I have rules about my knitting. They are self-imposed rules, obviously, and they work for me. For instance, I always have a sock on the needles and I start the second sock as soon as I finish the first sock. I have another rule about not wearing a handknit until I have blogged it. This means I haven’t worn Flyingdales yet and while I’d love to be wearing it, I don’t break my own rules.

Anyway.

I have made a new rule for myself. I will (try) to always have a handspun project on the needles. I love spinning, I love my handspun, but I so often just throw it in a basket and forget about it. That’s not good because then a weekend like SPA or Rhinebeck comes up and I want to buy more fiber and, well, it’s hard to justify buying more stuff to spin when there’s a lot of handspun just sitting around.

In keeping with this rule, I started Baktus.

And I’m using handspun. Don’t ask me what it is, I’m terrible about labeling my handspun. Maybe I need another rule.

• I have some pretty new fiber from Knitterly Things. It’s called Fireball and it makes me want to spin.
• Which is good since I plan on spinning a lot at SPA this weekend.
• Not that I know where I’ll be spinning since they moved the spinning location from the hotel where I’m staying.
• I’m a little cranky about that, I have to tell you.
• But I know we’ll make the best of it and have a fun weekend.
• When I’m not spinning I’ll be knitting.
• Or eating. It’s my job to plan where we eat all the meals, you know.
• They keep making me do it because I pick really good places.
• It’s a gift.
• When I’m not spinning or eating I have a photo shoot planned for my Flyingdales sweater.
• I bet you forgot all about that one, didn’t you?
• Maybe I’ll ask my favorite photographer to squeeze in some photos of the newly finished Mondo Cable Pulli, too.
• Because yes, that one is done and it feels great!

And that’s my random for today.

You ever have one of those free weekends? The kind where you need somewhere to go or something to do? And you know there are places you’ve been meaning to go but now that you have the free time you just can’t remember what those places are? Well today’s Ten on Tuesday post is all about that. Because sometimes we need a list to remind us of the 10 Places We’ve Been Meaning to Visit.

1. Historic Deerfield. Yankee Candle for me, history for Dale. That’s a win/win.
2. The Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum. I haven’t been since the big heist in 1990 and Dale has never been at all so this is way overdue.
3. JFK Library. I worked for a caterer and we did an event there years ago but that’s it so it’s time for an official visit.
4. Sandwich Glass Museum. There’s a nice tea shop nearby, too.
5. Peabody Essex Museum. This is recently remodeled and I know we’d both enjoy it.
6. Fruitlands. I read about this in Yankee magazine and I want to visit this spring.
7. Providence Place. I’m not much for shopping malls but I hear awesome things about this place.
8. Webs. I have still never been. Can you believe it?
9. Nantucket. Dale is reading In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick right now so he’s all psyched for a trip to the island.
10. Portland, ME. We went there for a wedding several years back and we’ve been meaning to go for a weekend alone ever since. Maybe this summer?

That’s my list. Let’s hope that Dale takes all those hints.

You know it’s a pathetic weekend when the highlight of your Saturday is a trip to the grocery store. But I’m resting like I’m supposed to and that’s about all I thought I should do.

On Sunday I made Dale drive me to Plymouth just so that I could tell you I did something other than sit on the couch all weekend. The ocean was beautiful and so blue. It really cheered me up to see it.

I’m continuing to knit on the Mondo Cable Pulli and the sleeves are just about done. I’m hopeful to have it done by the weekend but I’m not making any promises.

Except this: I promise I will be well enough to go to SPA.

So my pneumonia has now been confirmed with a chest x-ray. My meds have been changed and new meds = feeling better, right? I’ll be in the pink again (just like this tulip) very soon, I’m told.

Have a great weekend!

As I said last week, I have been knitting exclusively on my Mondo Cable Pulli. This is mostly because it’s easy and I need easy these days. It’s also because I’d really like to have it finished so I can wear it at SPA next weekend.

The body is done. I love the dark grey color and the Beaverslide is very nice to work with although I am disappointed that there are so many knots (3-4) per skein.

The hem is curling a bit, though. I’m hoping that it will lay flat once it is blocked but if it doesn’t then I will reknit it with more ribbing and hope that keeps it down.

And the sleeves . . . well, you understand about sleeves. They are progressing.

But sloooooooowly.

P.S.  JessaLu is having a contest. Tell her Carole sent you.

So I got it in my head that I wanted to try baking and decorating some sugar cookies. This first started at Christmas but life (and Christmas!) got in the way. Last week, though, I got to thinking about it again. A lot. So, despite my pneumonia and bronchitis, I decided to give it a shot.

I managed to decorate 5. The others are just plain and they are staying that way. Good thing I don’t get paid by the piece.

Truly, this is difficult. Just getting the icing into the decorator bags makes a mess!

And then the edges bled when I tried to flood the cookies.

I did better when I gave up on the whole flooding thing and just went for pretty designs, like swirls and plaids.

I guess, in the end, they looked pretty good and I know they tasted pretty delicious.

It was a learning experience, that’s for sure. I think I’ll try this again when I don’t have pneumonia. Ya know?

Do you think the official Ten on Tuesday blog is officially defunct? There hasn’t been an updated topic since January 12th. Hmmm. Anyway, this week the renegades and I are listing our 10 Favorite Places To Knit. I should time myself and see just how fast I can write this one.

1. The couch. I don’t know if this is my favorite place to knit but it’s definitely the place where I knit most often.
2. The car. Only if I’m a passenger, of course.
3. Work. There’s nothing like knitting a row or 2 on a sock while waiting for a software upgrade or while stuck on a long telephone call. Of course I never knit at work when I’m supposed to be working.
4. The beach. This is probably my favorite place in the world to knit. Too bad I can’t do it more often.
5. Waiting rooms. People always tell me they don’t have the patience to knit. I say that I knit because I am terribly impatient. Knitting makes you glad to wait.
6. My deck. I can watch the hummingbirds (in season, of course) and keep an eye on Dale while he’s doing the yard work.
7. Anywhere with a friend. Being with a friend and knitting is one of my favorite things to do and it doesn’t matter where we are.
8. Airplanes. Nothing passes the time flying faster than spending time with my knitting.
9. Knitting group. The library knitting group has gotten sort of inactive lately. I’m hoping spring will revitalize this group because I miss knitting with my ladies.
10. Anywhere. Really, I always have my knitting with me so anywhere I’m knitting is my favorite place to be.

You may know yesterday as Valentine’s Day but if you’ve been around this blog a while then you know, in our house, it’s Cream Puff Day. You can read the whole story here.

Luckily I was feeling a bit energized yesterday and was able to whip up 2 batches of the little devils in the morning. That’s one batch for us (which really means Dale) and one batch for his dad.

Normally Dale is not one for over-the-top stuff. When we eat chips ‘n dip he puts very little dip on his chip. Cheese ‘n crackers is always a small smear of cheese for him. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have so little peanut butter I don’t think they should even be legal. But cream puffs? When it comes to cream puffs he is always urging me to stuff in more cream.  He has said for years that cream puffs are really just an excuse to eat whipped cream.

And he did. And it was good. Happy Cream Puff Day!

I tend to photograph tulips and roses and daisies – all the showcase flowers. I’ve never photographed the lowly baby’s breath before. And you know what? It’s kind of tricky. But very pretty with all the green and white and fuzzy petals and buds.

I’m not sure what to expect of the weekend. I was sure I’d feel all better by now and I just don’t. It’s frustrating but I’m going to have to just slow down and listen to my body.

In the meantime, I wish all of you a happy weekend and a Happy Valentine’s Day!