Are You Poor?*

First of all, let me say that I am weak from happiness.  A thousand thanks to you if you posted a comment to my self-indulgent list yesterday.  I am blessed to have you as a reader, and grateful for your humouring me.
So here's today's installment of Strange Tales From the Book of Purl.

This morning, I said to my husband that he had to have the car inspection sticker updated, because it expired over a month ago, and as I have the car on Sunday to Boston, to take the Divine Miss C and her beloved best friend of-the-moment to see The Lion King,  I don't want to be driving around in a car that is flouting the law.  Especially since we didn't support our local Sherrif in the last election because he's a Republican, and that is the kind of town I live in.
So my husband told me I could go and have it inspected myself, which he knew would be something fun for me to do because, after all, I could knit in peace while I waited.
Too true.
It is an "older" car--1995--and the first place I took it (where they have reasonable coffee and ample something-like-upholstered chairs for knitting) said that his equipment was (and I quote) "50% broken."  So I should take it to the Sunoco across the river.  Where they have . . . plastic lawn chairs and no coffee; a buffet of Coca-Cola products in a licensed Pepsi cooler; every kind of gum known to humankind; loud conversations in Arabic; and a pair of retirees, each having their respective tires rotated before their annual winter road-trips to Florida.  As I came in, they were comparing the post-hurricane states of their usual accomodations. I heard "Condo's still standing.  'Can't say much about what's left of the high rise luxury hotel that took most of the storm off the beach.  But we got our condo still there. Heh-heh."  So I sat down on one of the unoccupied almost-clean chairs, pulled out the Green River socks, and began to knit.
There was a pause in the room as six people regarded the spectacle of a 41-year-old woman in huge arty earrings knitting away in their midst (I had been at my friend Abby's trunkshow earlier and I felt compelled to indulge myself with something.)  I was curious about their reaction.  I mean, you'd think I was breastfeeding or something the way they acted.  And everyone in that room was older than me. Don't older people know more knitters per capita than we gen-Xers? Had I hit a demographic anomaly here?  After an awkward and silent five minutes, the conversation started up again, and then one retiree heading to Florida said to me "Is that a sock you're making there?"
"Yes.  The second of a pair."
"Why are you doing that?  Are you poor?" (I swear to the heavens that he said that.)
I considered my possible responses at this point, ranging from showing him the price tag of the yarn I was knitting with, to making an I-cord and strangling myself, to pontificating about the "new honesty" in the country where now that everyone has had their fill of reality shows, we all feel entitiled to share and to know the intimate medical and financial details of our neighbors.  I have a back fence neighbor who told me this summer--entirely unprovoked--that he has a zero sperm count.  I can't tell you his first name, but I know his fertility prospects. 
But I felt charitable this morning since my husband let me out of the house, and gave me activity that accomodated knit time.  I said "You've never worn a homemade sock before, have you?"
"No"
"It's like. . ." and I hesitated for dramatic effect "it's like fresh baked bread for your feet."

He paused for a moment, considering his options of response, and then he asked me.
"You ever sell any of your socks?"
I took that as a conversion. Right there in the Sunoco waiting room.  I saved a man from his preconceptions about knitting.
Praise Kaffe!

*after writing this post, I realized that someone might think it callous of me to find such a question to be funny.  Please read the story before you think I'm insulting the financially constrained.

Comments

[Rani]

What the heck is wrong with people? Great comeback though. Love it! lol

[Margene]

It was probably the first thing he could think to say and it's a given he has NO idea how much yarn costs. Cheap yarn is even more than a pair of store bought socks. Poor man...glad you enlightened him. Knit in peace this weekend!

[kate]

I have the perfect big arty necklace to match your earrings. Just thought you'd like to know in case you were feeling alone in your arty jewellery.

[Annie]

I read your blog everyday. I never comment I have the leaving a stupid comment fear thing going for me. This is a ooooweeeoooo moment. Waiting at the dentist(will drag anyone there nice chair good light). I was also knitting a sock. A young man (30s) looked over, moron:that a sock Me: yes. Moron: can't afford to buy em. Me: I use to be able to buy them until I started buying yarn to knit them. moron what? me:got to go to the bathroom to save a trip to the barn later. I have a word here defending myself minniepause. Some cry,get hot flashes, me just hateful. Annie

[karen]

what a weird thing for that guy to say. but you handled it really well. i'm amazed at how much more apt people seem to be to pester a stranger when they've got yarn and needles in their hand.

i'm not a proponent of bluntness, but if there's a silver lining to the weird comment it's that if he had held his tongue you wouldn't have had a chance to set him straight.

[Vicki]

That man would probably have a similar reaction about home-sewn clothing. It used to be the case that it was much less expensive to make just about anything. Heh, have you bought fabric lately? A pattern? Ask Norma about the cost of patterns...

[Ryan]

Loved this story! From the beginning I sensed it was "going somewhere" and that we readers would be richly rewarded by the end--and I was right. As always, love the blog, girl!

[Patti]

I love it. "fresh baked bread for your feet" I need to remember that. Can I share and post that to my many other sock knitting officianados. I've a friend who does sell an occasional pair. $60 if she picks the yarn, and $70 if they do. It is harder to knit something not of your choice.

[Teresa C]

Heehee, I love it. You know, I think I find that knitting can be mostly tolerated, but knitting SOCKS! People look at me like it is the most uncomprehendable thing ever put in front of them. All confused, I expect them to start scratching their heads and walk away shaking them. It's better to be one of the sock "elite" I am thinking.

[Tamara]

Why do people knit socks? For the same reason some will go out and buy a fancy name-brand item of clothing. they want that particular thing! If my mind's eye sees a particular sock, let's say, a black sockwith red and white hearts on it... I could make a pair like that faster than I could find one in a store!

Some people.. oh well, at leastyou got to knit in peace(relatively)..

[Jessica]

I always get a really strange reaction to sock knitting too. I think it's because people can't understand or visualize at all how you're going to do it. It's like in my toiletries business. People are mystified by the lip balm in the tubes. How did I put it in there???

[Brynne]

Ha! I'm poor *and* I knit socks that cost way more than they'd cost to buy. I once told someone that the socks I was knitting cost $14 for the pair and they were astounded that anyone could waste that much money on socks. What about the hours and hours of entertainment they gave me -- cheaper than movie tickets per hour I'm sure.

[Debi]

Julia - You are totally my *heroine*. Loved this yarn...what a perfect response to the now initiated!

[Julia]

I love it. I know I'm in the minority, but people like that give me a kick - totally different perspective. Plus, honestly, women knit during the war because their families were poor, so it's not really that far off.

I love your writing style - particularly the bits about your husband "letting you out of the house" and the neighbors' fertility situation.

I think of myself as never having received a negative comment about my knitting. Now I realize that it's likely due to the fact that it takes a lot to tip the scales from quirky or interesting to negative for me... Sounds like it's the same for you.

I definitely need knit socks now. Fresh baked bread for your feet. It's beyond enticing.

[Bettina]

Ha HA! I LOVE IT! People are funny.
Geeze, and I thought my MIL's comment out of the blue about being on Prozac for her libido was bad...

[Chris]

I'm fairly new to your blog but I thoroughly enjoyed your "poor" post. You've just been added to my list to read often - thanks!

Chris

[Rossana]

That's a great simile! Like fresh baked bread for your feet! Love it! Hee hee hee!

[Dani]

I just WISH that knitting socks and other yummies was more cost-efficient than buying them! Gone are the days when you could save your family money by knitting, sewing, and canning veggies.