The largest of the pieces-in-progress is a lace shawl design. As usual, the swatches for it have run to about a dozen, and I had them scattered across the tabletop along with the usual litter of tea cup, cookie plate, and laptop.
A lady in head-to-toe official Cubs regalia (we're near Wrigley Field and it's a game day) came in and settled herself with a latte at the next table. After a few sips, she looked over at me, and then at the pile of lace swatches. I could feel an interview coming on, and braced myself for the usual battery of questions. They're so predictable I've toyed with having the answers printed on a card so I could just hand it over and save everybody some time.
"Hi," she said.
"Hello," I said.
"Sorry to stare."
"It's okay. Happens all the time."
"I'm sure it does. You're pretty unusual."
"Heh...I suppose you could say that."
"Definitely. A lot of people sneak their own snacks into coffee places, but you're the first guy I've ever seen who brings his own doilies."
Speaking of Lace...
I'm teaching it at Loopy Yarns on Saturday. To be specific, I'm teaching "Lace Edgings: Before, During and After," which is a new class focused on sewing on edgings, knitting on edgings, and working edgings simultaneously with the shawl center. I premiered it at Renaissance Yarns out in Kent, Washington last month and we had a jolly good time. Do join us if you can.
And that's not all that's happening at Loopy. Veronik Avery's coming to town, and she's signing her new book
on Friday and teaching a class on Sunday–visit Loopy's site for details.
57 comments:
OMG....didn't see that one coming... 2 minutes later and we would have had a coffee spray on the monitor.
Thanks for the morning giggle.Flew into the windy city exactly a year ago today (work) would love to come back sometime for a good look around,beautiful city !
Didn't see that one coming. Given your past experiences, I was expecting her to ask if you learned in prison or if you thought it was what Jesus wanted you to be doing.
Totally not what I was expecting!
That one made both my husband and me laugh.
HAAAHAAA!!! Have doilies, will travel. That was great!
You never know when you're gonna need a good doily!
Yup, never leave home without one.
I love that lady.
That class sounds great! Have fun!
Doesn't anyone ever recognize you? Come on!! You are the funniest man in the knitting world. Somebody must have sought your autograph at least once.
Ba-dump-bump!
Just when you think you have it all down pat, someone throws you a curve ball. Sorry had to make the baseball pun.
Actually, that's pretty funny.
Just when you think you've heard them all - that is laugh out loud funny! You do elicit the most interesting comments!
Ha ha! Too good!
You could always market a line of take along lace doilies. For those times when a cardboard coaster just won't do...
"doilies"? cheeze louise...should have told her you learned to knit those in prison!
Doilies? Doilies? Doesn't she recognize expert lace knitting when she sees it? Hmmpph!
I hope you didn't have a mouthful of tea or cookies when she said that. It would have blown all over her. Wait, perhaps that would have been better.
I had the answers printed on a t-shirt. http://www.cafepress.com/happyfuzzyyarn/2350656
lol.
what's even better, I read the post to my husband (not a knitter) and he giggled and said 'what? she didn't know those were swatches?'
young padawan you have learned well!
Nicely done, I loved it! I've been following your blog for a while and I really enjoy your writing; very entertaining and quirky.
Franklin! Too funny...
I laughed so hard at the doily comment! Thanks so much for taht.
BUT!!!! Meanwhile, back at the "haus" what is going on???? We are all hanging here waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Oh! Oh! You certainly would never have had a card printed with a response to that!
Please don't wait to blog for a priceless moment like that; you could be entertaining writing about anything, with no effort at all. I don't think you realize that your gift is there, no matter what you're saying.
Good one...and so nice!
(I blatantly take my snacks in to the coffee shop with me! And then I take my good coffee shop coffee down to the bookstore that makes lousy coffee and sit there to knit and read their books for free!)
But, alas....no doilies...
Could you please post your day to day life so I can be around to listen to the folks you come in contact with to get a good laugh? Too much.
Where do these people come from? They seem to always find you and I'm glad they do. I have officially woken up for the day.
I'm looking forward to seeing your bonafide coffee doilies. Maybe you could sell them on etsy.
It's because you're a man of class and distinction. Thanks for the wonderful story. (Did the Cubs win?)
One thing about humans is just when one thinks they're predictable, they ain't!! Cleaning the monitor (again!)
You are so tempting fate. I would have tea all over the lace doilies and computer keyboard faster than you can say Elizabeth Zimmerman.
all I get are the usual "is that crochet?" "My grandmother used to do that" and my favorite "You must save alot of money on socks"
Doilies.... haha! That's awesome.
I give her an "A" for originality....
(My verification word is "criesse", which is only properly served on a doily.)
I think that's about the cutest thing I've heard all day.
Hahahahaha!
You couldn't make it up. Thanks for sharing, made my day!
Awesome^2. Bravo! Bravo! I do, however, fear this means you should be recording your life in its entirety, editing, and posting humorous clips, such as this. Because surely, you have nothing better to do, if you're knitting doilies for the coffee shop. ;)
How do you keep your eyes in your head with all the rolling they must do when you're accosted like this? Holy crap...
ROTFL Gotta love people with a great sense of humor.
Giggling, only a Cub fan would think of that zinger unless she was a hired actor! Great writing once again Franklin!
I find it amusing that she didn't find the take-a-long doilies concept so unsettling as to prohibit speaking to you. She must have what my verification word is: heart.
I now feel compelled to carry doilies with me, just to see what people would do if I were to lay them out at a table somewhere.
Too cute! Fresh perspective and all. I can't wait to bump into you somewhere--I'll be totally predictable and GUSH all over you!
You really need to write these down and put together a book.
I love a man who brings his own doilies!
Franklin,
That was too funny. And, it could ONLY happen to you.
:Snorts: That's great.
Okay, enough with the doilies. You need to start knitting chapel veils.
I have officially heard it all now! As usual, you are the best!
Better than your usual class of gawker, then! Liked that...
omg, i need to clean off the monitor.
Quick whit on that one, usually it's a lame come back.
BYOD indeed. That is too funny!
Darn, I'm coming to this post a few weeks too late... I'm working my first knitted-on edging (G.J.'s Aestlight Shawl) and really digging the technique! I'd love to explore more of it's possibilities... could you start with a button-band, then use the technique to sew-on a raglan sweater? hmmmm... gears grinding.
laughed until I cried! Do you supposed it's pretty commonplace for women to bring their own doilies? (Oh dear, I must check my stash for a good doily yarn, just in case I need one for my local coffee emporium!)
This won't really have effect, I think so.
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