Spring Break: Day Two

Before I do anything else here, I want to make sure and give a big Sheepie Shout-out to the folks who have been going above and beyond the call of duty for the last couple of stormy, windy and rather dangerous days we've had going on around here. In no particular order, let's hear it for:

Law Enforcement
Fire Fighters and First Responders
Emergency and Health Care Workers
Local Emergency Management
Road Repair Crews
Central Maine Power
Local Media

You and many others that I have probably neglected to mention were out there yesterday so that I didn't have to be and you are still on the job for the foreseeable future. You have my deepest admiration and thanks for all that you do to make us safer. I'd like to present you all with handknit sweaters, but that wouldn't be practical, really. And I've sort of had this Sweater Curse going on for the past year so anything I gave you would just result in one of those awkward moments where you have to act all grateful for something that was meant well, but is really rather hideous. Trust me...we're better off with my just saying, "thank you."

Things are slowly returning to normal in my area, although the power outages are still rampant and won't be resolved for at least another day. Flooding is still a major concern but, with the rains subsiding somewhat, I think that we may actually be heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

And how, you may ask, is the Sheep spending the rainy hours these days? Is she lamenting the vacation time spent waiting for the ocean to come knocking at her door? Is she marinating in a vat of chocolate as a means of wish fulfillment in this, the end of days?

Nah. I've been playing with the fiber. I spent a good chunk of the morning doing more of the silk/lamb blending and have enough to actually start a bit of the spinning. When I tired of standing over the drum carder risking some sort of repetitive motion injury, I wandered over to the knitting and finished a sock:

Stripey goodness!!!

And, as if this weren't enough, the Merino/Silk blend that was plied last night finished drying in full defiance of the rain-soaked air:

Ooooohhh! Ahhhhh!

This is another lovely fiber from Spunky Eclectic that I picked up at SPA back in February. I sort of stalled out on the spinning several weeks ago but, with time to kill yesterday, I managed to get the last of it spun and plied. The colors are muted and blend together perfectly. The silk adds a touch of decadence to the finished yarn and I'm most pleased with the final results. It is the kind of yarn that you desperately want to knit and, at the same time, want to never knit and just keep it near you for all time. I'm probably going to go with the knitting, though...

Sock #2 is in its infancy, but there is plenty of time for that this week. The lamb and silk blend awaits the wheel and there is some planned spindling action as well. All in all, I think I should be able to stay out of trouble during my spring break.

Let's face it: Emergency Services have enough to do right now without a bored Sheep wandering around looking for trouble.

SA