What's in a Name?

What did we really expect to happen when we began calling ourselves The Skanky Knitters? Did we believe there would be no consequences? It was A Very Skanky Christmas this past Thursday at Margaret’s house. Laughter, knitting, food, and fun filled the festive occasion. The Skanky Santa (think White Elephant or Dirty Santa) exchange was entertaining. We laughed, ate, knit, and there was even a Wii. I arrived home late and obsessed about weight gain from all of the wonderful food. I vowed to return to sensible eating and continue to exercise. As it turns out, my worrying was all for naught. Yes, The Skanky Knitters all came down with The Plague. I told my husband I had a slight case of death. Not everyone had recovered for Monday Night Knitting, but most of us were able to laugh about it. The experience left me weak, tired, and fearful of all foods. Even after the big symptoms had died down, I could only sit next to my knitting and try to imagine that I would one day be able to pick up the needles again. It is unknown whether the illness was foodborne, or just that nasty bug going around. Because I was out of commission, the Christmas celebration at my mom’s, which had been planned for the 17th, has been rescheduled for the 26th. The upside of this is an extended deadline for Mom’s vest. Could I actually finish it in time? The rounds are now getting smaller, I’ve added in my armhole steeks, and have begun the decreases for the v-neck. The snowmen have returned. It seemed like they would never end the first time I knit them. Even after the body of the vest is done, I have to work the crochet reinforcements and steeks, the edgings, buttons (which I have yet to purchase), and embroidery. Oh yeah, I also need to block the thing. So, probably not going to be finished by the 26th. I did manage to finish a mini sock for JJ to clothe a stuffed sheep he wants to give to a co-worker, and I knit a decorative stocking pin for Brittany as part of the Skanky Twist to Skanky Santa. Those were both completed on Monday. So, I’m trying to keep a balanced look at what is getting done rather than looking at the things I still need to do.

Speaking of balanced, I’ve still been spinning. My friend, Annette, a local knitting buddy and fellow Twisted Knitter gave me some lovely gifts last Tuesday. Amongst the many timely gifts that promote relaxation and refreshment were several lovely fibers to spin. I’ve not yet tried Angora rabbit, Shetland wool, yak/merino blend, or alpaca/vicuña blend. This very generous lady gave all these to me. She is a wealth of fiber and spinning knowledge. She’s also facing challenging days, so please pray for her. I am hunting down a special prize to give her the next time I see her. I hope it will be Friday night. We take things one day at a time, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, that vest isn’t getting done while I sit here and type, and my body still insists I sleep. After the recent battle, I’m not brave enough to argue when it says it needs something.