Thursday, August 03, 2006

I'm Feeling the Love

I was completely overwhelmed by your outpouring of support and advice in the wake of my mini-rant (rantette? rantini? rantchen? ranteleh?) about the world shortage of non-variegated male-oriented sock yarns.

Turns out there's not really a shortage in the world, just in the places I've been looking. This had enitrely escaped my notice, which will surprise those who know me not at all. I appreciate all the pointers to the sort of yarn I had in mind, believe you me. Left to my own devices I might have stumbled around for years wearing socks in colorways like "Itty Bitty Baby Ducklings on Parade."

And I also appreciate deeply the offers to send me yarn, but darlings, you mustn't. Please don't ever interpret anything I say in here as a request for freebies. Money is precious. If you have a little extra, enrich your own stashes, or take your Mom out to lunch, or pay your kid's bail. I'm just glad you're here. There's no membership fee.

Meanwhile, the first sock is about 1/4 inch from toe shaping. No, I'm not going to show you a picture. Who wants to see a picture of that? Somebody asked what the yarn is. It's wool. I'm pretty sure it's from Regia. I lost the ball band somewhere between Wisconsin and Chicago. Should you find it, write and tell me.

I'm Franklin Habit. Who the hell are you?

I'm just finally getting around to writing about Monday's most enjoyable "Meet the Bloggers" event at Arcadia Knitting because it has been too hot to download the two photos I took. The heat wave is also the reason I haven't done laundry, or called Grandma, or finished shredding my old credit card statements, or vacuumed the living room, or learned Japanese.

What was I talking about?

The blogger thing at Arcadia. Right. Well, it was the hottest night of the summer–we're talking 111 degrees Farenheit after dark–and still about four dozen people showed up to eat cookies and play with wool. Quod erat demonstrandum, knitters are deranged.

Needless to say, I felt right at home.

Here are some of the deranged who held still for my camera. Please to identify yourselves in the comments, won't you, with links to your blogs? I swear I remember your names but not your blogs, which embarrasses the hell out of me. How the @#%%!* does Yarn Harlot do it?

Arcadia Group

Gail there on the left is just a little too happy about all the yarn. The absent Margene is represented by the sock, center. That's what they told me. The sock is Margene. Margene is a sock. (You see? Deranged. Deranged.)

Just behind Gail is Lynn. Lynn had been deeply moved by the post in which I described carrying a stitch marker in my bosom for several days without knowing. In a display of compassion worthy of Kuan Yin, she gifted me with two two markers rather more elaborate than my little orange rings of plastic. Lookee.

Markers

Could she have chosen better? No, she could not. Stitch markers that speak to who I am, to what I love. Stitch markers that reference my fascination with Orientalia and my long-time Anglophilia. Stitch markers way too substantial to ever get lost in this:

No title necessary

78 comments:

Knit-Knot said...

Good Morning!

I never thought you were fishing for pressies.

You know sometimes it is fun to pick up a little something for someone - just because you can. There is joy in giving.

I will NOT be paying my kid's bail ever. They get arrested they are on their own. I also will not be paying my spouse's bail. I'd be hard pressed to convince myself to pay my own.

I suggest you don't pay Delores' bail either.

Unknown said...

Now who's a hit-whore?

And I thought posing in knitted underwear was going beyond the pale.

You know that you'll be getting Google image search hits for years on that one picture alone, right? Now don't you feel like a piece of meat? Feels kind of good in a way, no?

Anonymous said...

You say you're not asking for freebies and then you go and post cheesecake.

I think you're a little conflicted, you are.

And you made me blush.

brewerburns said...

Nice. Very nice. Maybe Dolores is starting to rub off on you?....

Alyssa said...

Looks like the Chicago blogger gathering was fun. I thought about going, but then I would have had to leave the air conditioning and that was simply not acceptable. Hopefully they host another dealy sometime when the temperature is a healthy 45 degrees and maybe on a weekend too!

Happy toe shaping:)

Cheryl:) said...

all I can say is OH MY GLORY--don't do that to me-- my husband is living and working out of town--
I feel like I should send you presents just for that!!

Anonymous said...

Eye candy... :)

Anonymous said...

No - Franklin no worries - it would be pretty hard to get those stitch markers stuck. But I think I can make you feel better - - at least chest hair was your only problem.

At out SNB this story was relayed. A mamogram technician was preparing a patient for her exam. The machine was Xerox machine type and the boob had to be "adjusted". Use your imagination. As this was going on - low and behold on the exam table fell not one but two Cheetos.

Can't say any more - I still cry with laughter when I picture that one!

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking about you - I got stuck in my new short sleeve top today! (The I-cord trim around the cap sleeve had shrunken in the wash so much that I could get it on - but barely off!)

Anonymous said...

yummy yummy yummy beefcake shot (she said whilst grinning from ear to ear like the cheshire cat)

anne marie in philly

Aidan said...

Is the photo a proof from your Knit1 centerfold spread?

What, in the Name of Liza, prompted you to post a titty pic? Now that you've shown your fans a bit of your bits, they are gonna want more. You are gonna have stalkers, Ruggelach, and it isn't going to be pretty. They aren't all pretty and sweet like Kathy Bates. One day you'll be giving an interview on Ellen and Rick Mondragon will pop out of the audience swearing the two of you were married in Toronto and that he really IS Mrs. Franklin Habit.

I love the stitch markers. I have to find out from whence they came. You know me and my Chinoiserie fetish. I must find a latern and teapot of my own!

Anonymous said...

Franklin, I know you're not thrilled with your job right now, but I think if you're auditioning to do a porn spread you have to show more than that. Preferably in your leathers. (Hint, hint.)

Anonymous said...

That would be me, second from left with the long straight hair. Not a bad picture really I was trying to smile and keep my tongue sucked up to the roof of my mouth. Pretty tough trick for a girl that can't drink from a straw and walk at the same time. My Blog

LaurieM said...

Oh I do like that last pic! My hubby has a hairless chest, which is nice, but this is I look I don't get to see too often.

Why do all the photos of male models have smooth chests? What's up with that!

Lee said...

Oh. Oh my. {fanning} Oh my.

Fabulous, darling. Just. Fabulous.

Kathleen said...

Okay, rowr.

C...you lucky dawg, you.

Angie said...

No offence Franklin but I've got one of those by my door.Let me tell you there is no feeling quite as cool as shaving your legs ..so if you ever feel the need go for it .What you said to those offering yarn was very sweet ,you've got an adoring public for sure( deserved).

Carol said...

You may be feeling the love, but I'm feeling the lust.

Hoo-wee.

Anonymous said...

Thank you. Just, thank you.

Julie said...

I swore I wasn't going to mention this, but it might reassure you... I once lost a stitch marker for a couple days, and we're still not sure where, exactly, it was lost. (Theory has it, my cleavage.) I assure you I do not have chest hair.

Those suckers are little. It's not our fault.

debsnm said...

That last picture scared the hell out of me! just sayin'

Anonymous said...

I really didn't need to know that I was the sort of woman who would pause her mouse over that last picture to see if it got bigger if you click it.
Please don't post any pictures of any other parts of you, and let's never speak of this again.

Anonymous said...

:: sigh ::

: )

Susan said...

Oh your comments about sock yarn needs/cravings didn't seem like pleadings - they just seemed like well-reasoned-out rants. And when I came across some Sugar & Cream on sale for $1/ball? I did think of you and wondered if you needed/wanted any more - and just to be nice - because I could - kind of a 'Mama-E pay-it-forward' type of thing - not at all because you said you liked Peaches n' Creme and I thought that was any sort of a demand to have yarn sent to you... And as for that last picture - the heat must be finally getting to you, that's all I can politely say..... ;>

CynCyn said...

i think we can now debate about the erotic art vs. porn... and i think all your readers now know why that stitch marker was clinging to your chest. I think many of your readers are now very envious of that stitch marker.

Lyssa said...

The "Itty Bitty Ducklings on Parade" cracked me up. Just for the record, I'm a girl and I wouldn't wear pink and yellow and bright blue easter-eggy socks either.

Nice picture.

Anonymous said...

so... uh... what's going on in the rest of the photo?

Snarled Yarns said...

Take heart dear one you're not as hairy as all that. It is possible the stitch marker was in the bed and while sleeping you picked it up in your chest hair.

Steph said...

It's too hot here (er, temperature wise) to read all the comments...

When you're finished those socks, how about a George Costanza-type pose?

Brewgal said...

Yowza! And I just stopped by for the knitting content.

Kit said...

*gasp* Dude, it's really NOT fair to tempt us gals with arty sepia photos of your VERY hot chest when you're gay. Not even a little. I will, however, forward the photo to my gay male friends for equal-opportunity ogling.

Damn!

kbsalazar said...

I'd say that once sheared and spun, you've got enough there for half a sock, at least. :)

Anonymous said...

I have been moved to profanity and hiding of my very large screen, because if the man next to me sees what you look like all spread out like that, sugar, I ain't no way gonna get away with giving you a hug at Rhinebeck.

Also, I am NOT going to show you mine just because you showed me yours. I'm sure you understand.

Anonymous said...

Just a stitch marker? Hell, you could lose a small child in there. ;o)
And by the way, WOO HOO BABY! Keep posting!

Beth said...

I think enough's been said about this rease of a post, but I did want to check if you're going to Stitches this year. I made an executive decision because it seems no one else would, and the bloggers are meeting Saturday night somewhere in the Hyatt at the convention center. Spread the word!

Jillio said...

i just love reading your blog. your illustrations are...more deserving of any sort of cliche adjective i could pick to describe them. i like them. i like them a lot.

....

aw, who'm i kidding? i f*cking love the ones with sheep - especially the one in the conga line. :)

i even got one of the KIP 2006 shirts for my city - honolulu - because of the little sheepy doo on the top. yay!

thank you for making me smile with your sheep and with your posts.

Cinderellen said...

mmmmmmmmm - pretty!

Anonymous said...

Sweetie, isn't it awfully hot in that sweater you're wearing?

marie in florida said...

oohh...man rug....lovely.
stop teasing us.

Anonymous said...

I forgot what I came to say... maybe if I scroll up some, I'll be able to remember. Yeah, uh-huh. Scroll up.

Jay said...

Holly ChittyChittyBangmang, Franklin - you're a hottie, aren't you?! Who's been hiding his canlde under a bushel all this time!?!?!

lucia said...

Ahhh... You named 3 out of 5 which is amazing. You missed Dee, of Licensed to Knit and just in front of her, Lucia of "The Knitting Fiend" (aka 'me').

By the way, my knitting tote concealed the ribbing for seamless argyle sock. It is being knit in manly, manly colors -- black and white diamonds with red criss-crosses.

When the final sock is revealed you will see it is fit to cover the foot of an engineer.

Rabbitch said...

Oh, I love me a little beefcake in the morning.

And didn't you know that's the only part of your post anyone would comment on? (I'm assuming here, I'm too busy searching the net to find out if I can legally marry a llama anywhere to read all of the comments).

dragon knitter said...

now that's a sight to inspire the ladies (and laddies!)

sounds like y'all had agood time monday night. it's cooler here, has it cooled down there yet?

ohio gozymus (phonetically spelled, sorry, i'm not up on my japanese spelling)

FiberQat said...

Knowing how intelligent you are, I figured eventually you'd find sources once the desperation hit you. But isn't it nice to know that there are people out there who want to enable--er assist you in any way they can?

It's a good thing I didn't read this at work or the guys I know in Customer Service would be all over you in a minute, and I don't think C would like that.

Anonymous said...

Thing is - I distinctly remember OTHER people enthusing on their blogs over generous and pleasant gifts from you. There would be some magic and unexpected reason why you get to be generous but nobody gets to give stuff to you? I don't think so.

Pass on to your sweetie our compliments on his good taste and good fortune.

Mel said...

Oh my! I never expected to get both a fun read AND beefcake.

As for stitch markers, you must, on principle, have something other than those little plastic thingies. Now you've got a good start. You should expand by looking through the offerings on etsy. There are some talented folks on there, and something's bound to catch your eye.

Kathleen said...

For dragon knitter: Ohayoo gozaimasu. :)

Cindy in (un) Happy Valley said...

OK, so I'm watching the local news this morning before I leave the house. And if you live in a relatively smallish rural community you understand the news is mostly whose barn burned down and who's been arrested for domestic violence. One of the commercials was an advert for a baseball tournament and where you can buy tickets, and one of the locations was Habits on Franklin Ave! I was still only drinking my first cuppa strawberry tea, so my brain wasn't fully engaged, but what are the odds?

dpaste said...

I am censoring my response and sending it in a private email.

Anonymous said...

Furry knitting men... thank the gods!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Franklin, you are definitely have to come over to the other side!

Anonymous said...

Whoa. Havin' a heat wave....
Wendy

Calvin said...

Honey, I would LOVE to get lost in that. I'm very farklempth!!

amysue said...

I feel like a bad person. I was looking at the quilts. It's not you, I'm just boring that way (also, at 45 probably old enough to be your mom if I was actually capable of spawning).

Great stitch markers.

Anonymous said...

Love the chest...bald pecs don't do a thing for me...but if you are gay isn't it fruitcake not beefcake?

Anonymous said...

So, is it okay for straight women to remark on what a lovely chest you have?
goodie ... what a very lovely chest.
I'm volunteering to check it for errant markers -- daily even -- but I'm sure that you have more attractive folks nearer to home to do that.
If not, Delores probably thinks she has some sort of prior claim anyway.
Thanks for that tho... (saving pic for background...)

Anonymous said...

With sincere gratitude.........

RoadSide said...

Im willing to bet you've just inspired someone to submit a pttern for "nipple-cozies" for the next issue of Knitty!

Anonymous said...

So much for the vaunted Victorian sensibilities. But thank you!

Sorry to objectify you in this way but you had to suspect it would happen, non?

Anonymous said...

Hot in Chicago!
The forcast? Who knows? I'm not
Talking fahrenheit!

Anonymous said...

well i might be a day late and a dollar short-
i wa on another blog and she hand-dyes her own yarn. and has some really nice colores for sock. yes they are all one color.here's her
web page. hope you enjoy
sundarayarn.typepad.com
really like reading your blog.

boobookittyfug said...

I have come to the conclusion that the difference between artist's nude male model and male porn model is that the male artist's model shaves his naughty bits.

That said, you're gay, I'm married, what the hell business do I have getting all a-tither over your chest hair????

Sigh.

Elizabeth said...

You see, the Harlot writes it all down. I saw her do it myself in Ann Arbor, MI. She is a genius.

Norskybear said...

Franklin! You're not supposed to flash those photos until AFTER we release the new line of knitting porn! No freebies for the masses!

FiberQat said...

Look for Regia Silk sock yarn. It comes in manly colors and is dreamy.

Ok back to my laundry. (had to look at the beefcake again)

Anonymous said...

Jeeeeminee, Franklin! Don't do that to us poor straight girls! (okay, semi-straight) Judging by the photo, you have admirable chest hair and a very attractive chest to go with it. Not to mention a quite biteable chin. It's just not fair to make us drool over you!

Zee said...

Good Lord! *sigh*

Didn't someone say we got a break regarding the heat wave?

That is just so unfair...

Bev in TN said...

Your long time Anglophilia...? Reminds me of a conversation I had once with an otherwise intelligent co-worker: "I'm an Anglophile," I said, as if I had to explain why I watched any and all British-born productions on TV. Her response said with a deeply distressed look on her face, "Oh, Beverly, don't say that about yourself!"

P.S. Thanks for sharing your postcard from D. I just adore D.

Anonymous said...

I may be a bit more substantial than a stitch marker, but I think I DID just get lost in that!

Sharon Rose said...

OH my GOD I love that pic! And no, I don't mean the titty shot (nothing personal - I just don't go for hairy), I mean that fantastic capture of the laughing ladies. I can practically hear them! It makes me want to know them. Just another reason to come to Stitches next year, I suppose. I'll be roadtripping from Seattle in one of my London Taxis. They seat 7 if we don't buy huge bags of yarn. I'll take 5. :) Who's with me?

Jeremy said...

For some reason, I'm getting hit with a HUGE backlog of your archives via RSS on my LJ, which I'm totally not complaining about; it helps me get through my horrible downtime at work. And without that spurt of entries, I probably never would have seen this post.

Daaaaaamn, that last pic is ... inspirational. Loving the Panopticon even more!

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