The crud has hit our house. It's some kind of chesty, gooey thing that causes lots of coughing (espeically at night) and leaves you feeling wrung out and limp. Some days three naps aren't enough.

It's working it's way through the house person by person. One of us is done, one nearly so, I'm finally on the upswung and the last one of us never got really sick, but isn't getting any better. He goes to school for a day then is down for two. Some famlies in town say the rements of this ick hang around for three weeks.

Welcome fall.

I'm treating my ills the way any good fiber person does, by liberally applying televison and swatches. Really, swatching is my cure for nearly everything that gets me down, physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological. There is something in the finite structure of a swatch, something in the possibility of a swatch that sets me right every time. I will admit that sometimes I'm too sick to do the knitting and I just sit with my stitch dictionaires marking patterns I want to try with sticky notes.

I've swatched Anzula Cole 70% silk/ 30% camel, just in rib. I'm making a hat for the husband, who is newly allergic to wool (I know!). This yarn is gorgeous but has zero spring. I also swatched Freia super bulky with lace patterns out of my favorite Japanese stitch dictionary. A super bulky lace cowl is what I'l eventually make, but I'm on my 8th pattern and enjoying the swatching of this one so much, I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Do you swatch when you're sick?