Not Cold

Dear Swatchy,

It's not very cold in Philadelphia. And we have no snow. It's going to rain on Sunday when we're at the football game. Can you and I trade places?

Love, Knittah

Cold!

Dear Knittah,

Winnipeg is cold. Please send warm thoughts.

Love,
Swatchy

Catching Up - Spinning Class

Dear Knittah,

I suppose I have been bad in my own way, not posting as soon as I should. (Sheesh, I have some *old* photos waiting for posts!) But this is really Noricum's fault too... she doesn't let me use the computer much. I thought I'd show you around the spinning class Noricum took over a week ago now.

Before we get started, I thought I'd let you know that Winter is definitely here.

I'm actually inside in this photo, which is why I'm not wearing my toque and long johns. It did take Noricum a while to dig out her winter coat and boots... she can be a bit slow sometimes.

But back to the class! It was a blast! Look at the concentration everyone has, having so much fun at the wheels, skein winders, and carders:

That gentleman in the last photo isn't a knitter... he wanted to learn to spin (linen, in particular, although that wasn't covered in this class) so that he could weave with it!

Here's some of the other wheels we could try out:

(Noricum stuck to the Lendrum... she meant to try the other wheels, but ran out of time.)

This is some lovely yarn that Penny spun:


And, to get even with Noricum for hogging the computer and forgetting me at home when she went to Rovings, here's her haul from the spinning class:


Love,
Swatchy

PS: I'll try to get those other posts up some day... but for now, Noricum says it's way past time for lunch.

The Rovings Un-Event

Dear Knittah,

I am very disappointed in Noricum. Can you believe she didn't take me to Rovings!?! She says she remembered once she was there and trying out the wheel, and feels really bad about it. She decided not to take any photos, instead waiting for her inevitable next trip there when I will be along. I have given her a stern talking-to, and she says she will try to be better.

Love,
Swatchy

PS: Snoopy sends her regards and love:

Dealing with the Holidays

Part of our ongoing series about life with CFS.

The holiday season is upon us, and hard upon me. Every year, my husband and I fight the same battle with ourselves. Inevitably, we commit to doing too much and, inevitably, we fall short of our own expectations.

In the early years of my illness, I lived in great denial of my disability. I felt like a slacker for not working (although I gave up my job kicking and screaming) so I tried to do handmade holidays - handmade gifts, ten kinds of cookies, and even handmade wrapping paper one year. Last year, I tried to knit too many gifts, and made myself crazy.

Each year, I give up another "thing". Handmade gifts, handmade holiday cards - gone. Even baking is gone, and I really resisted that one. We've told our families that they each get "one shot" at us for Christmas. We can come to one family gathering for each side; they can tell us when but if someone isn't there, they'll have to come see us.

Yet every year, we hit the end of November and see the holidays coming for us like a mack truck. This year is my husband's 40th birthday, and we each bought tickets to an event to celebrate. I bought him concert tickets, and he bought NFL tickets. In our optimism (denial?), both events fell between November 20th and December 5th, with Thanksgiving in between. We didn't make it to the concert. We did make it to family Thanksgiving, which was lovely. Now I'm resting up for that football game. I am determined to go, and willing to pay the price afterwards.

Will we ever learn?

Pictures from Fiji

Tropical Paradise

We made it safely to Fiji! Landed at 5:15 this morning (Thursday), got on a bus to the marina, to a boat to MantaRay Island! This place (Fiji is general) is incredible. It is PARADISE. The water is the most amazing blue -- you know how in the Caribbean the water is turquoise and it's so gorgeous? Well here, in the deep part of the ocean, it's cerulean, just like the crayon!! Wild. The island I am staying is small, part of the Yasawa group on the far west of the Fiji Islands

There was another "backpacker" at the bus stop with me and we were on the same bus and boat so we got to chatting. I was very excited to be meeting my first world traveler.. I wondered where he could be from... Australia? New Zealand? Maybe somewhere in Europe?

NOPE. Princeton, NJ.

Crazy!! Then at the resort I met a kid from Toms River. We're everywhere! But my roommate is from Germany so there's a little culture there hahahaha.... oh, Devon wants to say hi!

Hi guys! I did my first Scuba Diving class today -- unbelievable. Instead of doing it in a pool, you actually swim in the lagoon and get to see all the fish and it was like being inside the tank at the aquarium or even like being in Finding Nemo! I didn't think swimming in the ocean could get any better but diving is pretty freaking fantastic, especially when the water's so warm you don't even need a wetsuit. It was a very different experience for me, the eternal shutterbug, to be looking at beautiful things and not be thinking about taking pictures, just experiencing them "in the moment". Still though, I wish I could have taken pictures to share with you!!

I wish I could have gone scuba diving, too, but they couldn't find a weight belt to fit.

Plus, I think you have to be bigger than the tank. And have a mouth to put the regulator in.

Details, details.

Oh, and the food is fantastic too!
Love,
Swatchy Prep and Dev
xoxoxo

P.S. Happy early Thanksgiving!

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby!

Dear Knittah,

Noricum and I attended spinning class today. Well, Noricum spun, I just watched, since Noricum didn't want to shell out the class fee for me. Here we are at the end of the class:

(that's Francine from Rovings beside us) and here's what Noricum spun.

The singles were spun from "mystery roving" that gets run through the drum carders between regular batches. It was nice enough stuff... but have you ever felt polwarth fleece? Wow! I wanted to dive right into the bag and never come out! Noricum didn't let me, though. (She didn't think we'd both fit, anyway.) How much polwarth do you think we would need to do so?

Noricum is currently muttering something about "must get wheel" and "how much polwarth for a sweater", and her feet keep moving like they're treadling. Do you think I should be worried?

Love,
Swatchy

iSwatchy helps around the house

iSwatchy likes to help around the house, especially when it comes to gardening and decorating. I still haven't convinced him to help with the cleaning, though.

iSwatchy helped me arrange some scented pinecones

And he helped me prune and water the plants

Sometimes he goofs off a little. He thinks that if he can't see me, I can't see him!

Oh gee, Fiji!

Prep here... just wanted to let you guys know Devon got a one way ticket to FIJI today! She said FAA regulations don't require Swatchies to have a seat of their own but I swear, if she tries to stuff me in the overhead again....

Anyway, sandy beaches, here we come!