Saturday
Dec192009
It was the Dwight thing to do.
Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 7:13AM
This was really meant to be a post about my favorite tools in the studio, but it's turned into something more. In fact, you should probably just click away now. Thanks.
I was all prepared to tell you about these measuring spoons.
I have been through every type and brand of readily available measuring spoons before settling on these. Once I found them, I bought five sets.
Really, just click away now.
My spoons of choice are heavy stainless steel, and they're pressed from one piece, rather than having the handle attached to the bowl separately. The lack of a join means the spoon sets last much longer, as there's less to break apart. I also love that this set has a 1/8 tsp measure on it. Before I found these, I had to switch to a separate set of spoons designed to measure tiny quantities when I wanted to add 1/8 of a teaspoon of something.
Over the course of a dyeing day, the spoons endure considerable hardship. For example:
1. The spoons are being exposed to corrosive citric acid. Yes, citric acid comes from citrus fruit. It's concentrated vitamin C powder. But it's corrosive nonetheless.
2. The spoons are being tapped and banged constantly. My assistants love it. They love the banging. They adore it, in fact. The sound of a spoon hitting fiberglass is so melodious, so easy on the ears, that I'm thinking of recording myself doing this and giving it as a holiday gift. They beg for more.
But I have a good reason. Let's say a dye recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of color X, two teaspoons of color Y, and 1/4 teaspoon color Z. When I'm done measuring out 1 Tablespoon of color X, I tap the spoon against the side of the sink while I'm finding color Y. This gets rid of the little droplets clinging to the interior of the bowl and then allows me to switch to the teaspoon to measure color Y.
If I don't tap the spoons, I run the risk of the little droplets from color X falling into the dye solution of color Y, which is a big no no no no no. No. The sky would fall. Handbaskets would proceed directly to hell.
I know you're probably thinking, "Why don't you just rinse the spoons?" And the answer is, I do. But if I had to rinse the spoons after every single color, even when I'm switching from one size spoon to the next, it would waste an incredible amount of time and water. It might take five seconds, but five seconds after every color adds up significantly when you're dyeing at the volume that I am.
3. The spoons are being dropped all day long. On purpose. I use large washtub sinks in the studio. When I'm done mixing a color, I just drop my spoons to the bottom of the sink. To gently place them somewhere would also eat up time over the course of the day. Placing them gently at the bottom of the sink results in exactly the same thing as dropping them to the bottom of the sink: the spoons end up at the bottom of the sink.
Also, my employees love it. If I'm not dropping the spoons frequently enough or loudly enough, they remind me to speed up the rate of dropping and banging, because their ears are craving more. Actually, I'm just pretending that these things are saving me time. In reality, I'm doing it for them. I'm a good boss.
The only thing I don't like about this spoon set is the bead ring that connected the spoons. It tangled on itself when exposed to my abuse, so I took it off and put the spoons on a run of the mill binder ring. The binder rings do rust and have to be changed periodically, but it's a small price to pay. By the way, I bought my spoons at The Container Store.
These brushes have painted about 10,000 skeins of yarn. All for $3 at Home Depot.
Yes, ma'am.
The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be.
I am very particular about my gloves. They have to be thick enough to protect my hands from the extremely hot water and steam we use, but thin enough to allow me to wield brushes and measuring spoons, and to feel the differences in yarn. They have to be roomy enough to not be constricting, but not so loose that they fall off. They have to protect my wrists and hands, but not impede my range of motion.
People were constantly stealing my gloves, and I could never find both and a right and a left glove that fit and were dry inside. I tried putting my initials on the gloves, to no avail. I ended up with six gloves for one hand and none for my other.
I decided that I need to employ the tactics of Dwight K. Schrute.
Dwight Schrute is a character on the TV show The Office. Dwight believes himself to be an expert in surveillance and is constantly seeking power, but is very gullible and often falls for the pranks of others in the office. Here he is with his calculator ensconced in Jello.
I took matters into my own hands.
It was the Dwight thing to do.
In fact, I feel confident that if Dwight worked in a yarn studio and faced this situation, this is exactly how he would react.
Perhaps I've been watching a few too many episodes.
Someone would then purposely use AND lose his gloves, and Dwight would be forced to set up a ridiculously uncovert mission to discover who was using and losing his gloves.
It may have been a Dwight thing to do, but it was necessary.
I was all prepared to tell you about these measuring spoons.
I have been through every type and brand of readily available measuring spoons before settling on these. Once I found them, I bought five sets.
Really, just click away now.
My spoons of choice are heavy stainless steel, and they're pressed from one piece, rather than having the handle attached to the bowl separately. The lack of a join means the spoon sets last much longer, as there's less to break apart. I also love that this set has a 1/8 tsp measure on it. Before I found these, I had to switch to a separate set of spoons designed to measure tiny quantities when I wanted to add 1/8 of a teaspoon of something.
Over the course of a dyeing day, the spoons endure considerable hardship. For example:
1. The spoons are being exposed to corrosive citric acid. Yes, citric acid comes from citrus fruit. It's concentrated vitamin C powder. But it's corrosive nonetheless.
2. The spoons are being tapped and banged constantly. My assistants love it. They love the banging. They adore it, in fact. The sound of a spoon hitting fiberglass is so melodious, so easy on the ears, that I'm thinking of recording myself doing this and giving it as a holiday gift. They beg for more.
But I have a good reason. Let's say a dye recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of color X, two teaspoons of color Y, and 1/4 teaspoon color Z. When I'm done measuring out 1 Tablespoon of color X, I tap the spoon against the side of the sink while I'm finding color Y. This gets rid of the little droplets clinging to the interior of the bowl and then allows me to switch to the teaspoon to measure color Y.
If I don't tap the spoons, I run the risk of the little droplets from color X falling into the dye solution of color Y, which is a big no no no no no. No. The sky would fall. Handbaskets would proceed directly to hell.
I know you're probably thinking, "Why don't you just rinse the spoons?" And the answer is, I do. But if I had to rinse the spoons after every single color, even when I'm switching from one size spoon to the next, it would waste an incredible amount of time and water. It might take five seconds, but five seconds after every color adds up significantly when you're dyeing at the volume that I am.
3. The spoons are being dropped all day long. On purpose. I use large washtub sinks in the studio. When I'm done mixing a color, I just drop my spoons to the bottom of the sink. To gently place them somewhere would also eat up time over the course of the day. Placing them gently at the bottom of the sink results in exactly the same thing as dropping them to the bottom of the sink: the spoons end up at the bottom of the sink.
Also, my employees love it. If I'm not dropping the spoons frequently enough or loudly enough, they remind me to speed up the rate of dropping and banging, because their ears are craving more. Actually, I'm just pretending that these things are saving me time. In reality, I'm doing it for them. I'm a good boss.
The only thing I don't like about this spoon set is the bead ring that connected the spoons. It tangled on itself when exposed to my abuse, so I took it off and put the spoons on a run of the mill binder ring. The binder rings do rust and have to be changed periodically, but it's a small price to pay. By the way, I bought my spoons at The Container Store.
These brushes have painted about 10,000 skeins of yarn. All for $3 at Home Depot.
Yes, ma'am.
The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be.
I am very particular about my gloves. They have to be thick enough to protect my hands from the extremely hot water and steam we use, but thin enough to allow me to wield brushes and measuring spoons, and to feel the differences in yarn. They have to be roomy enough to not be constricting, but not so loose that they fall off. They have to protect my wrists and hands, but not impede my range of motion.
People were constantly stealing my gloves, and I could never find both and a right and a left glove that fit and were dry inside. I tried putting my initials on the gloves, to no avail. I ended up with six gloves for one hand and none for my other.
I decided that I need to employ the tactics of Dwight K. Schrute.
Dwight Schrute is a character on the TV show The Office. Dwight believes himself to be an expert in surveillance and is constantly seeking power, but is very gullible and often falls for the pranks of others in the office. Here he is with his calculator ensconced in Jello.
I took matters into my own hands.
It was the Dwight thing to do.
In fact, I feel confident that if Dwight worked in a yarn studio and faced this situation, this is exactly how he would react.
Perhaps I've been watching a few too many episodes.
Someone would then purposely use AND lose his gloves, and Dwight would be forced to set up a ridiculously uncovert mission to discover who was using and losing his gloves.
It may have been a Dwight thing to do, but it was necessary.
Reader Comments (16)
For the gloves... I'm sure! There are some Sprites in your studio!
And your tools are lovely!
This is *the* best post ever! "Don't even think about it". SO something Dwight would do :P Maybe you should take all of their stuff and put them in jello?
I love Dwight. Well, no, I think he's hilarious, but I have a thing for Jim. That has to be my favorite show right now, and I love that you are emulating it.
Wait a second. Assistant regional manager/Assistant TO the regional manager sounds an awful lot like Canadian Ambassador for 3IG. That is not a good sign.
Hi Sharon
Your mom gave me your site & I think it is great. It makes me want to start knitting...it think. You have done a remarkable job of organizing everything so tastefully and with a touch of humor. I wonder where you could have gotten such gifts? :-)
Blessings,
Rob
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