Husband yarn

My wedding anniversary crept by quietly yesterday, and my husband of course didn't remember it. We registered our marriage 11 years ago yesterday in Hong Kong and none of my family was with me. We then had our Chinese wedding ceremony sometime in March the following year with full fanfare but I just can't remember the actual date, too many dates to remember. We are not the celebratory type and my husband gave me flowers on the first anniversary that's all.

One word to describe him: bad (the worst kind). A bit of Chinese trivia: I'm not usually superstitious, but it's better to err on the cautious side. We are not suppose to praise our children or loved ones lest the heavens will take them away because they are too good. In my grandmother's generation, a lot of children are nicknamed pig or dog to trick the heavens in believing that they are indeed not children and hence not take them away. Yes, I do have an Uncle Dog. And it's not unusual nowadays to hear relatives telling parents of newborn how ugly their child is. So now you get the idea what kind of bad guy my husband is.

He went to Shanghai for a business trip last week and I asked him if he could get me some yummy Chinese wool that Jody and Paula talked about. The Chinese words on the label says 'Sun Mountain' literally and Eva and Marjorie told me this yarn is not difficult to find in China. I know his schedule is extremely tight but he still went hunting for it, asking the hotel concierge, talking to taxi drivers, department store assistants. Apparently, the Shanghainese are going up market and knitting mostly with imports. Finally, he called back and asked me to ask Marjorie and managed to locate an old store near Nanking Road which sells the Heng Yuan Xiang brand of wool which according to the elderly owner*, has been around for a hundred years (the label says since 1927). No Sun Mountain yarn but I'm delighted as can be with these super soft, premium, HYX Chinese wool that my husband picked for me. They can be considered sock to fingering weight and each ball weighs 100g and seems to be very long although no yardage is given. I think they'll be perfect for scarves, shawls and socks.

Most important of all, I'm most glad that my husband now accepts my knitting and blogging much more than a year ago. And look, I'm not the only one who is happy.

*The store owner may be elderly but very pro-business and tech savvy. When my husband mentioned that he didn't know what to choose, the owner replied, use your mobile phone to take whatever photos you need of the yarn and email them back to your wife to choose, lots of Taiwanese customers are doing that. Too bad that my husband's mobile phone is not equipped with such a function and he hasn't got any digital camera with him.

Comments

[Emy]

That is a Beijing brand...very established brand. Good stuff!

[Li_B]

Happy Anniversary to you, too. It was our anniversary yesterday and I ,too, am married to a terrible man. For 23 years :-)
Li

[jody]

it's funny, until i read that you *didn't* get the lacey lamb i was sure that's what was in the pic. i guess the packaging is typical of chinese yarn? either way the colors look fantastic.

[Anne]

Happy anniversary! May you have many more years together. The Chinese yarn looks yummy. I hear the local Chinese are keen knitters and I once heard that there is a comprehensive Chinese encyclopaedia of knitting out there the size of a brick, but it's never been translated. Would be fascinating to find it. Good luck with the WTO meeting in HK next week. Hope there's no trouble.

[monica]

The yarn looks very nice. I can't wait to see you start knitting with it.

[Norma]

You may describe him as bad, but the story of how much trouble he went to to get the yarn for you sort of belies that claim. ;-)

Happy anniversary to you!

[blossom]

happy anniversary!! i have yet to try chinese yarn. but they look beautiful!

[jess]

that is one bad man, enhancing your stash like that! Doesn't he know you know have to knit it? ;-)

congrats.

[Jennifer]

Happy anniversary! And yes, he sounds awful. More men should be as bad as he is!

[Purly Whites]

Happy Anniversary! I hope your husband continues his terrible ways!

[Agnes]

Happy Anniversary! Your husband is really "bad" indeed ... but the thing most worth celebrating is his acceptance of your knitting and blogging.

[grumperina]

Indeed, your husband was extremely bad to get you that yarn! It's beautiful!

[P]

happy anniversary! lucky you to have such a terrible hubby.

interesting trivia, my mother often remarks on how all the praise that children get today is so bad...not because of big head but bad to call attention to jealous gods...

[diana]

Happy anniversary! What a wonderful gift from a bad husband :)

[erin]

What a happy anniversary it must have been, especially since lovely yarn was gifted. I feel happy for you too.

[handknit168]

Happy anniversary! He is a good guy for man does not have patient to search something he doesn't know and is busy.

[marjorie]

Happy anniversary to you and your bad husband! and congrats to his accepting your knitting and blogging. That means more yarn! It's also funny that I have an uncle dog too!

[Dorothy]

That explains why my dil's Chinese mother keeps telling her what a bad mother she is! The trouble is, my dil has been away from China long enough that she sometimes takes it to heart. Congratulations to you and your awful husband and ugly children. May you have many happy years together.

[Eva Shiu]

Happy anniversary ! I think the yarn is quite similar to the Sun Mountain yarn I have in my stash. Maybe the only difference is yarn weight. I can't imagine my BF will buy yarn for me. He never buy a "right" gift in those years !

[vanessa]

Happy Anniversary! Eventhough your hubby didn't remember your anniversary, atleast he got you some beautiful yarn. Please let us know how it knits up.

[mimi]

How wonderful to receive yarn on your anniversary. After reading your post I rushed to check on my Chinese yarn but there were not "sun" or "mountain" on the label :D (these simple Chinese words I can read). I also went searching for yarn in Shanghai a year ago, just like your husband did I ended up at Nanjing Rd. Different store though, I bought mine from a dept. store. Does your husband still have the complete address? I would like to have it as I am going to Shanghai in summer and I would love to do some treasure(yarn)hunting. Btw, Happy anniversary!! The yarn was a perfect gift for you!

[joy]

My husband is not bad enough! I call my kids little pigs, but more as a term of endearment. :) Hope you have more bad anniversaries!

[Jan]

Happy Anniversary! I, too, am unlucky enough to have such a bad husband. ;-) Lovely yarn!

[mrspilkington]

Happy Anniversary to you, my terrible friend!
Lovely yarn!

[lauray]

Happy Belated Aniversary! Your bad husband is really really 'quite' so. Great yarns there.