I woke up this morning with some kind of mid-trip malaise. A bit of a runny nose, a few sneezes… probably more to do with all the planes and hotels than any actual illness, but I started mainlining Emergen-C just the same.  I have no idea if it works, but at least if I take that stuff it feels like I tried to fight back- I wasn’t just haplessly victimized by a stupid virus.  (I’m convinced that I get sick when I travel so much because it’s just too much exposure to the rest of humanity.  The planes, airports…hotels… everybody all crammed in together.  I’m a religious handwasher, but it never seems to be enough. If you’re going to come in contact with hundreds of people a day, then you know one of them is going to give you something.) Today’s a good day to rest, fight back, and pull it together.  Today I’m making my way from Fort Worth, Texas  to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and writing this to you as I wait for my first flight.  I don’t have to teach until tomorrow, so today I can just stagger through airports, knit and go to bed early. It’s exactly what I need, and I can tell it will work like a charm.  I finished my Suki, and it’s crammed in a corner of my suitcase, waiting to have the ends woven in and be blocked – so on this flight I’ll be knitting the pair of socks I had kicking around.  They’re pretty close to done, so before I left I grabbed  a skein of yarn that I bought at MadTosh last night (don’t pretend to be surprised.  I walked out of there with only six skeins of yarn.  I consider it a personal victory.  I stuffed them in my shoes, then in the suitcase.  Good tip.)

The skein in my purse isn’t wound or anything. Just stuffed in the bottom of my bag as a little insurance policy.  It’s two pretty short flights today- Fort Worth to Chicago, and Chicago to Minneapolis, but you never know, and I can think of little else more dangerous than me trapped at O’Hare waiting for a connection that never comes, and then running out of yarn.  Best to protect against it, for the sake of all concerned. 

That skein – I’d take a picture of it if I thought it wouldn’t suck in this light, is the loveliest thing – and lovely is the best way to describe last night at MadTosh Crafts.  The minute I walked through the door I wished I’d taken the big camera with me, my little iphone camera doesn’t do it justice. The whole place was set up by colour and yarn type, with tidy little cubbies full of miracle yarns – and the entirety of it made me want to go organize my stash.

There was fabric, and ribbons and no end of interesting stuff everywhere. 

I love the premise for the shop- it is, of course, owned by the lovely Amy herself, just like Madeleine Tosh yarns is, but it’s another business entirely.
It’s sort of a crazy thing, a yarn company owner opening a shop that sells other people’s yarns – but as Amy explained, there was a need for a local community shop, and that’s what they’ve tried to open.  No online shopping, no shipping… just a shop for Fort Worth, full of great yarns that they love, an alternative to a shop like Joann’s for people looking for a different sort of materials.  It’s a really nice idea, and the staff was so nice, and the knitters were so nice (you had to know that was coming) and let me tell you,

The whole thing came together beautifully, and I was so happy, and so proud of myself for overcoming the urge to buy a whole whack of yarn that… well.  I bought a whole whack of yarn, but it was for a nephew sweater, so it doesn’t matter… right?  Right.  Thanks for your support. 

The next few days are all about stalking Prince visiting Minneapolis, and hanging out at StevenBe.  If you’re in the neighbourhood, they have a great idea for the talk on Thursday night.  All proceeds to their Creative Community Foundation and the fiber arts programs at the Waldorf School, and everyone agrees that this is a super fun shop and community.   Very cool.