Too Many Spools of Yarn

I grab some spools of yarn. Purple, green, pink, blue and red all go into my shopping cart. My hand hovers over yellow and orange. Do I really need this many colors? Not really but I grab them both anyway because the yellow is gorgeous sunshine color and the orange is the same color as a flame. I grab some knitting needles and head to check out. I stand in line and wait for the person in front of me to finish checking out. I take a peek at what they've bought. Beads and string. Next time I come here I’ll get some. 

“Hey, how are you?" A familiar voice says behind me. 

I turn around to see Veronica standing behind me in the line. I smile at her. I haven't seen her in ages. I give her a hug.

“I'm good, what about you? I haven't seen you in ages.” 

“I'm great, Yeah, what are you doing here?”

“Well I was just getting some stuff to knit with. What about you?”

She motioned to her shopping cart. It was full of cans of paint.

“I’m getting some paint. It was my daughters birthday last week. she's just turned ten so we are going to paint her bedroom as a surprise for when she gets back from summer camp.”

“That's really cool. What color?”

“She's been going on and on about how she's always wanted a blue and pink bedroom so that's what we're going to do. And what about you? Do you know how to knit?”

“Oh I don't know how to knit yet but I’m hoping to learn quickly maybe from a youtube video or even at the community center i heard they had knitting classes.”

“Yes I think they do. What are you going to make?”

“I think I will start with a scarf or a beanie, maybe do a sweater after that. I've always wanted to make my own sweater.” I was really excited about knitting. I think it would be a really great and productive hobby.

She peered into my shopping cart.

“Don't you think you should only get one or two colors to start off? It might take you longer than you think to learn. You might not even enjoy it. Isn’t…” She looked back down at the shopping cart and counted the spools of yarn. “Seven being a bit too eager?”

I frowned. “I don’t think so but maybe I should return the orange. It's not such a flattering color anyway.” I went and returned the orange.

“Well ok… but remember what happened with your other hobbies?”

My frown deepened. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Remember when you got into watercolors painting and you bought that really expensive set of colors and only used it once?”

“Yarn isn’t expensive at all.” 

“Yeah but that's not the point. The point is you're going a bit overboard Like when you took up horse riding and paid for all those lessons only to quit halfway through.”

“Horse riding wasn’t the right hobby for me.” I say. Though the real reason was that horse riding had been at the same time that my favorite show was on TV and honestly I preferred to watch it.

“Or when you bought the pottery wheel only to give it away the next week because you hadn’t even opened it.”

“I was… I was busy and didn’t have the time for it.”

“And how about the time you started piano lessons and stopped after the second lesson?”

“I was -”

“When you decided you were going to take up baking and bought those fancy piping tools? Amanda, do you really need all those spools of yarn? Is this something you're really going to do?”

“Yes.” I snapped. “My grandma used to knit and it reminds me of her.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Veronica went quiet and I felt bad for lying. I turned back around in line just as the woman in front of me finished packing her bags and walked out the store. I started unloading my things as the woman started scanning.

“I thought you were taking up drawing.”

“Err no.”

“Just last week you were in here buying pencils and sketching paper.”

“umm yeah but I’ve decided to do some knitting.”

“Do you know how to?”

“No, I am going to learn?”

“So then don't you think six spools is too much?”

I huffed. “Why does everyone keep saying that it's a lot? I already put one back.”

“Honey it really is a lot if you've never knitted before.”

“Fine, I'll go put some of it back.” I turn on my heel and walk back to the knitting section. I take the red, green, and yellow out of my shopping cart and put them back where I found them. As I was putting the yellow back I noticed a beautiful pinky orange color like sunset. I picked it up and placed it in my cart. Four isn’t too much right? As I'm walking back to check out I notice the bead sections and go over to it. I throw some string in my cart followed by some round beads in three different colors, some charms and some square beads in green. I walk back to the checkout line and take my place behind Veronica. She looks at my shopping cart and sighs, shaking her head at me. After I pay for my stuff I load it into my car and drive home. When I get home Mark is sitting on the couch. 

“What's all that?” He asks motioning to the bags in my hands.

“My new hobby.” I say enthusiastically hoping he'd share my excitement.

“I thought you were learning embroidery.”

“Not anymore.” 

He laughs. “Oh Amanda.”

“What?”

“You really don’t see it?”

“See what?” I demanded.

He didn't say anything just chuckled some more. I got up and went to my crafts room and put my knitting and beading supplies away in my already overflowing cupboard and went to make dinner still wondering what he found so funny.