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?

15 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!

Geek Knitter said...

Yeah, what Rose Red said!

Lemme think now, strangest tool pressed into service... The wire from a spiral-bound notebook I used as a stitch holder.

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 :)