No, the “money” portion of the title does not refer to actually having money. It refers to the lack thereof. It befuddles me a bit how one can move into a new place, not be saddled with a mortgage, and somehow have less money available than before. Have the costs of things really increased that dramatically?!
Some of this I can account for. We did have some major setbacks on moving into this house, that’s true. And our vehicles are both older, both nearing the 100,000 mile mark, and both have moved from the ninth circle of Hell, temperature-wise, to a far chillier climate, which, I imagine, is hard on vehicular components. Add in the cost of parts and labor to fix everything that needs to be fixed, along with the things needed for routine maintenance, and the cost is ridiculous. Still: no mortgage, and my cell and overall utility usage is lower than they were in Arid Zone A (Arizona), so what gives?
My husband swears it’s the weaving. He says it’s the most expensive hobby ever. This from the man who recently spent nearly $300 on one Optimus Prime action figure from Japan. And he says my hobby is expensive. I understand why looms cost what they do, and in that respect, he has no room for complaint. I haven’t blown thousands of dollars on a loom…yet. But a Transformers toy? Come on!
Admittedly, I am told I have a condition known as OLAD: Obsessive Loom Acquisition Disorder, but I realized today that this has its roots in a far more insidious condition that I call OFATAS: Obsessive Fiber Arts Tool Acquisition Syndrome. OFATAS covers everything, as do I. Have I mentioned that I’m now knitting too? And have discovered that it’s just as slow as I remember?
I do cover everything. It’s not just weaving, it’s the books and the pick-up sticks (I just bought two lovely ones from Threadsthrutime!), it’s spinning and the books and tools for that, it’s crocheting and those tools and books, knitting and same…okay, I might have something to do with the “dough deficiency”, as a friend of mine used to call it, but my shopping is not constant!! In fact, I haven’t done much shopping at all recently! I bought three books and the pick-up sticks, and that’s it!
The pick-up sticks are made of something called dymondwood, which is apparently wood veneers that are dyed and put together in the same way that plywood is made, with pressure and heat. At least, that’s how I understand it. Don’t quote me on that. I’m the furthest thing in the world from a woodworker, so taking my word for it would be silly. I looked up an explanation, and that was what I got from it. I could have completely misunderstood. But they’re absolutely beautiful!
The books were Finger Weaving: Indian Braiding by Alta Turner, The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon, and Creative Weaving by Sarah Howard and Elisabeth Kendrick. I’ve not had a chance to do much more than skim them yet though, as I made a discovery that’s kept me busy: River can be used for tablet/card weaving! I just took the reed away and stored it on a shelf. This discovery, while joyeux, led to another, less pleasant discovery: warping for cardweaving is even harder than for Zoe, at least for me, because I invariably turn the entire thing into a knot, which happened this time too. Why? Because it doesn’t occur to me to use the warping board. I lost half the present warp before that occurred to me, so there are now three lovely chains of warp hanging up waiting to be used next time. Hopefully it will work out the way I have planned, although I don’t hold out much hope of that. In the words of Jayne Cobb in Serenity, “What you plan and what takes place ain’t ever exactly been similar.” That pretty much sums it up!
I have a Threads Thru Time Turkish spindle and it is amazing, and now I learn he makes pickup sticks and shuttles to go with my new Cricket loom … doomed, I am doomed with a fatal case of OFATAS.
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No, no, OFATAS is never fatal! Well, not to you. Your wallet, on the other hand…
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[…] comment from siberianstarbeads warning me about a communicable disease that has been spreading, OFATAS or Obsessive FiberArts Tool Acquisition Syndrome. OFATAS is characterized by the acquisition […]
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