Ok. I’m up.

Yikes.  Here I am, late to the blog and missing several days and I’d be sorry about that, but I don’t have the energy.  I came back from Rhinebeck with a little yarn and a little wool and a lot of virus, and the cold that was just starting to make itself felt while I wandered the fairgrounds blossomed into a spectacularly hideous thing on Monday as I travelled home.

I was all about the tissues, handwashing and sanitizer as I went, but I still felt exactly like patient zero in a plague movie while I was on the flight. I’m sure the guy next to me felt the same way. I apologized profusely, and kept to myself, and when I got home I went to bed and stayed there until this morning, when I felt a ton better, and got up and started playing catchup with my desk.

Pretty much the only thing I managed to accomplish Tuesday and Wednesday was drinking a lake of tea and casting on incorrectly for a cowl. (More about that tomorrow. It’s a very nice cowl.)

Rhinebeck was, as always, all the best things about being a knitter, with beautiful weather

boatloads of yarn, sheep, goats, alpacas and llamas, and I loved it.

I didn’t shop as much as I have in the past, but I did see it all – and got a chance to do my favourite thing, which walk among my people. 

For two days the world was exactly as I would have it – sweaters, yarn

friends I only see once a year, and nobody who thinks that knitting is silly.

It was great.

Tomorrow I’m off to Vancouver for Knit City (all the classes are full, but I’m speaking on Saturday evening and there’s a few spots left if you’d like to join me.)

I’ll show you the cowl in the morning. 

148 thoughts on “Ok. I’m up.

  1. LOVE the blissfully happy looks on the faces of the fur-people receiving chin scratches!
    Glad you’re feeling better; traveling while sick is the pits.

  2. Thank you for the update. It’s probably embarrassing, how many people you have never met worry about you when you haven’t posted in a while. 🙂

  3. Problem with my cowl too. Nothing to do with the fact I can’t count…. Safe travels. Love the sheep photos. And that wool!!!

  4. Up and recovering is so much better than down with that cold. Have fun with knitting that cowl (and having the energy to again. It’s a wonderful thing.)
    And I’m so glad you got to go. Have fun at the next event too!

  5. Glad you are feeling better – getting sick while traveling is the pits.
    I’m also glad you took such wonderful Rhinebeck pictures. I was so busy enjoying my first visit to NY Sheep & Wool that I hardly snapped any pics! And I was very pleased that in spite of the crowds, most people remained friendly and calm. Knitters are amazing. 🙂

  6. The best sheep photos ever! Clearly, I ought to have spent more time with the sheep. However, we both noticed the wall of Seacolors against the barn wall. And I think we both have the same cold.

  7. I am glad you are feeling better but can’t help but wonder if you are setting yourself up for a relapse by traveling again so soon. Be sure to schedule some time for rest and tea. As we all know too well work will still be there when you recover.

  8. I ripped my honey cowl back from the cast OFF two nights ago while my husband said, “I just don’t understand. You’re done!” Dropped stitches, somehow royally screwing up the cast off…t was meant for a redo.
    Then I started fingerless gloves (though in GA, how often will I need them but I don’t care, I want some). Finished one. Screwed up the sewing up the side (cheater gloves with no thumb, just a slit for thumb). Nevertheless, I kept at it and am on the second. I will finish it, fix the first, cast back on the cowl and wait on your book with the vanilla sock pattern in it to get here. I’ve already bought yarn and needles!

  9. Woooooo! Wait!!! There are actually people who think knitting is silly!? Muggles. I guess I don’t give anyone a chance to tell me that. I knit on, oblivious to whatever others may think. 🙂 Glad the virus is giving up! Missed your posting here.

  10. You hit the nail on the head when you said that one of the best things about Rhinebeck is being around people who don’t think knitting is silly. That, and sharing it with my daughter and knitting friends, are the reasons I love it too.

  11. All of your pictures are so fabulous. I, too, could smell the wool through the screen! I’m so jealous. I would absolutely LOVE to go to Rhinebeck…one day it *will* happen. Can’t wait to see the cowl. I’m sure it’s glorious.

  12. THANK YOU! I needed a post, been hoping for one for a couple of days. It helps to have a voice or reason and wisdom while having to deal with the fall out of the Confederacy of Dunces currently in Congress.
    Now for the important stuff – cold therapy & relief I recommend:
    1.) Emergen-C Flavored energy fizzy drink mix (in your perferred flavor(s)
    2.& 3.)Dr Singha’s Mustard Bath & Mustard Rub
    4.) Traditional Medicine’s Gypsy Cold Care Tea sweetened with Honey!
    Thanks for being there today,
    Sandy

  13. Glad to hear you’re on the mend! Rhinebeck is definitely on my bucket list. I just discovered that I’ll get to check one thing off that list in March 2014, you! Can’t wait to see you at the DFW FiberFest!

  14. So glad you are feeling better. Sheep are such caring “people”. There is nothing like a barn full of “bleating hearts” when you are under the weather. They just bring on smiles. €;^>

  15. I had to fly once while I was sick and I felt terrible for doing that to everyone. Airlines should have a cold/flu clause that lets you cancel without penalty for the sake of the other travelers.
    I’m home with a cold now and it is amazing how much better I feel when I just sit, drink tea, and knit. I swear the knitting reduces my fever.

  16. Your blog just got another reader – my daughter, just two, told me “Baa sheep… I want to see baa sheep” when I tried to navigate away.
    The photos are gorgeous!
    All the best getting rid of the virus…

  17. So glad you are better! I had a cold/virus/plague thing as we are traveling in Greece. The good news is that in Greece, you go into a pharmacy and buy any one of a number of meds over the counter. The bad news is that all the information about what you have bought is in Greek (Imagine…). I am better now also although it was a few days of ugly. Can’t tell you how much I missed your input into the world. The pics are wonderful! I so need to go there.
    Welcome back to what passes for healthy.

  18. Take care of yourself with the cold.
    My bucket list just started with the only thing on it being a trip to Rhinebeck – after a horrendous past 18 months it is a delightful dream to have.
    I had a knowing feeling about the cowl, same here. Fabulous yarn, nice pattern, but the two together needed undoing. A friend at knit group put me on the right track for the right project with the fabulous yarn. Yesterday was seeking a pattern. Just getting back on the horse again (though having seen photos of me on a horse, where I was uncomfortable in the extreme, I should think of another analogy). Haha.

  19. It looks beautiful! So much fun!
    I’m glad you are feeling better. It never fails that you get sick at the worst times. Damn virus!
    Did you get to wear the sweater???? Pics please!

  20. I had that cold last week. To put it bluntly, it sucked. But tea with local honey made me feel better. Glad that you are, too. SAFF is this weekend for those of us in the Southeastern US. It’s not as big as Rhinebeck, but there are sheep, bunnies, goats and alpacas, lots of yarn and yarny friends. I’ll take it!

  21. Martha? They like to be scratched behind their ears too. Just don’t do it on their foreheads…it makes them fractious:)
    So glad you’re better! I’m just getting over a doozy tho not sure if it was a cold or inhaling a bunch of wheat dust…I was combining. Ugh it was awful.
    Steph, the second photo…the long forelocks. Merino? Lincoln long wool? Or am I really off the mark?

  22. Missed you, too… Glad you’re feeling better.
    I, too, have decided that Rhinebeck is a must for me for next year. Starting a Rhinebeck Fund and beginning the search for the perfect Rhinebeck sweater (or ????) pattern.
    Also a must for next year – a class or speech or sighting of the Yarn Harlot. Please, please, can you give us an idea where/when you will be in or near Northern California?

  23. I see that sheep are not unlike dogs–a little scratch under the chin can make their day. Your photos are lovely. Sorry to hear about the virus. On a trip back to Vancouver Island a few years ago, I came down with something just before we left, and while I didn’t feel too bad during the day, every night at seven p.m. I’d start getting a fever. Every night for ten days, I was in bed by seven thirty, aching and miserable. Since I was the driver, there was no night life for my daughter either. (who was quite put out with me.)I’m glad you’re feeling better.

  24. Glad you’re on the mend – we missed you lots! Our office has had that bug (or something similar) and I have just gotten over it after 3 weeks of SLOW recovery. I met lots of Alpacas on Marthas Vineyard in Sept – aren’t they lovely? Your sheep are so cute (and clean looking and friendly)…the only ones I’ve met here in California (in Sonoma) were on a farm, were filthy and scared of us. I need to go to Rhinebeck….and I add my vote to the “want to see your finished sweater” crowd. Stay well.

  25. Glad your feeling a bit better. Like you, I love being at Rhinebeck among “our people” and seeing what lovlies they’ve knitted for the event. We make a day of it with another couple, stopping at the Beekman Arms on our way home. I’m already looking forward to next year!

  26. Feel better soon, Steph! I was at Rhinebeck for the first time, and I agree with you on all points. (I was the one who “sneakily” tried to photograph you and got caught. You admired my handspun scarf. I love you.) Take care!

  27. I’m glad it was just a cold, and that you weren’t trampled by the stampedes of people at Rhinebeck (I was there Saturday and it was mobbed). I hope you are feeling better. I will try the chin rub thing with the next sheep I meet. Lovely pictures.

  28. Steph!! I thought I was imagining things when I finally got to meet you and I was flabbergasted that your voice was so … HUSKY. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better & also relieved that you don’t actually sound like that normally. lol I really appreciated you taking the time to fix my slipped stitches, then pose for the 1st sock pic and sign my copy of Yarn Harlot!! It was awesome to meet you – my husband laughed at me a lot because I was so giddy about it.
    I didn’t get to tell you how gorgeous your sweater turned out – I especially loved that collar. Great work as usual.
    Looking forward to seeing this cowl that didn’t cooperate on the first try – how dare it!
    Safe travels on your next journey – 🙂

  29. With the damp and chilly weather we’ve been experiencing in Ontario, I sincerely hope that you have not been engaged in Furnace Wars while recovering from your virus!

  30. With the damp and chilly weather we’ve been experiencing in Ontario, I sincerely hope that you have not been engaged in Furnace Wars while recovering from your virus!

  31. Wow-you took some really beautiful photos. I wandered around all weekend with my camera in hand & didn’t snap a single one. I’m claiming delirium due to wool fumes–

  32. If I lived closer, I would bring you some of the mushroom barley soup that I made and froze. Hope you feel better soon. Would you consider coming to the MD Sheep and Wool Festival on the first weekend in May?

  33. Ah, Steph, so glad you are feeling better. That cold is making it’s rounds down here in the Midwest and has made it’s home in my house about two weeks now. Don’t over do. You want to stay better.
    Love the pics, though I did not there was not one of the fabulous Rhinebeck sweater. Waiting patiently. :D:D

  34. Looks like heaven!
    Those sheep are so cute! And the alpacas! I’m sad you were sick but I’m glad you’re feeling better.
    As you know from the Silk retreat I went to and had a cold at, hot tea and tequila are pretty good at making you feel better. 🙂 I think fickleknitter provided both to me, actually. (We were the Pi Hos.)

  35. Love the photos, thanks for sharing them! Sorry you’re feeling puny and have to travel again – I’m thinking a little pond of whiskey in the lake of tea would go a long ways towards kicking those germs right outta there.

  36. I came down with the Rhinebeck Crud too! Coughing and sneezing and wheezing, and the worst part is, I don’t even feel up to knitting any of the gorgeous yarn I bought!

  37. “I came back from Rhinebeck with a little yarn and a little wool and . . .”
    . . .either you were already pretty ill when you arrived, or you’re having everything else delivered! (Can just imagine you taking your new pet/source of fleece to knit night :-)!)
    Seriously, glad you’re feeling better. We got hit by an Alberta Clipper bringing colder, drier air and my nasal passages are throwing world-class tantrums over it, so I can imagine how you felt in the dry air of an airliner.
    The photos are wonderful, BTW.

  38. I haven’t had a cold in over a decade, which is a small reward for being a public school teacher. Your pace of life, frequent travel and subsequent exposure to exotic germs prob contributes to illnesses, but don’t give anything up, I vicariously live the dream life of wool indulgence through your blog. Ok, back to grading papers. . .

  39. I think the virus thing is all up and down at least to the Mid-Atlantic states. We’ve got the same nasties in my area. Glad you are feeling better. I wish I was. However, I’m still in awe of your photography skills while sheep petting. Very cool.

  40. Sorry that you got sick while at Rhinebeck, and even worse that you had to fly home sick. Glad that you are recuperating, but sorry that you have a mound of work to catch up on (where are those darn “brownies” when you need them???)
    Now, I do feel slightly better that I couldn’t make it to Rhinebeck to walk “among our people”. Non-knitters just don’t get why we have this calling…personally, I am now packing to fly to Vogue Knitting Live at the Hilton Palmer House. I am going to love the looks on the faces of the other people who don’t realize that there is a knitting convention at the hotel.

  41. glad to hear that you’re feeling better. i’m determined to get to rhinebeck next year. i’ve been knitting since high school (i’m 30 now) and through many ups and downs, it’s always sustained me. i would LOVE to meet the crazy collection that make up this wonderful world of fiber lovers. xo

  42. I also was growing concerned at your long absence, sorry you came down with a killer cold. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better, though. I just wanted you to know that you have been the inspiration to my sock knitting. I tried it once or twice and hated it, (tiny yarn, tiny needles, second-sock-syndrome, awful coloured yarn, etc.) but I keep seeing the gorgeous sock you make and now I’m dying to knit socks. Let’s hope I pick better yarn and a pattern this time around!

  43. It was great fun seeing you at Rhinebeck on Sunday (wearing Hanne Falkenberg’s Gloria in orange with my darling daughter in her handpaint Boxy) and admiring the fantastic fit of your Afterlight. That Amy is a genius! And so are you, evidenced by your beautiful images — especially the one of the kids walking the camelids in the ring. We were sitting in the stands and thinking how beautiful it was but our pictures turned out crappy. Oh yeah, we also tried to capture the awesome faces of the sheeps. Those also came out crappy. And the selfie we took of ourselves with the beautiful autumn leaves in the background? You guessed it … got the side of a van instead of glorious leaves. We’re much better knitters than photographers, thank heavens!

  44. “I ….do my favourite thing, which is walk among my people.
    For two days the world was exactly as I would have it – sweaters, yarn, friends I only see once a year, and nobody who thinks that knitting is silly. ”
    This is exactly the way I feel about Madrona and the Port Ludlow retreats. I look forward to late fall and winter because of those events. See you soon, and be well.

  45. So glad to hear you’re feeling better. I caught a big bad nasty on a cruise last week & can totally sympathize (hack, hack).
    Love the photos, Steph! Yes, sheep smile! And they’re wonderful, endearing creatures, aren’t they? I love my flock. 🙂
    Can hardly wait to see the cowl.

  46. Reading about your uncooperative cowl, and then the comments with multiple fractious cowls makes me want to cast on a cowl and have problems with it so I can be part of the solidarity going on.

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