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Friday, January 6, 2012

FO Friday -- All Mine edition

Full confession:  Every once in a while, I kind of cheat on an FO Friday because it's fun to play along, and even though I don't have a whole project done, I still want to take part.  This, you might have guessed, is one of those weeks.  (ETA:  I remembered that I don't need an actual FO to hook up with Fiber Arts Friday, so I'll semi-cheat over there, too)

Look!  A puff!


It's made from Noro, and though it's pretty huge compared to its compatriots, it's pretty and ocean-y and I kind of love it.

Here is the (pathetically small) pile-o-puffs (5!):

So um... that's all that I managed to finish this week.  But I have an adventure to share, too!  That counts for something, right?

The background:  In college, Mr. Right and his buddies were in Arizona, where there are all sorts of abandoned mines laying around.  They spent lots of their spare time exploring the tunnels.  I think he's crazy for doing this.

Fast forward to Christmas day, 2011.  Mr. Right declares that we're going to go check out the old mine we spotted last time we went four wheeling.  I tell him he's crazy.  We go anyway, probably because he's called me a wuss or something and I have way too much pride.  Stupid pride.

This particular mine isn't too bad, since the main shaft is high and wide and it's also fairly dry inside.  (Caveat:  I don't recommend doing this -- it's crazy -- and we had some super duper flashlights and also an oxygen monitor with us)

So we walk a while.

And then he gets the bright idea that we should climb up to an opening for a smaller side shaft.  Ugh.  And then he takes a picture of my butt while I'm climbing.  He really is crazy.

It's pretty uneventful though as this shaft only goes a few yards before ending.  The scariest part?  Climbing back down.  I sing Jesus Loves Me, which is what I tend to do when I'm totally freaked out.  It helps.

On we go down the main shaft until the water that's suddenly appeared gets too deep for my "water-resistant" boots.  I stop and hang out while Mr. Right and his "water-proof" boots keep going a while longer.  I'm not too worried since I can still see his light.  The tricky thing about mines, though is that it's soooooo dark that you can see light for a really, really long way.  Much longer than you can hear sound.

So I'm standing there humming Jesus Loves Me (less freaked out now, but still a little bit), and waiting for him to come back, and 10 or so minutes later, I hear this crazy galloping sound and see him running toward me full tilt.  I figure he's being chased by a bear or something and get ready to start running, too.  But it turns out he's been yelling to me and asking if I'm okay for the last few minutes and hearing no response.  He's pretty sure I've passed out or died of fear.  But it's just that he was way too far away for me to hear him. 

So now that everyone's reunited and confirmed alive, we decide to end this little adventure and hike out, while I explain to him in detail how many yarn stores he's going to have to visit to make up for this. It's a lot.  He thinks I'm crazy.

The end.

23 comments:

  1. That sounds like a fairly terrifying adventure to me! Fun once it's over, I think ;)

    I know exactly what you mean about cheating on FO Fridays too - I hate when I don't have a proper project to post about ;)

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  2. I think he'd be buying me yarn from now til Kingdom Come for that little "stunt."

    When I was student teaching, which was, admittedly, almost a decade ago when I was in much better shape and significantly smaller, we did something that was called "Caving and Camping." We took all the kids, some parent volunteers, and a couple other teachers (education assistants and the school social worker) and stayed at this campground in a huge cabin and took the kids climbing down into a cave. A real cave. Not the kind with handrails and walking paths. At one point, I seriously thought I was going to get stuck...until one of the dads pointed out that he was wider and taller than me and he'd already been down there three years prior with his son (he was with his daughter, this time). Cool...but totally freaky.

    And speaking of mines, funny story about mines. I live in southern Wisconsin and in southwest Wisconsin there were a lot of lead mines. Seriously, A LOT. In one of the counties (Grant County) there's a moratorium on building height because of the mines. Basically, if you want to build something taller than 4 stories, you have to get the state out to do a full land survey and you have to build all the way down into the bedrock. When they were building the library on the UW-Platteville campus (in the 60s, I think), one of the diggers actually fell into a mine shaft that they didn't know was there. They couldn't get it out...so they cemented over it and buried it. You also hear quite often about parts of peoples basements collapsing into old mine shafts.

    They just don't know where all the mines are. And it's a little freaky.

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  3. Hiking is fun but in a mine shaft, no way! You couldn't get me through the door! I think you're very brave for playing along.
    Your puffs are lovely!

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  4. OH MY GOSH! You are brave! No way I would have gone in there!I would have just been called a wuss!

    LOL....love that you sing Jesus Loves me. Too cute!

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  5. I can't do caves or anything under ground. Too freaked out to even try. Or heights! I am a wuss.

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  6. I loved looking at the the photos of your adventure... because that is the closest I will ever get to the inside of an abandoned mine!
    Gorgeous puffs. Hmmm, I need an FO for next week, maybe it's time to crack into mine ; )

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  7. ROTFL!!!! Wow, you are brave!! What we do for love...even self-love. ;)

    Jesus Loves Me does help!!!

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  8. PUFFS!!! Don't worry about only having 5. I only have 4 so you're ahead of me! Now that Christmas knitting is over, I can start puffing. :)

    Your story is hilarious. I would NEEVVVEEERRRR go into mine shafts, but then, being claustrophobic, that doesn't sound fun AT ALL. At least you have a good story to tell! Oh yes, and make sure he takes you to TONS of yarn stores and buys you TONS of yarn.

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  9. A mine shaft? Crazy! I would be so worried about a cave in. Then again, I'm a city girl so four wheeling seems crazy dangerous to me. ;) We just don't do things like this in NYC.

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  10. Lovely puffs and I thinks its ok as I cheat too!! Loved your story and I too think its crazy to want to go down a mine shaft but the photos are goos and I love the image I have of you singing Jesus Loves Me! Happy Friday!

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  11. Definitely many yarn store visits in Mr. Right's immediate and not-so-immediate future. Definitely. :)

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  12. Oh my days!!!
    I could NOT go down there. That would not be fun. I'd need a bottle of wine to get over that!!!
    I think a few yarn shop visits is getting of lightly ;)
    You're funny.

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  13. I've always imagined Noro to be the perfect yarn for hexipuffs and now I know it's true. That will be one attractive blanket!

    I also don't read a whole lot of crafting blogs that have a cave exploring interlude, awesome!

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  14. I hope you get A LOT of yarn shop mileage out of that one! but it's a very good, very entertaining story, just don't tell him that.

    I don't think you have to have an FO to be part of FAF, or if so I'd be in big time trouble. Your puffs are so cute. I imagine lots of sewing time ahead.

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  15. You are truly adventurous! I don't think I would go exploring in the mine. Great job finishing all of those hexipuffs...way more than I would have accomplished. Thank you for sharing at Fiber Arts Friday.

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  16. ROTFL I can just see him racing down full tilt while you are singing away to yourself. Nice job on the puffs approximately 5 more than I've done...lol

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  17. You're much braver than I! The only thing I've really done I suppose similar to that is taking the well-beaten path down Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico (and boy, did my legs ache afterward!). . .

    I just started on puffs, myself! I did two trial puffs (which my little boy plays with now) and have started what will be a small quilt for him--I'll be finishing the third of that set tonight. Boy, are they addictive!

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  18. If you guys think that our romantic stroll through "Historic Colorado" was crazy, you'll love tagging along on one of our 4-Wheeling trips in the old Truckola!

    http://youtu.be/QqWtIg8oD9I

    ...We're going Sunday!

    Ooo and there's the racing that we do every once and a while!

    Fixing what breaks during the race is the best part...
    (skip to thirty seconds for some suspension and alignment action!)
    http://youtu.be/47TJnad-sx8

    Ok, enough of my shenanigans.

    "Mr. Right" signing out.

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  19. Whoa, that would have freaked me right out. I've been in tunnels/caves before, but only well-lit, well-groomed, prepared-for-tourist caves!

    Nice hexipuffs :)

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  20. Ha, Ha, Ha, if that had been my husband he wouldn't have to worry about bears... he would have to be carried out of that mine.
    Well adventures like that make for great stories when you are curled up with all the yarn from those yarn stores I hope you've visited!
    Willow4

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  21. 'He thinks I am crazy' Haha, that made me laugh. Anyway, your hexipuffs are really pretty :)

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  22. sounds like quite an adventure! he definitely owes you lots of yarn store shopping especially after taking a picture of your butt!

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  23. Having grown up in Colorado gold mining country, I completely get the allure, but you guys are nuts. Glad it's a great story now. :-)

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