"It's Nice to Have Nice Things"
That's the hubby's motto - adopted from my brother... They both have the same hobbies, mountain biking and hiking, and when you are serious about both, let's just say they're not inexpensive sports. However, it's like the Mastercard commercial.... bicycles worth more than some of our cars, down sleeping bags costing $100s, not to mention tents, boots, stoves, packs, etc, etc, etc, - having a stress-free hubby is priceless. He can spend all he wants - it keeps him stress free and happy. Priceless.
But, he does have good taste, and likes the best. So, this weekend when Kaity talked him and "The Bud" into stopping at our not-so-local yarn store on their way home from the backpacking store (the only reason Kaity went along for the ride) - this is what the hubby picked out for a hat - some beautiful KnitOne Crochet Two Ambrosia yarn, in a pretty spicy color - 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere. The man knows how to pick a nice fiber combo!
He does have a few other hats we've knitted him, but they're wool and itchy. He wanted something soft, and not itchy. He picked well.
Kaity had steered the duo towards some chunkier yarn at first, and they each picked out a nice Debbie Bliss alpaca/silk for hats. Something you can knit up on a nice size 7 needle. But then the hubby saw the Ambrosia. I wish I could have been there - I still can't picture them in the yarn store. He showed it to Kaity and said - this would probably take a long time to knit, huh? (size 3 needles) - but he liked it and Kaity knew I'd take it on.
Here's our progress so far, a simple stockinette hat with a ribbed brim, and a little blue stripe. This yarn is gorgeous, and if I had the stamina for it would make a beautiful camisole. The stitch definition in the stockinette is beautiful.
Carmen says it's pretty soft, too.
And - get this - Kaity had him talked into buying a swift while they were there.... but they didn't have any in stock!!! Arghhhhhhh!!! He could appreciate a swift, practical and actually kind of a cool tool (I think the Bud called it a "$60 wooden whirly thing").... but it was an impulse buy kind of thing, not a "order and wait for it" kind of thing, so it wasn't meant to be, at least not yesterday. But, hey - at least he gets it and appreciates that even with knitting, "it's nice to have nice things!"
posted by Lynda @ 8:57 AM
5 Pair - hey, it's a start
First Place, Gospel Light
The Way of the Master
16 Comments:
omg, i know that motto all too well. hahaha...
actually, my dad's adaptation of it is "i'd rather suffer in luxury than just plain suffer." he figures if he has to work (he works 16 hr days, 2 jobs), he might as well have things that make him happy so he knows what he's working for. my dad's almost like your hubby, i guess. ;)
he hasn't asked me for socks yet, but i suppose if i'm going to make him some, i should pick out the best yarn i have! actually, i don't think he'll like any of the colors i have...they're not very "manly." i guess we know what that means...hehehe... :D
I love the picture of Carmen!! Well, duh, you knew I would, right?! :D
You're making great progress on that hat - I bet it feels pretty yummy to knit.
It IS nice to have nice things. My DH's money sucker is hunting stuff. It's always prefaced by "I won't need anything after I get this." Ha! Bummer about the swift. Every time I try to wind yarn off my knees I say to myself, "My kingdom for a swift!" Good to know that DH has good taste in fiber though. That could come in handy.
i have been divided on getting a ball winder/swift... it's alot of money and i'm accustomed to working with a tight budget and being frugal. but there HAVE been sales (particularly at joann.com) that still make me think twice. and i'm still thinking. =)
i hear you on the mountain bikes... my brother built his own mountain bike back in high school, and boy was that expensive. we just purchased mountain bikes from REI and WOW. we're definately taking good care of these bikes because of what we paid for them. =)
dontcha' love a man like that??? I had to wait for my swift too, and what a good thing it is to have...you'll wonder how you ever did without. (Got Ball Winder?)
dontcha' love a man like that??? I had to wait for my swift too, and what a good thing it is to have...you'll wonder how you ever did without. (Got Ball Winder?)
Oh, and my DH has a hobby of ..well.. racing thoroughbred horses. So he doesn't even BEGIN to suggest I might not want to buy a $20 ball of yarn! LOL
Hey, Ruth...the swift/ball winder is the perfect tool for promoting frugality...you can get that hank of handpainted yarn you wanted from ebay, and not have to worry about taking a week to wind it all into a ball! ;)
It's definitely nice to have nice things when knitting! Ooh- you were thisclose to a swift!! After winding 880 yards of laceweight by hand last night for 2 HOURS, using my chair back as a makeshift swift, I am practicing my "investment" pitch to the DH. I think I'll throw in that line about how nice it is to have nice things for good measure, too. ;-) Hopefully, I'll at least get a ball winder out of the deal! And your hubby's got great taste in fiber! I love the color and Carmen looks rather dapper with it on. ;-)Take care, Lynda! :-)
He has fantastic taste. I can't believe he almost bought you a swift. My husband grumbles about mine every time a bring it out. Hey, I should remind him about the mastercard commercial!!
Amy
That yarn looks like a treat to knit with. Your husband has good taste. The swift would have been pretty cool, maybe he will want to impulse buy next time they are in stock!
I love the cat photo! I just bought my swift from Joann.com . They have a 40% off coupon right now, so you could get one for about $35, I think. It's very, very good quality--super smooth hardwood. It's so pretty I want to leave it out!
I like the pretty colours on your new socks and your husband has great taste in yarn!
Look at that beautiful model you've got there!
They were out of swifts!!! Blasphemy.
I love the picture of your cat. I wish my kitty was that tolerant.
And ah yes, it is nice to have nice things, just not on a teenager's budget. :)
Ooohhh....I know why you don't mind how much hubby spends on his hobbies...it's so you can say "Honey, you spent $5,000 on a bike...I only spend $350 on yarn" LOL (kidding)
The hat on the cat is sooo cute!!! I love it!
We are a gadget crazy family. I don't like to spend a lot of money on those things though. I got mine from JoAnn's. If you sign up to be on their e-mail list you will get a 50% off coupon about once a month. If you are sneaky, you can order one off your address and one off your husband or kid's and get them both! When I got mine I had 2 hanks of yarn to wind. He thought it was the coolest thing - until he saw I didn't have any more yarn to wind! He goes "you bought that just to wind 2 balls of yarn?" And your problem is? But now I have probably more than 30 hanks just waiting to become lovely balls - ahhhhh. BTW - He flies radio-controlled airplanes and has a garage/hangar of at least 6 or so and all the bells/whistles. He says nothing to me anymore about my purchases!
Marsha
Yarn shop owners love it when my husband comes with me, because he always convinces me to buy more than I would if I went by myself. That's how I got my swift!
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