The Good Stuff

Friday was a special day for me. You see, I have this friend that I never get to see, and Friday, finally, was my opportunity to spend time with her. I first met Tricia right after I moved to Florida, and she was one of the first people to welcome me to my new state. Little does she know how much it meant to me to have a friendly smile and chat about two of my favorite things:  knitting and books.

Over the ensuing years we both got busy. She works as a waitress and I homeschool, so our hours tend to not overlap much. Also, I got more and more involved in church work, which meant I was spending less time at the knit shop where we first met. But we stayed in touch, and I'm so glad!

You see, Tricia makes me smile. She probably doesn't know this, but I'm going to say it out loud. She also makes me think, and that's a good thing. Practically speaking, the two of us probably cancel each other out in the voting booth, if you know what I mean, but that's one of the things I like about her. I respect her ideas and thoughts, and I feel that she respects mine, and I frequently learn something I didn't know when we get together.

And another thing... Tricia likes to spin! So this Friday we made it a spinning day, and boy was it fun! We started off at my community park, as it was such a warm sunny day, and eventually we wound up back at my house on the lanai.

I love the art yarn this girl puts out!

By the end of the day, I had FINALLY managed to finish up a bobbin of lace-weight that I've been working on forever!

By the way, you may notice her rather "butch" hairstyle. The previous day, this sweet gal shaved her head to get ahead of the hair loss she was experiencing due to her chemotherapy. Tricia found out recently that she has breast cancer. Stage IV. That means it's spread. But look at that smile! I am so inspired by her positive outlook. She is not letting this define who she is and continues to enjoy her new life with a smile.

Anyway, we both did a lot of smiling and a lot of spinning, and at the end of the day, I was impressed with both of our progress. Not only did I finish the bobbin, but I was able to take out my spindle and do some spinning on it as well.

Bobbin one:  complete!

This particular spindle that I was using is a trindle, and I love using it! I love how I can change the arms to be heavier or lighter. I love how the arms come apart for easy transport, and I love how I can wind my cop on at varying places along the spindle to ensure an even wind-on. I also love that I didn't break the bank to purchase one.

My Trindle and some blue roving of the Merino variety.

Now for the good stuff. Yes, it was good to get that spinning done, but the good stuff wasn't any of that. It was simply time spent with a friend for an extended period of time, some of it in laughter and some of it in silence. The gift of time with friends and family is the good stuff, and I hope you will seek it out in this crazy, helter-skelter lifestyle we all seem to find ourselves in.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17