FIRST??? You had me rolling my eyes at the second paragraph. Yeah, right. Enjoy the alone time. It won't last long. And if you are really lonely, I would bet Hank's or Luis' mother would love a break!

That loneliness has created some pretty gorgeous handspun yarn! Spinning looks like so much fun, I think it'll be the next hobby I pick up.

I have 4 kids underfoot all day, and usually a few "extras" that seem to get in when I'm not looking. (I thought I childproofed!) There is no banana on my leg, but only because we are woefully overdue to go grocery shopping. I just haven't felt like taking all 4 kids to the store with me.

I'm not a spinner (yet) but there is a test knit I need done by Easter, so I'm pushing myself to get it done this week. It's knit in the round, and spinning goes round and round, so that counts, right?

"...the delusions that take over a woman in March in Canada are varied and crazed." Ha! Yes.

"It would be like I lived with elves. The house would be spotless, I would make myself nutritious little meals, and go for runs, and I would probably lose at least five pounds. It was going to be amazing." Ah, the delusion is SO beautiful, isn't it? This is how I thought my retirement would be. HA! I still have to stay up for three hours after my husband goes to bed to get any serious knitting done. Spinning first? No, but I'm looking at my wheel a lot more. Next week, I'll visualize myself sitting at it...

Just for the record, Toronto is not ALL of Canada and March in "Canada" can be lovely, depending on where you are. There are lots of flowers in the Fraser Valley (BC) in March. My crocuses are up and blooming and my daffodils are well on their way, but not open yet. My pansies have been showing blossoms for a few weeks already and I have a container of primulas on my front porch.

Isn't this always the way? Thinking that just because the schedule is different, somehow you'll be different too? I'm a working mother of a two year old, and pregnant with the second. I find myself daydreaming about all the things I will "do" when I'm on maternity leave. As if I will be doing anything besides sitting on the couch topless, feeding a newborn and watching X-File reruns on Netflix. Actually, now that I mention it, sounds pretty good!

March in Western Mass can induce similar delusions. The problem is, we don't get a break in March. No -- they stick it in February (the shortest month of the year) and then again in April (really? didn't I just have these kids underfoot?)

For me, March is the LONGEST month of the year -- it should be spring, but it's not. No chance of even dreaming of a trip. Just pure survival.

Lovely yarn. I've resisted spinning thusfar, but you make it look so appealing!

You have proved again that a lot of how we feel about present circumstances has to do with our expectations going into those circumstances.

We all do this, of course, with some opportunity or a change we see an idyllic possibility and focus so hard on this fantasy that we lose a tiny bit of our grip on reality. That's OK, we need to dream and muse and believe.

The trick is to roll with reality as it unfolds. It is ironic to feel a twinge of loneliness, but completely natural. Going from a seeming madhouse of 3 young girls to only 1 nearly grown girl (who is gone for a few days) and a temporarily absent husband is a big shock to the system.

I'm glad you've gotten so much spinning done - that's rolling with reality in its best and most literal sense!

And btw, nice title. Though I can scarcely imagine you have ever watched an episode of Breaking Bad. But I do appreciate the word play.

It is gorgeous yarn. I don't know about loneliness right now, but that is because I'm barely awake. It is hard to articulate any feelings or sensations when you are trying to nap sitting up while not napping at the same time.

So, if anyone has the secret of napping and not napping at the same time, do tell! I'm pretty sure that it involves colocating, which I haven't managed to do yet though I try every day!

Michigan's essentially Canada (except for ... a very long list) -- at least weather, at least Toronto. And my Georgia/Tennessee father always said it's never spring in Michigan until it's snowed three times on the tulips. (Not blossoms -- snouts will do. But he's been right ever since I've been watching.)

You will not lure me into spinning. No no no. Will. Not.

Gods, that's pretty yarn.

Gorgeous yarn! Having been in both boats (lonely and WISHING for lonely), I just live in the moment. And, regarding the cat--we call that recreational vomiting. It's their favorite pastime, the little beasts.

No, not spinning (and haven't in a big way since Buttonbox), but now you've prodded me I might go and find that cherry red merino silk that's hiding in a shoebox on a shelf. Maybe if I had a wheel I'd be more productive in the spinning line...

This is my favorite of the "spinning first" yarn series and it makes me want to learn to spin.

OMG. That roving is calling my name. . .

No wheel, no spinning, but yes, knitting, sewing up a sweater and then to block. The first sweater in more than 20 years! A few have been knitted in the round ala "Knitting with no Tears" and one Icelandic also on circulars with no seams. Next one is ready to go with yarn I purchased 4 or 5 years ago (kept in plastic bags and churned regularly and carefully watched over).

Am I spinning? Yes, of course. Knitting? You bet. These two things are my sanity, while my three children (whom I home school) are with me all day, driving me nuts intermittently. Whenever I feel I will lose it, I stop everything, curse at the laundry, send the children upstairs to do something quiet, and then I sit down and knit more of my sock. Or spin a few yards more of my hand painted roving. After a few minutes, my three year old will start screaming, and the 8 year old will come down and say he's hungry, and the ten year old will ask me if he can type on the computer.
Ahhhhh..... There will always be tonight, when the kids are in bed, and I will have one uninterrupted hour of knitting or spinning before I fall into bed, exhausted...

Yarn Harlot strikes again - making eaach of us non spinners yearn to be Harlotous with our own stashes - yet monogamous enough to get a skein of homespun produced in less than a week ... I have yet to succumb to the temptation of purchasing my own spinning wheel but it seems more likely it shall appear in my near future. Husband beware - oh and my 2 kitties often enjoy the recreational vomiting as well - thankfully we're on a single level so no stairs to attempt a stealth attack. :)
Best of luck with the rest of your "Break"...

I am not a spinner, so this may be a stupid question.

Does yarn take up less space than batts? I mean, does it actually make room in the stash to spin batts into hanks of yarn?

Or are you just changing the nature of the fiber to put the exact same fiber in the roughly same-sized stash-occupying space?

In Massachusetts, where you actually were a week and a half ago and I had actual plans to attend your event, but DH was singing and DD was partying and that left me and DS holding down the fort, the public schools (K-12) have a week off in February and another one in April. So there is not a whole lotta breaking going on right now. Nonetheless I was feeling vague stirrings of an urge to spin, which I hadn't in a while, even before reading your post. This does not make sense, what with the ever-so-gradually-get-on-with-it-already warmer weather, but there you are.

LOL I know that "lonely" feeling! I have 3 children, who are now grown. I used to pray for days like that!! Now that I can have them, I miss having my kids so will fill my days with grandchildren!! How crazy is that!! Beautiful hand spun!! OMG

Speaking of cat barf. How often does she do this, exactly? What do you feed her?

Because I and a lot of other people have experienced a big improvement on barfing and other things when we switched to a grain-free food.

I thought cat yack was just something that happened every couple of days until we switched our Pauli to a grain-free food. Not only did she never yack her food up again, as a bonus she quit licking all the hair off her stomach.

Changing from dry food to wet food was similarly miraculous. I have warm feelings for Millie because she reminds me so much of our Powdie, who we lost last Nov at 19.

I stepped on a cold wet hairball this morning, but it's the first one in...I don't know...months at our house.

Another cat question: how do you spin w/o the cat getting into the wool, the part of it that you're trying to spin, the wheel, the singles when you're plying, the skeins as they hang to dry... HOW?!?
Because I would love to spin, but I know that as soon as I bought a wheel and brought out my little stash of roving that I'd have 2 furballs with claws all up in that business. As it is, I generally have to go to a coffee shop to knit more than a couple of rows.
HOW?!?

ahhh, I understand. The cat's responsibilities include throwing up on your stairs. got it.

LOL...enjoy your lonliness and enjoy the return of your loved ones just as much! I work full time and when I get a little time off, I always dream of all the knitting and crafting I'm going to get done. HA! Sometimes you just have to give in and take a nap with the cat(s)...

Lovely yarn! I don't and won't spin but jeepers that's pretty.

Our kids are grown and gone and Durwood was a traveling salesman so I had quite a few of those "lonely" days, then Durwood retired and is home day after day after day after day... hobbyless and always making some sound to distract me from my serenity. It's difficult to court any muse with the Game Show Network or the History Channel blathering in the kitchen while he's making supper. That's a long-winded way of saying, appreicate that loneliness while you can, cat barf and all.

P.S. I sorta forgive him the noise because of the whole meal planning/grocery shopping/food prep/cleanup that has become his retirement hobby. Ask me how many pounds I've put on.

But at least the dishes pile up more slowly, right? Right?
In my spinning, I've got another aliquot of alpaca ready to put on the drum carder. It's a start...

Ah, spinning. I remember spinning. Where was I when I spun last....? I believe it was at the Kalamazoo Highland Festival, back in August 2012. That seems about right.

My job gets in the way of doing a lot of the things I'd like to do MORE.

As to the cats, well, it's a gimme. Feed them vaseline on their front paws. It helps them pass the hair, and don't overfeed--I've got one cat who swallows her food whole then wonders why she's barfing up a lung 5 minutes later--the stuff swells in her belly, and it's not pretty when it comes back out.

I wish I had some time to myself. With the move and a toddler and all the stuff that comes with moving...it means that my "alone" time is after everyone else is in bed.

Yes, kids, I have been sacrificing my sleep to knit and hash out some designs in my head. ::sigh:: Maybe that's why, during my full waking hours, I don't think said designs will work...

Yes, I'm spinning this week -- I'm a new spinner (wheel arrived March 7th) and I'm just trying to figure this all out and hoping someday to have skeins as lovely as yours

When you said "mumcation" all I could think was "Mummification? Exactly how is she spending her time this week?"

You know how your eyes read ahead of your brain, looking at just the beginning and end of words and fills in the blanks? There is a famous paragraph that makes the rounds occasionally which reads like nonsense, except when your brain fills in the blanks between the first and last letters, you can make sense of it. Ok, so, if you buy that, you'll understand why I read your one sentence as: "I love me a good mummification."

Here, down in the States, spring break is not yet scheduled, but spring like weather played with our heartstrings a bit over the weekend. My little kids are grown now and I too sometimes get the, "what? now all of the sudden nobody needs me?" twinges. They are so unfamiliar I often fail to recognize them. However, all those kids (now grown) still live at home with me, they just don't require constant vigilance and entertainment/containment. Beautiful yarn, just simply gorgeous. You have so much talent.

I've got Coopworth on a spindle, cheviot on another spindle, Fawkland on a third spindle and Targhee on the ladybug wheel. I've been spinning but not finishing. Off to spin some more and dream of the mittens I'll be knitting with the Coopworth!

I sent my dude away this week to his grandparents, 3 hours away (through Toronto). I had so many things on my list to get done but alas, time stands still for no woman. I did get a closet cleaned out but that was the extent of it. *sigh* maybe next year.

you make me want your fresh new yarn so badly.

I have the solution for your lonely. That's what WE are here for. You just put a raffle kind of thingie on your website, and for $10 we all get a chance to win that merino-silk blue skein. I shall send my $10 now - do you have a paypal account? You know we all want it, er, all want to cheer you up, I mean.

I most certainly am spinning first, this week. I have almost 150 grams of 200 grams of roving spun up, so far. Admittedly, I started with a couple of unfinished projects, but the progress feels so good!
My teenager requires pretty much no extraordinary care or feeding, and my cat is less interested in, umm, painting the stairs, than treating my lap like an amusement park ride. She sits across my knees, ever so gently applies the pins and purrs away, while I treadle. First the front end goes up, then the tail end goes up, then the front end goes up... You get the idea. I just figure it's a little extra aerobic workout while I spin. That and a little extra fibre blending -- I have cat hair in every yarn I make. Can't be helped.

I spun so much this weekend, my drafting fingers were a little numb Monday. I might pick it back up tonight. I want to finish this merino silk blend and get to the plying part soon.

Molly : )

Know the empty nest feeling well, most of my day is spent by myself well the adults in the family do their thing. Than 4:00 everyone is up and home. Knitting time comes when the errands are done , or I am about to lose my cool. The cat thing yup have that too, in fact the culpruit is sitting on the sofa waiting for me to begin knitting , otherwise it's nap time.

Could you post some of your favorite knitting blogs? Thanks!

Your post makes me want to try spinning, but I think my husband would freak out if I took up another hobby in our tiny living room. Perhaps some day when we have a house (and I have a craft room)!

Oh GOOD; it's not just ME! When I get the rare weekend alone when my husband takes our son (whom I homeschool) somewhere for male bonding, I dream of all I am going to be able to DO, only to get depressed at how little that ends up being....

Oh, yes, and I planted snow drops a looong time ago. Now if the temperature even threatens to get above zero C., I have little white flowers nodding at me. It takes the edge off. Honest.

Well, It's sure looking like spring down here in Nova Scotia, we have inch and a bit high daffodil sprouts growing. Maybe I should send pictures to give you a little bit of cheer. :)

YES, apart from three kids from 6 to 11 and a half-time-job - I put spinnig first this week. And that's what the house looks like right now -.-
And what did I get? I spun a 120g- merino strand and just begun to ply. But I'm spinning with a drop spindle and its only my second strand ever - so I pull myself together, don't mind the f*ing weather outside and ENJOY my yarn. Reading your blog always cheers me up so much. Thank You!

I have definitely been trying to put spinning first! It means a lot of little fits and starts, spinning for about twenty minutes and then having to put it down because I start to get fatigued and my spinning goes to crap. I got this lovely merino/tussah blend from my LYS, and I'm trying to spin about eight ounces of it.. enough to make a really beautiful thick warm scarf. The yarn store owner dyed it herself, and it is all these lovely shades of blue-grey, and it's so beautiful I feel like I don't deserve it!

Sometimes I wonder how much spinning and knitting it will take to use up all the unlabeled yarn and batts, and get down to the ones that still have their labels. Did you label the yarn you just made with your best guess as to what it probably is?

"Empty nest syndrome", say I. "What's that?"
"You remember," answers the hubby. "It's how you felt for the first 5 minutes after the youngest left home."

Beautiful hand spun! My son is not yet in school, so I am actually benefitting from spring break, as I now have a babysitter! And to top things off, my counsin's break is next week, so I have a sitter two weeks in a row!!!!

I "retired" from working part-time at the beginning of the year. Husband has had 1 upper respiratory infection, 1 sinus infection & 1 weird something we decided to call a cold in addition to falling off concrete steps while still landing on his back on aforementioned steps during an ice storm. As soon as he finished the sinus infection I came down with it...as these were consecutive events (some involving x-ray, ultra-sound & Dr visits) you might guess I'm not feeling the wonder of at last "having time". This week was going to be it! There are signs of spring and actual sunshine. I was ready...My granddaughter(almost 6) has been spending the nights & days since Saturday as Mom is in the middle of job training. Next week for sure!

"It would be like I lived with elves. The house would be spotless, I would make myself nutritious little meals, and go for runs, and I would probably lose at least five pounds. It was going to be amazing." Ah, the delusion is SO beautiful, isn't it? This is how I thought my retirement would be. HA! I still have to stay up for three hours after my husband goes to bed to get any serious knitting done. Ditto from me. UFOs are still UFOs with me knitting for my neice's BD in April. Retired for 3+ years and my pictures still are not organized, my UFOs are still that and my house is still my mess! The yarn you are spinning is so gorgeous makes me wish I could spin!

I completely understand that lonely, alone feeling. I found myself alone, in my house, without any children or husband for 5 hours over the weekend. And I don't really know how I found something to do. Too quiet, no one needing my attention. I know I'll need to get used to it, but it was some what unsettling.

i managed 6 days in a row off from work!! i hope it goes by at a snail's pace. and that yarn is beautiful!!

I have those same crazy thoughts when I get some me time... all the things I'm going to accomplish.. honestly who am I kidding???? lovely hand spun by the way.

What is it about a week's break that makes normally sane people think it will be possible—really, I mean, super likely—to accomplish a list three times longer than ever gets done in any seven days? Next week is Spring Break here in Fort Collins, Colorado, and I'm living with that delusion.

Actually, looking for flowers isn't that crazy. I'm just south-east of you in Leslieville and I have snowdrops in my front yard. Plus my hellebore is putting out shoots, though not 'flowers' yet (I know they're just leaves, not flowers, but they look like flowers).

I haven't gone into the back yet because that leads to me wanting to clean it up, and it's too cold to take the bed of leaves off the tender shoots.

The main thing I love about the house to myself is the quiet. Now, if I could just put away the electronics, and actually DO something (I mean something real, not something in the virtual world!).

But, like all of you, I never get nearly all the things done on my "list"...could there be a problem with the "list"?

you have a knitting chair?

Spinning? No-all I have is a drop down spindle (and haven't 'mastered' it yet), but I have my loom set up to make 'mug rugs' ie-coasters for Christmas presents, so of course I'm sitting here KNITTING. True-it's mittens for my Mom (out of sock yarn) but still-I need to clear out some of my stash by weaving it up as we will be moving with-in the next couple of months. -- We have put an offer on a house-and it has been ACCEPTED!! Though I'm looking forward to the PACKING I do like the idea of more SPACE for my 'crafting'.

Joe's away; spin the grey.

Kristin...I am w/ you. Also a working mother of a 14 month old w/ #2 on the way...and your comment "As if I will be doing anything other than sitting on the couch topless, feeding a newborn, and watch X-Files reruns on Netflix"! I'm right there with you!

My husband was gone for 9 days helping a friend fix up their newly purchased condo. I was SO looking forward to those days to do my stuff!! First, I got sick then nothing got done. What happened to those days? I have no idea..... some loneliness, some sleeping, no "stuff".....

It was so gorgeous here in Boston yesterday (sunny and 54F/12C that I left this morning without a hat, scarf or mittens. Today was grey, windy and 37F/3C. Needless to say, I did not do my after-work-outside-errands.

That is beautiful yarn! I'm drooling here!

I keep dreaming of winning the lottery so I can stay home, acknowledge the alone-ness, and just make stuff. Unfortunately... no luck there yet.

Your yarn is gorgeous! I love the colors. I am a bit distressed over my attempts to learn how to spin. I just don't seem to get the feel of it.

I'm not spinning this week, although it is the start of a holiday and I do feel the pull to get in as much as I can... which I'm managing to resist in favour of some lovely relaxation (with lots of knitting & wine).

And, you'll be so happy to know that here in Toronto, I saw snowdrops this Tuesday. Spring will be here soon... albeit likely after another snowfall!

Oh, I so want to be a delusional Lunatic expecting Spring in March. No, stuck here in TX. Where we have already packed up the hand-knits, turned on the a/c most afternoons, and think mojito, not hot mulled wine. No, not expecting Spring in March. Fearing, dreading, quaking - how soon will it be 105°(F) and how long will it last?

Beginning the 2nd leg of bobbin 5. Could not manage choir tonight. It is so cold in Ct right now and I work in a great big brick, mortar, stone and metal place called a warehouse..that is full of metal shelves 2 and a half football fields long. It has a very big concrete loading dock with 6 doors...several of which seem to stay open most of the day..letting cold air in the dock.

I live ...aaah, I mean work on that dock and my joints finally said "ENOUGH ALREADY".

So at home I stay...and spin, turn up the heat, drink tea and go to bed early.

bjr

Perfect timing for me to read this! I just became self-(un)employed and had similar delusions - working from home means I'll have all this time to knit more, learn to spin, maybe even finally put the loom together and weave... HAH!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's vision is a little distant from the reality.

I bought a drop spindle! Also some white wool and some orange/white/etc variegated wool to spin. It's not as easy as it looks. Ha. However, I will persist and someday I will make yarn.

...I will make yarn. The thought makes me a bit swoony. :)

I had to chuckle while reading this post - I have a day off today to run a couple of errands, but in my head I plan to have the whole house cleaned, my wardrobe completely re-sorted, and my current knitting project finished, all before dinner. Let's just see how that pans out...

I would cut someone to be alone for five days. I can't help it; I hate you a little for not knowing how awesome that is. By the time my kids are gone, I'm going to have been dead for years at this rate.

Well, because you consider your fleece a finished project once you've spun it into yarn, and because the yarn you made today is my shade of blue and lavender, I'd be happy to take it off your hands. I have PayPal, I can trade (ceramics, watercolors, discontinued yarn...), or I can barter (I'm very good at cleaning cat spit-up), you name it. ;-)

Beautiful spun skeins. I'm in the middle of a short March break myself. It is so much fun - for a short while at least - to do what I want, whether anything 'gets done' or not. Getting things done is what we women DO. Time for a break.

Yes! Yesterday I shipped off 1# 4 oz of Sport-weight black Shetland yarn that has been waiting to be spun for a knitter since 2007. And you thought you were in deep water? Inspired by finishing that project, I'm launched into spinning a 4 oz braid of Fiber Optic BFL/silk, half done, will complete that tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the co-spinning time!

Thank you.

Well, I scoured the fleece; does that count?

Actually I have been spinning - I got a book and a video this week and dear Judith inspired me. So I was doing "scales" - spinning thick, thin, and medium just like she showed me, just to see HOW thick and HOW thin, and train my mind to see how and why that happens. What I spun is probably not usable in any sense of the word but it was fun to do and necessary because it was skill-expanding and fun. I am actually thinking of turning the one teensy skein of whisper-fine 2-ply I stuck with into a bookmark or something, just so I can say I used it.

Productive spinning, as in, "having a useable result"? Good Lord, no! The bag of fleece mocked me until I scoured it but after that Fate intervened and I ended up assisting my just-adult children in their job searches by updating resumes and thinking of likely places to apply. I too want spinning time this summer and NOW is the time the Tourism industry starts advertising for summer staff.

Spinning will resume later tonight once I realize that the scarf is finished and I have no other pressing project. Then the picking, carding and spinning shall commence.

Have finished the sunflower dyed yarns and moving on to carding up the natural fleece with bits of color needed for the warp yarns. Have about 8 oz drum carded for more spinning starting tomorrow night when my spring break (k-12 school librarian) begins. Thanks for the motivation to finish these yarns.

Some cats are barfier than others. Some get barfier with age. Sometimes a lot of barfing can indicate health problems like kidney disease, especially in mature cats. The food they have eaten for years may no longer agree with them, try foods for sensitive tummies. See the vet, she can give you reglan if the barfing is really bad. And always wear shoes.

I love you. You made my day. :)

That's some pretty yarn!

I don't know how much of it you have, but that yarn looks like it would make a gorgeous tank &/or shrug for your Canadian spring. (Go feed that feeling of springtime -- pick up some inexpensive flowers at the local florist or supermarket!)

And, yes, cats do tend to barf in the most inappropriate places. Mine have done so on the bath rug while I was in the shower (yep, stepped on the yakked-up hairball), on the bed next to me while I was sleeping (yep, rolled over into it), into one of my shoes (you guessed it -- and I was running late to get to work), onto one of my feet while I was eating (and I had kicked my shoes off), etc. It's like another way of showing their love for you, sort of like bringing you that dead bird or mouse. . .!

Oh my goodness, that is gorgeoooous yarn! Love that one too, just as much as yesterdays.

I have a yarny bucket list. It's pretty much my only bucket list because anything else I would LOVE to have on the list is now, at my time of life (older and wiser) only to be attempted by younger whippersnappers. I'm actually doing things here and there off the bucket list, but thought I'd really get rolling once the kids moved out and/or I retire, but !WOW! I saw a travelling tabletop spinner and it just !!!, and gosh darn it, I just gotta have it! Seeing your beauteous batts and skeins isn't helping.

Happy Break to you.

I've been seriously considering starting to spin. The gorgeous possibilities, the romance of it all... You might say I've become a spinning groupie/wannabe.
All your pictures haven't helped, they've made me even more obsessed! Now, I know I need a spinning wheel!!!

I completely understand the delusion of "time to myself" and relative productivity. Somehow I always wind up actually getting less done. Go figure.

Spinning yes-Silk is done.now I'm working on the ultrafine merino ply for a 2 ply lace weight. Flowers-yes- camellias, crocus, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths,- and roses-in bloom- now- here in my seattle garden.I love living here. Also in the garden -DH and I are taking off tomorrow to continue the grand adventure- the yearly schlepping of 6 yards of compost/manure to top off those lovelies.YUM. Maybe if we're good we can go to Whidbey island for lunch and a beach walk Saturday.

Gorgeous yarn. And there will be more? Cooool. Lucky the needles that get to play with those skeins!

And yes, a little alone-time is wonderful. A bit too much is lonely. Somewhere in between... is always a yarn shop waiting to be hung out at.

(I say that having raised four born in six years and wishing I could hold the babies for the young moms so they could go get their yarn shop fix too.)

Haven't gotten around to the 'learning to spin' that has been lurking on my wish list, so: no. But I'm loving the yarns you made, especially the blue-grey, it's really pretty and it looks like it's very soft too. Momcations are great :-) I hope you thoroughly enjoy the remainder of your loneliness (and the return of the troops when they do...).

The words I have learned to dread are: "Mom, let's play a game." Argh.

I just finished spinning and plying a lovely 70/30 Merino/bamboo yarn I dyed and spun for socks. It's lovely and soft and I can't wait to wear the socks.

i've been thinking a lot of loneliness lately, and being comfortable with being alone. recently i started working from home and also got my first smartphone. when i go places by myself and have a few minutes of waiting i do my best to resist playing games or checking my phone in general and instead just "be". i've spent my life occupying myself with my thoughts, so i'm not sure why i'm tempted to engage myself in other ways when i have a few moments. sometimes i do want my wife to come home early so i don't have to entertain myself, but i know this is just laziness. congrats on your time to yourself and for using it productively (cat puke be damned). :)

Oooh. The beauty of that yarn is surpassed only by your exquisite skill in photographing it. Wow!

And my husband and I are having one of our periodic attacks of saying 'yes, we need to get out and *do* things!'...which is followed by, 'you know, getting out and doing things on top of work and stuff is really kind of exhausting'. But hey, it's March. Spring is around the corner. There's Irish music to go hear, and maple-drenched brunches to eat at the sugar house and next thing you know, hardy little crocuses will be poking their little heads up and scoffing at the last spring snow. (And I'm knitting, as I haven't picked up spinning yet and have been away from home too much to sew.)

Yes its March break and I am spinning. This Targhee fiber is new to me and lovely. Its snowing hard outside and I am staying in because all the kids in the world are at the mall where the grocery store is.

I love March break at home with no kiddies anymore.

My little dude's been home sick all week. Now... sick, mind you, is relative, and although he has had a fever and copious amounts of snot he's still had all the energy of his normal self. Even a double ear infection diagnosis has not lessened his energy level! Thankful for husband being around, since it meant I made a break for it last evening and even that 30 minutes 'alone' at Target was awesome!
Oh! That. Yarn. Is. Gorgeous! Make something lovely with it!!!

I've been busy getting ready for World Wide Spin In Public Day here with the Oregon Historical Society. This after playing at the Aurora Colony Antique Spinning Wheel Showcase. Fun stuff!

Nope, no spinning at all this week, 2 evening meetings, last night got derailed as it was clearly time to get a new laptop. This is a nice thing, it's just that there is much setup/file transfer to happen. that. takes. time. There is over 100 pounds of wool in the mill to be processed. that. takes. time. Which is good and I like to mess with fiber, so that is where I am going next.

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more”
― George Gordon Byron

My favorite poem on loneliness.

I can relate to the 'my time will be fabulous'...and then it changes a bit. I think sometimes I do things in reaction to and sort of 'in spite of' other people's busy-ness...makes me focus. I'm knitting the softest, most rich-yellow baby blanket, lacy and sweet. I love it, however the baby arrived two days ago...so on I go.

Thank you. No one else describes the desperation of a trapped mum like you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am one of those mothers who is at the stage where I'm never alone. Therefore, it's never still or quiet in my house, or my mind. Just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful(and short) breaks I take to read your blog. It always makes me smile!

I'm just glad someone else says bullpucky

Every week when my bigger girl goes to nursery for two days I'm convinced that oceans of free time lie ahead of me and every week I'm astonished by how little I seem to have accomplished so I sympathise. I hope you enjoyed your alone time.

I started laughing at "lego" and was weeping by the time I got to "banana." It's good to remember I'm not alone when feeling driven insane by the demands of mothering two little ones. . .thanks bunches!

LOL - I was thinking "Best mom ever." If I had kids, that is exactly how I'd be, but 3 or 4 times worse.

So right about the legos too. I have a neice and nephews, and those legos are about as bad as splitting your toe on a sharp wooden furniture leg.

My thing for the days off that will be filled with awesome is you have to plan for it. Really, really plan for it. As in do all your cleaning and laundry the week before the day off so you can actually enjoy it. Stash advance meals in the freezer. Get the actual stuff you want to do somewhere in a group ahead of time and make a list of 3-5 things you want to do those days off if you don't get anything else done.

Because if you're like me, you won't even knit. You'll just watch tv and movies and eat fast food and drink coffee. And soda. lol

Also, the weather is always against me. If I plan to knit outside, it rains buckets, with lightning storms and power knockouts.

And the house still is messy. That's why I wanted to knit outside in the first place. lol

Wow, the yarn is so gorgeous!!! Cool that you're doing a giveaway for it. Beautiful!!!

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