Busted

Okay.  I admit.  I like quality.  I do.  Finely made shoes.  right.  If you have had a pair of well made shoes you know that there is. YES there is a difference than what you could get at Walmart.  There just is.  It's in the craftsmanship and about a grand.  or more.

I don't have that.  Nor could this little Lutheran girl from Wisconsin who still thinks Starbucks over charges for freaking bean water that you could make very nicely yourownself. . . . do that either.    BUT  I get and understand a quality product.   Handmade is my favorite type of product since I am a dyed in the wool crafter - knitter, seamstress, beader and all around crazy person with pointy sticks and hooks.  I have worked with fabric that cost over $100 a yard.  could I tell?  not always.  Sometimes it was a ton per yard because some body's name was on the label.  Sometimes it melted like butter under my fingers and I wanted to do really really naughty things with it.  (I did not - for the record have sex with that . . .  um just sayin)

But sometimes it's quality and sometimes it's just a name.   That "Just A Name" gets me every time.

I like German cars.  I do.  I'm German (mostly).  Their engineers do some amazing things to automobiles that go really far fairly fast and do it so so nice and tight.  (I like my cars nice and tight - like Rick likes his eggs.)

I completely understand that sense of quality and pride in a well made product.  I stood behind my cushions (or for that matter sat ON my cushions) 100%.  My stuff - for the most part was as near perfect as humanly possible.  I wanted to be known for  excellence!  But my products were one of a kind.  ONE of a kind.  You couldn't go to Walmart and get what I made.  You couldn't even go to the Coach outlet and get what I made.  Coach cranks out their stuff one after another and you could be standing next to her at Starbucks.  Same purse.  AWKWARD!  does that mean I didn't squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee when i found a Coach purse just sitting there all happy to see ME for 10 bucks at Goodwill.  HELL NO.  I NEVER said they were poorly made.  I just won't pay 200 bucks for a purse that most likely will never have more than 7 tubes of lipgloss, 17 bottles of nail polish, a file,  horribly scratched up sunglasses from the dollar store (the poor ray bans are beyond hope) and about 56 dollars in nickels and penny's in it.

This blog is actually not about purses.  shocking I know right?  I am not the purse girl.  Boots?  hell yeah - but also not it.  I am a total boots whore.  Have more than 20 pair.  yeah.  guilty.  THIS is about yarn.  and I'm sure that I may have to continue this to a different day since now all of you have drifted off into a drooling coma of "yarn?" who cares?

I am all over the Internet these days.  I want to make this certain sweater.  It will become my uniform of the day.  like an everyday are you kidding me? take it off? NO way! sort of garment.  but it's designed to be made of that most amazing of fibers - one that starts harsh and almost crispy and then ages FOREVER into this gorgeous and lovely hand (that's fiber talk -  for it starts out stupid hard and gets like butter the more you wear it and wash it)  That fiber is of course  - linen.  I need 4/5 skeins.  they go for 25 bucks a pop.  Did I mention I'm doing all the heavy lifting here?  I'm making this thing out of sticks and string.  I will go from TOTALLY naked to clothed and ready for public viewing with just these few slight of hand tricks (and some blocking and sewing and other REALLY boring knitting finishing things we all hate but are totally important).   SO - again.  It's a quality thing.

Point of reference.  I am 43 years old and know what I like and what I do not thank you :D  I love yarn and am a horrible horrible snob.  BUT I will certainly NOT wear the fantastic alpaca/wool sweater I knit several years ago - AGAINST MY BARE SKIN.  why? you dear reader would ask?  You made it - for your body.  right.  short answer - because it itches like a MOFO.  BUT let me wear it with a turtleneck under - give me the matching hat,scarf and gloves I made and I'll KILL YOU at king of the hill.

Point is - different fabrics - different properties.  Different levels of awesome!

My daughter asked me to make her a sweater.  She designed it after a sweatshirt that she loves.  It's a bit of the batwing construction.  MOM, please take off the hood - make this part a little longer - oh and make it in stripes.    sure.

I know my daughter.  I would have run out and bought really expensive wool but it would end up in the washer without my knowledge and then only fit our smallest dog.  Or then what about a sort of expensive wool blend?  Okay that's what I set out to do but they didn't have the color she wanted.  So I broke code.  She got the cheap but soft yarn that is IMHO crap.  complete total 100% acrylic crap.  I will do it in good faith anyway.  There will still be love and care and design put into it but starting with crap materials has me a bit vexed.  I may scrap her yarn and find better.  Though damn it is soft.  But I know it doesn't last.  It pills like an SOB.  However, she's 11.  This is my last child and it's not an heirloom design - so I should just shut up and knit.  Walmart carries the crap if I get into a bind and need another skein.

just saying.   I am working through spending 120 bucks on string that I know will make me an amazing sweater that I could very well be mummified in and come out wearable for the excavation crew.

Or I just keep trolling the Internet or thrift stores for a linen yarn for cheap.  My guess is it's there.  I just gotta look hard enough.  Quality.  it's not a bad thing.