Some observations while waiting in line the day after Thanksgiving.

I went to the fabric store yesterday. I didn’t go because there was a super sale going on. (There was, but I wasn’t aware that it was.) I went to buy buttons. Just buttons.

So when I went to check-out with my single-minded purchase, I was directed to the Express Line (5 items or less. Returns & Exchanges). Now the store was packed with eager shoppers getting great bargains on fabric, notions, Christmas items — you name it. They were having a great sale. The store’s staff was well-organized. They had set up a number system to handle the many shoppers needing fabric cut and it seemed to be working efficiently. They had enough staff on hand to handle both the fabric cutting duties and they cash registers. And they had all of their cash registers staffed and there was that staff member who was directing traffic. So while there were lines and everyone had to wait their turn, I thought things were being managed well and efficiently. My compliments to this store. This time of year, handling the crowds for an “After Thanksgiving” sale is an art form.

While standing in line, waiting my turn to pay for my purchase, this young woman came into the store and promptly through a hissy fit. She loudly grumbled as she made her way to stand behind me in line that she “didn’t know why SHE had to wait in line to just do an exchange!” The staff person directing traffic attempted to calm her down — but she was not willing to do so. So she continued to grumble loudly while standing in line behind me. Now the line was moving fairly quickly, but there were six customers ahead of me. This unpleasant young woman was rude and obnoxious to everyone around her and seemed to think that she deserved special consideration and was not happy that the store was not willing to give it to her.

While I ignored her as much as possible — I really try not to take on another person’s bad moods — I kept thinking that this young woman was selfish and terribly self-centered. I have tried to make excuses for her — maybe she was running very late for an appointment, maybe she was super stressed out, etc. But the bottom line is, everyone standing in those lines could have been running late or been super stressed — but no one else was making a scene and behaving like a spoiled brat. Yes, I felt that she was acting like a spoiled brat who wasn’t getting her way. After I completed my purchase — she slammed her item on the counter in front of the store clerk. I felt sorry for the clerk, who had been nothing but polite to me.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we will admit that we’ve all had times when we weren’t at our best in public. I hope that young woman has a better day than she did yesterday. I know she will come in to mind for me the next time I find myself losing patience while standing in line. This time of year, with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season upon us — please take a deep breath, find peace within yourself and act kindly to those around you.

Related Post

Acquiring Needles over TimeAcquiring Needles over Time

When I started knitting decades ago, the choices and types of knitting needles were limited. I started out using the Boye brand of aluminum straight single point needles in US size 10.5 – I think they were about 8 inches long. My next set of needles were US size 8 and were 14 inches in length. I continued acquiring single point aluminum needles – buying them one set at a time as I needed for the project I was working on. I still have most of those sets and I don’t use them much anymore.

I also acquired double point needles(dpns) as I learned to knit in the round or circular. These were purchased generally from big box type stores that carried knitting supplies. I have a mix of aluminum. bamboo, and birch needles. Again, I still have these needles but I rarely use them.

My first sets of circular needles were also purchased at big box stores and are aluminum or bamboo with thicker cables. I eventually found a local yarn shop in my area and this opened up a whole new avenue for buying knitting needles. The needles carried by the shop were of a much higher quality than what was available through the big box stores. My first purchases of fixed circular needles were Addi brand. Over time, I acquired a collection of these needles in various lengths. Again, I bought the size and length of needles as I needed them for projects.

I purchased my first set of interchangeable knitting needles about 25 years after I started knitting. I still use this set regularly but I also have acquired additional interchangeable needles and cables over time.

What I describe above is a process that I believe most knitters go through as they progress in the craft of knitting. You start out with what you are introduced to as a beginner and go from there. Today’s knitter has a much wider array of choices in knitting needles.

There are many different brands available as well as many different materials, not only aluminum and bamboo, but different types of woods, stainless steel, nickel, and acrylic. There are also many different options for where to buy knitting needles today. Knitters now have the option of buying knitting supplies online in addition to stores/shops in their area. It is wonderful to have so many different choices – but it can also be challenging for the new knitter.  In my next post, I will discuss tips for selecting needles that I hope will help you the next time you wish to buy a set of needles.

Snow in OctoberSnow in October

It’s October 10th! And it’s snowing — yes, I said snowing. It’s not unusual for Nebraska to get weird weather from time to time — but SNOW in October? Really? Here’s a couple of shots taken from my deck on the back of my house:

10-10-2009 Snow

10-10-2009 Snow

10-10-2009 Snow 2

10-10-2009 Snow 2

Weather report is for freezing temps all weekend and possibly more snow on Monday. Then, typically, we’ll be back to more autumn-like temps and weather. Let’s see — which knitting project to work on first?

Three Days before ChristmasThree Days before Christmas

As the title of this post states, it’s just three days before Christmas and I am down to the wire with two Christmas presents still on needles. I just haven’t had enough time this last week to knit very much. But I DO have all my Christmas shopping done. (This includes all the supplies for Christmas dinner.)

There’s a Winter Storm Watch in place for Omaha and most of the surrounding states and if the weathermen are correct, we will be snowed in for Christmas. The snow is supposed to start on Christmas eve after 2 days of freezing rain, which is supposed to start tonight.

Fortunately, our only traveling member of the family — my DD from Boston, has already arrived ahead of the storm. Now all we need to do is batten down the hatches and ride out the blizzard — I sense some long uninterrupted knitting time in my near future….

Hopefully, I will have a chance to take some pictures and post them before I need to wrap up the unfinished knitted projects. Happy Holidays!