Deranged or Dedicated?
By Veronica Smith – 30 CommentsHow far would YOU go to get some yarn, and I don’t mean distance?
I am now officially something…. not sure what though, I could be totally deranged, insane, fixated, total idiot, obsessed, possessed or maybe on a more positive note simply dedicated to my crochet. How have I come to this conclusion?
I really, truly hope that you cannot relate in any way to this story because it is really, really embarrassing. The only reason I am sharing this with you is because we will never meet. I am in Australia and I don’t think there are many Australians on this site, also my address in not published. Just a side note – I am really quite bright, I manage a hubby, house, children, animals and have a degree. This story I do not believe, and hope isn’t, a normal episode in my life.
BACKGROUND:
I found some 100% cotton yarn that was perfect for my intended project for my mum. The shop did do mail order however I wanted to view the goods before I paid for it as it wasn’t overly cheap and I needed to match one of the colors to something. My traveling time was going to be approximately 1 hour each way plus I had allowed for 30 minutes at the shop. Any longer there I would purchase too many other things. I needed to stick to my timeline as I had other commitments. Once my timing was worked out here’s how things happened. At his point I need to mention that I was wearing jeans and a synthetic top that was long – you know those almost ‘mini dress’ type things – this information is important.
HOW MY TRIP PROGRESSED:
- I filled the drinking bottles up with water to put in the car as I always seem thirsty when I’m driving.
- I then drove for about 40 minutes and grabbed a water bottle to have a drink.
- This is when it became horribly apparent that the top of water bottle was not screwed on properly and water poured swiftly over me. It saturated my top and my jeans. There was so much water that it was actually soaking down under me. I truly felt like I had wet my pants – and I looked like I had.
- I pulled into a gas station and proceeded to slink in. My top didn’t look wet although it was drenched but it’s black an synthetic and hid the fact well. My light blue denim jeans however were definite proof that I had wet myself – down to my knees.
- Once inside I discovered the bathroom hand dryer was in the area before the toilet so I could not lock the door to dry myself. I quickly retreated back to the car. Mental note to never to go there ever again.
- Undeterred, cold and soggy I continued on TOWARD the yarn shop, I hadn’t really considered going home and abandoning my yarn hunt (this is where I should have started questioning my sanity)
- I found a McDonald’s. I realized that they have handicap toilet shalls and the dryer and I would be safely locked in together in privacy.
- My daughter’s dancing bag was in my car and I remembered it had some long bike pants in it. I am 45 and bike pants really are not something I should wear in public.
- I parked the car, went to the car and fetched the pants that were a size too small, however they are cotton Lycra so they are stretchy. I hid the pants in a shopping bag. Once again reality should have reared its ugly head.
- Slinking through the McDonald’s parking lot and in through the patrons eating their burgers and fries I managed to dive into the handicap toilet stall.
- Off with the clothes. With the assistance of an overworked hand dryer my top dried lovely and quick because it was synthetic. The jeans were never going to dry, so I put on the very unflattering bike pants over my still damp underwear. I felt truly horrible. I placed the wet jeans in my shopping bag. Fortunately my top was long. Not long enough to hide all the horror of me in cotton Lycra pants that only came down to just below my knees. My legs were shaved though so something was going right.
- I purchased a coffee that I didn’t really want on the way out because I felt guilty just using their facilities.
- I went to the car and put the coffee on the roof so I could organize myself to unlock it. It is key-less entry but my keys were hiding in my bag. I unlocked the car, however didn’t open a door yet because at this stage I had the bright idea to put the soggy jeans in the trunk.
- I opened the trunk and put the bag containing the soggy jeans in it. While preforming this rather simple task I dropped my handbag, including car keys into the trunk and slammed it shut. My car self locks if I don’t open a door quickly, however I did managed to dive around the side and open a back door – disaster averted.
- I then opened the trunk from inside the car and retrieved my handbag and car keys. All is good again – apart from the wet underwear and new fashion statement.
- I placed several shopping bags on the driver’s seat that was saturated in the hopes that it would save me from soaking it all up as I sat.
- I shut the trunk and began to drive off.
- As I was pulling out of the car’s spot I noticed my back door was not shut correctly so I was looking for a convenient place to pull over and rectify the situation. A man was waving frantically at me and I wound down the window, thanked him and said that I had just noticed that the door was open and I made some flippant remark about it being “one of those days”.
- The lovely man burst out laughing and said that he didn’t really care about the door being open but I should really rescue the coffee on the roof.
Enough said.
… I made it to the yarn shop. I have the correct yarn to make my mum a gift. The colors are right however I am not sure if my brain is.
How badly do you want a specific yarn?
Has your yarn obsession finally made you into an inept yarn stalker or is it just me?
Wow… your mum is one lucky lady! You really will be putting blood, sweat and tears into that item! As soon as you mentioned putting the coffee on the roof I knew what was coming… minus the guy waving at you… Luckily it all worked out and you can put it behind you… maybe 🙂
I was making this purse and ran out of my yarn. My nana drove 1 hour away from my house and personally delivered it to me. So yeah, I am a yarn stalker. 🙂
Yea, your mum is lucky! I hope everything was worth all that. Yes, I think I would consider myself a yarn stalker too….maybe not to your degree but, I have my moments. 🙂
Now that is what I call absolute dedication to your craft! It sounds like something I might do 😀
I am glad it was only water that you spilled! We all have those days! But on a lighter note, I am also in Australia, and one day would love to catch up and share stories! I have just started a chevron striped blanket for my grandchild due in about 7 weeks. I was going to use up various leftovers, but I can already see that I will not have enough of most of the colours and so will be forced to go searching for more yarn!
well, I do not call that obsession, but passion.
and YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!! I’m just a yarn stalker me too….
writing from italy however. your blog is one of my favourites!!!!!!
Dedicated for sure!!! Onward and upward, soldier!!! You achieved your goal despite all the obstacles – you deserve a round of applause. *wild clapping* 😀
Wow, that’s pretty messed up.
Wow – there seems to be a few Aussies visiting Crochet Spot – good to see. Jeanette, I am on the eastern outskirts of Jimboomba about 50km (south of Brisbane). Our 7.5 acres backs onto the Birnam Range (part of Tambourine).
Well we are not far away then! I live in town at Slacks Creek, but sometimes ride around both of those areas. (Yes also ride a small motorbike. cheers, J
Oh Rachel I feel for you but this is just too funny!!!!! I can’t stop laughing…not at you, but at the situations you got into. Glad you got the yarn though 🙂
oh i feel so sheepishly lazy after reading your post! not only would i not have made the hour long trip to begin with, i don’t even make the 30 minute trip to my yarn shop unless i can find another reason to gas up the wagon to go that far! not to mention the pain of toting 2 kids. i always look for things to do with the yarn i have. but then, i don’t have the blog and fame that you do! 😉
you simply must show off the project once completed!
Well, at least it was for a gift. With those memories flashing back every time, I doubt you’d have worn/used whatever it is. 🙂
I was afraid you’d say you also spilled the coffee; roof surfing is just fine in comparison.
I hope your project turns out great!
wow what a day. but at least u didn’t let it stop you. you were determined to get your yarn. your mum will be happy about her gift. that’s what matters after all
hahhaah! What a great story! Veronica, you are very entertaining. I am with you. NOTHING would stop me from getting that yarn! 🙂
LOL!!! I can’t stop laughing….I think I have met my match!!!…a similar incident happened to me in the dead of winter (I live in Montreal Canada.) However, I did the same for my trip to get some yarn and practically froze my fingers off.
that is hillarious….I mean I was waiting to see if the coffee was going to end up on your “fashion statement” pants too…lol…I can say that I have done something crazy, I was making my daughter an afghan and ran out of this skein of mint green, I ran to 5 different yarn shops and never thought about calling, $20 worth of gas later, I still had no yarn, seems it was discontinued, I only needed 1 skein, I tried to use a yarn close to it, but it didn’t work so I skanned through EBay, nothing, then Etsy, nothing, then I googled it and I actually found a gal in S Carolina who I called, now I had a phone bill, and talked to her personally, but then she said they had a bought of bad weather and her hubby was in the hospital and then her barn burned down and the yarn was in her basement and she would have to look for it to give her 2 weeks, what did I have to lose???? Well two weeks, because she never materialized with the yarn, it was excuse after excuse and after 2 months, guess what??? The yarn store had it back on the shelves again…phew….so I am a yarn crazy lady too…………….. 🙂 lol
Let’s put it this way. I wouldn’t mind being locked inside a yarn shop overnight!
Veronica, This made me laugh out loud. Maybe because I could totally see myself in this situation making all the same “decisions”. Thanks so much for sharing.
Paige
That was a funny story I could see everything happening the way you discribed it, it made my morning. I once drove home from McDonalds with 4 milkshakes on the roof.
LOL!!! That was so much fun to read! And if I do say so myself, you sound like you have a great mind! We all have our little ticks, but the best we can do is to try to have fun with them.
This story is just too funny! LMAO!!! Rock on girlfriend, rock on with your bad self!!! LOL!!!
And this is what all of our days should be like – FUN!
Hilarious story Veronica!
I’m in Australia too and I’m sure you were the one I saw who had wet herself when I was eating my cheeseburger at McDonalds the other day…. LOL, just kidding.
I’m a bit like you when it comes to yarn. I drive long lengths of time to get it, my mum hides her yarn when I go to see her and I was having trouble storing all that I had so I just recently purchased 2 cabinets and 2 baskets to hide it all… 🙂
Can’t wait to see your finished design!
Paula Daniele
What a great start to my morning. Still laughing. I once put a rug kit on the top of my car and all the little pieces of yarn went flying everywhere as I drove off. My sister and I spent hours trying to pick up all the little pieces off the side of the road so I could finish that Snoopy rug. That was a lot of money then. I do much of my yarn shopping online. I don’t think I would drive an hour to get yarn. I rarely drive the half hour to the Michael’s, though if we’re in the area of ANY store that carries yarn, I am there. 🙂
I loved this story! and I wouldn’t have had the good humor that you seemed to take it in. I have a tendency to hoard yarn but I’m not sure if I would go so far as to drive so far to get it…unless it was for a loved one or a person that truly appreciated it. However, I have been currently been looking for a specific yarn (which should be simple to find..Red Hearts Super Saver-color Dress Blues) for my son is will be going in to the Navy. He saw 5 skeins at Wal-Mart and for the life of me I haven’t been able to find it anywhere…that is at a decent price. If all else fails I will get it from Red Heart unless I find a store that has it and then I may be off on my own adventure!!!
Sherry, Knitting Warehouse has that color. http://store.knitting-warehouse.com/447481.html I also saw it a few other places online. The least expensive that I saw it was at Beverlys, but I am not familiar with that place. http://www.beverlys.com/red-heart-super-saver-yarn-dress-blues .
Thanks Sandy! My son found it today at Herschners online for but Beverly’s is cheaper. It appears that Beverly’s has stores only in California and seems to be like the Hobby Lobby’s we have here in the Midwest. I’m hoping that Hobby Lobby and order it for me because I do like to buy local if I can but if not it’ll be Beverly’s I suppose.
Hey Veronica: I must admit that I was chuckling to myself by the time I got to the coffee on the roof of the car. I went to a conference to teach a beginners class with laryngitis. I could barely croak, but I managed; so yes we are probably all fixated, addle-pated, whatever you like to call it. Essie from the Gold Coast – maybe we can meet some day.
I laughed a bit at this. Not at you really. At the fact that I would have done the same thing. For me, it would have reached a point of stubbornness. When I would have decided that nothing was going to stop me from doing what I set out to do. Once getting the yarn, I would have enjoyed working with it. And after all that, I’d have probably gotten a little something extra.
Thank you for that story! You are not alone, fortunately or unfortunately. I had to smile and a laugh did slip out as well. I believe we gotta do what we gotta do 🙂