As I have posted before, we don’t travel much, but somehow have found ourselves away from home as a couple for more than 40 days this past year, plus another couple of weeks where I alone went to help out one or the other of our kids for a few days to a week. This has cut into my friend time. My friend time is going to Knit Night on Wednesday night or Spunsters (my spinning group) on Thursday afternoon. This week we aren’t snowed in, we aren’t away from home and I committed to going to both groups and enjoying the company of those friends.
On Knit Night, we meet at a local coffee shop, they kindly let us take over a huge table from about 5 pm until we go home. Most of us buy dinner, we sit and socialize, share patterns, trade yarn, tell tales and knit. The core group is the same with assorted others that come when they can and we always have a good time. A couple of the husbands will come and sit off at another table and read or if our group isn’t too big or too naughty, may sit with us for a while.
The Spunsters, meet in a conference room at the local library. Some bring their wheels, some knit or crochet, do finish work on weaving projects or just sit and visit. This group is at the mercy of the conference room use and sometimes we convene at someone’s home for a potluck.
Both groups challenge me to keep learning the fiber crafts and to improve my skills and socialize. The spinning group has many fiber raisers and we help out during shearing times which is a season that is starting.

My current spinning project is a full pound of undyed Sheltland Wool. I don’t know what it will become. We will have to see how many yards of yarn it becomes then I will decide and dye it for a handknit, homespun project.

My current knitting project is a cardigan sweater for me, the pattern is Estelle from Quince and Co. with their Lark yarn in Delft blue. This is a cute pattern with a ribbed empire waist and feather and fan bands down the front and as a bottom band. Their yarn is a delight to knit.

Then queued up is a cowl, either the Honey Cowl or the Basic Lace Cowl from this Unplanned Peacock dk weight in Botanical colorway which I bought after one of my knitting friends and I saw a very colorful weather map of the potential winter storm aimed at us. We enjoyed a playful banter with Natasha, the owner/dyer of the yarn about the beautiful colors.
It is great to reconnect after a fall and winter of absence and sporadic opportunities to see these friends.