So, if any of you run into my knitting/spinning/fibre mojo, can you send it home please?  I believe it has hopped a plane for Cuba where it is sitting on a beach, drinking mojitos.  Because really, if you had that option, wouldn’t you??

I traditionally struggle with January and February.  I get a little blue and kinda lazy and it’s hard to pick myself up and do anything.  My friend Christina, over at Lone Maple Studio, blogged about this very thing this weekend.   In her case, a new hobby has taken her attention; in mine, I am looking into new hobbies in hopes that something grabs my attention because my interest in my current habits is definitely waning.

Last year, I purchased a couple of Craftsy classes, including a class on Lace Shawl Design.  In an attempt to engage my brain in something interesting, I finally hit it the play button on it and started watching.  It’s interesting so far.  Miriam Felton, the instructor, has talked yarn and needles and yarn overs and decreases…and now we are at the part where we are charting stitch patterns from stitch dictionaries.  I may have given in and purchased a recommended one from Abebooks – one of the Barbara Walker treasuries.  I also may have gone to Staples for graph paper, and a new note book because what troubles can’t be solved with yarn can frequently be solved with office supplies.

Additionally, my friend Shireen dropped by for a bit of a knit night on Friday, and she and her metal-working hubby, Tito had picked me up a little gift while shopping that day:  the cutest teensiest, tiniest jewelery anvil you ever saw.  Looks like this and fits in the palm of my hand:

This acquisition meant that I needed to stop by Bead FX on Saturday to add a chasing hammer to my collection of tools, so I can get practicing at some simple metal forging.  I grabbed some 16 gauge wire, and am now going to start looking at creating some fibula pins, and maybe eventually learn how to do more complicated things.  I did get a book from my mother in law for Christmas called “Simple Soldering”…that would be next.

So, while I did a very small amount of knitting this weekend and no spinning at all, I did spend an inordinate amount of time designing lace cowls in my head, and hanging out on Pinterest, looking for shawl pin ideas.

Maybe this is one of those “If life hands you lemons” things.