Getting On

Thanks to all of you who offered sympathy and kind words in response to my last post. I can't tell you how touched I am to receive good wishes from so many that I've never even met. Knitters are the best!
Here are some of the helpful suggestions and how I'm applying them:
1. Accentuate the positive: I have been quite successful finding silver linings--the two men who died are at peace and will never feel pain or anxiety again; my son has decided that he'll go to college next year instead of taking a year off to be a ski bum.
2. Sleep, eat whatever you want, and watch the birds: Done. I've been taking naps, eating chocolate (five pounds, according to my bathroom scale), and I've been watching the birds and squirrels outside my office window (instead of working).
3. Go for a walk: I did that today and enjoyed the balmy 45-degree sunshine. Here's a photo of the scenery from a nearby park. (This also gives me another excuse to take another nap.)

4. Get antidepressants and therapy: In progress.
5. Read a book or watch a favorite TV show or movie: I started Joy of Man's Desiring by Jean Giono, which is a magical tail of how a couple in provincial France rediscover happiness, "the passion for the impractical, the useless."
6. Sit in a comfy chair with a dog or cat: Done. I took dinner to my parents last night and spent some time on the couch with their cat.
7. Enjoy the sunshine: Done. The last couple of days have been gloriously sunny.
8. Breathe: I'm working on it -- it's surprising how often I forget to do this.
9. Have a glass of whiskey: Turns out, holiday guests drank all our whiskey so I substituted a stiff martini of my favorite atrisan gin from Dancing Pines Distillery.
10. Sort through things and reorganize: I finally unpacked my suitcase and I'm in the process of cleaning my desk.
11. Send a note of encouragement to someone who needs it: Instead of sending a note, I hand-delivered a pot of homemade soup to my friend who lost her husband.
12. Scratch a dog's ears or cuddle a baby: Done. The friend I took the soup to has a dog and was in charge of her 5-month-old grandson when I arrived.
13. Be patient: This is the most difficult, especially as I see deadline approach and my inbox fill up.
In summary, I think I'm doing pretty well and I look forward to finding focus again.
Nobody mentioned it, but there's nothing like fresh flowers to make one sigh with pleasure--here's the arrangement that a dear friend sent to me:

Off to a Bad Start

I haven't posted lately because I've been consumed by sad happenings and I haven't even found solace in knitting. On the last night that my sister and her husband were visiting for the holidays, her husband suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Paramedics were able to restart his heart, but the damage was extensive and he died a few days later. I returned home with my sister to keep her company and begin the arduous process of sorting through papers and making arrangements.
I then got a call that one of my sons had broken his right femur snowboarding.

He had emergency surgery at a mountain hospital to place a steel rod between his hip and knee.
A few days later, I got an email saying that the husband of a dear friend of thirty years had died.
I came to home to temps in the single digits and yesterday we lost heat in our house.
Thankfully, the heat is back on so I'm comfortable at my desk and I'm able to find a lot of silver linings in so much sad news. But I find myself unable to get back to work. I just stare at my computer screen.
I welcome suggestions for ways to jump-start myself into action again.

Solstice Winner

There were 90 entries for the solstice book and the random-number generator picked #2: Eileen Brokaw, who wrote:

Solstice, Solstice, thank you for celebrating!
I already have several of your books, & love so many more, but... I would especially love to own my own copy of KNITTED GIFTS!

Congratulations Eileen! Email me your mailing address and I'll get the book in the mail.

Wishing you all brightness and light!

Solstice Celebration

The winter solstice is upon us and I couldn't be happier. It means that the days will get longer (if only infinitesimally) and spring and new growth will eventually come. Where I live in Colorado, the weather hasn't exactly been cold and we've yet to have a legitimate snowfall, but recent events have generated a sense of deep, dark sorrow.
So, to celebrate that things will get better, I'm holding another raffle. Respond to this post and tell me which of my print books you'd like (sorry, electronic versions are not eligible), and I'll draw a winner the morning of Saturday, Dec 22.

Here's to brighter days ahead.

Coping Mechanism

Some people call it a spinning wheel; this week I'm calling mine a coping mechanism. As yet another horror unfolds in the news, I've taken to my wheel for calming monotony. I'm working on fleece that I started spinning during my class on spinning for knitting at SOAR this fall. I'm planning a three-ply yarn that will likely become some type of vest if I can every bear to wear something that currently represents such sadness.

As I spin (or knit), I'm grateful for the process and again I think that the world would be a much more peaceful place if everyone spent a bit of time in quiet contemplation.
I wish you all peace.

Something's Amiss

My plan today was to respond to the comments regarding my last post about a substitute yarn for one of the sweaters in the modified-drop shoulder chapter of The Knitter's Handy Guide to Top-Down Sweaters (this chapter is presently only available in the electronic version of the book, by the way). I just clicked on the comments to remind myself what was said.

Imagine my surprise when I found anonymous comments had been added by people affiliated with inappropriate websites, and Louis Vuitton bags and Uggs Outlet Store in the UK! Does anyone know how I can remove these from the comment box? I'm mortified.

Regarding the yarn substitution, I wanted to explain that yarn companies donate yarn for book projects in the hopes that people will buy that same yarn. The fact that Briar Rose Fibers could no longer obtain the base yarn for the Legend used in Unisex Zip meant that they lose out on that advantage. That's why I wanted to knit an alternative in Glory Days, which is available. But your comments got me thinking. Instead of knitting the same sweater, I'll use the yarn for a completely new design, following the charts for one of the sweater styles in the print version of the book and I'll post about my decisions and progress along the way Stay tuned.

Unisex Zip Revisited

It's happened again. Soon after a book gets published, it seems that a yarn gets discontinued. The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters is no exception. The base yarn for the handdyed Briar Rose Legend that I used for the Unisex Zip is no longer available. Fortunately (I guess), this sweater is in the modified-drop shoulder chapter that is currently only available in the electronic version of the book (that chapter was cut from the print copy due to page constraints), so many of you may not even be aware of the problem.

I learned this sad news from Chris Rosien, owner and dyer of Briar Rose at Clara Parkes' Knitter's Review Retreat last month. But, there is a substitute! Glory Days, which is 100% bluefaced leicester (500 yards/8 ounces) should make a perfect match.
To test it out, Chris sent me four (4!) skeins of a beautiful handdyed red.

I plan to knit a substitute with it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.