260 Miles and a 3 1/2 Hour Boondoggle to Report

I love this palette.

Yes, everyone, that's what I endured in my quest for fiber during last weekend's Puget Sound LYS crawl.


Initially, let me say this is not a crawl. It's a romp. From the almost-Canadian border down to the southern reaches of the greater Puget Sound area, with a few ferry rides thrown in for good measure, this LYS tour is 25 stores strong. All in four days. Let's hope one has nothing else to do with one's time.

Of course, I had other things on my plate, so I only managed to make it to 14 stores. I would have made it to a few more had I not hit a ferry with mechanical difficulties on Saturday afternoon. Going to one LYS took a whopping 3 1/2 hours from parked car to parked car.

This is the third year of this mayhem. Each LYS provides a free pattern that can be made with one ball of yarn (store's choice), and the chosen yarn is discounted 10% the entire four days. Some of the patterns were right up my alley (a crocheted cowl and a knit scarf were two standouts), but for me, the real pleasure is in researching which stores carry specific yarns, the texture and color (!) of all the yarns, and of course the sales bins.  Here's my fibery pirate booty:


I see three shawls, two sweaters, a cowl, a scarf -
and a partridge in a pear tree.

 Now, before you let your jaw drop too far, a few things you should keep in mind: (1) half of what's on that chair I purchased from sales bins (they were great buys!); (2) all of it was purchased with specific projects in mind; and (3) this is my big yarn purchase for the year, because I believe in supporting LYSs. I'm incredibly fortunate to live in an area with an abundance of local choices, and I'd like it to stay that way.

And just in case you weren't convinced, here's the start to one of the projects:

You're looking at the beginning of the yoke of my first crocheted sweater. It's being made with Plymouth Grass (the marled blue skeins in the right-front of the photo) and it's a cotton/hemp blend. It's working up very well, and I like how the hemp gives the fabric a little added drape.

For me, the stand-out of the weekend was, far and away, the MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light (at the right). Isn't this just the most heavenly colorway? It's entitled Plaid Blanket.

It's got a cowl for early fall written all over it.

I hope all of you had a great week of fibery goodness. Definitely check out what's on everyone's plate over at Andrea's blog - and have a happy (and long!) fibery weekend. Celebrate and memorialize someone with a fibery treat.

On Why I Gave Away The Landscapes Store



A gratuitous sunny day
photo. Sigh.



As I wrote about last week, I am participating in a yarn stash swap, and while I discussed the fiber I received, I did not elaborate on what I had sent to a fellow swappee – because she had not received it yet. Now that the package is in her hands, I can provide details.

As The Knitting Way blogged, I indeed sent her three skeins of yarn. Lion Brand Landscapes yarn, to be specific. I had originally purchased these three skeins as part of a scarf kit. Somehow I thought I was getting one yarn color, but when I opened the package it was something completely different. I like green and red generally, but the shades of green and red in these particular Landscapes skeins, combined with the yellow (of which I am not a huge fan) combined to create something with which I was definitely not even in like. However, since they were a kit, I felt I could not really split them up – so I sent the whole kit ‘n caboodle off to my swap partner. I am looking forward to seeing what becomes of the little fibery skeins.

And on my skein-of-Americana front, I want to thank everyone for providing suggestions on what I might make with it. While I liked Erin in Boston’s direction (Knitting It Old School is one of my favorite books!) as well as Nicole’s suggestion of a granny square scarf (that was the front-runner for quite a while), I actually came across a crochet pattern over the weekend that will be perfect, so expect to see that in a bit. However, I’m still going to provide swatches, and if I have any yardage left, I will take happymousefairy’s suggestion and make a flower corsage. That would definitely be a stretch of my skills, so thanks for providing me with it.



I really like this crocheted cardi
 - praia do rosa



Finally, I leave you with a few other pattern books I acquired over the weekend. Two of the three were steeply reduced, and all of them have patterns I love in yarns I either like using or really want to use. In the case of the Berocco Origami, I can’t seem to find it! It’s considered a novelty yarn to be certain, but in colorways such as Bay of Biscay, Sienna Sunset and Black Sand Beach, works up into a really lovely mottled-colored fabric that screams summertime.

I’m determined to find this yarn.

I’m also determined to find sunny weather. Somewhere.

A Lovely Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Well, I have another shawl to share with everyone on this gloriously sunny Friday in the Pacific Northwest.

The making of my Springtime Lilac Shawl was a spur-of-the-moment decision earlier this week. Yes, earlier this week.  I actually completed this shawl in four days. I do believe I’m now ready for Olympic track sprints.

I had the yarn in my stash, the book on my shelf, and the beads in my craft corner – what else does a crafty gal need? This pattern, the Juliette Shawl from Creating Crochet Fabric, is easy, yet interesting. Since I also completed it pretty much by utilizing only the charts (I did refer to the written instructions once or twice when I encountered a few small inconsistencies in the charting sequence), it was something of a mindless crochet. Reading charts as mindless crochet – go figure.

In any event, this early morning picture above might be somewhat dark, but it does capture the hint of attractive sheen in the Louisa Harding Merletto yarn. (I've provided a link to a retail site in the face of virtually no fiber information on Harding's own site.) It’s got a small amount of linen content, so

it’s also slightly fuzzy around the edges. I did find this yarn incredibly splitty when crocheting; this might not be the same when knitting.

All in all – a very quick, satisfying and pretty project with just a little added amethyst bling on the bottom. I’ll take it!

I hope everyone has had a satisfyingly crafty week. Definitely check back with Andrea's blog to see the results.

On Rats' Nests and Your Aunt’s Attic



The rhodies in the
front yard exploded
over the last few days



I signed up in the Ravelry Blog Hub Group to participate in a stash swap. Underground Crafter, the organizer of the swap, set the parameters: you won’t know who’s sending you the yarn, it must be from stash, it can be one skein of any yarn, you must blog about the skein you receive, and devise some sort of project from the skein (if at all possible) and then blog about that.

Ok – everyone all set on the guidelines? Good. Well, I received my skein of stash yarn on Monday from PandaBearofDoom, and when I opened the package I laughed out loud. Yes, yes I did.

Now, for those of you who might not be familiar with our PandaBearofDoom, she’s a college student – a history major, actually - and also a recent knitting convert blogging at Random Knits. I became acquainted with her blog during the recent Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week madness. The first thing that came to mind: did she pull that skein of bullet-proof acrylic orlon from this rat's nest in her dorm room? That thought made me laugh some more.

Then, after I stopped laughing, I started looking at the label, and saw I had received quite a piece of vintage Americana yarn. Note the price (I really think it’s the original Heck’s sticker) - $1.00.

Also note the things Carrousel is touting about this wonderfully fugly skein of yarniness:

It’s a new pull skein! It’s mothproof! Shrink resistant! Non-allergenic! Machine washable and dryable! And my personal favorite: it’s long wearing! No sh%$ Sherlock – it’s got to have a half-life of … oh … a century. Geez, this skein must be at least 40 years old already.

I also draw your attention to the beauteous colorway: #385 autumn (at the right). 

I personally am afraid to see what winter must have looked like. Yes people, be vewwy, vewwy afwaid.

Since I have not adorned my home in early creepy pumpkin, I seriously doubt I can find anything to make with this. However, I am open to any of you out there that might have vintage 70s pooling patterns – if you have any good ideas, I’m all ears.

I sincerely thank PandaBearofDoom for making my stash complete. No one really should be without such a skein.

Now, if it came from that messy corner, or your Aunt’s attic, we might need to chat.

My Bloggy Food Week Wrap-Up

$11.50 doesn't buy very much

Well, I’ve done it. I’ve survived Mumma Troll's $1.64-a-day challenge (that’s the equivalent of feeding oneself on one British pound per day). I can’t say it’s looking very pretty at the end because I’m out of coffee, butter, veggies and fruit (and didn’t have any fruit to start with) – but I did it.

Lessons learned? Well, I can’t successfully feed myself on that small an amount of money for any length of time. Unlike those who live in poverty (and in the U.S., feed themselves with U.S. Department of Agriculture food stamps each month), I had a pantry stocked with staples that I could have used (and for breakfast did) to make my food dollar go farther. At some point you have to replenish your pantry stash, but if you’re surviving on such a small food budget, you never get that opportunity. You are consistently behind the food eight ball.

It is also a juggling act to feed oneself nutritiously and mindfully on such a minimal budget. I would have loved to make different, more civically and environmentally conscientious purchases but could not. The financial bottom line was the driving force, and that cannot be a good thing for one’s mind, body and soul for any length of time.



Anyone for some tuna noodle casserole?



I really want a piece of fruit – almost any one will do. I will savor that first bite of apple or pear or orange, and can absolutely imagine how good fresh fruit must taste to anyone living on such a paltry sum.

I’ve also absolutely enjoyed everyone’s input and comments on this week’s food odyssey. What a pleasure to hear how and where you make your food purchases. I love to cook and bake, so everything about food pleases me. I was thrilled to hear that many of you take pleasure in it as well. Good food, whether in the field or at the table, has the ability to bring people together and get them talking about what matters to them. There’s a lot, culturally, wrapped up in food. This week I’ve gotten a little peek at what animates some of you, food-wise, and for that I am most appreciative.

The money I saved on this week’s shopping I wound up donating to my Great American Bake sale fundraiser (which went well in the sunshine yesterday). While my overall bake sale total was not as great as two years ago, I was nevertheless thrilled with everyone who walked by and just gave a donation – no baked good needed. I was also very thankful for receiving donations from local businesses as well as a baking donation from a community member. Way to go, everyone!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled dose of all things fiber, art and craft. Just don’t be surprised to see more food-related posts cause, hey, it’s my bloggy party, right?

A Break From Food Blogging – Cause It’s Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

I’m writing this with the hope that Blogger comes out of read-only mode long enough to let me update – it’s been a busy week here at chez Voie de Vie.

Initially, I completed my Rainy Day Lace, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out, minor hiccups and all:

The lace blocked out so well, and the Bernat Roving is really soft. I continue to be pleasantly surprised with this yarn. The hiccup? It blocked out far wider than I anticipated. I could have easily gotten away with making the smallest size, and potentially adding another round of lace. However, things are what they are: I positioned my buttons many inches from the edge of the shawl, and then sewed a hidden button on the inside to help keep the overlap in place. It worked out well (and it’s extra warm in the front as a result), but it’s something I’ll definitely keep in mind if I use this yarn again.

Of some note: don’t you just love the buttons on this?!!!! They were extras from some item of clothing that got chucked into my ever-growing button stash (the buttons, not the clothing), and they were perfect for this shawl. They really give it almost an art-deco feel.

Additionally, last week I received some lovely fiber in a swap package from April’s Veni,Vidi, Vixi swap (my group on Ravelry where we read novels and swap fiber).

The one on the left is Cherry Tree Hill; the right is from The Loopy Ewe. I love both, although the darker hank is not something I would necessarily have been initially drawn to. However, I have a shawl project in mind that, coupled with two other colorways, will look superb. At least I think they will.

Finally, in connection with my week-long food blogging extravaganza (really more of a food-awareness week) I’ll be hosting a Great American Bake Sale tomorrow. If you’ve never heard of it, this is one of the four prongs Share Our Strength uses to raise funds in their fight to end U.S. childhood hunger. This is the second local bake sale I’ll host, and I won’t be alone – this is the Great American Bake Sale’s designated national bake sale weekend. So, all across the country, bake sales are occurring this weekend (although if one wanted to host a bake sale after this weekend, it would certainly be fine, and many more are scheduled on later dates). You can find a bake sale in your area by searching in the lower right-hand corner of the Great American Bake Sale page (you'll see the US map). If so, please consider going out and supporting this amazingly worthwhile cause. If not, and you’d like to donate, I have an online presence for my bake sale, and you can definitely make a neat, nifty and secure donation online to help my bake sale total. In addition to my own bake sale items, I’ll have hourly live auction items, all of which have been generously donated. I’m looking forward to a fun time … and keeping everything crossed for good weather. Soggy baked goods are no fun, people!

I’ll be back on Sunday for a final food blog entry to wrap up this bloggy food week. I want to thank everyone that’s read and commented – who thought that feeding oneself on $1.64 a day would generate such interest?

Finally, definitely check out Andrea's blog (but give her time to update - you know the Blogger bogey-man got us all) – I’m pretty certain she’s not writing about no stinkin’ food, but you’ll be able to see what everyone else is up to on this Fiber Arts Friday.

A Fiber Box of a Different Sort



Those bananas and pears are
looking might-y good!


Well, it's Wednesday - the third day of my $1.64 per-day-for-food challenge. While I am starting to really want some fresh fruit, and I'm about to run out of the coffee beans I still had in the house prior to the beginning of the week, I'm hanging in there. It's a good thing I like tea, because no coffee in the house could definitely incite rebellion - even if it is the decaf variety.

First things first: I'm so thrilled with everyone's response to this challenge. I am particularly pleased with your stories of where and how you get your food. Both Mumma Troll and Useless Beauty (on the English side of the pond) get their veggies delivered via weekly veggie box. While we certainly can get home delivery of organic veggies, I'm with Erin in Boston - I like to support local farmers' markets. I'm incredibly lucky that come summertime, I have three to choose from that are very close to my home. Additionally, I belong to the local food cooperative that's sort of like a big supermarket, only greener, with way fresher food and humane employment practices. Ok, maybe not so much like a chain supermarket.

However, each of the options I mentioned above will get you great veggies - at a grand and glorious price. This week's challenge precluded such options. I can usually also purchase fish and chicken at both the co-op and the farmers' markets, but again at a steep price. Over $14 for a free-range chicken makes one blink at least twice. Even at the big, bad grocery store, the least expensive whole chicken I could find was over $10 - had it been on special, I would definitely have opted for the whole bird.


I usually relegate turkey to Thanksgiving -
so that it's special. However, Kathryn's Brain
has given me pause - maybe I'll roast
one soon and see how it goes?

Which leads me to my grocery package of chicken thighs. I paid $6.88 for 13 chicken thighs. I froze five of them for next week, which will be used in one recipe and probably yield three servings. Of the remaining 8 thighs, I baked 3 of them last night (using reserved chicken drippings that I save each time I cook chicken - very tasty and economical) and used up my Yukon golds for some mashed potatoes. I'm eating the left-overs as I write this, so I got two servings from that recipe. I've got the final five thighs earmarked for another dish later in the week, which should yield an additional three servings. Eight individual servings from one $6.88 package of chicken thighs ain't too bad.  

Finally, as promised, here's the recipe for my "pumpkin pie pudding" that I made for breakfast the other day. First, it's not really pumpkin - I used fresh garnet yams that I roasted whole in the oven, then skinned while warm. Next, it's not really pudding (at least, not to me). As you'll see, I use 10-grain pancake mix, so it comes out more like the consistency of oatmeal, and therefore really awesome for breakfast. Additionally, one can control the amount of sugar used, which allows for just the right sweet note at breakfast, but not too much to send you into the sugar stratosphere. And the best part: it cooks in the crock pot overnight! Yes, wake up to breakfast already made:

Crockpot Pumpkin Pie Pudding

15 oz. freshly roasted garnet yams (or a 15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1/4 - 3/4 cup regular or brown sugar (to taste - the yams will release their sweetness as they roast, so adjust your sugar amount accordingly)
1/2 cup 10-grain pancake mix
1/2 cup dried fruit of choice such as raisins or cherries
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray; pour pumpkin mixture into crock pot. Cover and cook on low for six to seven hours.

It's that easy!


I'll tell you more about this tomorrow - stay tuned.

The Delights of Tuna Noodle Casserole



Fresh fruit and veggies at a local French market
- it was a feast for the senses.


Ok, everyone - I expect some of you might not have put "delight" in the same sentence as "tuna noodle casserole." However, if one is attempting to feed oneself on $1.64 per day, tuna noodle casserole takes on a whole new cachet. Adapted from the soup can label, here's my version of this 50s classic:



1 10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk (I mixed evaporated with regular milk for a creamier taste)
1 whole summer squash, cut into small die
2 6 oz. cans tuna packed in water, drained
2 cups farfalle pasta, cooked and drained (about 1/2 of a 12 oz. package)
pepper to taste
cumin to taste
parmesan cheese

Total cost for four servings: $2.87 from grocery list yesterday + approx. $1.00 in
                                          milk/cheese/seasonings = $0.96/serving

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a separate bowl, mix the soup, milk, squash, and tuna. Add the drained cooked pasta, and season with pepper and cumin to taste.

Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with parmesan cheese (about two palmfuls will do) and cook in a 400 degree farenheit oven for about 20 minutes.

I could definitely have added another cup of vegetables, and will should I make this again. To me, the cumin and parmesan took this somewhat bland dish to all kinds of flavorful. For an extremely limited budget, I thought I did alright with this dish. And I have the left-overs for later meals.

I was truly appreciative of the comments on yesterday's post. I absolutely agree with Andrea's comment about attempting to save money on food when one has dietary restrictions. I am incredibly lucky to be able to eat just about anything.

One comment I wanted to address was the rice and beans argument - if one buys rice and beans, one can buy more and therefore stretch the food dollar. Let me take each in turn: first, the beans. If I wanted to eat all those beans, this might be a good idea. However, my palette (as well as my body) appreciates protein from chicken and fish (although I do like beans, just in limited amounts). Obviously, fish was out of the question because of cost. I thought I did pretty well with my chicken purchase, especially since I'm going to get additional meals from it next week. I definitely made my decisions not only on price, but on palette and preference as well, to the extent I could. :)

Now, the rice part: has anyone taken a peek at rice prices lately? In fact, it was less expensive and provided more variety to buy two twelve ounce packages of pasta (on special for $1.00 each) than to buy the smallest bag of rice (which was huge, for $1.98, and most of the rice bags were well over $2.00 each). I was absolutely amazed at how expensive rice had become! I could have traveled to another store where rice was sold in bulk and attempted to buy bulk rice in a less expensive amount (although I'm uncertain of bulk rice prices at the moment). But that would have meant more time, and planning, and travel. On just this one task.

I'm glad for the comment (thanks so much katiemckinna!) because it underscores something I have tried to instill in both students as well as others - poor people lead difficult, complicated lives. In many instances, the poor are forced to logistically work around all kinds of obstacles that people with more means never need to face.

Below you can see a photo of this morning's breakfast. It was rather tasty. I'll provide the recipe for it tomorrow. I'm not certain if I'm strictly feeding myself on $1.64 a day (the equivalent of one British pound) - but I'm coming darn close. 

My Week of (Mostly) Food Blogging Begins

Well, everyone, I have done my grocery shopping this week. According to Mumma Troll's guidelines, I can spend the equivalent of one British pound per day, per person on food for the next seven days. That roughly translates, for me, to U.S. $11.50 for the entire week. Oh yikes. My receipt is at the left.

While I think I did pretty well, it's unclear whether I'll have enough food to feed myself two meals per day the entire week (I'm not even factoring breakfast into the equation!). I also point out that I've spent more than the requisite $11.50, but plan on freezing about half of the package of chicken thighs for next week, bringing down my total expenditure this week to the correct amount.

However, I giveth and I taketh away. Since I still have some food and staples in my refrigerator, I'll be using the following staples even though I didn't purchase them this week:

milk           2 small summer squash
eggs         some Yukon gold potatoes
butter        2 sweet potatoes
bread        sugar

While I've managed in the past to feed myself on about $3.00 per day (just barely!), this was inconceivably impossible. I wanted to purchase items that were somewhat nutritious, yet would go a long way. I had no desire to eat ramen noodles 7 days straight (although, a recent issue of Food & Wine provided quick meal suggestions using the dreaded stuff - I did not take it up on the suggestion). 

I know there are poor people in the U.S. (let alone in the developing world) who every day go into the grocery store and make the exact same types of decisions I did when purchasing these items. I was sorely disappointed in the complete lack of fresh fruit I was able to squeeze into my daily dollar allotment; I barely got any fresh vegetables (but I was determined).

If I were smarter about the greenery growing around me, I might be able to forage for salad greens. However, I am neither that intelligent when it comes to plants, nor that confident in my urban green foraging abilities - I'm relegated to the wildflower-picking-variety of foraging.

I'll be back tomorrow with the dinner recipe from tonight. I'll let you know how it (and the rest of the food day) goes. Wish me luck.


This embarrassment of riches from a local bakery
will be but a pipe dream this week.



No Beanstalk Climbing This Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Well, another Friday rolls around ... and it finds me in the middle of several projects, but none finished. The latest one that is taking up most of my crafting time is Cecily Glowik MacDonald's Wavy Lace Capelet:

This pattern is on my 2011 bucket list, so I'm pretty excited to be working it up. I'm making it together with a Ravelry friend as a mini-KAL (we're both newbie knit lacers); she's making it in the same Blue Moon Fiber Arts Icelandic as the original, and I chose gray Bernat Roving. While I might have wanted a higher wool content in the roving, it is neverless quite soft and nice to work with. That photo was taken a few weeks ago - I'm actually more than half-way done with the project. It will definitely make next Friday's fiber update in its completed state.

As I've written about in previous Fridays, I have a yarn still life in my living room. I've taken periodic update photos, since it changes with the current state of my stash. I actually thought it might be interesting to see the updates together. I think it's more a statement of color than anything else:

This latest update photo was taken last week, after my complete furniture rearrangement. Look at all the light spring colors (as well as that awesome Royal Wedding blue bling in the front).

I hope you're enjoying playing with your fiber! Happy Fiber Arts Friday, and definitely check back with Andrea's blog to see who's fiber-arting this week.

Tuesday’s Thematic Thoughts?

I’ve finished a few books recently, and thought you might like in on them:

Waiting: One of the runner’s up for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize, author Ha Jin recreates Chinese culture in the late 50s through today via the married Lin (a doctor) and Manna, the nurse he wants to marry but cannot, since his wife (and the court) won’t grant him a divorce. For 18 long years, Manna faithfully waits while Jin makes the yearly trek back to his hometown asking, in vain, for a divorce from Shuyu, the bound-footed wife his parents picked for him more for their own ends than his.   

While fiction, the main characters are loosely based on real people Jin’s wife knew before the couple came to America for Jin’s education … and then eventually stayed after the events of Tiananmen Square. Waiting is in turns poignant, harsh, pragmatic, and above all, real. If you’re looking for sugar and happy endings, this is not the novel for you. If you want characters that make you think and feel, this should definitely make your reading short list. I read it with a group of fellow Ravelers, and our online discussion elicited strong, emotional reactions.

Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Author Mark Richardson records his experiences following the trail Robert Pirsig blazed on his motorcycle with his son Chris and two other travelers in the late 60s, famously recorded in the originally pink-covered Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I must admit that I was assigned Zen and the Art in an undergraduate course and barely skimmed it. At the time, I was not thrilled with it one little iota. (However, it was for a course that had so many otherwise awesome reading assignments that I’m not holding it against the prof.)

Reading Richardson’s second take gave me a new-found understanding of and appreciation for Zen and the Art. Richardson’s ride, and the insights he gleans from the journey between Minneapolis and San Francisco, are tied to a universal truth we all seek in one form or another: the true meaning of quality and the time it takes to produce it, in all facets of life. Richardson takes his time in telling his own story, using well-placed snippets from Pirsig’s original to highlight and underscore. For me, it worked. I found myself looking forward to reading my nightly passages from Zen and Now to see how Richardson handled each leg of his ride, as well as to rediscover, at least through Richardson’s lens, Pirsig’s own tale.

Maybe it is about the patience exhibited over time that also makes me want to comment on the recent, weekend events that have many Americans waving flags and talking about justice. Yes, Osama is dead. As someone who watched the events of 9/11 live from graduate school in New York City, I have very mixed emotions about this past weekend’s events. On the one hand, I feel a sense of relief – Osama needed to be found and captured, of that there is no doubt. The people who lost loved ones and friends can now have some measure of closure, however small.

On the other hand, watching innocent people jump to their deaths from burning buildings because they faced an unimaginable alternative is something that no amount of time will ever erase from my memory. There has been a lot of talk of justice these last two days, but I find no real justice in Osama’s death. Justice can only occur, as Martha Minow so eloquently wrote, in the space “between vengeance and forgiveness.” That space, that reconciliation really, can only be individually articulated. For me, I do not find it in Osama’s death, but longed to find it in seeing him be held publicly accountable for his crimes. But - it is what it is.

I’ll leave you on a much brighter note (and aren’t you glad for that!). I received some awesome fiber in a swap package yesterday – and here’s a photo of Schaefer Yarn’s Trenna in the Betty Friedan colorway (gotta love it everyone!):

I think I have just the right project in mind for these 1200 yards of yumminess. Creating is just about the best restorative there is.