I'm alive!!

Today is the first time I've been outside since Thursday. Yep, you read right. I didn't leave the house for four full days. You can imagine my surprise when I emerged into the world and found out it was 60 degrees. Outside. In January. In Chicago.

I'm pretty sure the planet will be spinning off it's axis any day now.

I haven't felt well in a long time, two or three weeks. I thought it was just a chest cold, but I couldn't shake it. I finally broke down last week and went to the doctor. He told me I have bronchitis. Then he gave me antibiotics and a cough syrup that contains oxycodone. I'm not sure if the antibiotics have done anything for me, but the cough syrup is crazy business.

The first day I was taking it, I didn't have a teaspoon handy, so I just guessed. I am a generous person by nature, so I took a liberal swig of the stuff. Let's just say that was a mistake. I headed right home and went directly to bed. Once I woke up, I found a teaspoon and have used it religiously since.

Now, I would appreciate if the demons who took away those four days would be kind enough to provide me with just a few extra hours. We're leaving for TNNA first thing on Wednesday and there are oodles that need to happen before I go. I am becoming dreadfully afraid that I may have to let one or two of them slide. Would someone please come and have a talk with the Type A part of my personality and tell it to stop being so persistent? It's becoming annoying.

Unconventional Holidays

I think I've mentioned that my husband's birthday is on December 25. It's been something that we've had to come to terms with at our house.

Every marriage has to figure out how to navigate the holidays. Whose family do we visit on Thanksgiving? Where do we go for Christmas? When you add a birthday to the mix it becomes even more complicated. All too often his birthday celebration was a last minute cake tacked onto the end of Christmas dinner. It always seemed forced somehow.

We tried a few solutions. There was "The Twelve Days of Birthday" where he got to open a gift every day for the twelve days leading up to Christmas. It worked pretty well for awhile, but it always bothered me that he never really got a special day. He never complained, but I think deep down it bothered him too.

After a few years, we decided to turn Christmas into a birthday celebration for him and dedicate other holidays to family. Lots of folks think its strange that we don't make an annual trip to visit family, but it's been great for us.

Over time, we've done some pretty fun things. One year we went to Paris, another year we trekked through coastal Oregon, there was the trip London. The year we moved into our current home, we stayed put and got settled in. This year we went to spa up in the Wisconsin Dells.

I know it's not unique, but there is something pretty cool about going swimming in an outdoor pool with snow all around.

We had a really nice time. There were facials and massages. There were fancy dinners and simple breakfasts. And most important of all, time to celebrate Michael's birthday without distraction.

Holiday Fete!

Yesterday was the annual Lorna's Laces Holiday party. Tea at the Ritz. We've been to the Drake, The Peninsula and the Four Seasons. This may be our favorite so far. We were seated at a gorgeous table. I love it when there are low tables surrounded by couches and comfy chairs. Since we're around dye all the time, we're very casual around the studio. We clean up pretty good though, don't you think?

We decided to reinstate the "Secret Santa" gift exchange. We did it a few years back, but we had so many part-timers for awhile that it wasn't really working. Now that we have this nice, tight crew it made sense to bring it back. There were lots of fun things.

Sam got a lunchbox. It was filled with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.














Amanda got a book and DVD. Guess what her favorite beverage is?













Stef got a hat that Sam knit for her here at work. Right under her nose!! Sam is clever.













Emily got socks. There were several pair. Here are the green ones.














Now I'm off for the holidays. A fews days in Wisconsin and a few in Michigan. I'm very ready to relax!

The Crud

Well, the winter crud that has been having its way with all of us finally found me. I woke up Saturday with an elephant sitting on my chest. It's moved around a bit, but much as I try to shake it, it has still chosen not to relocate.

I have to admit that I haven't been altogether diligent about trying to get well. It's really hard this time of year to take it easy. My first scheme was to get out and take a nice long run. The logic was that the exercise would quash whatever it was that ails me. No such luck.

Saturday night was the.party.of.the.season. I couldn't stay home from that, could I? It was at a new-ish friend's house a couple of blocks from home. This party was to die for. A string quartet played Christmas carols, the food was amazing, the people all a delight. There were 18 staff. Can you imagine? Ooh-la-la. I wonder if they would like to adopt me?

Sunday we had tickets to the symphony. It was the Holiday Yule performance with choirs, (adult and youth) dancers, and a visit from Santa. All very fun. Then home in my jammies and early to bed. Somehow an extra hour of sleep wasn't quite enough. The elephant still refused to budge. The nerve!

I finaly cried Uncle on Monday and stayed home from work and home from dinner out with Anne, who was in from Atlanta. I took off a half day yesterday to boot and I am finally back. Not 100 percent but I'm pretty close.

Tomorrow is the Lorna's Laces holiday party. We go to tea at a different hotel every year. This time it's the Ritz-Carlton. I've thought about doing something different, but traditions are nice. Especially this time of year.

I flew to Virginia Beach on Sunday to visit my mother. My original non-stop flight got canceled by the airline. I ended up going through Dulles and both of my new my flights were delayed. So instead of arriving in time for lunch, I barely made it in time for dinner. Then, my luggage decided that it wanted to spend the night in Washington DC.

I started to get upset but decided that since there wasn't anything I could about it, I might as well just roll with the punches. It is winter after all, and traveling this time of year comes with risks. The luggage arrived safe and sound in the morning.

Traveling in the winter also has it upsides. I rented a convertible for the same price as an economy car. I knew I was taking a chance when I booked it, but it paid off when it was 75 degrees and sunny during my visit!

I'm a sucker for a convertible. My very first car was a 1965 MGB. It was so much fun! Can anything beat having the top down on a beautiful summer day? I guess doing the same thing in the middle of the winter, huh? Especially when so much of the country was getting socked by an ice storm.

My sister and I took a nice long walk on the beach on Monday night. I rolled up my pants and played in the surf. We had a chance to talk about some pretty serious things. We visit on the phone all the time, but somehow it's different when you get a chance to do it in person.

When I got back to work on Wednesday, things were a bit crazy. It turns out that some kind of bug had come through in my absence and had it's way with the Lorna's Laces crew. Poor Sam has missed four days of work. Becca and Stef have both missed two. At least we're getting it over with before Christmas. It stinks to be sick during the holidays.

But, it has put a wrench in works as far as getting yarn dyed and out the door. I worked last Saturday and it looks like this weekend will be more of the same. Not that I'm complaining. I kinda like coming in on the weekends. It's nice and quiet. Peaceful almost.

Archangels

We got a call recently from a NY designer, _______ ____. They had seen our Angel yarn in a local shop and thought it might work for a garment in their fall collection. Needless to say, we were thrilled by the call! We sent samples and waited anxiously to hear back.

Well, they decided it would work so we got busy dyeing things up for them. Angel usually comes in little 1/2 oz. skeins or about 50 yards. They needed several kilos for the garments. It seemed silly to have it put up in such small quantities, so we had the mill do 8oz skeins. We decided to call them Archangels.

Kylie was busy getting the first shipment ready for them today and right next to her Emily was twisting some of the regular Angel. The contrast made us laugh.














A big pile made us even happier.













The designer has asked us to keep things under wraps until after the show in February. You'll be the first to know once I'm allowed to tell!

NYC, WIPs

Our trip to NY was wonderful. The play was even better than I'd hoped for! I'm particularly pleased for the lead actress, Deanna Dunagan. This is her Broadway debut and she's getting standing ovations. I've met her once or twice and it almost made me cry, I was so proud. Could I be a bigger dork?

We stopped at ABC Carpet and Home on Sunday and found a chandelier that might work in our dining room. I've never liked the one we have and after three years, I think it might be time. I can't say I'm actively looking for a new one, so I've decided to "glance". With any luck, in another three years the glancing will result in something I like. I worry that this one is a little too goth. One of our friends suggested that I paint the current one and see how it feels. This seems like a good idea. A can of spray paint seems like a much more reasonable investment than an entire chandelier.

If we do decide we like the look, we'll probably have to find another source. We stood around waiting for someone to help us for at least 10 minutes. The sales person was working with another client, but couldn't be bothered to so much as acknowlege our existence. I understand being busy, but a quick nod or "I'll be with you when I've finished up here" would have gone a long way to making me a happier camper. I have to admit I'm not the most patient of souls, but I don't think that's too much to ask.

There are just a couple of things in the WIP file today. First up are Stefanie's fingerless, flappy-top gloves. These are made from some handspun she picked up at Stitches Midwest this year. This is her last holiday gift project. No flies on her!











And here is the shawl I've been working on for the past week or so.
All the different stitch patterns have made it a good project for me. Nothing is complicated, but there's enough going on to keep me interested. Even better, it's one of those projects where I feel like "if I can just finish one more row" something magic is going to happen. While I haven't actually found the magic, I remain ever hopeful......Much like a Laborador Retriever.