}

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Weekend Diversion: Learning stuff


One weekend chore we all seem to get stuck with is folding the washing. I absolutely hate it, especially those fitted sheets that always seem to end up in a kind of a cross between a ball, an exploded pillow and a deflated blimp.

This was a subject on Twitter today and there are apparently many others who are similarly unable to fold a fitted sheet. Yet the Internet can do so much more than a provide a place to share our misery, it delivers a solution.

The video above teaches how to fold a fitted sheet. It turns out there are many other videos, too—actually, I had no idea there were so many YouTube videos on how to fold a fitted sheet. I chose this one because the finished folding job was the neatest and prettiest.

Naturally, I had to try it. My first attempt (well, first four attempts, actually) was little better than before my video training. The last attempt, however, isn’t half bad—not as good as the teacher’s, but then I’m apparently not as anal, so that’s okay.

The photo below is the before and after shot (the “after” is also after four attempts…). Now, in the interest of transparency, I should disclose two things: First, as if creating a good advertising product shot, I flipped the sheet upside down for the “before” photo so it’d look worse (it wouldn’t be in the linen cupboard that way up).

The other, more important disclosure: I’m totally not serious about this. On the other hand, I just may have a neater linen cupboard now. It’s amazing what you can learn on the Internet, and some of it is even useful.

4 comments:

amerinz's sis said...

I have troubles folding those fitted sheets too. I get to the part where I square it off and my back starts to hurt. I fold it up somewhat neatly, but not as nicely as in this video. In a linen closet it's "out of sight, out of mind". :-)

On other days I just wash it, dry it, and put it back on the bed. Folding problem solved!!

Arthur Schenck said...

Yeah, it's been pointed out to me that this is an issue only for those with more than one folded sheet.

Roger Owen Green said...

This will sound terrible, but I think fitted sheets are evil and are not worthy of someone needing to create a video to fold them, not to mention an intelligent bloke like yourself needing four attempts to get it done half right.

Evil, I tell you, evil!

Arthur Schenck said...

I used to think that fitted sheets were a creation of Satan. Then I remembered that I don't believe in him, so they must be a human's evil creation.

I've now unfolded that practised sheet and placed it on the bed. The real test of my training will be if I can successfully fold the sheet now in the washing without referring back to the video. For me, that will determine if the evil has been conquered.