
Why did I decide to try knitting?
Why does any TV nerd under the age of 55?
To make your own Jayne Cobb Hat, of course.

(Now from what I understand this is actually made by crocheting? Ugh.)

So, I blindly grabbed some smooth yarn I didn't hate (thanks, random knitter at Hobby Lobby!), some nifty acrylic needles and sat down to see if I could get down the basics. Little did I know, that I had to learn a new language in the process --cast on, purl, continental. The first video I tried to learn from failed to mention that I wanted to leave my stitches loose enough to be able to get my needle back in there for the next row. I wanted them to look neat and small so I pulled those suckers tight --like a you know who's you know what on Sunday. It also explained how to make a slip knot in such a way that I had no clue that they meant, you know, just make a slip knot. Keep it simple, stupid video. I found one that is geared to teaching pre-teens and I suddenly got on a roll...of sorts.

This is about as far as I've gotten.

There's only one dropped stitch so far so that's a win, I guess. Never you mind how long it's taken me to get this far. Turns out this is not the 'mindless' hobby I thought it would be. This demands all my attention or else I'll be droppin' stitches and shit left and right.

l am not giving up, certainly, but I think I need a decided project to work on (I'm going to have to work up to the Big Damn Hero gear) so I know when I have 'arrived'. I might just give in and go for a scarf because, yeah that's something even I can't screw up. If I manage to finish, I'll post evidence. 
Yay, learning!


*bonus points if you got the movie reference from the post title. This one was a classic in my house as a kid. Childish --I KNOW YOU ARE BUT WHAT AM I?

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3. Things I Need (and Should Want) to Learn

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3. Things I Need (and Should Want) to Learn

Once upon a time after a very rough patch in our relationship, I composed a list of things I wanted my dad to teach me. It was mainly a way for us to spend time with each other on his turf and on his terms. My dad likes to spend time with me (and brings the guilt when we don't) but usually only if it's while doing stuff he enjoys. He will humor me once and a while, but mostly he only feels like we are 'bonding' if it's doing something he finds fun. (Ironically, my mother and I have a deep, shared love for baseball and --due to his temper and bandwagon fandom tendencies --we do not let him attend or watch games with us as he sucks out all the fun.) Also, even though he knows it makes my insides curl up, whatever we're doing you can bet we'll have to listen to Fox Radio on the way there. Then --because I am my father's daughter --you can also bet that this will now put me in a mood from which I cannot recover and has hence tainted our day together. 
Fun family times.

Being fully an adult and with no man in my life *insert my mother's tears here*, I felt there were plenty of things that I needed to know how to do for myself. I hate feeling like I don't even really know how to hang curtains properly. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself to be mechanically inclined and I'm not one of those helpless girls who have to have a man do everything non-feminine for them --fuck that. Sometimes Pinterest doesn't know everything and you need hands on advice from an actual dude. I'm old-fashioned that way. I have since lost that original list and got him to show me exactly zero things, but this is a halfway attempt at re-creating that list. 

Things I Need (and Should Want) to Learn 

• How to change a tire
• How to jump start a car (without burning/shocking/killing myself)
• (Re)Learn (some)Spanish 
• Take up guitar lessons (again)
• Cook something (fairly complex) from scratch
• Sew something simple and from scratch
• Knit 
• Learn to take (real) pictures
• How to type in proper form (and at least 40wmp)
• And things to be added later

There is no limit to the things I do not know so this list should really be longer... We'll see how long my patience lasts in trying to tackle new things. This is not a dude-centric list like before but it seems I still need help in areas of male expertise then the rest of this is gonna be sisters doin' it for themselves, ya know?

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2. (Classic) Films To Watch

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100 New Things: List-o-mania

2. (Classic) Films to Watch

In this grand attempt at doing things with my year, this is the one list I can say with certainty that I will complete. Completely.

The most complex question you could ask me isn't about religion or politics or even what the best episode of Firefly is, but rather: 'What's your favorite movie?' At the very least, I will need you to supply a genre and a decade if this is to be real discussion with honest answers.

Movies, movies, movies, movies, movies, movies. I love movies. LOVE. I worked at a major and now mostly defunct movie rental chain for five years and if it paid more than minimum wage (and didn't require that I wear khakis), I would most likely still be there. My interview consisted of a singular question: Name all of Quentin Tarantino's movies. HIRED! In my first year of working there, it was routine for me to get off at midnight and still make time to watch 3 movies a night before bed.
Tip: I do not recommend watching Korean horror before bedtime and when the rest of the house is asleep. You learn that lesson real quick. 

Engaged in constant movie discussion with co-workers and customers, unlimited access to hundreds of titles, and the ability to influence the 'every man' in to trying something amazing that they'd never give a second look --truly the Lord's work. People shouldn't be able to get paid for that. Most importantly, you also aren't afraid of trying craptastic things that look like they did not pass go, did not gross $200 and went straight to DVD. Every once in a while, taking that leap can lead to uncovering happy-making little gems that you kick yourself for almost not watching. (See: The Salton Sea, I'm Not Scared, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Love Song for Bobby Long, Running Scared and tons more that escape me).

It kind of amazes even me to see some of the titles on this list. 

• Citizen Kane 
• The Bicycle Thief
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
• Letter From an Unknown Woman
• Double Indemnity 
• Dr. Strangelove
• The Sound of Music 
• The French Connection
• Annie Hall
• Taxi Driver
• The Godfather (all 3)

I went 100% old school here. Some I chose because they are on AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies List or some such and others are ones I stumbled across to uncover 'the best movies you've never seen.' The Sound of Music is for LA because I love her --the mere thought of "The hiiiiiills are aliiiive..." makes me want to jump in a deep, deep lava-filled hole. She swears that's as cheesy as it gets and that the movie holds up and is soooo much better than that one scene and Christopher Plummer is soooo hot. We'll see, LA.

Surely, consuming this list will do more to enlighten me in the ways of the world and give me priceless advice that I have not yet had the life experiences to learn firsthand... or, you know, strengthen my pop culture gaming skills. Besides, Future Husband will need to share my opinions for obvious vital reasons.

Pass the popcorn!



Previous Posts
1. Read (more) Books
100 New Things: List-o-mania