"You Blog?!"
As I start this entry, I feel I must say this. Don't fret. I will get to the yarn. But first, I must go off, on a little tangent. I hope you don't mind.
Last night, I was getting ready for bed, and I started thinking about an evening, a week ago, when I met up with a dear friend, for the usual...overpriced food, at an over-crowded restraunt. Food that is, in no way, good for you, at all. And, of course, drinks. (Bring on the margaritas, baby!) I love those moments when I can hang out with her. She is an absolute blast.
This time, she brought her roommate. "Oh, you are just gonna LOVE her," she told me. "She is a writer, like you!" I was excited, to meet this fellow writer.
And, at first, the evening went well. We were all hanging out...a group of people, having a good time.
And then, "writing talk" began.
"So, I hear you are a writer." Okay. Fine. I admit it...I was the one, who instigated this conversation. God, how I would come to regret it.
"Oh, yeah!" She said, in a voice that was oozing, with an almost FORCED excitement, "You should read my books. They are just great! EVERYONE who has ever read them, just LOVES them!" To an outsider, this may seem like a bitchy bit of bragging. But, I know I am the same. I get all giddy when I talk about my writing. Hell, this blog has become my baby. I am incredibly pleased with it, so far. I just LOVE coming here, each day, and writing out my two cents.
Anyway, she went on and on, rambling about her books. I sat, completely engaged in the conversation. A fellow writer...in the Temecula area? Get out! She talked about her writing style ("it's very Carrie Bradshaw, from Sex & The City.") She talked about how easy it was for her, to find a publisher. ("Before I knew it, a publisher snagged up my book, and BAM! I'm in bookstores.)
Then, the topic turned, and I was the one in the Hot Seat.
"So, what about you?" She asked. "Any books published?"
"Well," I said. "I have written a novel, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to find an agent, who will even look at it." (Let me just say this, right now. Whenever I think about my failed attempt, to enter the literary world, it makes me feel like a total loser. It makes me feel like complete SHIT!) "So," I continued, "I am now focusing my time, on a project." I told her then about my two year goal, to learn three different methods of working with yarn. "And, I am writing a blog, about the whole thing."
"A blog." She said the word 'blog', with a tone of such horrible disgrace. "You are writing a blog?" She actually giggled these words out, as though this was the most ridiculous thing, she had EVER heard. "Who writes blogs, nowadays?"
Okay...my friend's roommate, who I was supposed to "just love," was turning out to be a very snide, egotistical, GRADE-A BITCH!
I mean...ok. Yeah, I may not be as lucky as she was, to snag up a publisher. Instead of resting on a shelf, at a store, my book is resting on a shelf, in my closet. But, at least I don't compare my writing style to that of a character, from a book/TV show.
And her thoughts about blogging. Please! I would actually venture to say this blog is quite a challenge. I mean, writing every day...it can present a few hardships. When writing a novel, if you get writer's block, you can just postpone the writing, for a few days. But this blog. Well, I have made a vow to write DAILY (with the exception of a cruise I will be taking, late September.) So, when I have writer's block, I have to pull through it. I can't put everything on a back burner, and pray that it all comes together, soon.
So, for all the professional writers, out there, who look down their noses, at us bloggers, I have one thing to say. Blogging is a SERIOUS FRIGGIN BUSINESS!
Ok. I have that off my chest. Now, we can move on. I am sure the above didn't matter to any of you. But, in my opinion, it simply had to be written.
Anyway...let's take a trip to that magical land of yarn.
Yesterday, I finished another row of my Broomstick Lace Pillow. JUST 3 MORE ROWS, TO GO! YAY! WHOOHOO!
I must say...yesterday, this pillow was a monster.
It all started off good. Putting the 65 loops on the broomstick lace pin, was a piece of cake. I thought to myself, as I put loop 65 on the pin: Yep...this project is going so smoothly, today.
Then, the HELL started. It was like the friggin pillow had read my mind, and heard that thought. And, for whatever reason, it must have found this thought offensive.
Taking the loops back off the pin, was a ROYAL pain in the ass.
The yarn kept snagging. With every little stitch I did, the yarn acted out. It was pulling, as though it was resisting my efforts to stitch through these loops. Then, it would tangle together. And, we all know how irritating that can be.
It took about 15 minutes to get the loops on the broomstick lace pin. But, taking them off...well, that took about an hour. It also took quite a bit of my sanity. Halfway through taking the loops off this pin, I was the poster boy for Potty-Mouthed Language. Honestly, I think I may have invented a few new curse words, yesterday. One, after another...after another. The sailor lingo came from my lips, in leaps and bounds.
NEVER PUSH A YARN JUNKIE TO THE EDGE. We are not polite people, when we get pissed off.
All I can say is this. After working with this DAMNED pillow, all the soap in the world, could not have washed the grime of dirty language, off my tongue. The flood gates of foul words had opened, and, oh boy...it let out a SEA OF VULGARITIES!
After working this monstrous row, which had led me down the road of bad vocabulary (which I hope to NEVER visit, again,) I gave myself two hours away from the yarn. I knew if I went to Halloween Bag project, at that time, and it gave me hell, well...what ensued would, most definately, not be pretty. So, the TV went on, and I found myself 3 cans of beer.
After laughing at sitcoms, for two hours straight, and getting a little bit of a buzz from the alcohol, I was ready to approach my Halloween Bag.
Or, should I say, I was ready to make a pocket, for my Halloween Bag.
Yep...this bag will have 2 VERY cool pockets.
So, the pocket itself went along, withough a hiccup. All was good. But, the applique, which I had created a sample of, with great ease, just days ago, decided to be a little bit testy, with me.
I don't know. Maybe it was the beers, running through me. Or, maybe it is just because I love this damned project so much. But, the applique fiasco, much to my surprise, did not piss me off. "Oh well," I found myself saying, aloud, as I realized my first attempt of this applique was no good. "Time to go into round 2." And, just like that, I started over. No complaining. No whining. No cursing at the yarn. No threats that this piece BETTER be perfect, this time. I just PEACEFULLY started over.
And, the second time, this applique came out looking amazing. I stitched it onto the pocket.
And, I was done with my crocheting, for the day.
I spent the next hour, balling up 3 different yarns. (Just when you are close finishing, the yarn seems to become rebellious. "WHEEE," I can almost hear it shout, as the ball jumps from your hands, to the ground, unraveling the whole way down.)
And, after balling the yarn, I read a chapter of Things I Learned From Knitting...Whether I Wanted To Or Not. And, I laughed my ass off. Even though I am not yet in the knitting part of this project, I was able to relate to so much, of what Stephanie wrote. And, it was a complete HOOT!
Well, that is it. For today, at least.
Happy crocheting, everyone!
And remember...bloggers RULE!