Extremely Very Twisted

...and utterly cool. I took my son and I down to the newest addition to Portland's fuzz pusher cadre, Twisted. Ahhhhhh.

By the owner's own claim, their thing is sock yarn. We talked about MerLin by Louet, and she (oh, I'm so stupid I didn't get the owner's name) showed me a sample she was knitting toe-up. I'm sure they're going to be super soft and last For. Eh. Ver. Then we looked at the Cherry Tree Hill and Dream in Color. Then the Louet Gems. After that, we talked about SWTC with Chitin. Finally, I showed her a skein of frighteningly saffron orange Zitron Trekking I was planning to purchase.

Utter bliss.

For the record, the owner offered Jack some crayons and puzzles and coloring books all on her own. He was chill the whole time, picked up the crayons on his own when he finished, and we left peacefully with all our little treats..

My husband is going to have to remove my car keys and debit card.

Tomorrow: actual knitting.

BTT: Greatest American Novel

(If you can remember the theme to Greatest American Hero, insert here. Now hum with me.)

It's that time again. Booking Through Thursday is all about:

What, in your opinion, is the (mythical) Great American Novel?

If I were British, I would definitely be considering something by Virginia Woolf, though not for the typical reasons. If I were going to stretch the rules, I'd be considering Neil Gaiman. Hey, he's been living on American soil for a while now! But I know in my gut which I think the best, and while it is a novel of Modernist fiction, I think it will surprise you in its dealings.

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather is essentially a book about change and death: death of old ways, and the change and adaptation that must happen to survive. Cather wrote this at a time when other popular or (now) canonical authors were writing about how war and the Industrial Revolution were alienating society. In her own way, I think she's dealing with the same things, but in a quieter and more relateable fashion. That isn't meant to say the novel is softer or weaker than it's brethren of the era. You know how sometimes you have to be quiet and observant to see the underlying currents in a room? Take that attitude with you to this book, and there are great things to be had.

Of course, if I could pick a second, it would be by Zora Neale Hurston. Thank you, Alice, thank you.

Oh yeah. Oregon, USA.

More 'Splosions

There isn't a lot our current president has done that I admire. However, there are some folks who have to carry out his wishes that risk their lives on a daily basis that I think are the greatest heroes around. One of them is my BF's husband.

I can recall my horror when they began dating. He's a soldier and a Christian, two things I previously believed to be deal-breakers. However, said gentleman gives a whole new meaning to both. He believes in his job and does it because he's good at it. He believes is love and thinks that Jesus was love's biggest champion. He's a man of integrity, honor, intelligence, and over the years I've come to respect his stubborn allegience with the US Armed Forces and the Bible.

While I can't get behind simple aphorisms like "Freedom isn't Free", on days like the 4th of July and Veteran's Day I like to take a minute to be thankful for folks like my BF's husband, who are willing to put themselves in harm's way for our country's welfare and ongoing prosperity.

And you all know what else The 4th is for:



My husband, a man of numerous talents, has been employed as an airplane refueller, software engineer, and pyrotechnics expert. Yup, he used to blow things up and get paid doing it. In fact, that was part of what he was doing when we first met. Fourth of July a few years ago found us in uber-rural North Carolina on a bridge under construction lighting off a manual show. Yipes.

LMFAO: Spiced

Sharon, was it you talking about LOLCat? My hub discovered this last night:



Here's the link. We were crying laughing.

Mustard Chicken

My BF came up with a nummy little way to do Lemon-Caper Chicken quite a few years ago, but it's never been quite right for me. Last night, I got it figured.

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch strips
2 tbsp mustard
1/4 diced shallot
2 cloves minced or crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
1 oz capers
1/4 cup lemon juice
dash of ground white pepper

Mix together everything but the chicken until it makes a nice little sauce, then throw in the chicken and coat evenly. Heat up a skillet (preferably cast iron) until nearly smoking. A dash of oil may be required (use canola!!!). Lay the pieces down one by one in a single layer and saute until pieces are nearly cooked through. You may want to turn your heat down a bit once the chicken has begun to cook. Flip and brown on other side.

I served this with pesto cappelini, which may not be the wisest flavor combo. A little bit of plain pasta sauted with butter and garlic would do it, and grate on a little parm.

Customer Service Revisited

I totally hear you guys about don't write off the shop. In one of the LYS's I don't frequent anymore, it WAS the owner being priggish. This latest thing just set me off about all of them.

My personal preference is to shop all over the place, including the internet. I think I'll be back in that shop, but I won't go out of my way like I used to. If an opportunity comes up to talk to the owner, who is quite fabulous BTW, I will. Or I'll have a chat with the person(s) I'm frustrated with. I don't expect the snob vibe to go away, though, and it is a real turn-off.

Every yarn shop needs a kid area. It should be part of their business plan. Okay, I'm a little insistent. But I guarantee that if my LYS had a train table, you wouldn't know my kid was in the place.

All For Babies

T'day wasn't my best day ever, some obscure crap with family loused things up right outta the gate, so I'm going to try not to whine, but I'm not making any promises about swearing or ranting.

My son, at two and a half, has been everywhere I've been since he was born. Well, since before he was born, but that's a personal matter. In that time I've learned to read the signs of kid friendly folks and not-so-friendly folks. The little guy has been oblivious thus far, and I hope it stays that way for good long while.

Toddlers, being the curious little sponges they are, develop a quick sense for how to entertain themselves in a store that doesn't contain actual "toys". My son, like any normal kid, is checking for interesting items, which might or might not be glass, pointy, dry clean only, or expensive. He has a special affinity for running, and loops (around racks, shelves, aisles) are like an open invitation. None of this is to say that he's destructive or inconsiderate. Quite the opposite, in fact. To my knowledge, he hasn't broken anything or permanently damaged a display in a single store. We don't walk out with things that aren't ours and we clean up our messes.

My son is the dearest thing in the world to me, and I like having his constant company. So you can imagine how I feel when someone in a shop says and does things to make it clear he isn't a welcome addition, or that if we're there together I can't possibly be a serious customer. Disgusted, insulted and annoyed are three words that come quickly to mind just now.

I love knitting, and I love yarn. I write a frakking blog about my love of fuzz. Yarn shops are first on my list of places to visit for fun. When I visit my BF's mom, I know where to go for yarn. When I visit Seattle, or Raleigh, Chapel Hill or Asheville, NC, I know where to go for yarn. Heck, if I visited New York, or Boston, or dozens of other places, I'd know where to shop for yarn by asking my blogging pals or reading around online. And I have been to at least half of the LYS's in the Portland area.

And in no less than three of them we've gotten treated like we had sticky chocolate fingers and a funny smell about us.

Today, it was implied that my son was going to break the Pyrex needles. That he was going to walk out with the cute little knitted animals. That he wasn't being careful enough with the woolly creations and the merchandise. That he, and I, were basically not trustworthy.

I don't imagine that all children are at their best every time they go into a store. I'm sure things have happened. But I also know my child very, very well, and I do not like to see him treated as if he as very little going on between his ears. Children do what we expect of them, and that is the bottom line whether or not you're their parent, friend, relative, or a perfect stranger.

My son is a fairly bright guy, and he's very social, so I'm sure there will come a day soon when he is hurt by the way someone treats him whom he is not acquainted with. As it's my job to protect him from that while I have the chance, you can bet I won't take him anywhere near those places he isn't treated as a valued customer. If that means an LYS drops from my list, oh well.

I've discovered that I believe children to be a gift, even if they aren't mine. That doesn't make it okay to parent them without boundaries and expectations. But it should be true for us culturally as well as personally. I wish I knew how to make it so.

Oh yeah, and where do you think future generations of knitters are going to come from?