knitting and swearing and hoping not to frog

I’ll be off-line for a while longer using my bad language and contemplating an error I made following the pattern for my Dollar-and-a-Half Cardigan. I’ll explain the problem later when I’m able to put those words in my back pocket, as my son’s Grade 5 teacher used to demand when her students returned to the classroom after the freedom of the playground (I learned about the term when he commented, after I’d ‘complained’ about another driver as we drove to soccer practice, that “Gee Mom, you really like your back-pocket language, don’t you?” — WhoopS!).

Just trying to decide if I can live with the error (relying on the magic of blocking) or should I unravel the buttonband, unseam the shoulders, frog most of the right front, and re-do. So I’ll be in the other room, using my back pocket language. Meanwhile, I leave you with some pretty pictures.

Top to bottom: Clematis alpina, species tulip (sorry, can’t be more specific), and centaurea cyanus (bachelor button)

8 Comments

  1. La Belette Rouge
    8 May 2008 / 3:01 pm

    Back pocket language? I’ve never heard that before. Well, I am of two minds on your dilemma. The perfectionist part of me would want to redo it. The more enlightened part of me would turn to the native American traditions as a reminder of the importance of including a flaw in whatever we make as a reminder that we are not the divine. Which ever I decided on, I feel sure there would be a lot of back pocket language.;-)

  2. materfamilias
    8 May 2008 / 3:09 pm

    I hadn’t heard the expression either, until my son used it, but I really liked the concept. Seemed a very non-judgemental way for the teacher to indicate that the inappropriateness of certain words stemmed from context and to expect the kids (and eventually their parents?!) to exercise judgement and restraint based on context.
    And yes, there’s currently a struggle between perfectionist-me and enlightened-me. Winner to be announced later.

  3. jillian
    8 May 2008 / 3:22 pm

    Ouch! You can always try blocking first, and then unravel it if it doesn’t work out 🙂

    Beautiful buds!

  4. Thomas
    8 May 2008 / 7:52 pm

    I love my back pocket language, but I usually keep it in the front pocket.

  5. materfamilias
    8 May 2008 / 8:12 pm

    thomas: yes, well, you always want to have it readily available.

  6. AletaG
    8 May 2008 / 8:17 pm

    “back pocket language” – how absolutely adorable! I’ll have to remember that and share it with my mom. She teaches 5th grade math and I’m sure she’s heard a few choice words from the back pocket. Lol

  7. Susan B
    9 May 2008 / 3:02 am

    Well, you can always resort to Battlestar Gallactica swearing…”frakking knitting!!!”

  8. materfamilias
    9 May 2008 / 6:27 am

    aletag: from what I remember of Grade 5 math, those youngsters will be sorely tempted . . .
    pseu: It’s really about time I got myself hooked on Battlestar Gallactica, if only to expand my vocab. Joss Whedon’s foray into SF, Firefly, offered some creative new language but, sadly, it only lasted on season.

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