Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Yarn, it’s not just for dinner

True to form, my day started with a little chaos. As I was climbing out of the passenger side of my car in front of my office building, my cell phone launched itself out of my purse and into the gutter.






Crap.





I thought momentarily about leaving it there for the city rats to make prank calls. But, after careful consideration, I decided a rescue attempt was in order for several reasons:

1) I try to be as green as possible and it didn’t strike me as sustainable to purchase my 37th cell phone (one must upgrade, you know) unless absolutely necessary. If you need further persuasion on this point - check this out.

2) I just moved to a new office this week and I didn’t yet have phone service. Without my cell, I might miss the two calls I get every week.

3) My entire personal phone directory is in that phone because I am too lazy to create a backup directory.

After going up to my office and recruiting my co-workers for advice and assistance, I had a plan AND a back-up plan. And . . wait for it . . . both plans involved YARN. And quite nice yarn. It’s this glowing green Elsebeth Lavold angora yarn that I got as a souvenir in Georgetown at Stitch DC. I’ve been using it to make this:




Crocheted scarf for my sister-in-law made with a simple alternating shell stitch from one of my favorite crochet stitch dictionaries.



So, with plans in hand and a ring tone in my heart, I returned to the street.*

Plan A: Make large sticky ball of packing tape, attach to lovely yarn, lower tape ball into sewer and poke at tape with long stick-like device to cause adherence to phone.

Result: As phone was resting in puddle of shallow sewer water and assorted decomposing things, the tape became immediately wet and useless.

Plan B: Commandeer Co-worker A’s water cup, attach lovely yarn to handle, lower cup into sewer, use Co-worker B’s broom to sweep phone into cup and pull to safety.

Result: Triumph! Phone was retrieved and was only mildly wet on exterior and still working.

Here is my phone expressing thanks to the yarn for its role in the rescue operation.



So, the lesson here is never leave home without yarn. Aside from being able to work on holiday gifts while in line at the ATM behind the guy apparently attempting to APPLY FOR A MORTGAGE, it could save your life or, better yet, your phone directory.

*Safety Note: Obviously, safety is a significant consideration in executing any plan requiring one to be on their knees in a city street during the morning rush hour. For the benefit of OSHA inspectors lurking on my blog (stop laughing - it could happen) and others concerned for my well-being, I must state that two of my co-workers accompanied me to the street and kindly stood guard to make sure I was not squished by a bus during the rescue operation (or maybe they just followed me out there to witness me making a complete arse of myself in the middle of downtown).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we've got a potentially huge marketing strategy for yarn in the works here. "Yarn: It Goes Everywhere You Can't." "My Life, My Yarn Saving It." "Ask Not What You Can Do With Yarn, Ask What Yarn Can Do For You."

Candice said...

Perhaps I should hire Tivey as my blog post title consultant!

Katiree said...

Candice,

You have a good sense of humor like you auntie!!! Perhaps you need to crochet a cell phone holder. Oh, my puppy, Maggie, needs a sweater. Do you have a doggie sweater pattern????

your auntie katiree

Anonymous said...

And, in the case of my family, it can be used to mark the level of proficiency one has achieved on that lovely instrument known as the recorder (which my son is now learning how to "play")