So many of my blogging friends have taken up a daily posting challenge for the month of November. They will be posting every single day. I am astounded. How will they come up with stuff to say? pictures to take? I admire their stamina. I don’t think I could do it. I don’t think I would want to. I am sure you all wouldn’t want me to!

It is with this spirit – “if you can’t join ’em, be contrary!” – that I present to the world (aka all 10 of you) my new motto ……

Blogging Without Obligation

new motto and manifesto courtesy of Down the Rabbit Hole

Follow that link for a full explanation. It basically says what has been going on here at Chez Swine for some time now.

I will blog when I want to. I will post no entry before its time. Really, I don’t have that interesting a life so you’ll get what you’ll get. Or as many a parent has stated, “When I’m good and ready”. uh oh, I feel a “Do I need to pull this car over and give you something to cry about?!” coming on.

The difference will be that I won’t feel bad about it. That’s going to be the new part.

I have been busy with knitting and spinning …… here is a bobbin full of some corriedale bought at Rhinebeck. Yes, this year’s festival! I am leaning toward leaving this in the loosely spun single stage.

I have other pictures to share, but I can’t quite manage a dual picture posting via Flickr……. stay tuned ……… well, there has got to be an easier way than making another post, then copying the picture code and inserting it into the previous post. Anyway, I also managed to do some Navajo plying on the Blue Faced Leicester that I was working on at Spin Out.

can you see the frost on my railing?

so yes, Rhinebeck was great. The people are great. The food is great. The animals are great. The fiber is great. The fairground is great. It is all very very very great. It is fabulous, wonderful and magical and everyone should go.
But what really makes this year’s festival significant is the part where I fell in love with a priest.

A Greek Orthodox Priest. Vicki fell in love with him too and she and I are going to have a bitchin’ smack down to see who gets him.

Here is how it happened ….. it was Saturday night we were all sitting around the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott, la Isla Poughkeepsie. And we were knitting. And chatting. And knitting.

Two priests check in at the front desk. Cara immediately identifies them as Greek Orthodox. She also begins to yammer on about diamond breastplates and the movement of ambitious priests up the chain of holy command, but no one really pays attention to that part. Although I will admit, she did have my full attention when she explained who is celibate and who is not.

Anyway, the elder priest goes straight up to the room, but the younger guy is smiling and watching us for a minute and then he says, “I didn’t think anyone did this art anymore”.

please note that he spoke with an accent and used the word art

He goes onto tell us that the last time he saw anyone knitting it was his grandmother in the mountains of Greece. I would swear he had a little note of melancholy in his voice.

also note he loves his grammy

but by far, the very, very best thing he saved for last ……. as he was leaving he said, “God bless you and your beautiful hands.”

Vicki and I both muffled a little sob and I may have even blacked out for a moment.

“God Bless you and your beautiful hands.”