• The latest KnitPicks podcast (episode 31) does a wonderful review of both Cables 1 and Aran Sweater Design!
• Listen to my visit with Jenny and Nicole of Stash and Burn on their December 11 podcast! I talk a lot about swatching!
• Cables 1 got another wonderful review in David Reidy's podcast Sticks & String! It's about halfway through the September 23rd show.
• Cables 1 got a terrific review in the August 25 Lime & Violet podcast! Take a listen (it's in the last ten minutes of the show)!

March 31, 2008: How Can I Keep From Singing?

That's the title of a song by Enya, but lucky me—it's also one of the hymns in our hymnal. It's one of my favorite songs.

This is a totally off-topic post, BTW. No knitting at all.

Our church sponsored a singing workshop this weekend. A well-known Mennonite hymnologist, Dr. Mary K Oyer, was passing through here and agreed to give a workshop at our church. We opened it up to other churches in the valley and had a nice turnout. Mary is a sharp, intelligent woman, and I learned things about hymns I never knew. It was fascinating. Plus we got to sing, too—mostly a capella, which means I got to sing instead of having to play the piano.

Our minister and I have a vision of our church being a center for this kind of music here in the valley. So many of the churches have gone to contemporary music with praise bands. I like a lot of that music and try to incorporate some of those songs into my prelude-playing on Sundays, but there is nothing to compare to a church full of well-trained voices singing four-part hymns. It sends goose bumps up my arms to think about it. And we want to continue to promote that kind of music for those people who want it. This weekend was a great start.

The type of singing we did this weekend is a hallmark of Mennonite worship. I grew up in a Lutheran church singing German chorales, which are similar. The Lutherans like to think they can sing, but I'll tell you that the Mennonites can sing circles around any Lutherans I know (including ex-Lutherans like me).

March 29, 2008: The Back Catalog

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that the latest issue of the KnitPicks podcast is an interview with yours truly. We did it over the phone, so the audio quality isn't great, but I think it turned out well. I talk about swatching. Imagine that.

I couldn't work on my fire department stuff yesterday—I was trying to log in remotely and the computer at the fire hall was being difficult—so I attacked the back catalog instead. It's been on my list of things to do. I know that many of you would like to be able to order digital download versions of the back issues of the newsletter. I've gotten all of them back to the Spring 2003 issue converted to PDF format. I am not sure that I will be able to do the 2002 and 2001 issues. They had some ads and other stuff dropped in just before printing; if I make a PDF from my computer file, there will be some obvious holes in the layout. I may be able to scan them and create PDFs that way. I'll have to experiment.

As soon as I can get the pages coded and updated, those issues back to Spring 2003 will be available for purchase and download.

I also formatted many of my designs from the newsletter as individual patterns. There are a few that Melanie would like to sell in the store (individual patterns sell better than back issues of the newsletter), and eventually I'll add them to the store as digital downloads.

I got an e-mail this week from a blog reader who wondered if I had any plans to put my blog archives back up. She said she likes to read about my exciting life—thanks! I am glad you find it so interesting. The short answer to that question is no, I probably won't. Those blog posts were done in another HTML program (GoLive), and they don't convert very cleanly to Dreamweaver, which is what I am using now. I would have to go in and clean them all up before posting them again, and I really can't devote the time to that right now. But I'll keep it on the list. It's kind of interesting to go back a couple of years and see what I was doing.

I am looking outside my window this morning and it is snowing. Again. Still. I can't believe it is March 29. This is almost as bad as the year we had snow until May 31. The weatherman was predicting doom and gloom for our corner of the state on his forecast last night—up to 16" in the mountains, which usually means us—but we've only gotten an inch or two so far. Looking at the radar, I think it went south to Missoula instead.

March 28, 2008: Navy Blue Pants and the Fire Department

The closet is considerably cleaner and sparser. I did do a bit of shopping when I was out running errands yesterday. I am looking for a pair of navy blue dress pants. Could I find any? No, of course not. This always happens. A few years ago I needed gray dress pants. Could I find any? No, of course not. There were lots of navy blue and black ones. Now I can't find navy blue pants, but there are a lot of gray ones.

News flash to stores: I'd spend lots more money on clothes if retailers would offer what I'm looking for. Where are all the navy blue dress pants?

Knitting has been put aside for the moment. Our big fire department auction is next weekend, and now all 50 or so of us have to spend virtually every waking moment getting ready for it. I was at the fire hall last night until 8 p.m. when I had to pick a kid up from Girl Scouts. The husband was there until 10 p.m. All of next week will be devoted to getting ready for the actual event.

We're all trying to figure out how to shift the burden of this fundraising event from the firefighters to the community. For better or for ill, a decision was made many years ago to disasscociate the auction from the fire department—the problem is that many people now see this as a for-profit event put on by a business, and we who are sponsoring the auction sometimes get treated as money-grubbing profiteers. Some of the things people have said to me on the phone (my cell phone serves as the information line for the auction) are not repeatable here.

So here is a volunteer fire department putting on its own fundraising event every year. That model has problems on a number of levels. First, the people putting on this huge two-day event are the same ones responding to an average of four fire/medical calls per week. They're doing plenty for the community by responding to those calls without having to do their own fundraising, too. Second, a number of us think it has really dampened our recruiting efforts. People don't want to join our department because they know that for at least two weeks in March and April, their lives will belong to the auction.

I'd love to see a group from the community take over this event. It's been happening for so long (this is year #42) that all the logistical elements are in place. It's just a matter of the community doing it, not the firefighters.

I am so grateful for the community members who call me because they know the auction is coming up, and offer to help where they can. We just need about ten times as many of them as we've got and we'll be all set.

March 26, 2008: A Good Problem to Have

I really enjoyed the interview yesterday. The reporter was a young woman in her 20's—she doesn't knit (yet), but the photographer (a young man also in his 20's) does. It was a lovely way to spend an hour.

Today's schedule (after some work here in the office) includes a complete rip-down and cleaning of my closet. On Sunday I tried to find something in my warmer-weather wardrobe to wear to church, but every single pair of pants I tried on was too big. Apparently I've lost more weight than I realized. On the one hand, that's really nice; on the other, it means I need to buy several new pairs of dress pants to replace the ones that no longer fit me. I gave away most of my size 10 pants a few years ago when I started gaining weight I couldn't lose. I am bummed about that, because I had a few pieces that I really liked (my leather pants, for example).

So several of my favorite Liz Claiborne pants, size 12, are going to the thrift store, along with a couple of my Rafaella pants, also size 12, and anything else that no longer fits. I can always count on those two brands to fit me really well—in fact, yesterday I snagged a pair of size 10 Rafaella pants off the clearance rack at TJ Maxx ($15!) and didn't even bother to try them on until I got home. They fit beautifully. (Note to Mom: If you find any size 10 Liz Claiborne or Rafaella pants on sale, feel free to send them my way. Thanks!)

Now, if only I could lose as much on the top as I have on the bottom. My shape HAS changed—I've gone from a 38C down to a 34DDD (thank you, Wacoal, for making bras in my size) but I look alarmingly like Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. How does she remain upright? How do I? I really need to lose about 8 pounds from my chest.

My happiness about the weight loss is tinged with more than a bit of anger at the fact that I ever gained weight in the first place. It's mostly directed at my doctor, who refused to believe me when I told her something was going on. When a formerly skinny person suddenly gains 25 pounds and presents with a whole host of other issues, you don't tell them that they are eating too much and not exercising enough and send them on their way. I'm am trying to work through that anger, and I have found a different doctor, one recommended by my naturopath.

While I was trying on my new pants last night, DD#1 said, "You should go back and look at pictures of you from a couple of years ago. You were so fat." Yeah, I know. It's pretty sad. I know that we have an obesity problem in this country, but I wonder how much of it is due to hormone issues and underdiagnosed/undertreated thyroid issues, as mine was.

March 24, 2008: I Love My LYS

Wonder of wonders, I managed to escape Camas Creek on Saturday without any new yarn. They are getting shipments of some gorgeous summer yarns, but I am done with my summer stuff and getting ready to start knitting fall and winter again. Sometimes I hate working a season ahead.

Debbie, I will mention your suggestion to Melanie. It may be more than we want to take on right now but I love the idea! And I hope I can work out a visit to Colorado.

I finished the ArtYarns Beaded Rhapsody scarf last night while watching "John Adams" on HBO. I am watching it mostly to see how they did Abigail, as I find her way more fascinating than the men. Too bad she couldn't have been president. It's an excellent production all around, and great TV knitting.

I just finished blocking the scarf. It looks phenomenal. Now I need to get back to the last project for the Summer issue.

I've been watching the "What Do You Hate About Your LYS" thread on Ravelry, and a few of us were discussing the topic at Camas Creek on Saturday. One thing I've heard over and over again is how knitters hate walking into a yarn store and feeling like they have just interrupted the owner's day, or stumbled upon some exclusive knitting clique. I've been in a lot of yarn stores. I know exactly what they are saying.

I have to say that Melanie has got customer service down to an art form. Camas Creek is incredibly welcoming. The store itself is just gorgeous, and she's got a coffee bar (with decaf tea for me!), a comfortable area to sit and knit, and a computer in case someone wants to look something up on the Internet. The other day I overheard them talking about installing a changing table in the bathroom. It's the kind of place where you WANT to go in and buy yarn (really, I am not the only person who shops there). Everyone who works there is knowledgeable and friendly.

About a week ago I was in there—on a Saturday, when the store offers free knitting lessons to anyone—and a young man in his 20's came in. He said, "My girlfriend was here last week and learned to knit, and it looks like a lot of fun so I'd like to learn, too." The lady who teaches beginning knitting brought yarn and needles over and they sat down and got to work. That little episode just spoke volumes to me. How many men would feel comfortable walking into a store catering to a predominantly female clientele and ask to learn how to knit? And how many of those men would be treated just like any other valued customer instead of like a freak? I expect to see that guy and his girlfriend in the store again.

I just got a call from the Flathead Beacon, a new-ish publication in Kalispell. They want to do an interview with me tomorrow morning. Melanie gave them my name (they did a piece on Camas Creek a few months ago). The very interesting thing is that the Flathead Beacon is funded by Maury Povich—he and Connie Chung have a house about 5 miles south of us.

March 22, 2008: This Is Your Knitting on Drugs

Darn it, I went to Camas Creek Yarn yesterday (I have no idea why—I am teaching a class there today so it's not like I HAD to go in) and they had just gotten a shipment of yarn in. Melanie led me over to a basket filled with this stuff:

This picture doesn't do it any justice. It's Beaded Rhapsody yarn from Artyarns, a blend of 85% silk with glass beads and metallic and 15% mohair. A "roll around naked in it" kind of yarn (don't worry, the beads are tiny).

I had given Melanie this shawl to display in her store, but it's made out of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair that I got at Wal-Mart (way before her store opened). We both agreed that she needed something similar in a yarn she carries. The minute I saw the Beaded Rhapsody I knew it would be perfect for that family of stitch patterns (the shawl is in a drop-stitch cable). Melanie pressed a skein into my hands (they are $54 each!) and sent me home with it. I am making a drop-stitch cable scarf for her to display in the store. The stitch pattern is slightly different from the one used in the shawl, so the scarf will likely end up in a future issue of the newsletter. It's heavenly to knit with.

I must not go in there every other day. I simply must not.

I just want to say a word about Lion Brand. When I went to Atlanta, I took with me the Granite Sweater. The Atlanta Guild president, Donna Daniels, modeled it for me and walked around the room so people could see it. Everyone wanted to know what that gorgeus yarn was, and they were some gasps of surprise when I said, "Lion Brand Lion Wool."

Hey people, I am not a snob. There are plenty of high-priced yarns out there that I wouldn't use to knit a sweater, and if the best yarn for a design is to be found at Wal-Mart or Michael's, that's where I am going to buy it. Granted, that doesn't happen very often, but I think that the Lion Brand label has gotten a bad rap for their marketing strategy. I am sure there are fifteen sides to the issue, but the bottom line for me is that I like the yarn. It reminds me of Brunswick Germantown. Enough said.

Lion Brand from Wal-Mart. Beaded Rhapsody from Camas Creek Yarn. Oh knitter, thou art so fickle.

I am off to teach. I hope they didn't get any more yarn shipments.

March 20, 2008: Our Regularly-Scheduled Knitting

Here are the pics I was planning to post, but which got pre-empted the other day by the standoff—it did end peacefully, BTW. They finally gassed the place and the guy walked out with his hands up. The husband was the lucky firefighter who got to hose him off.

And now, on to knitting. These projects will both be in the Summer issue. I'll let you guess what they are.

I've had such fun with the designs for this issue. And I have noticed an interesting phenomenon since Camas Creek Yarn opened: design ideas are spilling out of my head. For so long I have lived in a place where my access to yarn was fairly limited. I had to plan my designs way ahead, order yarn, and hope I was still enthused about the project when the yarn came. Now if I'm struck with an idea, it's a simple matter to go to the store and pick something out and get to work. And of course Melanie, the owner, has a million ideas of her own and is always bouncing stuff off of me. For example, last week she got a shipment of really cool belt buckles. She mentioned that she would love to have a belt to display in the store, and all of a sudden I was reminded of a stitch pattern I had swatched in hemp that would make a great belt. She handed me a buckle and some hemp yarn and off I went. A few hours later I had another project for the newsletter and she had a store sample. (She told me Tuesday that she sold three belt buckles just from having the belt on display.)

I have to be careful that I don't get carried away, though. Every time a new shipment of yarn comes in, I want to buy some and design a new project. But so far it's been great and I hope we can continue the collaboration.

The Calendar page has been updated with a list of where and what I am teaching. There are two new events in Ohio and Michigan—one is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of June 28 at Threadbear in Lansing, MI (we're working on the class selection) and the other is July 12 at a new store called A Tangled Tale in Columbus, OH. There I'll be teaching the Let Them Knit Cake class on Brioche knitting in the morning and Cables and Beyond in the afternoon. A Tangled Tale isn't open just yet, but if you want to call and reserve a spot in either of those classes, e-mail me (Janet at BigSkyKnitting dot com) and I'll help get you signed up.

And some time in there I am supposed to be finishing a book. I got an e-mail last night from my tech editor that the first draft is coming back to me. No more slacking off! I still have plenty to do to get Cables 2 in shape. It's looking more and more like a fall release, though. I doubt very much that I will have it done before I leave for the east coast in June. It's hard to crank out a book a year. If all I had to do was the writing, that would be one thing, but I also have to do the swatches, the layout and the photography. And I am just not going to make myself nuts about it. One of the reasons I self-publish is so that no one else can control my schedule.

Off to work now.

March 16, 2008: Standoff

The blog post I had prepared for today (including pictures!) went out the window around 8 a.m. We have AN INCIDENT happening in our fire district (not near my house, though). Yesterday a man shot a woman and then fled to his house, where he has been holed up since the murder. His house happens to be on the main highway into Kalispell, so the road has been closed for about 36 hours. There is a detour allowing people to get from our side of the river into town.

The assistant chief called this morning right after breakfast and asked if I would run into town and get food for the police and firefighters staged at one of our fire stations near the standoff. It's my job to do that when we have a fire or major car accident; I have never been called upon to do this for a law enforcement incident. I called the grocery store where we get food and asked them to have sandwiches and fruit ready, then headed into town and navigated the detour. I did it in reverse to get back to the scene, and visited with our fire chief for a while.

It happened that I needed to be in town again in the afternoon, so I told the chief that if we needed food for dinner, I would pick it up. In the meantime, the husband and another one of our friends on the department went to do a shift at the staging area. They have an engine ready to go just in case something happens with the house. When I left (approximately 5:30 p.m.) after delivering dinner, all the equipment was positioned in the highway. I'm hoping this can be resolved peacefully and soon.

I spent most of the day in the truck in town. Not much got done here. And tomorrow I am taking the girls, who are on spring break, down to Missoula. They still have gift cards that need to be spent. It'll be fun, but I'm looking forward to Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, when I'll get to stay home and work.

I promise knitting pics, but probably not until Wednesday, if I survive all the excitement.

March 12, 2008: Mid-Week Musings

Things have been going really smoothly lately, which always makes me nervous. I'm wondering when all hell is going to break loose. I think I've caught up on all my e-mail, and I can actually see the top of my desk. I finished two knitting projects and I am ready to move forward on a third one.

I just had a lovely conversation with Kelly at KnitPicks for a future podcast. As soon as I find out the date, I'll let everyone know. She asked a lot of great questions and I am pretty sure I sounded coherent.

I have been meaning to mention these:

When I was in Atlanta, the lovely Nancy Smythe Thompson was wearing them. They are made out of recycled knitting needles. Alas, I am horribly allergic to metal and can't wear earrings anymore or I'd have one of everything she makes, but Nancy gave me a pen made out of a recycled knitting needle and it's perfect. Check out her Etsy store Sassafras Creations for more items.

I do miss being able to wear earrings. I've tried it all and nothing seems to help. I can barely stand to wear a watch or my wedding ring. They both come off as soon as I walk in the door from being out and about.

I am starting to get inquiries about teaching gigs for next year. I really have mixed feelings about teaching. I love to teach. I love to meet knitters. I even like traveling although I am not a big fan of flying.

I hate being away from my family. The husband always laughs at me because a day or two before I leave on a teaching trip I start agonizing about being gone. I just can't stand the thought of not being at home. And I always have a great time when I am gone—some of my fondest memories are of teaching trips I've taken (hi Raye!). Go figure. I guess I'll just keep to my three-gigs-a-year schedule until the girls are off to college and then it won't matter so much.

March 11, 2008: Janet Johnson-Stephens and a Certain Little Elf

I promised you a post about Janet Johnson-Stephens. Who is she, you ask? She's an amazingly talented knitter, author, and designer. She was one of the founding members of the Association of Knitwear Designers (back when it was the Professional Knitwear Designers Guild). She developed and coordinates the knitting judges certification program through The Knitting Guild Association. She has worked with the Craft Yarn Council, and has generously shared her knowledge as a knitting teacher throughout the country.

I first met Jan when she still lived in Cleveland. I taught for the North Coast Knitting Guild on a couple of occasions and got to spend some time with her. She moved to Atlanta a few years ago and now I get to see her there. She has a step-daughter who could be my twin sister, we look so much alike. Being around Jan is a lot of fun. And of course, we share the same name!

But what I love most about Jan has to do with my childhood in Cleveland. When I was a little girl, there was a character named Mr. Jingeling who had been developed by one of the local department stores in Cleveland (Halle's, if you happen to be familiar with the city). Mr. Jingeling was one of Santa's elves, appointed by Santa as the "Keeper of the Keys."

Every year around Christmas, one of the TV stations had a short segment in the afternoon featuring Mr. Jingeling. If I remember correctly, it came on right after "Ultraman" and "Johnny Sakko." I loved to watch Mr. Jingeling. And when I was a lot older (around 19 or 20 or so), my then-boyfriend's mother and I went downtown to have lunch one day before Christmas. Who should be at the Higbee's department store (Halle's had closed by then) but Mr. Jingeling himself! My boyfriend's mother pulled me over to see him (there were a lot of little kids there) and I got to shake his hand. Oh, the excitement!

I love knitters.

March 9, 2008: It Snows in Cleveland, and Atlanta, Too!

I had a lovely time in Atlanta. When I arrived on Thursday it was 70 degrees and sunny. Friday evening after dinner I turned on the Weather Channel to see the weatherman standing on the corner of E. 9th and Carnegie in Cleveland, where they were getting a snowstorm. He kept referencing the "blizzard of 1978" which I do remember being quite a doozy. I called my mother and she assured me she wasn't going anywhere.

Saturday morning I awoke to see a few random flakes of snow coming down outside, but nothing like what they were getting in my hometown.

Those Atlanta knitters do know how to do southern hospitality! My lovely hostess Debra Davis picked me up at the airport Thursday afternoon, got me checked into my suite—yes, I had a suite at the Staybridge Suites which was quite posh—and took me to dinner at Brio, one of my very favorite restaurants. I usually only eat at Brio when I go to Ohio because we don't have any here in Montana.

We headed to the guild meeting where I gave a 20-minute talk and answered some questions. It was good to see some Atlanta guild members I haven't seen in seven years (I last taught there in 2001), including my friend Janet Johnson-Stevens. (She's a former Clevelander and really deserves her own post, which I will do tomorrow.) Then it was back to the hotel so I could get some sleep.

Classes on Friday went well. Elizabeth brought me enough food for lunch to feed an army, all of it wonderful. The totally cute Megan hosted a potluck dinner at her house that evening. The Atlanta guild created a knitted scarecrow last fall to display at the Botanical Garden and Megan showed me the crow she designed and knit. It was phenomenal (and also a good use of some black novelty eyelash yarn!). The food was excellent and the company of knitters was a lot of fun.

Saturday's classes went well, too—I was really impressed with the depth and breadth of the Atlanta's group's knowledge. They asked a lot of terrific questions. I had another great lunch provided by Nancy (I think—sorry!), which I truly appreciated. I must burn up a lot of energy when I teach, because by lunchtime I am always starving.

Debra—who is an abolsute dear—took me to the Whole Foods Store Saturday after my classes were over so I could stock up on tea. I bought $54 worth of tea. Yes, I am a tea addict. It's hard to find really good decaf teas. My sister sent me some Tulsi Tea last week; it's a brand I've never seen around here and the Whole Foods Store had it so I bought two boxes of Lemon Ginger decaf. Yum.

I had mentioned to Debra that we don't get a lot of good seafood here in Montana, so she took me to the Atlanta Fish Market for dinner. I had Georgia Mountain Trout with whipped sweet potatoes and sauteed baby spinach—wow, it was delicious. And of course I had to have some Georgia Pecan Tart (with chocolate!) for dessert. When in Rome . . . !

Debra rolled me back to the hotel and I dutifully set my clock ahead one hour. She dropped me off at the airport this morning and after eight hours of traveling I arrived back home in Kalispell. It's always great to be home but I would go back to Atlanta in a heartbeat. It's a great group to teach for and they sure feed you well!

March 3, 2008: Rocks for Brains

We haven't heard from the resident Chesapeake recently, so let's have a post in which we see—once again—what a bonehead my dog is (although this time he had help from the teenager).

This is the gate between the laundry room and the kitchen. Yesterday afternoon I heard DD#1 in there playing with the dogs, and then I heard a loud crash and saw two dogs tearing through the house. Hmmmm.

Turns out that Chester got a little rambunctious and crashed through the gate, breaking a couple of the slats. The husband took it out to the garage and—in his very husband-like way (that means "with metal and a lot of bolts")—fixed the gate and put it back up. I do not put it past the dog to try and crash it again. (That is Chester, sitting behind the gate, waiting for the next opportunity.)

While Chester loves both the girls and would defend them if necessary, he seems to have a particular fondness for DD#1. One time we came home and both dogs came running up to greet us. Rusty tried to cozy up to DD#1 and Chester lit into him like he had taken his favorite toy. The two of them (DD#1 and the dog) always get into trouble when they play together.

I got most of my errands run today. Tomorrow is a work day at home, and then I'll do some last-minute grocery shopping on Wednesday. I have to stock up on foods these people can cook by themselves.

March 2, 2008: Funerals and Birthdays

Yesterday I went to a funeral and then a birthday party. It was a rather odd juxtapositon considering who was being celebrated at each event.

When the husband joined the fire department 14 years ago, the spouses (mostly wives) were encouraged to join the Ladies' Auxiliary. I began attending auxiliary meetings, and it soon became apparent that I was going to be the youngest member by at least 25 years. None of the wives of the firefighters who were the same age as the husband and me ever went to an auxiliary meeting.

But I went and I stuck around, because I like old people and most of these women were very nice to me. Eventually the members got too old to continue their activities and the auxiliary disbanded and morphed into a group of associate members of the fire department—people like me who want to be involved with the department but who don't respond to calls. We attend the business meetings, are kept in the loop with the firefighters, and provide support where we can. We don't quilt or make lefse anymore, which sometimes makes me sad, but the world has changed and the department has different needs now.

Anyway (I am going somewhere with this), a few weeks ago one of the auxiliary members died. She was 88. Her memorial service was yesterday. Blanche was a knitter, and every year at the Auction she would come and set up a table in the craft building and sell her knitted and crocheted items. She made the most exquisite lace doilies. Blanche never had a harsh word for anyone, and of everyone in the auxiliary, I think she was my favorite.

The chief and assistant chief are out of town this weekend, so I went to the service as the unofficial fire department representative. Half a dozen of the other auxiliary members were there, ladies I haven't seen in a couple of years. The memorial service was a lovely celebration of Blanche's life.

After the service, I headed out to our church where one of our members was having his 80th birthday party. His birthday is on Leap Day, so he jokes about being only 20 years old. Joe was a teacher in the community for many years, and I think all of his former students must have come to the open house. I could not believe how many people were there. The open house was scheduled from 2-5 p.m., but the husband went out to a chimney fire call at 6:30 and he said when he drove by the church, the parking lot was still full of cars.

I visited with the fire chief's parents (it's a small town and everyone knows everyone else), wished Joe a happy birthday, and had some cake and a sandwich. I talked to a woman named Natalie, who is one of Joe's nieces and who lives around the corner from me. We have kids the same age, but we joke that the only time we ever see each other is at a funeral, so it was nice to visit with her at a birthday party instead.

I left thinking how lucky I am to live in this community. As much as I like to be by myself, it's still nice to belong somewhere.

Before the funeral, I popped in to Camas Creek Yarn again to pick up a few skeins of yarn for a project. Melanie and I talked about some of the yarns that aren't moving as well as others, and as I mentally inventoried my collection of knitted samples, I realized that I had a few more things she could use as display models. I'm going to get them out and take them in tomorrow.

I got another chunk of work done on the book Friday and I worked on it again yesterday morning. Just when I think I've got it all laid out and organized, though, one of the pieces jumps up and says, "I think you should reorganize this book and put me there instead of here." It's happened with every single one of my books and it's more than slightly frustrating. I liken it to trying to compartmentalize a plate of spaghetti. I have another hour or two of work I'd like to do on the layout, and then I need to get it printed off and sent to my tech editor. When I can no longer see the forest for the trees, she always has a fresh perspective and good ideas.

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