With all due apologies to Old Mister and Miss Celie, it’s been a long, long ride, but I’m here. I’m tired, sore, and right now, I really do feel kind of ugly, but I’m here. Thank God. I’m here.
And for that matter, so is my mom. Thanks to everyone who has sent their blessings. She’s done with the second round of oral chemo, and she’s having exploratory surgery next week to verify that the cancer is indeed gone. The prognosis is good, but if you’ve had much experience with ovarian cancer, the likelihood of recurrence is high, so don’t forget about her or us. We’ll take every prayer, wish, benediction, or whatever else you can offer.
As for the shop, things are going spectacularly well. I won’t go into extreme detail in this post for the simple reasons that I’m exhausted, it’s after midnight, and I have to be back here at eight in the morning.
I was about to say that I’ve not had a day off since we got here (or since before the movers arrived), but that’s not entirely true. Our Philosopher’s Wool rep (the only Philosopher’s Wool rep, unless I’m seriously mistaken) is also both a good friend and an instructor for us, and she organized a bus trip to the Philosopher’s Wool farm this past weekend. Due to some logistical calamities at the last minute, I wound up tagging along as an alternate driver.
I’ve met the Eugene and Anne a couple of times before, but it was absolutely wonderful to see them in their element. They’re always nice, but I’ve always seen them on the run, so to see them at home was a true delight. The farm is everything I could have hoped for and more. I was surprised, too, at how much like the farm I grew up on it was. They had apple and pear trees both of which I grew up with, and Anne graciously offered fruit, herbs, and tomatoes as we toured the property. The sheep, cats, dogs, kids, and everything about the place was just as serene and endearing as any place I’ve ever been. I can’t wait for Rob to get up there.
That said, the knitting content here would be the pullover kit I picked up while we were there. I know that I have tons of open stock at the shop, but I saw something amazing at the farm. They’d taken a basic kit and knit the entire thing according to the normal structure of a Philosopher’s Wool sweater, but with totally random Fair Isle stitching and color changes. I’ll get pics up as soon as I get beyond the cuff.
As for the shop, well, that will have to wait, true believers. For now, know that we’re here, we’re still in business, Rob and the dogs are fine, and that we’ve all missed you very much.
Much love,
-Matt.