Where to start ...I have so much to write that I can't even get to the opening paragraph. First and foremost, I finished the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer - 40 miles BABY and I did em' all! I have an excuse to sit now. You'd never believe it but I sat all day on Monday, and I looked at my yarn and my roving, and my spinning and spent some time reading my new book, "Yarn Harlot" from my SP, but actually did NOT knit or work on anything! 'HOOWHat'? , You say. I know sounds strange but I think I just DID SO much over the weekend, what with walking forty miles in the rain and sleeping out in a tent in between, I was juust a teeeny weeny bit exhausted. Just so you know, the walk is really AMAZING, and if you train well and keep hydrated and stay slow and patient you can do it! I recommend it to anyone. Men included - by the way there were several on this walk - many of them husbands of women they lost, or son's of women they lost to breast cancer, or just guys who can appreciate doing something for a cause. One of my friends, Robin, was doing it because his wife did it last year and didn't feel like she could do it this year. He also lost both his mom and his step-mom to breast cancer. Anyway, GET OUT THERE AND DO IT!!! It is a wonderful, and empowering experience.
Below is the beginning of a segment I wrote BEFORE I actually completed the walk:
Oh My... All I can say is my Secret Pal is soooo wonderful!! I just got such a lovely package and it brought me right back down to earth. She sent a sweet card with sheep on it, which reminds me I missed the NE Sheep to Shawl last weekend. O well. Next year I guess. She also sent some beautiful green Texas yarn, and some roving and a cute hand-painted spindle. And a book, and some note cards and some hand-painted sticky notes! I'm going to hop right on that spinning if I can do it sitting down on Monday, since I will be recuperating from my 40 - mile 2-day Avon Walk. I'm doing my Walk to raise money for Breast Cancer this coming weekend, and soon will be able to return to my normal couch-potato life of knitting and blogging again! Hooray! Odd that all this walking, has strengthened my legs and made me more energized, and yet... I've gained 5 pounds. People keep telling me it's muscle weight, - yeah..in my belly? I don't think so. I think exercise has made me more hungry and I'm eating more. So that poses an interesting question... if I stop exercising and go back to sitting on the couch and eating the way I used to will I lose weight? Hmmm, my sources say no.
OK, so I thought I would be spinning, but as you can see...nope. Too tired. I'm still too tired. Plus I took my spinning class over 5 years ago, and I've kinda forgotten how to hold the thread to add in the first piece of puff. I have to do some reading first to be sure I remember how. OOOh I will be posting pictures too, of all the things in my package! I would love suggestions for the gorgeous skein of Avocado colored Mohair (360 yards) she gave me. I'm thinking, obviously something lacy, but what? Socks? A small scarf? Patterns? Ideas? I need em'!
Oh back to spinning for a second - I've only taken one class using spindles, and have never even finished a a full spindle of single strand, tried a spinnning wheel, or plying, or anything else, and yet... my thought process goes wild instantly. First I think about spinning up some single strand yarn using the spindle, and plying it into a two ply or maybe a three ply. Then I start imagining getting a wheel almost right away so I can do more faster. Then I start envisioning maybe getting a bunny or a goat, and learning how to sheer/pull , and wash and card and die the raw wool. Then I imagine myself owning a ...now this is MY idea so don't steal it... A Working Wool - Bed and Breakfast! Fun for the whole family! WHEEEE. Ok, then I crash very fast down to earth since I live close to the city, can barely take care of myself and my family, and dogs and cat, much less more animals, land large enough to house them, and visiting guests!!!! Has this happened to anyone else? That's about all I have to say on that subject until I post my next post with pictures, hopefully of all my goodies and the beginnings of probably very lumpy spinning!
