After the Fall

When I fell, it was in full sight of many people, some of whom came running. They were all very solicitous, wouldn't let me get up right away, and checked to see what might be injured. When they saw that my wrist and lower arm were already quite swollen and turning black and blue, it was immediately decided that I needed to go to the ER. They got some ice, propped up my arm, and sent me on my merry way, accompanied by Carrie and Sheri, the organizers of the workshop. They were a great support team, taking care of me and all the little details, like finding my ID and insurance cards, and getting me checked in, and out. All while sitting in the ER waiting room with no dinner but a couple of candy bars.

The outcome, after much probing around and a slew of Xrays, was that I had fractured 3 bones in my wrist. One of these was the scaphoid, at the base of the thumb, which is harder to heal than the others, and requires total immobilization. So they put me in a splint (I was still too swollen for a cast) from my upper arm all the way down and encasing the thumb completely. It wasn't very well done, IMHO, but it did the job; it kept my thumb immobile, as instructed.

The rest of the time in Taos was, shall I say, bittersweet. I felt like the 1-Armed Paperhanger, unable to do so many things for myself. Everyone was so helpful and solicitous; helping me at the buffet, carrying things, opening doors, etc. You get the picture. Jane and her wonderful husband, John, took me along on a couple of excursions and to dinner. But the fact remained that I couldn't knit; could only watch the others knitting, take notes when Jane was explaining her methods, and sit there arranging and rearranging my yarns, looking for just the right mix of colors and textures to use on MY Road to Taos Feather & Fan Wrap, whenever I could finally start working on it. Of course that mix changed daily, some times more than once, as I'd see other possibilities.



The other problem was: How would I get back home? Luckily, 4 of the women were driving to Albuquerque to fly home, and one of them offered to drive me (and my car) to my friend's house outside of Santa Fe, and then join her friends to go the rest of the way. And my daughter was flying into Albuquerque to join me at my friend's and drive us back home to Tucson.

Coming soon: the "Adventure" continues

False Prophecies and Misadventures

The evening before leaving on my trip to Santa Fe and Taos, we had dinner with friends at a Chinese Restaurant. When the Fortune Cookies came, I really perked up, because mine said: "Your new adventure will bring you happiness". I figured that this referred to the Jane Thornley Workshop/Retreat to which I was headed. I certainly expected it would be an adventure. Little did I know what kind of adventure it would be.

I arrived in Santa Fe Tuesday evening, September 8th; and spent an uneventful night in a nice motel. Wednesday, I visited my friend at her gallery and we had lunch together before I visited 2 of the great LYSs in town. As usual, I couldn't resist the gorgeous yarns, and bought quite a bit at both shops; some of it to possibly use in the workshop.

I then got on the road to Taos, at least I thought it was the way to Taos. After driving for great distances, at pretty high speeds, I came to the realization that I was not heading to Taos. I would have stopped and asked if there was a way to get where I was going from where I was, but there weren't many places to go off the road and stop, and it was raining pretty heavily most of the time, so I turned around and went back to Santa Fe. This cost me a couple of hours at least.

Once I found the right road, I figured I could still make it to the Retreat in time for the evening get acquainted event, but I ended up taking another wrong turn (or, rather, not taking a turn I should have). To add to the problem, once I got partway there, my cell phone wouldn't work and I couldn't even make contact with the people at the retreat. By the time I finally arrived there, it was after 10pm, and too late to meet up with any of the other participants. So I settled in my room for the night, and hoped that the next day would be better.

After breakfast (great food and companionship) we moved into the Log Cabin and began the workshop. Jane is a great teacher, as I knew she would be, and we began working on our projects. It was interesting to see everyone's different approaches; the theme was (loosely) The Road to Taos, or the colors of the Southwest and New Mexico. During this time I got to show off my Paua Shell/Watergarden Shrug and my Little Fishies Scarf.

After lunch, more good food and conversation, most of us went to scout out the LYSs, supposedly all within easy walking distance. It was quite warm, even hot, that day, and some of us really felt it. After visiting 2 shops, and buying quite a bit of yarn, I decided to head back to the lodge. Jane and I walked back, and I joined some of the others in the log cabin to work on our projects.

I decided to go up to my room for something, and on my return it happened, I tripped on the uneven flagstone and fell. HARD!

To Be Continued

It's Finished!

ThePaua Shell/Watergarden Shrug is finished! Most of the ends are woven in, the seams are joined, and an edging has been added. There are still a few loose ends inside one of the sleeves, but I’ll take care of them.

It turned out beautifully. I love the colors, the yarns, and the stitch patterns. I had a few problems here and there, when a color, or yarn, or stitch didn’t work out as planned, and did a little more frogging than I was happy with, but, all in all, an enjoyable project. And now I'm ready to attack the Feather n Fan project when I get to Taos for the Workshop/Retreat.


So tomorrow I'll head off to New Mexico . I'm already packed and can actually get to bed at a reasonable hour. I may even be able to get up and on my way early enough to get to Santa Fe before dark. On Wednesday I'll check out the LYSs before driving to Taos. I can't remember when I've been ready for a trip this early! I keep thinking that I must be forgetting something. Oh, well, time will tell.

Heading to New Mexico

There are only 2 more days till I head to Santa Fe and Taos. As usual, there is still too much to do. But, also as usual, the important stuff will get done. And what doesn't, can be done without, or done later. I am getting excited about this trip, especially the Workshop/Retreat with Jane Thornley in Taos. For one thing, I've never been to Taos, but have always wanted to go there. And I know the workshop will really be an experience to remember. I've been putting off doing a JT Feather n Fan project, because it seems a little daunting; but being able to actually do it with Jane there to help is very reassuring.

I've finished the Paua Shell/Watergarden Shrug, at least all the knitting. Now I have to weave in all the ends, and there are a LOT; not one of my favorite pastimes as I may have said before. But I will do it, and sew the seams, and put on an edging. I do intend to have this done to show off at the workshop. And when it's done, I'll post some pictures and show it off here, too.