Gratitude Day 6

I am grateful that I have health insurance that allows me to call and find out that the symptoms I am having are pretty much the order of the day for the string of viri making the rounds. Littlest has had, Little Hill now has it, it has even struck the Rock....who has gone off to work, despite my encouraging him to stay home and rest....

Some folks have asked about Caramel Apple Cider. It can be had at Starbuck's, although on the day in question, there was no cider in the coffeeshop.

Not even for ready money.

We subsequently went to Pete's who have nothing resembling cider, also not even for ready money. Apparently, cider is not coffee.

Panama Bay does have cider, but it is simpler and less expensive.

But by far the best to be found is at my local Borders store, in the coffeeshop aka Seattle's Best.....it comes with real whip and caramel sauce on top....served with a smile by the barrista who knows me because I go there every week for knitting.

Ain't it amazing how such a simple thing like Caramel Apple Cider can have so much behind it?

I have also been knitting....a little. Here is the feather and fan shawl I am knitting on very large but color-coordinated needles....I am using basically any odds and ends I can find with some main colors in mind....Here are the results so far. I am knitting with 3-6 strands of yarn the whole time, depending on weight and effect on size 19 straights. I started with a cast on of 38 stitches, allowing for 1 knit stitch on both edges and 2 repeats in the middle.

Here is the organic Brown cotton that I have been spinning for what seems forever. I have about 420 yds of it, in a sock to fingering weight. Don't ask me what I will do with it, because the color is soo strange for me and my family. I plan to boil it in soda ash though since this is supposed to deepen the color which might make a difference for me. I am hoping it may deepend to a coppery color, which can work.

Finally, the pillows in the family room are dead.

Yes, that's right, dead. You know, broken down, lumpy, floppy and in need of replacement.

But I have this stunning bit of shisha embroidery which was made into a choli like bodice for a young girl, that my cousin-in-law brought back for me. I am going to cut it up a bit and make it into pillows for the futon. I am going to replace the numerous pillows with 2 triangular bolsters for the ends. First I have cut muslin out, which will be sewn up, and stuffed with Bodybag.

Bodybag you ask? That is the moniker for the mohair that was given to me by an older guild member to clear out her space. It came in a bag that was approximately the size of a Bodybag, thus the name. I had it processed, as much of it was snarled and not so nice, although it had been washed nicely. However, I have since discovered that only the softest of the softest kid mohair may even approach my sensitive skin, and handspun is best. (Handspun yarn is frequently more soft, as the finest fibers can be difficult to spin on a machine....lucky me!)

I have found though that mohair makes lovely stuffing. Since it does not felt and is somewhat slick, the fibers slide against each other, lending stuffing a more yeilding feel. Perfect for pillows.

So I am making pillows, with Bodybag and shisha embroidery. When they are done, I shall post for your approval. Drooling is strictly not allowed.