~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ Ginny at small things

---

Good morning … it’s 32 and lightly snowing … as opposed to the mid-60s we had a few days ago. Virginia weather: gotta love it (or not …). We’ve had some horrible creeping-crud in the house; one of the highschoolers was home for a day last week, HotRod succumbed this weekend and Kit has it this week. On top of that … I’ve got it! Never good when mom is sick … I’m a lousy patient and don’t enjoy being sick. It’s not the stomach flu (and THAT’s a blessing) … it’s a really bad cold that seems to last a few days with horrible sore throat, stuffy than runny nose, cough, etc. Dh swears I’m sick cuz I don’t get the flu-shot. But then he had this last week as did HamBone … both of whom had the shot. So there you go.

I’m so sick I don’t even feel much like knitting … I know, heresy, right? The knitting you see in the photo is a slip-stitched coaster set and now I’m doing a larger coaster for the teapot/coffeepot. These are for a swap where the swappee loves bright colors; I think the Noro Retro in the bright pink and bright blue fit the bill nicely. This is the first Noro yarn I’ve enjoyed knitting: a wool, silk, mohair blend that is nowhere near as scratchy as their Silk Garden, which I love the colors of but can’t stand knitting with. Retro is a worsted weight.

This weekend I hadn’t yet fallen victim to the creeping crud so I was able to post my first e-book, a collection of Celtic-inspired patterns. le gra o Mhaire (which means “with love from Mary” in Irish) is packed with 12 of my popular designs and is available for immediate download either on Ravelry or Craftsy.

Yesterday, HotRod played nurse and got me all set up on the couch with tissue/trash bin, blankets and my Kindle all nearby. I slept most of yesterday as did Kit. The Kindle has been of great benefit while I’m laid-low: I can read my books without having to wear my reading specs (great for when I keep falling asleep thanks to this cold). I can read our read-aloud, The Boy Crusaders easily and can read my “business of knitting” books like Craft Business Power and Grow Your Handmade Business. Both of these books are wonderful reading — and on the Kindle, I can bookmark and highlight without dog-earring the pages …. love my Kindle!

So what are you knitting and reading … wanna come play? I promise not to get you sick …