Monday, November 6, 2006
unhappy people
I guess some people are just unhappy. And some need to recognize where they leave off and the rest of the world begins. You know, just outside your own skin, right . . . there! All of which is on my mind because this weekend I went to a yarn shop about an hour from my house, one that I had stayed away from due to what seemed a kind of haughtiness the last time I was there but which a friend assured me had changed. Indeed, the owner has mellowed considerably and seems pleasant and non-judgmental now. But one of the store's 'regulars' is a doozie. Maybe she just took a dislike to me but I had been there less than half an hour and was being pretty quiet when it all began. I'd been weighing various patterns and color combinations when she asked if I generally made things for myself. An odd question but one that knitters do often ask, so I answered "not usually" and asked why. Apparently she then thought it appropriate and her business to observe aloud that since I was spending so much time trying to figure out pattern and yarns for someone else, I have "self esteem issues". I didn't want to start an argument but was tempted to say I hadn't noticed the sign saying one could only enter the store if one was making something for oneself. A few minutes later the owner got involved in my choosing and began suggesting yarn and color possibilities. I guess that was just too much for Boundary Woman who then pursed her lips and said she was surprised I was letting myself "be dictated to by a six-year-old". Gasp, clutch chest, fall to the floor. (Not really, of course.) I was appalled because I don't know what's wrong with trying to pick carefully and well. I had gone to the store precisely to find a pattern and wool for a gift for a little girl who had asked me to make her something specific, which was an endearing request so I wanted to make something special. Doesn't one usually try to please a recipient with a gift? By the way, no, I wasn't an uninvited intruder who'd stumbled into a 'knitting circle' - it was just a random Saturday afternoon hanging out. I can't help but wonder if the owner likes customers to offer personal critiques of other customers? I'm considering returning the yarn because it feels "tainted" but I know that's immature. Bad karma and all, though. What do you think?
Post a Comment