Rest day

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My suitcase finally showed up last night, which was very good news. I wasn’t particularly bummed about losing the clothes, but there’s some really good knitting/yarn/fibre stuff in there that would have broken my heart to lose. I was going to show you all that, plus everything that I knit while I was away, but I woke up this morning with a miserable cold (Flying and travel. Does it every time) and I fly again on Sunday, so I’m taking a part of a day off. I’m making tea, I’m using what little energy I have to have to do a few Sock Summit things with Tina (did you hear? Registration is Tuesday and I got up all of the homework and materials lists on the individual classes) and then, then I think I am going to do the only reasonable thing for a sick knitter to do.

Garterwoolstart220509

Garter stitch. Plain good garter stitch, in simple good wool.

112 thoughts on “Rest day”

  2. Enjoy your day off. I’m looking forward to seeing your many-shades-of-grey garter stitch project.
    Sock Summit registration opens, naturally, at the beginning of a 10-day period during which I will be unable to access a computer. My DH is going to attempt to register for me. I hope he succeeds.

  3. I just had one of those colds. My project was a garter stitch scarf with drop stitching. I hope you feel better soon

  5. Gosh! I hope you get better soon and its great that you got your suitcase. The flu has been hanging on around our office for over a month now so I hope you don’t have that one or h1n1 or swine flu or SARS or Bird Flu or anything. Take lots of vitamin C and raw ginger. Garlic works too but ginger smells better.

  6. Garter stitch is truly the cure for the common cold. Hope you feel better soon. I hot toddy always helps me get over a cold!

  7. Garter stitch, Tea, and if the sun is out in Toronto, then sit outside for a sun bath….you deserve a break!

  8. I got that cold also, without the flying. I have my ‘get through the symptoms’ stuff oscillococcinum (try say that ‘once’ fast), and it’s homeopathic. So I’ll muddle along for the weekend. Get better soon Steph.

  9. Garter stitch and wool, you bet. Shawl that Jazz got me through a nasty cold with something to show for it. hope you’re well by the time you have to fly.

  12. Oh dear! Get well! Lots of tea & rest! Can’t wait to see your garter stitch project! I love me some Eco-wool.

  14. Hope you feel better soon! Zinc lozenges, Zicam should help you get over that cold faster! Heal well and enjoy the knitting time!

  15. Oh, dear…Flying and travel did that to me always (back when I was flying and traveling).
    Lots of tea,lots of knitting and lots of vitamin C and ZINC always helps.
    Get well soon!

  17. Garter stitch, tea, chocolate, some music and a blanket, preferrably hand-knit.
    Get well soon!

  18. Garter stitch sounds like the perfect prescription. Glad to hear your luggage arrived. You can always get a new pair of black pants but it would devastate me to lose the fiber and that spindle (trindle…whatever it’s called….it looks cool) Feel better.

  19. I prefer stockinette. I knit continental so it’s easier because the stitches all face the same way. Pure mindless knitting. 🙂

  22. Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pien is an herbal supplement used in Chinese medicine. My acupuncturist got me using it anytime I felt a cold coming on. Over here, we can find it in natural foods stores/ co-ops. I swear by this stuff — in two years, I’m warded off over a dozen colds, and maybe had two minor ones (the herb is supposed to make the cold weaker). I wouldn’t recommend starting it now, but if traveling does you in, you might keep this stuff on hand to take whenever you feel whatever the very first sign of a cold is for you. I keep taking it until I don’t feel any signs of a cold. Sometimes all it takes is one dose.
    Meanwhile, I hope you feel much better soon — I’m sure the wool will help. I’m working on my first ever 2-color sock!

  23. Can’t wait to see what you make. Eco Wool and garter stitch. Is it an Elizabeth Zimmermann design?

  24. Garter stitch and Mason-Dixon knitting? sounds like a moderne log cabin to me… 😉
    Happy knitting, get well soon…

  25. Garter stitch is good. Also, try Emergen-C — I had a cold recently and took it just to appease my sister, who insisted it works amazingly well, and wouldn’t you know, she was right! My cold was *completely* gone — not even a single sniffle left — in slightly less than 3 days, definitely a world’s record for me.
    But chocolate and trashy novels also help. 🙂

  27. Feel better fast, even if it means we have to wait to see what comes from the wool and garter stitch.

  29. Sending warm woolly chicken-soupy get-well wishes. Now you have me wanting to knit something woolly and warm too, and it’s 90 degrees here. Sorry, I mean 32 degrees.

  31. Oooh, is that Cascade Eco Wool? I am making a little felted vest for my son out of that right this minute. It is really nice yarn. Plus, got it on sale!

  32. Rest and get well soon, tired + busy = sick.
    I’m only capable of garter stitch at the moment, maybe when school is over I’ll get back to more exciting knits.

  33. I don’t know, sounds to me like it’s time for a Noro scarf…You got me started on those and I’m on my second one. I love watching the colors change and interact. Mesmerizing! (And quite mindless!)

  34. Well, with 4 skeins of eco+ that’s an awful lot of garter stitch. I’m sure it’ll get you through just about any cold!

  35. You must be vigilant about germs when traveling. 1st rule: Never touch your face or your hair. This is an important rule in life and will help lessen how often you get sick. (Unless you have young kids, then you are just doomed) 2nd rule : Take antibacterial wipes with you and wipe down your whole area on the plane. This includes any part of the seat belt you touch, all parts of the tray table(including the latch), the arm rest and the fan/light stuff. After I leave the airport I wash my hands again, and then blow my nose to try and get rid of any germs that may have snuck up there.

  36. Feel better!
    Seriously, I’m sending my sister to see you in Dallas and I would be very sad if I didn’t get to see you vicariously. 😉

  37. Good, good. Garter and tea and knit. Good rx.
    Rest well, Blessings for deep sleep to you.
    M

  38. Wool and garter stitch seem to soothe me when I need it. And of course tea, it would be barbaric to consider life without tea. Have a good rest and take care of yourself!

  39. I can’t tell you how many shawls I’ve made, from Sally Melville’s Purl book, from that same EcoWool: in beige, light & dark, and white. Plus I made a two-tone sweater, also from same S.Melville book. That yarn is great; cheap (I mean: economical) and study & lovely natural colors. More healing to ya!

  41. Enjoy the wool and feel better. And just think how lucky you are that YOU don’t have to register on Tuesday. Imagine all us knitters hovering over our computers on Tuesday while you kick back and relax.

  43. You said it, Presbytera…I was thinking that too. Maybe it’s cold friendly (cannot take all those bright colors when feeling like crap or something)
    One of my legion of teacher friends doesn’t even toddy it…one spoon of honey, lemon and whiskey mixed together and slurped right down. 🙂

  44. And here I thought you were going to say that you were going to lay your head on that soft pile of yarn and just snooze. Which doesn’t sound like a bad idea. The wool fumes alone should cure you.

  45. Ah, sigh, to be a member of the knitocracy and be able to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollar on airfare and hundreds and hundreds more on hotels and restaurants to attend something like the sock summit. I’m green as a frog with envy for the wealthy knitter …

  47. If flying and travel always gives you a cold…try to amp up your anti-oxidants at least a day prior to flight, your whole trip, and a day or so after. Also keep pushing good fluids (coffee doesn’t count in this category). Give your body a little extra help to fight off all of the new germs. I love your blog, it is my lunchtime break everyday. Take good care of yourself.

  48. Be sure to add a shot of brandy to that tea. It definitely helps (at least it helps me not care that I’m sick). 🙂

  49. go on and cuddle up to that yarn. soothing cool gray and warm wool, with ginger tea on the side. hope you feel better soon.
    congrats on getting that data in place for the Summit!

  50. Ohhh, my favorite yarn, nice and fast on big needles and it softens up, minimal pilling. Are you going to make a bog jacket? That’s my guess.

  51. I sooooooo understand the comfort of garter stitch! That and the comfort of crime fiction novels when your arms get tired.
    I make garter stitch scarves for the homeless. They’re the perfect antidote to stress. Cast on 30-35 stitches, 5 mm needles, whatever yarn to suit,whatever length to suit, and you can knit absolutely without thinking. A friend takes them to her daughter’s church from where they are handed on to Mission Australia and from there to homeless people living in the centre of Sydney.
    Aaaaah…garter stitch for stress. I love it.
    PS. Rest. Lots of fluids. Take care.

  52. Yes, rest, knitting & tea (perhaps with a hit of something a bit stronger added!) and you will be feeling like yourself again! Thank you for being you!

  53. I hope you feel better soon! Garter stitch is a good place to be (much better than too sick to knit), but you’ll be better when you can do lace and cables.

  55. I would just like to bring your attention to the high and subtle art to which Presbytera has elevated nagging. Practically Zen — nagging yet no nagging.

  57. Lady P learned from The Master and thy name is Rams! Nagging indeed. How long has it been since anyone has uttered the ‘G’ word?

  59. My husband used to fly a lot on business and always came home with a wretched cold until he tried something we read about – spraying the air around your head on the plane with a spritzer bottle of water. Something to do with keeping your nasal passages moist. Sounds ridiculous but he never had another “travel cold.”

  60. hope you feel better — when i was flying a lot i found that using Zicam nasal swabs (not the spray or lozenges) right before each flight kept me from getting colds (i used to get them like clockwork after evert trip!). i don’t really know the real science of it, but i’m thinking some sort of lubrication in your nasal passage to ward off all that recycled air?

  61. You can never go wrong with Ecological Wool. I love that stuff, and it’ll be amazing in cushy garter stitch. Enjoy and feel better!

  62. At least you got your luggage but holy smoly you didn’t need to get another cold . As much as I hate taking meds I do take that cold fx when I know there are colds waiting for me and it works. Hopefully this sunshine and your knitting will kill it off in short order. when I do get a cold I say to heck with the meds just take a hot tody and go to bed. good luck with whatever you try.

  63. Go to the drugstore and get some Airborne! Drink, and appreciate the tangy flavor, realizing all the while that great vitamin and herb fighters are gearing up for doing battle with the unruly and unseemly germs who will be attacking you on your flights.
    I’m a third grade teacher. I have another scenario for teachers who need to take Airborne. Wanna hear it? 🙂

  65. Garter stitch + Moderne Log Cabin (baby blanket revisited in a loveseat throw = PRICELESS !!

  66. Rest = the best medicine!
    Note to world: Let Stephanie Pearl-McPhee rest. She’s got a bit of a cold and too much of the retrograde Mercury. Time for recovery is in order.

  68. Echinacea when I travel by plane, or as soon as I can when I get home. Swear by it!

  70. Take some zink (Coldese). It will make your cold 1/2 as long as normal. Hope you feel better soon.

  72. ooooooooooooooo Do feel better soon !
    Hate to say this but an “ill” co-worker came in with “a cold” and 1/2 of us are off with bronchitis! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Be careful! You may soon be able to cough like a seal in a circus (I hope not)
    Travel safe !
    PS: U may be needing something a wee bit bigger than Tea lol

  73. Hey, I’m sending my “get well soon” vibes to you too. Or, if you can’t be better as soon as you want, get lots of knitting time out of it.

  74. Damn, another cold? Rest well and get some lemon ginger tea into you. Always makes me feel a little warmer and fuzzier when I have a cold.
    And…ohgodohgod…is that? It IS!! Cascade Ecological wool? Is it a very course wool? I wanted to get some to knit a Hemlock or Girasol blanket, but haven’t been able to get my hands on that yarn to see how it feels.
    Would you compare it to Philosophers Wool at all?
    Ahem…feel better. The yarn should help with the warm fuzzies too. 😀

  75. Garter titch (shawl that jazz) and zicam worked for me. As a nurse, I must pass on the need to wash your hands often and long enough (sing the Happy Birthday song)with lots of friction! Feel well soon, Steph!

  76. Time to start taking that “Airborne” stuff or however you spell it. It works pretty well. Get well soon! Garter stitch is good.

  77. Remember before, when you were sick, and you drank a ton, to try to let yourself get well as fast as possible? Water. Lots of it.

  81. Rest well. Drink lots of tea, put your feet up and knit a little. We will be here when you get back.

  82. Welcome home! I also used to get a cold after every flight. Might you open up and aim that pressurized air nozzle onto yourself? The last flights I took, I left it turned off and stayed healthy. Yeah!

  83. oww. nasty stuff out there–hope you’re shed of it fast. Vitamin C, sleep, garter stitch! lovely wool there

  85. Ever since I’ve flown with my air filter, I haven’t caught a cold from travel. It’s a ribbon around my neck, and the “pendant” is a battery-size plastic containor that filters and blows clean air upward toward my face. Been wearing it for years -UNTIL my last flight on an airline whose name I won’t give but whose initials are CA (nothing to do with Canada, except that Canada and the U.S. and Mexico are on the same
    c________). They wouldn’t let me wear it because “it might catch fire”. Puh-leez!
    Feel better very soon. Hot tea and knitting are the best combination. No cooking. No cleaning.

  87. Nothing beats wool and garter stitch when you’re not feeling well. And for the tea, may I recommend a big slice of lemon, a slice or two of ginger, a squeeze of honey and hot water. Perfection!

  88. You have all the things you need for a speedy recovery, a loving family, some great yarn, tea and lots of rest. May your trip fare well. Godspeed

  89. Hope you feel better soon, Steph! while I love the idea of the Kinnear Camera, your next camera should definitely have a view finder… you know, just in case Mercury strikes again.

  90. TAKE ME TO YOUR CASCADE 220.
    Haha, just kidding. That looks so AWESOME!
    I’ll have to watch out for Mercury too; I’m heading up to Canada in 2 weeks, so hopefully Mercury won’t attack me!
    SylverX

  91. Hope you’re feeling better soon! Yarn like that can’t help but make you feel better… mmmm… garter stitch… almost as good as chocolate! When is your heavenly lace cowl pattern going to be available? I figure if I can start it by the end of June I’ll be ready for winter when it comes in September….(yes, we’re kinda’ north-ish)

  92. See now, there’s the proof (at least for ME) that God is a Jewish Mother – nothing for it, what you NEEDED was a few hours with a cuppa tay and some simple knitting. Set you right back up. :o) All of those things are restorative….and I would add, if you like it, a nice gless hot lemonade and honey, being as you’re off the chicken-soup cure.

  93. My preference for a cold or anything that might make you feel low is making finger less mittens. I have this very simple pattern that is what I call mindless. By the time you make a pair you feel much better. There is nothing like a simple project to keep you going. Hope you feel better by the time you leave for your trip. There is nothing worse than a cold while flying in a airplane. I have been there.

  94. My preference for a cold or anything that might make you feel low is making finger less mittens. I have this very simple pattern that is what I call mindless. It really helps.

  95. Back when my dad was traveling to Europe a lot, I got a postcard saying “Arrived in Zurich this morning. My luggage went to St. Louis.”
    My son’s father went to a science fiction convention in Chicago once; his luggage went to Tokyo.
    I may still have Dad’s postcard. I totally sympathise.

  96. Garter stitch can be very comforting to a sick knitter. The monotonous round-and-round of a plain sock can help too. Garlic, eaten raw can be fantastic for a cold. I take a couple of cloves, chop them up a bit and spread them on a few crackers. Then lay cheese over top and gobble the lot down. The cheese and crackers keep your taste buds busy so they doesn’t notice the garlic too much. Best to get the garlic down your throat before it has spent too much time in your mouth. Repeat a couple of times a day for two or three days and you will feel much better. No one will come near you, but who cares? Your cold will be history.

  99. Why don’t you live a little and knit something brigh red….. or blue and red…..or green and yellow? Why not be brave and “knit outside the box”???????

  100. The good news about colds (if anything CAN be considered about colds) is that they always get better in time.

  102. I also suggest trying Emergen-C and Airborne before you travel next time. Hope you are better soon!

  103. Travel cold. Ick. At least it waited until you were home to raise its ugly head.
    Hot ginger tea. Garter stitch. Resting in bed and drinking plenty of fluids (which then requires getting out of bed and going to the toilet… which is downstairs in my house!).
    Repeat until all better.

  104. Know the feeling well..
    Flew home from Eindhoven to Stansted (UK) last week..
    I got there – luggage didn’t….
    Didn’t care about, work, trainers, garmin, ipod etc in suitcase…
    Was gutted as teddy bear and knitting (own handspun!) was in there….
    Fortunately luggage was found in Stansted a couple fo hours later (it must have fell off the cart – APPARENTLY!! and I got back 2 days later ready to fly again 2 days after that!!

  105. Add Vicks to chest throat and upper back…one of hubby’s comfy old t-shirts over that and maybe a Hot Toddy alternating with the ginger tea… and cuddle up under a favourite afghan or quilt… :o)
    Feel better soon !!!
    (Don’t get the Vicks on your yarn though…)

  106. Planes and travel does do it more often than not. Bring on the hot lemon with honey and the clickety clack of the needles and you’ll feel better in no time.

  108. Ohhhh… cold from plane. YUCK. I have an essential oil blend called Thieves that I get from Young Living. It is a blend of rosemary, clove, cinnamon bark, lemon and eucalyptus. Comes in spray form and drop form. Website is : secretofthieves.com
    Apparently,its called Thieves because the thieves used to ward off the disease during the time of the Plague while the stole from the bodies.
    I have found it useful in the air plane environment, any sickness beginning, bladder infections and wisdom teeth coming in that I don’t want pulled. Best of luck!

  109. Dude, I hope you’re feeling okay.
    The contact form on SS09 is not working. I tried to find out how many spots there are per class. Please help!!!

  111. WAAAHHHHH can’t get into registration site :((
    It keeps timing out. . . good planning negated by server problems, wwwwaaaaahhhhh.
    Sobbing in the Sock-Shaped State. . .

  112. I’ve been using wet wipes on tray tables, hand sanitizer (on hands) and drinking Emergin-C on flights for a while now, which seems to help…and during my most recent trip a friend told me a trick for airborne stuff!
    He said (and I don’t know for sure that this is true, but he’s an engineer…) that all the fresh air in an airplane comes in through those little vents…so the trick is to use them full blast, and if you don’t want the cold air hitting you, then aim it just in front of your face. Seemed to work!

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