TrickyTricot

Dear Clorox

To Whom it May Concern at the Clorox Company:

Over the past few months, while watching my favorite shows on TV, I have seen your newest commercial featuring the video montage of people doing laundry.  I'm writing today in reference to that commercial.

When it first starts, you see people doing laundry - there's kind of a "living history" aspect to it that I really like - not to mention that it's kind of speedy and artful, the way the various laundry facilities change from one to another.  I have to admit, I feel this was very well done.

However, about halfway through, while the woman doing the voiceover is talking about how my mother did laundry, and my mother's mother, and so on and so on, I start to get really pissed off.  You see, hearing that woman say, in her snobby voice "even a man or two" - in reference to doing laundry - is downright offensive.  I do my laundry every week - I can think of plenty of my friends who are guys who do laundry, or relatives, or whatever.  Hell, I can even imagine, that someday, in some distant time, some man riding his horse took off his boots and washed his clothes in a freakin' river because there was no on there to do it for him.

Not only is your commercial offensive to men who do their own housework (not to mention cook their own meals and make sure they get out of bed in the morning), I think it's kind of offensive to women.  When I replay your commercial - the underpinning message I hear is "Women have always done laundry - women will always be the ones doing laundry - pull out your ironing boards because this will be your life, your daughter's life, and on and on". 

In closing, in a modern household, everyone's expected to do their own share to keep the house running. Listen - I have this crazy idea - it's called gender equality, and let's all do our part to not base the entire human experience on something that "only women do" or "only men can do".  Heck, I'm a male knitter - take that.

Good luck with your new advertising campaign.

best,

michael

May is for Maryland

Monday night.  Cool outside - cool like fall, or like spring when we're camping.  I want to put on toasty things, because my toes are cold.  I want to eat food like chili and rice - food that warms you from the inside.  I want to drink hot tea and snuggle.  Ironically, it will be less cool later this week - and probably still less cooler as May goes on and on. 

Hmmmm.  So, the month of craziness has begun.  I'm in Chicago next week for a meeting I'm organizing and in Las Vegas a month from now for a second meeting I'm organizing.  It's kind of crazy-making... anyone who's been reading this blog for a while knows I don't like to travel for work because inevitably I feel like I have a lot to be responsible for - things like making sure people have somewhere to go, something to eat, someway to get to where they need to go, and on and on.  I have a friend who I work with (who happens to work within the meetings department) who jokes I act like I want to be a meeting planner.  Really, I have no desire to ever be a meeting planner (and even managing logistics for these meetings is too much for me) - I prefer to be planned for, served if you will (a la Driving Miss Daisy - I don't drive, I get driven).  That's why the book tour was so incredibly wonderful - and why I anticipate spending two weeks in August with my family will be similarly wonderful; because I won't have to worry about dealing with taking care of people.

On that note, a psychological convergence has left me thinking a lot about what people think of me - that in situations like this, the underlying principle of the entirety of my stress isn't really what will happen "if" the caterer accidentally adds bacon to ever dish - but more, what will people think of me professionally, for having made such an egrarious (sp?) error.  How will it reflect on me - as a person, and on and on - and moreso, how it will reflect on me being liked concerns me (all we have to rely on, in work situations - I feel, is how well other people do their jobs.  I tend to like people who do their jobs well, better than irresponsible clucks).  Being in that position of responsibility and expecting folks to rely on you - then not being able to be relied on - it's well, stressful.  Stressful in the core. But, like GI Joe says, "Knowing is half the battle (Go Joe!)" - so it's just something to pay attention to.  I've heard good things about Chicago - not like I think I'll have any time to enjoy it - but I'd really rather not spend any off time huddled in a ball in the corner of my hotel room.

I've been told readers can only really handle two paragraphs of my self-indulgent blather - and I've reached my quota, so onwards.

Saturday was Sheep and Wool - and in the end, I opted to go.  For one thing, it was an opportunity to get out of the city (see a little greenery, get a little perspective - you know the drill).  For another, I found the perfect transportation situation (getting up at the butt crack of dawn with two girls who are fun to be around, getting to Sheep and Wool before the gates officially opened). And still more, I had been saving a bit - and I couldn't just let that money sit in my savings account. 

So, 730 am, Miss T and Miss K and I all piled into one VW Passat and headed up to West Friendship.  Now, before I go on, the best compliment I can give to Miss T - aside from being perfectly charming and a fellow Italian - is she's a great driver, and we got to West Friendship in record breaking time - some 45 minutes (versus what I'm accustomed to which is closer to 90).  We were parked and ready to go by 830.

And the parking lot was already that full.  Fuller - cars were coming in by the, uh, car load.  I didn't see any busses - but that doesn't mean they weren't there.

Now, I'd read online that the festival officially began at 9am - but, well, we sauntered right up through the gates (along with 200 other people) and began shopping tout de suite.  First stop was Brooks Farm.  Now, it's not that I don't like their stuff - I like it quite a bit - but every year I seem to resist buying from them.  This year, we went there first, and I knew the stuff I wanted to get - so I told myself I could live without it - which I could/can.  Part of me wishes I'd indulged - but, then again, I'm not really one to live with the crowd - so I'm cool with having not.  On another level, they sell lots of "girlie yarn".  Nothing wrong with my female friends, but I can't help but feel funny in a silk mohair or silk wool garment.  I don't think men's stuff is supposed to shine - ok maybe vests - but still, in the moment, I couldn't convince myself to "go there."  Maybe at Stitches.

Next stop was Tess.  Now, for years, I'd heard about how great Tess' yarns were and I kind of felt like I was missing out (like Brooks), until I saw them at Stitches and got to meet and talk to Tess.  And, suddenly, having talked to her (I'm not even sure if her name really is Tess - but she is the owner) and having seen her gorgeous colors, I couldn't think of a good reason not to join the crowd - so, I became a Tess-fan.  Picked up two skeins of sock yarn and onwards.

This is also the part of the day that I kind of ditched T and K.  K wanted to buy this whole mess of stuff - which she did (more power to her), but I felt the sweet siren call of vendors with no lines and moved on.  Truthfully, the 45 minutes on my own were kind of lonely - but, on the bright side, it was like being at Disney World and not having to ride any of the rides you don't want to (I think this quality in myself will send me to hell, but, well, it won't be just this quality at least).

Now, I walked a bit - I saw the line at The Fold (and resisted waiting - I hate lines - and tho I covet Socks that Rock, I wouldn't wait - something I kind of regret).  And, I saw the line growing to get a T (again, wouldn't wait - kind of wish I had).  I picked up a few more goodies:

A 4oz bump of Colonial from Stony Mountain Fibers

Enough Morehouse to make a sweater (you can see I've already swatched).

I love the greens and reds - very masculine (almost straight acting, non?).  This one will be a simple roll-neck.  I'm kind of worried about yardage - I got 9, and the vendor said the skeins were 145 yards (but the skeins look small to me), so we'll see. Looking back on it - I think I could have lived without buying this - but at least I acknowledge it!

And, finally, the prize of the haul in my opinion - two pounds of roving from Tintangel:

I'd never bought this much roving before - but when I saw it, I kind of knew I had to have it.  It's a 50/50 blend of wool and mohair.  What sold me wasn't just the color, it was the pride that the owner took in the end result (how can I not feel good about something the maker feels so good about?).  She told me she'd been trying for a long while to get the colors of Van Gogh's Starry Night into a bit of roving - and finally felt as though she'd got it right.  I agree - non?

I won't have time to really sink my teeth into this until after Las Vegas, but man - I'm looking forward to it!

In the end, I'm glad I went to S&W - I stayed within budget and it was great to be there! Though, this is my fourth year going, and I've made some realizations.  Booths I love are the booths where folks dye the yarn, they spin the yarn, they sell their own roving, and hand turned needles and so on.  For me, this is what makes it an agricultural fair - which makes me feel like it's really the best thing - and for the most part, these are the vendors I patronize. Booths that are selling a million copies of the books we find on the shelves of Borders, and Trekking yarn, and on and on... are booths I like a lot less - and I feel as though take up valuable real estate at the festival that could be taken up by a smaller, indie dyer or craftsman.  I mean, I totally realize that everyone goes to S&W to make a buck or two - but in this day especially, I feel a lot better giving my buck to Chasing Rainbows or Dancing Leaf, than I do to someone selling 10 balls of Encore for 10 bucks.  You know? I don't know how Sheep and Wool might react to these comments - or even how they might curate something better - but I wish they'd consider changing it up a bit.

What kind of haul did all y'all get?  Anything good?  I didn't see Hatchtown there, or the Koigu mill ends - did anyone else?

In the meanwhile, no more yarn shopping for me for a while.  My stash overfloweth.

Posting will be spotty at best the next couple of weeks - not like you expect anything less from me!  Best to you all - talk soon.