Doctor, Doctor

Some of you may have secret pals which have assisted your knitting stash. Others may have secret pals which have assisted your waist line with all that yummy candy snuck into each package. Well, I’m happy to report that my secret pal seems to have a knack for assisting my health woes, although the case is still out on whether she helps me over illness or makes me sick.
I’m not so good at the whole cause and effect scenario here (logic, timelines, bah, who needs it), but let’s look at this CSI-style. It seems that there is some sort of chaos-complexity-voodoo-big-bang-earth-is-flat-theory relationship between receiving my secret pal packages and coming down with illnesses, common and otherwise.

So, knitters of the jury, let’s decide…Secret Pal Christina, Yarn Doctor or Germ Lady?

The last time I try to go home to visit the fam, I forget how to read, make my reservation for the wrong day, and end up in bed all weekend taking phone calls about how wonderful my birthday party is. But, I get to enjoy nice baths all weekend, with hand-crocheted wash cloths and bath stuffs courtesy of my secret pal. Now don’t trust me on this one, but I’m pretty sure I got the package, then had the airplane debacle. Hmm, sounds suspicious? Maybe, I really didn’t forget how to read and the Germ Lady got into the computer system with her magic ways and got it all kerflunked so I’d have to stay home and take long, luxurious baths and brag about her wonderful secret pal ways? Awful suspicious…

And that first package, all innocent with the Trekking yarn? Let’s see, since I received that yarn, I’ve had the strangest disease in my fingers… mustknitsockitis. Y’all know it’s fatal. Once contracted, mustknitsockitis causes sufferers to abandon any other activity using their fingers… no more calling grandma, dusting, writing dissertations, or dialing up the pizza delivery boy. Just hours and hours lounging on the couch with fingers unable to be pried off the sock needles. Dreadful, just dreadful… Yep, she gave me that one!

However, it must be said that she did provide the only known cure. Those afflicted with mustknitsockitis have been witnessed to actually put down the socks in order to unwrap a piece of chocolate. Hmm, the plot thickens…

Well, I suppose I should just get down to business here and give you the facts on the latest round of pressies.

Fact #1
Upon returning from a boooooring two-day drive back to my humble abode, I receive an inconspicuous brown envelope full of yarn and sundry goodies.

Lots o' goodies: farm magnets and a funny farm calendar (how'd she know what the family homestead was like?); cute little notebook for all my knitting schemes; tape measure; and yarn, glorious yarn... yeah, better pics of that to come

Fact #2
Upon opening (tearing open with wild abandon, actually) said brown envelope and commencing my unpacking from my two-week travels, I am struck with a fever and throat so sore it actually kept me quiet for days.

Fact #3
As I was fresh out of healthy foods such as bean sprouts and broccoli (yeah, right, like I ever keep that healthy stuff around here), I was forced to sustain my fevered self on fine chocolates shipped in from California.

imagine seeing a picture of chocolates here... I snarked them down too fast to take documentary evidence

Fact #4
As I was also bored out of my gourd while alternating between sleeping, freezing, sweating and checking my temperature yet again, I just had to spend time researching the best possible uses of two gorgeous skeins of yarn. (And no, I couldn’t spend the same time researching silly little things like novels because I had a fever. Can’t work with a fever, right?)

Mmm, Yarn Place Graceful laceweight... geeeee-orgeous. The color is, of course, off here, but it's a beautiful dark purple that fades into a pinker, lighter plum color. Methinks I see either Icarus or Peacock Feathers in my future. Excuse the blatent evidence of peeking into the skein here. Felt a bit naughty prying away the top layers to show off the innards here, but wanted to show some of the way the yarn transitions. Here's a better picture on the blog of Christina's friend. Methinks there's a whole slew of naughty, talented knitters/yarn pushers out there on the other side of the country. Ladies, if we meet, let's do coffee... somewhere close to that great yarn shop that it looks like you frequent.

HAND-DYED fingerweight in all my favorite colors... to sock or not to sock, that is the question...

So, jury, what do you think?

Mistress of the Knitting Jury, how do you find Christina?

Well, Your Honor, this was a difficult case for us what with all that cause and effect mumbo jumbo, but it really came down to that last piece of evidence. Hand-dyed yarn. I mean, really, can anyone less than a knitting saint send away gorgeous hand-dyed yarn? I know that I for one would’ve hoarded that baby for my own greedy little fingers. And she nailed her pal’s favorite colors? Saint, I tell ya, saint…

So, that’s the decision. Looks like Christina is officially a Yarn Doctor and a Saint too. I’m not sure if she is a doctor, plays one on TV, or if she just plays doctor at home (you’ll have to ask her hubby about that one *cough, cough*), but she seems to know the best way to treat a fever is to send chocolate and yarn and leave me to be pathetic, while fondling yarn and planning more projects.

So, Dr. Christina, thank you, thank you, thank you for your miracle cures.