Friday, November 16, 2007

Don't Wish

Okay, I wish for things all the time. But ridiculous things. Like I wish I were independently wealthy and could hire Eric to fan me and feed me bonbons all day. Like I wish that people would stop using god as an excuse to beat on each other and that world could share its resources a little better. Like I wish it was fall all the time.

To me, these are things worth wishing for, since I don't have a lot of control over them.

Last night I was sitting in the rotunda at Algonquin College, waiting for Grace, and knitting. No one paid me no nevermind.* Well, a couple of older ladies walking by threw a curious glance to suss out what the project was, but other than that, nothing.

Or, nothing much.

A few stitches before the end of the night's last round, a man walked by, quite closely to me. He looked like a nice man, a reasonably intelligent man. He looked down and shook his head and smiled ruefully.

"I wish I could do that," he said, kept walking.

You know what I did? I giggled. Fuck's sake. Cause 5 seconds later, I was fuming, and this is what I said to him in my head:

No. You know what? You do not wish that. Because if you actually wished that, you would pick up some fucking needles and a ball of yarn and take a damn lesson. It's not rocket science.

I hate that. Don't tell me you wish something you could just do, don't tell me you wish things hadn't worked out this way when they worked out this way because you acted like an ass with poor judgement.

Wishing for something entirely within your control is for pussies.


*It made me feel like calling up my ex, who was adamant about me not knitting in public, to tell him to stick it.

9 comments:

Andrea... said...

Why wouldn't your ex want you to knit in public? I love it when people knit in public.

Speaking of which, I've forgotten how to cast off. Help.

Asteroidea Press said...

I don't really know why. I think he found it ostentatious. Maybe because he wished he could knit?

To cast off: knit two stitches, slip the first over the second (left-ways, and off the needle), knit another stitch, slip the right-most stitch left-ways over the new stitch and off the needle, and so on.

It's really really easy to pull this too tight and fuck up your otherwise gorgeous tension. I have to cast off way looser than I knit.

Also, I'd be happy to show you in person if this doesn't make any sense.

Have you knit in the round? I love knitting in the round.

Patti said...

Your ex is just weird for not wanting you to knit in public. He's probably one of those people who hates it when anyone calls attention to themselves in any way. I used to knit and crochet and cross stitch my little heart out in public...most notably on the Go-Train commuting to and from work every day. It was a relaxing and constructive way to use that down-time. I think my fellow commuters enjoyed it too...they seemed mesmerized by watching my hands.

Aggie said...

Perhaps the pussy that walked by you wasn't really wishing to learn to knit, but was more interested in connecting with the knitter.
Interesting about the knitting in public thing. Did he have problems with people doing other things in public, too: breastfeeding, necking, scratching an itch?

Andrea... said...

In person please!

I haven't tried knitting in the round yet, but someday I'd like to. My Hot Knitting Teacher is off somewhere writing a book, so I've been slowly losing bits of my limited knitting knowledge. Such as casting off. Sad.

Asteroidea Press said...

aggie: I did think of that, but he just kept trucking. It seemed like a genuine *sigh* I wish I could *sigh*. Bah. In general, he was probably a very nice man, but he picked my ass.

Nope, he didn't really care about most public displays of anything. He is one of the most uninhibited people I've ever met. I think he had maybe seen a couple of those self-satisfied public knitters, who are a bit show offy about it, looking around to see who's looking, and branded us all with the same brush.

Andrea: Great! Next week or the week after?

Knitting in the round is easy and means much less sewing in of ends, which I hate.

Andrea... said...

How about the week after next? I have to find the project I wasn't able to finish. It is in a box. You know what that means.

Lost.

Then I can ooh and aah about your knitting-in-the-round skills.

aandjblog said...

I love knitting in public. The only comments I have ever recieved had been positive.

Anonymous said...

June 9th is International Knit in Public Day.

But it's cool every day.

(As for the man who wishes he could knit...maybe there's a valid reason why he cannot. Like arthritis or dyslexia or low self esteem or something.)