You Can Do It

It seems that every January a plethora of self-help books and other accoutrement appear out of the wood work. I am not a self-help kinda girl, I prefer to slog through what I can change and learn to live with the rest.

But this year a good friend of mine bought some of us You Can Do It! It’s a book on how to earn merit badges for grown up girls. Sadly the author was killed on one of the planes on 9/11 and this book is her legacy.

The first badge we have decided to work on is the “Get Down to the Knitty-Gritty” badge. This is where I will be teaching them all how to knit. Of course this has to be special, so I am going to try to drag them all to the NETA Spa weekend in February. Yes, just call me the enabler - LOL! I thought, wouldn’t it be spectacular to hang out at the Hilton in Freeport on a cold February weekend hanging out in the heated pool and jacuzzi, eating good food, drinking good wine and teaching friends to knit in an all encompassing environment of very friendly fiber fiends. Can you imagine anything more perfect? I think not. I even have a place to stash the teen for the weekend!

It should be fun.

I did get some spinning done during St. Distaff’s Day at the Westford Historical Museum. I did not take pics, sadly. But some can be seen on Lucia, and Julie’s blogs and of course others (here, and here) and the blogless others who attended. Thank you Penny for opening the museum to us. It was a lot of fun. I will be heading over there this evening to attend our normal bi-monthly meetup. I would love to finish up this colorful roving.

I am also knitting on Jonathan’s scarf. I’m doing an ultra easy, mindless pattern -30 stitches cast on, two rows - row 1 K2, P1 repeat and end with a K1. Row 2: P1, (K2, P1, repeat to end) I’m doing it in some of the Debbie Bliss Aran Alpaca Silk I got out at Webs and it’s a smashing red color (per his request). I love this yarn - it is so soft and yummy, perfect for a scarf.  Jonathan is driving cross country in a truck with all his belongings and a sick old dog, and in all this crazy weather. Send out lots of energy so that he arrives safely in Upstate NY sometime near the end of January. He will definitely need the scarf and probably something that will knock him out cold for a week.

I am almost finished with Grace’s Bag - I ripped out the sweater vest I was knitting in the colorful Noro because she hated it and wanted it knit into a bag instead.

Now she wants me to knit her a dropped stitch sweater. I know there was a way cool guy on out several years ago and I need to find the pattern. If you know which one I am thinking of and know where I can find it please let me know.

Only 45 days until Spa and only 8 until my birthday.

Saint Distaff’s Day

Traditionally celebrated on January 7th.  But this year the St. Distaff Spinning Bee is being held on Sunday, January 6th.  Check here for details.  I think I will bring some of my hand-dyed rovings to sell and I will donate half of the profits to the Museum.

I am hoping to be feeling much better by then, I’ve spent the last two days flat in bed with a terrible cold.  Thank the gods I can fend for myself, for if I was depending on my Darling Teenaged Daughter to take care of me, I would be dead by now.

I actually tried to go to work today but when I got out of the shower I thought I was going to pass out.  Not good,  so I went straight back to bed.

There has been very little knitting to speak of, and nothing worth showing.

2008 already!?

I know time flys, but I didn’t know it was a warp speed.

There just are not enough hours in the day to get the stuff done I want to get done. Of course having a nasty chest cold that causes your back to go out because of the hacking cough sure put the brakes on getting a lot of stuff done.

I was actually feeling pretty good for having made it to the first of the year with out a bad cold this season. But then I had a brain lapse and allowed the Teenager to invite a small group of friends over for New Year’s Eve. Ya right! The small group of friends turned into about 15 teenagers. I kept making rounds and checking them on a regular basis and all appeared fine. I would randomly smell the contents of soda cans and only found one that had to be dumped down the sink - no one fessed up to it being theirs.

But once they figured out there wasn’t much they were going to get by me they settled in, playing Guitar Hero and other video games.

Last week we had a great dye day, with Brian and his brother, and Christine. I didn’t get to take a lot of photos - since I had forgotten to charge my camera.

But I did get this one of Brian’s brilliant idea for dyeing self striping yarn. I think he used Martha Stewart’s pot lid organizer. What a cool idea.

Guess what else I did?

My sister, my niece and I took our annual trek to Webs for their end of year sale.

I got 40 balls of Laines Du Nord CashSilk in a camel color, 20 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker, natural color, 20 balls of Debbie Bliss Aran Merino Silk (natural colorway) and 2 skeins of the new Noro sock yarn.

Normally I don’t make new year resolutions, but I am going to finish a sweater for me sometime this year, and I also really want to spin and knit a shawl for myself.