Has it really been that long since I blogged?

It's been a strange couple of weeks. I've been knitting and spinning, but I haven't finished much. I finally finished some extremely boring socks for my husband last night and started the Jaywalkers for myself, in Claudia Handpaints (the Turquoise Jeans colorway). It's really lovely yarn, and I like the pattern so far. I hope this gets me over the sock-knitting hump. I love handknit socks, but I'm not sure how I feel about knitting them. Some of my dislike stems from the fact that the socks I have knit have been taupe, charcoal, and black. These are bold, handpainted, and gorgeous. The yarn is a bit "energized" (read, overspun and twisty), which is good in the finished product but not so good for knitting.

I also knit Shedir, to be used as a chemo cap. I started it originally for a very dear family friend who was diagnosed with cancer in mid-February. Unfortunately, she passed away unexpectedly about 3 weeks after her diagnosis. She was one of my mother's best friends, kindergarten teacher for me, my sister, and various other friends and family members, and married to my 8th grade teacher. My family, her family and my uncle's family all vacationed together when we were younger. It's been difficult, especially for my mom. I think she's contemplating her on mortality, which is both good and bad. We're finally starting to talk about normal things again, not her illness or the funeral or how the family is doing.

The good news is that the chemo cap has gone to another wonderful woman in my hometown. She had her first chemo treatment last Thursday. It's been therapeutic, in a way. I'm glad I was able to do something that felt tangible.

Anyway, I should have yarn photos fairly soon, since I'm nearly finished with the third bobbin of merino. It may be a while before any knitted items are posted, but I will try to offer my astounding words of wisdom on some topic or another.