So much has happened...time to catch up

It has been a long month and many, many things have happened since my last post. And most of them have been wonderful.

C and I took a cruise. I got to see beautiful places, experience wonderful weather, catch up on sleep, knit to my hearts content, and rejuvenate. The dark cloud of stress has finally lifted. I really needed a break, a disconnect, to be unplugged from everything for just a few weeks.

I returned and got to spend a few days with a crafter friend of mine. She taught me how golf and how to shoot a gun while I was visiting. Both were mentally exhilarating. It amazed me how much concentration it takes to do either of the two. I hope to be able to golf more this year. Even if it is only going to the driving range. I liked that blank space my brain went to just before I swung the club. As for shooting, I liked it but it wasn't as relaxing as golf.

The first craft show of the year was the Leesport Easter show. It was a cold uncomfortable day and sales were slow. We got to see a few great customers from other festivals, and quite a few people were interested in shows coming up this year, so the day wasn't lost. It was a great way to work out the kinks and get the display down pat. We were supposed to be there Sunday too, but instead we worked on the new garden at home. I figured getting veggies planted was a better use of our time since we have so many craft shows coming up and time will soon be precious, both to garden and grocery shop.

In between I have gone to lots of meetings. Delivering orders and donations, working on wholesale and retail accounts mostly. Just a lot of running around and trying to get caught up before the rush starts in a few weeks.

I also got to participate in a few local Earth Day celebrations, one at Mulhenberg College and one at Lehigh University. Both were fantastic events that really celebrated and educated. I particularly liked the Mulhenberg event. The college is small and very close knit. I hope to be able to go back for more vending opportunities in the fall. The day made me wish I could go back to college and the work that some of the students are doing in ecobiology really inspired me.

So that was the last three weeks and now I will keep up on the blog...see ya next week!

I've Been Hacked!

I woke up this morning to discover one of my email addresses has been hacked. I am very sorry about this and am working hard to stop it and correct the error. I cannot apologize enough.

Please be patient. All the web / email work is done by me and it may take me a few days to straighten all this out.

Until then, go to the form located on the contacts page of the web site and you can safely contact me through that form.

Thanks for understanding!


ETA: I learned I wasn't hacked, my password was never compromised and my mailing lists and contacts were safe. I was "spoofed". This means that someone made it look like spam emails came from my account. They were mostly sent overseas and to no one I know. The only reason I learned this was because hundreds of bounced emails bounced back to me. After making sure my password was safe, I turned off my email for a few days and everything went back to normal.

Sorry it was hard to contact me for a few days, but I appreciate the patience!

Fiber Friday- What to pack

It is hard being a fiberista and going away for a few weeks where decent yarn is hard to come by, and tool like needles even harder to get. So what does one pack for such an occasion??

I have learned... it depends... on your schedule....and where you are going...

Packing the huge shawl that takes 16 skeins of yarn is usually not the right choice. It takes up tons of luggage room, and you feel obligated to bring all the yarn- just in case you get far enough to use it...

Packing small items like washcloths is great. They are brainless, small, easy to transport, and you only need one set of needles, and one row counter, and scissors to make them(you can weave in the ends when you get home). The skeins of cotton yarn are small enough to stuff inside shoes, so you have minimal impact on luggage room. And if they have to be crammed in your luggage on the way home, they will be ok.

Afghan squares are great too. Not too big, but a little more challenging than washcloths. No need to bring too many, especially if you bring a few more difficult ones, they will take time to conquer. It is great when you are sitting on a beach and when someone asks you what you are knitting you can answer "blanket". If they are local to the beach, they tend to look at you quizzically. Both because, why would you need a blanket in such nice weather, and they think soon it will be huge and full of sand. Doing an afghan in squares makes it easy to transport and work on.

I like bringing shawls. Especially the kind that are knit up with sock yarn. Two or three skeins are light, easy to pack, and make up quite a large project, so it can keep you busy most of, if not all of, the trip. As it gets bigger it gets harder to bring with you to the beach, but poolside, and on the balcony work pretty good. It can even keep you warm on cooler nights as you knit it. If you are lucky, you may finish it and use it before the vacation is even over. Or in my case, I may finish it and be able to give it to its intended recipient, thus not having to pack it for the flight home.

So there you have it... packing for a vacation 101, because you can almost always buy underwear and socks wherever you go, but decent yarn is hard to get sometimes and a girl has to be prepared.