Good as gold
Thursday November 29th 2012, 11:33 pm
Filed under: Family,Knit

Cold climate. Warm hats. Hmm. The warmest one not given away yet will match some of what I packed to wear, at least. There’s one on the needles but I suddenly realized while knitting at Purlescence tonight that they’re on gold-plated needles that I’m not going to risk around airport security.

My sweetie and I got married when gold hit its then highest-ever, totally unheard-of price of something like $360 an ounce or so, and that’s just the metal in the wedding bands.

Richard and I were students.

Richard’s dad had always wanted to try this: he had a bad tooth, Richard had a bad tooth, and their gold fillings had fallen out multiple times. His dad had kept the gold. And so, he got our ring measurements and they melted them down for us: voila! A piece of themselves being put into our happily ever after.

To me it said I was marrying into a creative and kind family. I’ve always thought it was great.

Fast forward umpteen years. Michelle was in middle school. Someone put some knitting needles on the market that were gold plated, not brass like some of the later ones but gold, and I pointed them out to her and got her to buy me a pair of size 5s for Christmas.

It was totally a setup. I was so sure that gold at $360 was engraved in the back of his head.

Richard watched me open that package that morning, and in that moment Michelle and I both saw it in his face: *gold*? Needles?! Isn’t that taking this knitting obsession wayyy beyond redemption? He was in shock.

We died laughing and I promised him that they actually cost under $20 and less than my Holz and Stein rosewoods (which were still on the American market then, darnit, I miss those, but the folks at Dyakcraft do a superb job of making ones that I love everything about. They’re the perfect replacement.)

The gold is about half worn off the metal ones by now.  They’ve been put to good use. And they are staying home tomorrow for their own good.


4 Comments so far
Leave a comment

Love the repurposed gold into rings! It seems your whole family stretching both sides is kind & creative. Ah, yes, gold needles! I have a few gold embroidery & quilting needles that were a gift with purchase or some such. May you all have safe and non-delayed trips to the party, and a great time!

Comment by DebbieR 11.30.12 @ 11:26 am

Thanks for mentioning DyakCraft! Very helpful. I’ve tried metal needles but find myself longing for great wood needles.

Comment by RobinM 11.30.12 @ 11:47 am

How decadent to knit with gold! I love it!!!

Comment by Jody 11.30.12 @ 1:12 pm

Gold needles, yet! Pretty fancy, along with the mink whatevers.

Comment by Don Meyer 11.30.12 @ 3:21 pm



Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

(required)

(required)