Today’s trip to the mailbox revealed a surprise package from my mom:
(What you need to know is that my mom is not a knitter. She’s an enthusiastic gardener – which takes some dedication, given that she lives outside Buffalo, NY – but she doesn’t knit, crochet, sew, weave, or spin. In contrast, I’m all over the knitting thing, I’ve been known to crochet and sew, and I’d love to find the time to get into weaving. But I’m a fair-weather gardener. Yet we get along anyway. Go figure.)
In the package was a letter that reads in part:
Enclosed are sock patterns! Different sock patterns, which you may already by aware of.
The yarn I’ve selected is enclosed and the pattern I’ve selected is starred. If & when you have time I would love to have a pair for summer.
Let me know if the socks are something you can do. If not, find a use for the yarn yourself.
I find this hilarious. Does she not know that I design socks? That I teach sock design? That I have stacks of patterns at my fingertips, and bins of sock yarn within arm’s reach? That a pair of plain pedicure socks count as mindless knitting?
I have yet to call and confirm, but I suspect what may have happened is this: She was trolling Hobby Lobby with a friend, or perhaps with my niece. (Unless Hobby Lobby has started selling gardening supplies, it would take a crafty friend or my crafty niece to get her into one.) She spotted the blue and brown marl yarn. She fell in love. (Blue and brown are her favorite colors.) She bought the yarn, snagged the freebie patterns, and ran to the post office.
Yeah. Sounds about right to me.
So, Mom, if you’re reading this... yes, I’ll knit you some pedicure socks out of the blue and brown yarn. I’ll probably make up my own pattern as I go along, ’cause that’s the kind of knitter I am. But your summer pedicure socks will have to wait until I’ve finished knitting my second Swirl... you know, the replacement for the one I gave you last fall.
Tagged: stash enhancement, socks.
This is AWESOME!
» Babyboxermom
I think you might want to let your mom know more about what you do. She would be totally impressed! And, this is so funny. And sweet.
» Cat Bordhi
Hilarious! I'm with Cat -- you could let your Mom know what all you can/do knit. Second thought -- you could let your Mom know those things you DON'T WANT to knit. Seems that would be a way shorter list.
"Sock designer" , "sock design teacher", "knitting teacher" -- those all sound like grand titles to me. I still (after 15 years) get asked by my father just what it is that I do. Not that it's terribly complicated -- it's just one of those "behind the scenes" job for a utility industry. To understand my wee cog of a job, you need to understand more of that utility than most people care to know.
» Sarah JS
Does she know about your book?? What you do- I am shocked!
» Carla
Too funny, y’all! Of course my mom has a copy of my book – she loves showing it to her friends. And she knows what I’m capable of knitting – or at least she should; she has a number of sweaters that I’ve knit for her (well, okay, I knit them for myself and then she begged for them; same difference), and she walked the bottoms off the last socks I knit for her. She knows I teach – fer cryin’ out loud, she came to Stitches East a couple years ago, to visit with her cousin and to see me in action.
She should know me better. That’s what makes her letter so fricken’ funny.
» JC
Perhaps she wrote that tongue in cheek? Pretty funny.
» AnnP
Hey JC, I am your cousin too. Your mom knows full well what you do - that was just her funny way of nudging another garment from you. Did it work. Hope to see you at stitches - at lease someone else in the family knits. She knows better than to ask me - I am a slow, selfish knitter.
» Dolores Wohler
Truly, Dolores, I’m not sure she does. I can understand her sending the yarn. (BTW, I called to verify, and yes, I guessed right: she was at Hobby Lobby with a friend, and fell in love with the yarn at first sight.) I can even understand sending the pattern for the pedicure socks, as a way of saying, “I’d like something like this.” But the other three patterns? She didn’t send them to be funny; that’s not her style.
» JC
I remember when I showed my mother a new finished sweater (this was about 15 years ago, when I was a relatively new knitter), and she said, "Don't you have enough sweaters by now? Isn't it time to find another hobby?" Sometimes Moms can love you to bits, and respect what you do, but just not "get" what drives you. My Mom passed away several years ago, but I don't think she would "get it" now any more than your Mom does, and if she saw the amount of finished garments that I have, not to mention my stash, she would be appalled. At least she is trying to be involved :)
» Anne Berk
Ah, you get it, Anne!
» JC