all about crafts

It turns out that the knitting book for men I just bought isn't so great. I was just looking it over and nowhere does the author list a table for the abbreviations he uses. I think they're probably hidden throughout the book when he describes different techniques but when, right on page 30, he already introduces the first knitting pattern and uses terms like "Sl 1 pwise wyif" I don't know how he expects his readers to follow along. When I glance at that I like to read it as "knit 1 purlwise what the fuck!" Luckily I know enough to accurately decipher that mess but what's an inexperienced knitter to do. Good thing I mostly just bought it for the patterns anyway.

Speaking of which, I need to start a knitting project soon! I'm going crazy at work. Today was incredibly slow and though I'm enjoying the Amy Tan book I'm reading I can only read it for so long. I need to alternate my activities during the day and I've come to depend on knitting. What to do? I can't really afford to go buy yarn right now. I guess I could take time to read more about types of yarn and how to read yarn labels but I hate that stuff. Plus it's hard to read about knitting without actually doing anything. And frustrating.

I picked up my coat from the dry cleaners this morning and put it on right before I left for work. I had brought in a couple of buttons that had come off and asked them to be sewn back on after the coat was cleaned. This was done but the buttons were sewn in the wrong place. But they were almost right! Instead of three buttons matching the three button holes, I had two buttons matching the lower two holes and then one extra button below those two matching nothing. I was so annoyed. Why in the hell would someone sew them that way? Clearly I wanted the buttons sewn on so I could, um, button them, right? I didn't have enough time to take the coat back to the cleaners but I'll probably do it tomorrow. I was going to just buy some needle and thread during lunch today and do it myself but I don't want to do it myself, that's why I paid someone else. And they should do it right. I might have to give up going there. This will delight HL, who thinks the main woman at the counter is crazy; I think she's just really really nice.