June 15, 2006

It turns out

My day yesterday was wonderful. Chock full of beautiful weather, lovely people, good food and the girls and I were all really thrilled with all of your comments and well wishes on the post yesterday. Thanks to all of you for saying nice things about them, and for the birthday wishes for me. The ladies did do a wonderful job guest blogging, and it's that sort of occasional loveliness from your kids that keeps you from killing them, from running away to Belize, from drinking too much, being grateful that the joy of parenting is so fulfilling.

It turns out, that if you have to have a birthday (and I really don't mind them so much) and you are a knitter then this "Birthday party at a Yarn Shop" shtick is a pretty good idea. (Who am I kidding really, I mean, what wouldn't be better at a yarn shop? I'm thinking about writing in my will that my funeral should be at a yarn shop.)

Through careful assessment and deliberate observation, I have figured all of the critical elements of a successful yarn shop birthday party.

1. Knitters. (You can include crocheters too. They know how to party.)

Wholeshebang164

2. Alcohol.

Harlothelperra

That's Rachel (Rachel H from the comments), a beer and a really cool coffee scoop she made me out of Kentucky coffee tree wood. (Seriously, how neat is that?) We had beer, coolers, gin (we shall not say anything of the amount of gin consumed by this knitter in particular.) hard cider... The alcohol combined with item #3 was especially deadly.

3. A yarn sale.

Mariaarse

Megan did 20% off everything in the store for the duration of the party. I know she did this because A) she's smart and B) she likes me, but I choose to think that it was her personal gift to me, knowing as she does how I love to watch other knitters lose their minds in a yarn shop. (That's Maria's fine self standing beside the sale sign. Maria proved for us all last night that the combination of beer, a new whistle, a yarn sale and a credit card makes for some of the best entertainment around. Let your imagination really run with that one.)

4. Free yarn and stuff.

Scrambles

I plunked the bag down on the ground and as fast as you could say "scrambles" the knitters fell on it like a pack of wild dogs. (Pardon the blurriness of the photo. They were moving like lightning.)

5. Show and tell.

Alicerachel

In this case "show and tell" looked more like ripping shawls right off of the backs of knitters as they walked by. (This may also be related to #2) Here's Alice with her beautiful Sea Silk shawl, and Rachel showing the only facial expression possible upon learning that it was knit from ONE skein. (I believe there was a run on Sea Silk in the shop just moments after that.)

5. A rainbow.

Bdrainbow

(Ok. This is probably optional, and admittedly difficult to arrange, but it sure was pretty. I think Amy got it for me.)

6. A cake.

Cakeb614

That's Denny and Megan with a really good cake. Really good.
Crazy good.

7. Buy some great yarn.

Alchemysilkmo

I suggest a little Alchemy Haiku, but anything that makes you feel week in the knees would be absolutely perfect. (I blame the beer.)

Many thanks to all my friends and the knitters who came to wish me well, and especially to Megan for letting us trash use the shop. Same time next year?

Posted by Stephanie at June 15, 2006 12:43 PM