Hacking Away

This has been (continues to be) the nastiest cold I've had in some time. For a while I lost all interest in food, knitting, or the new garden catalogs (!). Even stranger, the severe calorie restriction did not seem to trigger ketosis, familiar from intentional fasts. Could it be the severe restriction of activity, the nutrition content of phlegm (euw), muscle-wasting, or something else?



Whatever it may be, I managed to totter over to the Post Office to get this skein of Carioca in the mail to Sue, my first de-stash of the year.

For NaSpiMoMo, I finally plied and finished the STR Wensleydale started in November. It's uneven and DH pronounced it scratchy – not a best effort, but it's good enough, I like it, and it's my first FO of 2008.



The roving had the most beautiful sheen to it, which the yarn retains [g]. I drove myself bonkers trying to keep its color sequence intact too – now I know better. Without resorting to chained plying, I lack the necessary skill. I'm not going to fret about it, which simplifies Sheep 2 Shoe-type projects.

Not a political endorsement, just fact: in the days between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, my inbox exploded with anonymous emails smearing Barack Obama, but no one else. The sensational fear-mongering and lies are sorry stuff. I happen to belong to the same denomination as the senator and know the ones trashing his church distort Christian theology in very odd ways (rather like pretending the Eucharist involves cannibalism). Smear emails can be forwarded to the Obama campaign at watchdog@barackobama.com.

Also in my inbox, the flyer for the Smiley's sale, January 14-21. This is where one of the most magnificent knitters I know, Greg's grandmother, who makes each of her 24 children and grandchildren a colorwork pullover for Christmas, stocks up. There are incomparable bargains to be had, but it's not for the faint of heart!