Settled

We had some wicked weather here last Thursday night. I had just returned from a three day visit with my dad and drove right into Portsmouth for dinner with a friend. It was windy and rainy and I had no idea what was coming! Got home after nine and the power was out by ten. Now I am kind of a dork. I love the excitement of New England weather, it was something I missed while living in Brooklyn. So, when the power went out, I grabbed my flashlight, lit a candle and continued to read my book. It quickly became hard to concentrate. The wind was like nothing that I had ever heard or felt before. I live on a reservoir that is surrounded by gigantic trees and the wind was so powerful that they just started to crack and fall. To be honest, it was a bit terrifying.

After not sleeping much, I woke early, grabbed my camera, hop-

ped in the car, and decided to drive around to see what the damage was. (To be honest, my highest goal was to figure out where I was going to get coffee.) It was clear within the first mile that the damage was significant and was going to take a long time to recover from. Top all of this off with a block-long fire that took place on the beach. It was quite a 24 hours. After enduring a 50 peson line at Dunkin' Donuts, I exited with two large coffees (I didn't know how long the power was going to be out for!!) and made the trip back home.

And I picked up my knitting needles. I was feeling uneasy despite the fact that I was safe, my home was safe, and my friends were safe, I was overwhelmed. So, I settled in on my couch picked up a ball of cotton yarn and cast on. I knew that it needed to be a small project that didn't involve much counting and wouldn't require my full attention. One that had an an easily achieved end point so that I could enjoy some instant gratification. I decided on wash cloths knit in the star stitch using colors like white, cranberry, and cornflower blue. With each stitch, my anxiety lessened and I was able to distract myself with quickly completed projects. And I haven't stopped knitting them. I look forward to giving them as gifts and have posted a few for sale here:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41738338