Soft, Squishy Packages

     I found a soft, squishy package on the front seat of my car last week.  Our mailman has learned that said 'soft, squishy packages' are important parcels and usually come from far away, making them too important to stuff into our mailbox...especially when it's raining!  This 'soft, squishy package' came from Dublin, Ireland and was from my new Yarn Pal, Ruth Montgomery.  It was full of wonderful things...yarn, a small stuffed bear, more yarn...just too much to mention!  And a key chair with a enameled sheep on it!  I've been having a problem with my key chain...it's getting old and the keys keep falling off!  Jeff brought in the 2 keys to the shop one day and just the other day the car keys fell off!  I quickly replaced my faulty keyring with the sheep from Dublin!
   Today I mailed a 'soft,  squishy package' to Scotland.  It held 2.1 lbs of yarn, pattern books and knitting notions in a project bag that I made and cost $35 to mail!  I was lucky enough to find most of what I sent on sale so I could keep the declared value low on the customs form.  (I know that's not how it's suppose to work but I don't know how you can send somebody a gift and declare the true value of it when you know they may have to pay a custom's fee on it.)
  When I worked in the shop last week I was just finishing the project bag and collected a lot of compliments on it so I decided to make some to sell.  I cut the number of stitches and number of rows and it turned into a cute little bag that could be used for a lunch bag or a project bag...or even a purse! And since it's knit from 100% cotton yarn, it is machine wash and dryable!  I've got 2 just about finished and should finish a 3rd before I go back this Saturday.  The bag is called a Japanese Knot Bag and is based on a design by Jean Barresi,  It's available for free on Ravelry.com. I would love to post photos of my little knot bags but my camera's memory card is full so that will have to wait until I can get a new car.  (Jeff says just delete some photos but I won't do that.  Never can tell when I'd want those pix!!)
   While I was working on the Knot bag I developed a cramp in my right hand...my index and 2nd finger twisted and it hurt like HELL!  It lasted quite awhile, too.  (I can honestly say, it was even worst than a trigger cramp, if you ever had one of them!)  Anyway, when the cramp finally subsided my hand started to swell up.  I sat there for awhile massaging it and that helped some and I went outside and grabbed the old pipe that's the handrail for the stairs.  Now, that felt good!  But I couldn't stay there...outside of the shop...all day!  I kept massaging my hand and eventually went back to knitting because although it hurt to knit, it hurt more not to knit and let the fingers/hand stiffen.  By the end of the day, when I got home, my hand was pretty stiff and sore.  The next morning it was even more sore!  Since I already had a MD appointment for Monday morning I just kept 'RICE' and knitting.  The doctor noticed that it was still swollen and ordered an X-ray.  Haven't gotten the results yet but he thinks it just a bad sprain.  Ah, getting old is such fun!