Wacky Wednesday (plus Ugly Yarn)

I decided that Wednesday blogs need to be dedicated to Wacky...so whimsical and not so whimsical tales will follow.

When I was 7, my parents and I moved from Ohio to Michigan (where they were born and raised.) We moved into a lovely 2 bedroom apartment with a deck (this was a big deal to me...we never had one before.) After Wacky married Jim and he left for Vietnam, she joined us. While I remember almost every detail of that apartment...I don't remember the bedroom I shared with Jackie. (Except that I had a goldfish on a bookcase that Sudsy overfed while she was supposed to take a nap and he/she died...but that is another story.) I must be blocking out some horrible childhood trauma...like Wacky made me sleep in the closet or something. It must be so bad that that only hypnosis will drag out of me. I do have another Wacky trauma that I will never forget.

At this point in my young life, I never had been rollerskating (or iceskating). I always blamed that on the fact that my parents were over adventures like that by time I came along. (My mom always blamed it on my "weak" ankles.) But my Brownie troop had a rollerskating activity planned. I was so excited. I envisioned myself whirling and twirling around the rink...gracefully gliding...perhaps on one leg, hands perfectly poised in the air. I knew I was going to be fantastic.

For some reason, my mom wasn't home that night. So it was Jackie's job joy to make dinner for my dad and me, and then take me to the rollerskating rink. That is went everything went terribly wrong. I'm not sure if she was given a menu by our mom...or if she thought this one up all by herself. I have no idea what meat she served...but I do know the vegetable...BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!!! I don't even think I had ever seen one before let alone eat one. They were the most absolutely horrible thing I ever ate. Even now, I shudder.  But she wasn't going to let me get away with not eating them.  I remember yelling and screaming...and lots of tears...but I'm not sure if they were hers or mine. Then there was the dreaded threat that brought me back to reality..."If you don't eat them, I won't take you rollerskating." (Looking back, she probably didn't want to take me and was hoping this would be her way out...she was so devious.)

Faced with the potential of not living out my rollerskating fantasy, I managed to get them down. I was pretty certain on the way to the rollerskating rink, that I would never love her again. (I was wrong.) Putting the vegetable trauma behind me, I excitedly put on my skates and stood up...ready to show everyone my skills and grace. Little did I know that it was called rollerskating because the skates rolled. I couldn't get one foot in front of the other...I have no idea how I made it to the actual rink. What I do remember is clinging to the walls and rails all around the rink. As my Brownie friends skated by me, they encouraged me to let go...once or twice I got brave and did...only to fall flat...just like my rollerskating dream fell flat. I didn't go skating again until college. (I still didn't know how...but cute boys were always willing to help me...which was a definite plus.)

So, the moral of this story is don't feed your children (or adorable younger siblings) brussel sprouts, otherwise, they will never learn to skate. And you will have to pay for their therapy when they are adults.

And now to the ugly yarn (...and this isn't even Wacky related.) I belong to a "luxury" yarn club. Every other month, I receive a surprise kit with fabulous and outrageous yarn. A pattern is provided with a project to make out of the yarn. June's yarn is really luxurious in theory. It is a soft, wonderful cashmere sock yarn. But the pattern was for a lame eye mask with lavender. (The lavender was included in the kit, BTW.)  So, 2 problems...1) I don't want a lame eye mask and 2) the colorway is horrendous.

Incase, the pictures don't capture the full horror...the color is a mid 1980's country blue and peach. But, the actual feel of the yarn is incredible. I decided to get over the ugly color and buy another skein and make socks that might not be stylish...but really comfy. Unfortunately, this skein must really be from the 80's, because I couldn't find any more, anywhere.  Not even the store that sends the kit had anymore. (Don't even get me started on that one.) So, I need your help and ideas. Get creative...tell me what you think I should make out of 160 yds of hideous cashmere. If I pick your idea...I'm going to make you something...and it won't be a lame eye mask!

I look forward to hearing from you, but right now, I need to go rest my weak ankles.