Saturday, July 22, 2006

Variety is the Spice of Life

Sometimes you just don't know what your missing. You're not looking in the right places - or you're just not seeing it with new eyes.

"Check it out, Bud - Mom's been holding out on us..... look at all these different hot sauces! - I bet she just cruises right by all this good stuff and never even looks."

The hubby and The Bud went to the grocery store with me last weekend. Funny stuff - I tell ya what.

They RARELY go to the store. Maybe a couple of times a year. So, they had no idea what was out there. See..... me, I admit I totally get into a grocery store rut. I buy basically the same stuff, every week. Over and over.

It was such fun to watch them go up and down each aisle as I followed along. I guess they thought that what I brought home every week was all that was out there. But, they saw the stuff I just cruise past. They just kept chucking stuff in the cart. They came up with all kinds of new dinner ideas. And, hey--- when they pick their own cereal, etc, they can't complain about it, right?


So, now we have a pantry stocked with all kinds of different and new things, and a HUGE grocery bill this week. But it was fun, and it was worth it. It opened my eyes to other possibilities. To look around at the stuff I just cruise by every week.

I was thinking about this in regards to my knitting the other day. I was wondering, if I didn't know about knitting blogs, would I still be so fired up about knitting? Would I still be knitting at all? I mean, if all I ever knew was what was at my LYS, or.... worse yet, Michaels, think about how much I would be missing.

I mean, really, the exciting hot-sauce yarns and patterns aren't what you generally find in the store. Other people have found them somewhere on line, or deep in the depths of knitting blogs - and then they say, "Hey, check this out!" Patterns and yarns I would have walked right by without them being pointed out to me. Websites and yarns I would have never know existed.

Knitting through life with blinders on.... that's no way to go! Thanks to ALL of you who keep broadening my horizons.!

16 Comments:

At 9:24 AM, Blogger Jennifer said...

Blogs definitely help keeping me passionate about knitting! All the fibers, FO's, and patterns keep my hands knitting, and my pocketbook crying. :-)

 
At 10:34 AM, Blogger jillian said...

That's a great analogy for one of the best things about blogs! I've wondered that myself. I love how you have the yarns scattered in with the pantry!

 
At 11:07 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree :). I receive inspiration from reading blogs.

In my household, we all go shopping together--I am the one who loves to go down each isle, looking at the new stuff :).

 
At 11:22 AM, Blogger LC in Sunny So Cal said...

Yep. You've hit it. Excitement is contagious.

When dh and I go to the store together, it's the same story. He's fascinated. But not enough to go more than once in a blue moon, thank goodness! A girl's gotta have her sanctuary!

 
At 11:23 AM, Blogger Sonya said...

I'm in such a grocery rut that I actually have a Master Grocery List that I just print out, add a couple things, cross out a couple things, and go!

Knitting blogs definitely keep me inspired. Most of the knitting group that meets here at the library is blog-illiterate. They're missing so much! I'd say most of what I knit was seen on or inspired by a blog.

 
At 11:47 AM, Blogger amylovie said...

I totally agree with you. Reading about new and nifty stuff on blogs keeps me on the prowl.

Amy

 
At 1:28 PM, Blogger Chris said...

I hope your lovely yarn isn't on the menu! ;)

 
At 1:41 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

You are so right. I end up wanting to knit something from seeing it on another blog. And then I see a yarn I would never have considered being knit into something. We always sell out of the color way of things we have on display at the shop, so I guess I get what you are saying. I just never thought of it quite the way you have presented it. Great post.

 
At 1:45 PM, Blogger ~Kristie said...

I think we all get into ruts in one form or the other. I realized a few weeks ago that my living room has been in a rut for the last 3 years, so I changed all the furniture around....now it's my favorite room & it even looks bigger!

I think my knitting would definitely be in a rut without blogs. Knitting blogs keep us up-to-date on everything & opens us up to all the great internet yarn stores. If all we had was the LYS, I would've never found Socks That Rock!

 
At 2:54 PM, Blogger Brenda in Toronto said...

What a great post. Blogs opened up a whole new world to me. I'd probably still be knitting ribbed scarves if I hadn't discovered them.

And I love that top photo - very original :)

 
At 6:26 PM, Blogger Marsha said...

Great segue, Lynda! I didn't even know what a blog WAS until about a year ago or so. I get a lot of motivation and inspiration as well as cyber-commraderie from the blogs! Knitting tips and tutorials, reviews on yarns, books and gadgets - I wouldn't know a 10th of what is available fiber-wise if it weren't for them. 3 cheers for blogging!

 
At 9:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, blogs are the best and have helped me improve my knitting skills 100%. I enjoyed your post and I think I'm going to toss some yarn into my pantry and see if anyone notices. By the way, I still have candy canes, too. :)

 
At 11:49 PM, Blogger opportunityknits said...

Yes, you've said it so well. It was knitblog reading that got me back into knitting.

 
At 6:29 AM, Blogger Karen said...

I agree 100%!!! I often think without blogging, knitting would have become one of those (many many) hobbies I've had where I'm all fired up for about a month - and then just drop it.

I also try to keep from going up and down every isle of the grocery store. I used to do that - but then I buy EVERYTHING!!! Gotta save my $$ for th next hot yarn. :)

 
At 2:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I HATE grocery shopping, but I really hate shopping when the husband goes too. He's always questions everything I buy. But lately, since Liz is home for the summer, she has to go with me and I'm always finding stuff she snuck in the cart when I'm unloading at the checkout. You can't win.

Boy Lynda, lookit all the likker you got! ;)

Really enjoyed your post today, you're such a creative writer.

 
At 12:56 PM, Blogger Theresa said...

Blogs inspire me in a major way. Lately I've been crazy busy and not reading them as much - and I don't think it's a coincidence I haven't been knitting as much. That, and working 80 hours a week. But still, I love blogs.

 

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