Wednesday 29 October 2008

Day 29: Desperate times....

....call for desperate measures. Never was a truer word spoken.

And I hit just such times this afternoon at swimming lessons.

Imagine the scene: PJ is happily in the pool and find a dry seat amongst all the other parents and take out my knitting (yay! 30 whole minutes knitting time!!).

I've got a pair of Fetchings on the go as pool knitting. Last week I had to cast on 4 times before I got a green-lighter (yarn issues), and that took most of the half hour. This week, I have one more plain row and then the cable row.

K4, P1 for one round.

I reach into my knitting bag........uh-oh.

No notions pouch.

No cable needle.

And 27 minutes of knitting time left!!

A mad scrabble around my handbag didn't even yield a pen. I resisted the urge to upend the bag on the pool deck, and to mug the woman next to me for the pencil she was flagrantly using to fill out a form, for heaven's sake. The only thing I could find was a (thankfully, large) safety pin.


Phew. Crisis averted.

What's the strangest thing you've ever used in a Desperate Crafting Situation?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chopsticks!! Before I had any stitch holders!

Bec said...

You crack me up George!

Leonie said...

That is hysterical! I haven't had any desperate crafting situations recently but it made me think about what IS in my handbag: A small red ball, a mini highlighter and a 20ml bottle of kids panadol with plastic syringe to dispense it! You know you have young kids when you carry a bottle of panadol and a small toy in your handbag for just in case!!! The mini highlighter has come in handy for them to draw with as well!

Anonymous said...

Isn't it a horrible sinking feeling? (very apt at a pool) Top marks for inventiveness. I've used a match, a satay stick, bodkin, rolled up sticky label: you name it, I have cannibalised it!! I'm really forgetful. Glad that lady was safe.

Rose Red said...

heh - too funny George!! Can't think of anything but my advice is to learn how to cable without a cable needle - then you'll never be caught again!!

Donna Lee said...

Way to problem solve!

gemma said...

earings have done duty as a stitch holder, cable needle and when I have dropped a stitch but am not wearing glasses to pick it back up (I always wear hoops)

Bells said...

nice work George! The resourcefulness of a mum, huh?

I've used earrings many times as stitch markers. I wear drop style earrings a lot and they're really quite useful!

Bells said...

nice work George! The resourcefulness of a mum, huh?

I've used earrings many times as stitch markers. I wear drop style earrings a lot and they're really quite useful!

Bells said...

oh yeah, I've also used earrings when I've spotted a dropped stitch down below but don't have a crochet hook to lift it up. the earring holds it safe.

DrK said...

hmmm i think the weirdest i ever got was biting my yarn to cut it in public. not that weird really. admire your resourcefulness!

With a Q said...

I have been known to bend paper clips into cable needles, stitch markers and stitch holders.

I also once resorted to using a piece from my office desk in/out tray as a cable needle - it was just a needle without nice points really!

Lynne said...

I can't think of anything right now but well done on your resourcefulness.

Denise said...

Remind me to show you how to do Estonian cables when I see you next (which will be next year at the rate I'm going!) - a great way to do cables without a cable needle :)