2008: What I Am Thankful For

1. My husband and my child. Without the two of them, my life would not be meaningful. Everything else comes second.

2. Being a nearly-healthy human. Okay, I could lose a few pounds and I could probably do a whole lot more yoga and eat more veggies. But after the summer we had, in and out of the hospital, I just want to be here and alive and with the people I love.

3. The chance to do what I love for a living. My yarn business has had a few ups and downs since May, when I really started thinking about actually selling my own yarns. But considering how well I've done in an economy where lots of other people are having hard times and losing jobs, I really can't complain. I have wonderful customers to thank for that, many of whom have come back time after time and many of whom have been fantastic to communicate with and have been very patient and understanding.

4. Could we live in a better era? Barack Obama. The right to vote. The internets. Digial music. The public library system. Knitting as a hobby as well as a living. Communication. Enlightenment. Buddhism and yoga in America. Global economy and shopping locally. Etsy. Ravelry. Blogging. David Tennant as The Doctor. I love where I live, in both time and space.

...and maybe a few things I learned the hard way.

1. Don't smack the beast. If you make someone angry or defensive, stop pushing them. I know that I'm going to have to apologize for the rest of my life everywhere I go because I am crappy at being humble and "why why why" doesn't endear me to anybody. Sorry, everybody. And I don't hear subtext very well.

2. Nobody thinks the way that I do. With the notable exception of my husband. The downside to this is that we're constantly looking at each other wondering if we've both lost our minds. Or, if the rest of the world has. It has been brought up that maybe we should just find a remote cabin somewhere and hope that our child doesn't wind up as weird as we are.

3. I am not funny. I can't write funny no matter how badly I'd like to.

Okay, that's all.

Would a yarn sale help with the January blues? If so, I have some at the site.

Snowpocalypse 2008

Or Snowmageddon. Either way, we've been stuck inside for a couple days now. Yesterday, I finished a ton of knitted gifts, today my bedroom got cleaned from top to bottom, including moving everything out of the closet to vacuum. At this point, if tomorrow doesn't ease up just a little (and I don't think it's going to) I'll either wind up dyeing every single ounce of raw fibre and yarn I own, or we'll risk life and limb to a.) go somewhere or b.) play outside and get some exercise. Our school has already called Uncle, and as far as I know I'm not getting any hours at Wil Sonoma.

Maybe these fun pics can distract you:

Coming soon...a finished child's garment in HMS. I can't knit enough of this stuff! Also keep an eye open for the aforementioned fibre - I have some undyed roving that is just begging to become Gorgon, Roy G Biv, Chocolate Cherry and Black Trillium.

Your Portland Local

I have a wonderful thing to tell you - my yarn is now available in a store other than my own!

Twisted over on 23rd and Broadway, owned by the lovely Emily and Shannon, placed an order a couple weeks back. I delivered it today, much to my relief. (It seems I cannot sit and knit peacefully when I have work to do.) Shannon seemed to enjoy it, and I hope her customers will as well. We shall see.

I dropped off some HMS, (oh this yarn is becoming my all-time favorite, it's so soft), Merilon Sock and Meriamboo sock. If you're local, and you go by Twisted, I'd love to hear what you think!