Sunday
Dec142008
The Yarnista Answers Your Questions #7
Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 10:39AM
I have not answered questions in a while. Please forgive me. I've been a tad busy. But really, busy-ness is no excuse whatsoever. None at all.
Jaime, friend, asks:
Yes, my darling hubs is Irish as well. His family knows where they came from, and none of them want to go back. When they left Ireland, times were bad. People were starving. There were no jobs. Everything was always damp. People were dying of consumption and other diseases that now have modern names.
These stories were passed down through the family, and my husband's generation is now far enough removed that Ireland seems like a beautiful homeland with castles and green meadows and people with lilting accents and deep literature. But to my father in law, Ireland is like a place he was rescued from -- he has no desire to go back there.
It's hard to imagine that at the turn of the 20th century, the Irish were shunned in the United States.
Fortunately, times have changed. More Americans claim Irish ancestry than any other. It's now OK to have the word Irish in the name of your business. There are entire stores devoted to Irish stuff. Like Irish Indeed at the Mall of America.
You can purchase this, if you really must:
My great great grandmother was an Irish immigrant through Ellis Island at the turn of the century.
As to the second part of your question, Jaime, all I can say is thank you. And perhaps you need glasses.
Kimberli asks,
Well, now. As a law teacher, I would have to advise against the latter, as the FBI will likely seize any yarn you purchased with the stolen money and hold it in an evidence warehouse until the exhaustion of all your appeals. I don't want that to happen to the lovely yarn. It didn't ask to be bought with stolen money.
Here are some ideas for finding ways to purchase more yarn without actually committing crimes:
1. Sell your junk on Craigslist or Ebay. I like Craigslist because it's free, and nothing more is needed in your listing than a tiny picture and a lot of exclamation points. Like this:
TV CABINET CLEAN AND CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People eat that stuff up. In fact, I have purchased a clean and cheap TV cabinet off of Craigslist. Use money from selling junk to buy more yarn.
2. Tutor or teach lessons. Maybe knitting lessons. Maybe SAT tutoring? Reading? Math? Piano? (I got a clean and cheap piano off of Craigslist as well.) Banjo? LSAT? MCAT? Put an ad on Craigslist, you'll find customers.
3. Cut out Starbucks for a week. I did this last week and saved $433.92. I bought yarn with it, naturally.
4. Go out to eat less often. Use the money saved to buy yarn. If you spend $35 going out to eat, the enjoyment lasts, what, two hours? Three, max? If you buy yarn, you get to spend hours picking it out, maybe days or weeks of excited anticipation as you wait for it to arrive, time fondling and petting the yarn, the actual knitting time (weeks? months?), plus all the time you get to enjoy the item after it's finished. It's definitely a wiser use of your funds. No dinners out = more yarn for you.
5.Cancel the internet at your house. Never mind. That's ridiculous.
6. Look on Craigslist for stuff to sell on Ebay. I am serious. Go to yard sales, find sellable stuff, and then resell it for a profit on Ebay. I once found a Delft plate at a yard sale for $3 that I sold for $90 on Ebay. I once bought a designer leather jacket at a yard sale that would never fit me (I haven't been a size 0 petite since I was like... well, never.) and sold it for like $120 or something. At yard sales, people just want to get rid of their stuff. On Ebay, people try to find good deals on collectibles. You get a good deal at the yard sale, and the buyer gets a good deal snagging a leather jacket for $120.
7. Ask for gift certificates for your birthday and the holidays. I can think of a few yarn sites that sell them.
8. Marry rich.
Those are all my suggestions at the present time. Please feel free to add your own in the comments.
This has already become interminably long. I fear your eyes are beginning to weep at the site of this post, so I shall have mercy and bid you a fond adieu.
Jaime, friend, asks:
Is your husband of Irish blood too? Can you trace your ancestors back to parts of Europe? You're definitely a beautiful Irish girl!!
Yes, my darling hubs is Irish as well. His family knows where they came from, and none of them want to go back. When they left Ireland, times were bad. People were starving. There were no jobs. Everything was always damp. People were dying of consumption and other diseases that now have modern names.
These stories were passed down through the family, and my husband's generation is now far enough removed that Ireland seems like a beautiful homeland with castles and green meadows and people with lilting accents and deep literature. But to my father in law, Ireland is like a place he was rescued from -- he has no desire to go back there.
It's hard to imagine that at the turn of the 20th century, the Irish were shunned in the United States.
Fortunately, times have changed. More Americans claim Irish ancestry than any other. It's now OK to have the word Irish in the name of your business. There are entire stores devoted to Irish stuff. Like Irish Indeed at the Mall of America.
You can purchase this, if you really must:
My great great grandmother was an Irish immigrant through Ellis Island at the turn of the century.
As to the second part of your question, Jaime, all I can say is thank you. And perhaps you need glasses.
Kimberli asks,
How does one find more money to buy yarn? All options considered (even robbing a bank).
Well, now. As a law teacher, I would have to advise against the latter, as the FBI will likely seize any yarn you purchased with the stolen money and hold it in an evidence warehouse until the exhaustion of all your appeals. I don't want that to happen to the lovely yarn. It didn't ask to be bought with stolen money.
Here are some ideas for finding ways to purchase more yarn without actually committing crimes:
1. Sell your junk on Craigslist or Ebay. I like Craigslist because it's free, and nothing more is needed in your listing than a tiny picture and a lot of exclamation points. Like this:
TV CABINET CLEAN AND CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People eat that stuff up. In fact, I have purchased a clean and cheap TV cabinet off of Craigslist. Use money from selling junk to buy more yarn.
2. Tutor or teach lessons. Maybe knitting lessons. Maybe SAT tutoring? Reading? Math? Piano? (I got a clean and cheap piano off of Craigslist as well.) Banjo? LSAT? MCAT? Put an ad on Craigslist, you'll find customers.
3. Cut out Starbucks for a week. I did this last week and saved $433.92. I bought yarn with it, naturally.
4. Go out to eat less often. Use the money saved to buy yarn. If you spend $35 going out to eat, the enjoyment lasts, what, two hours? Three, max? If you buy yarn, you get to spend hours picking it out, maybe days or weeks of excited anticipation as you wait for it to arrive, time fondling and petting the yarn, the actual knitting time (weeks? months?), plus all the time you get to enjoy the item after it's finished. It's definitely a wiser use of your funds. No dinners out = more yarn for you.
5.
6. Look on Craigslist for stuff to sell on Ebay. I am serious. Go to yard sales, find sellable stuff, and then resell it for a profit on Ebay. I once found a Delft plate at a yard sale for $3 that I sold for $90 on Ebay. I once bought a designer leather jacket at a yard sale that would never fit me (I haven't been a size 0 petite since I was like... well, never.) and sold it for like $120 or something. At yard sales, people just want to get rid of their stuff. On Ebay, people try to find good deals on collectibles. You get a good deal at the yard sale, and the buyer gets a good deal snagging a leather jacket for $120.
7. Ask for gift certificates for your birthday and the holidays. I can think of a few yarn sites that sell them.
8. Marry rich.
Those are all my suggestions at the present time. Please feel free to add your own in the comments.
This has already become interminably long. I fear your eyes are beginning to weep at the site of this post, so I shall have mercy and bid you a fond adieu.
Reader Comments (7)
$433.92 eh? I thought my $200 weekly Dunkin' Donuts habit was a problem. I'm always glad to see someone a little worse off than I am...
A couple of weeks ago the owner of my local yarn shop (The Knitting Nest - Austin, TX) turned me on to your beautiful yarn. She let me hold some for like 5 minutes. It was then I fell in love. Your monthly subscription is now on my x-mas list and I even sent the link to my husband. My fingers (and toes) are crossed.
Since I am totally impatient and had to have some of your yarn pronto, I did a search and found 2 hanks of your Norman colorway (peregrine merino) on eBay (we are poor right now)! The person selling it said she had a serious yarn addiction and her husband found all of her yarn hiding places, thus having to sell. Of course, I won the auction and now it is part of my yarn collection waiting to be made into something awesome. I will never part with it on eBay. Never.
Thanks for making beautiful yarn and I really enjoy reading your blog!!!
Buy some sheep. Not only do you get cute pets, but you can shave them every year. Then learn to spin and you can MAKE your own yarn. This will ease the problem in multiple ways:
1. You get to touch fiber a TON. Pet it multiple times before even thinking about knitting it.
2. You'll spend a bunch of time spinning and not as much time knitting, thus decreasing the amount of yarn necessary to keep up the habit.
I think it's cool to be able to trace your heritage,ancestors & cultural history back to your homeland. I would like to trace more of mine.
Perhaps I need glasses...ha ha ha! Sharon,you make me laugh!!
Oh and the "Marry Rich" comment,that was funny! So was the 'saving by cutting out Starbucks for the week'! :) Thanks for the laughs,I enjoy reading here too!
I am fourth generation American on my mom's maternal side, great grandpa came from England and great great grandpa was the Earl of Stanhope, which of course he had to give up the title when he came here.
My son is fifth generation American on my side and second generation American on his dad's side. VW's grandparents came from Puerto Rico in their early 20s- they met here, in New York, the Bronx. Unfortunately we don't know that side too well, dad isn't in our child's life, but I love teaching VW about his heritage on both sides. He's learning Spanish as well, which is interesting with my three yrs of high school Spanish. I do fairly well with English. :-))
It is amazing that people are judged on their attributes and not their character. VW is the second generation that will be taught to use character as a guide.
And he already loves yarn and uses knitting needles- "Look, I'm knittin', Mommie" and as drumsticks and to poke into the couch and learn the dynamics of how they bend. Ah, I love that kid. Creativity reigns, and so much my patience.
Sell one's handmade yarnie goods to get more yarn. That way you can keep the stash from growing too big (right!) and experience lots of different fibers.
loraine
The Power House
on Etsy
a work in progress
powerhouserescue@cheerful.com
You said to sell stuff! :-))
good info on mephedrone thanks
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