One of Those Days - Weeks - Months - Lives...

My job sucks when I'm sick. You're supposed to be happy, enthusiastic, and you know talk to people. All the while not coughing up a lung, acting sick, or looking sick. All of y'all who work desk jobs have no idea how difficult it is to run around all day when all you want to do is curl up and sleep. Admit it. At a desk job, you can secretly sip Dayquil with your coffee and no one's the wiser. You can be in 'meetings' all day, or even possibly take a day of PTO. Us restaurant slaves, Ha! We work. We work hard, and we pretend we're not sick.

The first step of course is to mask the symptoms. The coughing up a lung thing can be accomplished with copious amounts of cold medicine. However, cold medicine has a strange effect on me. It makes me loopy, not tired, but loopy. Strangely forgetful, and basically an airhead. That's a great thing when you're running a huge restaurant with 20 employees there. Who by the end of the night think you're nuts. I have no idea why. It couldn't possibly be because I continuously forgot who I was talking to, or because I kept wandering into the keg cooler in search of cleaning chemicals, or because when asked simple questions I stared at them and said, 'what did you just ask me again?'. Or the fact I paid one of them to go get me more cold medicine. This is probably not as weird as the night I jumped around the restaurant using my Shape Up shoes like a pogo stick to stay awake while managing. That actually was without cold medicine, though so it really doesn't apply to this story, or day.

Of course they'll think I'm even more nuts tomorrow when I show up at the opening with the keys that are supposed to stay in the restaurant at all times. Somehow they rode home in my pocket. It's been one of those days.

Am I crazy?

Every year, for the past 3 years we have adopted a family for Christmas. We cut down drastically on how much we spend on each other, and instead bring some joy to someone who has a lot less. This year, we've adopted 4 teenage boys.

Yesterday their lists came in the mail, and like always I was surprised by the gift suggestions, clothes, winter clothing, and coats feature heavily.

These are kids who are in foster care, in group homes, or in severely poverty stricken families. They are fighting to stay afloat in the world.

So is it crazy to think about knitting each one a hat and scarf? Can I get this done in time? I only have about 3 weeks. Everyone loves a challenge but this is a biggie. That's 4 scarves, 4 hats, plus other holiday shopping to do. Not to mention that nasty little thing called work. And I have to shop for yarn first, because I think they should be superwash.

Oh well, at least I'm not considering knitting them all sweaters - at least not seriously. I don't think..

Snowed In

It actually has nothing to do with the snow that I was home all weekend. That was my big plan anyway, never leave the house, never get dressed, stay home all weekend. It worked. The snow was just an added excuse to the thing.

I did make stew, I made rice pudding with brown rice which turned out amazing, and I experimented with English Toffee in preparation for Christmas candy making.

I ate all 3 items to excess.

I spun 2 skeins of yarn and plied a 3rd.

Suffolk Yarn, so pretty but I have no idea what it's destined to be.

 

Handspun Art Batt

I finished a scarf and did 1.5 drop stitched scarves. I like this, pretty, fun, and I love the first one I did out of Araucana yarn. The 2nd I'm doing out of Cascade Pastaza in Forest, I love the look of this yarn, it's partially llama but I don't thoroughly enjoy knitting it. I have an amazingly cute hat made out of it though and the scarf will match.

Drop Stitch Araucana Scarf

Cabled Handspun scarf Merino/angora

Cascade drop stitch

Now it's the start of another week, and next week is Thanksgiving how did that happen?!