I can smell stuff again! That was a very weird experience.

(Dorothy’s comment on yesterday’s sickie post makes me want to flap my hands and say “Eeeeeee!”)

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The lion’s share of my precious few waking hours today were spent at the Seattle Knitting Expo instead of actually knitting. Compared to the one in Tacoma recently, it seemed that this one had more vendors, and more handmade, handspun, and hand-dyed yarn. This pleased me greatly.

I bought two skeins of yarn, both of such astonishing beauty that to take their picture in artificial lighting would be criminal. But since I came home and fell straight into a four-hour nap (at what point does a “nap” become just plain “sleeping”?) I missed all the daylight.

Skein #1 is lightweight Socks That Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in the Algae colorway. I understand that “algae” may not be the most wholesome name, but trust me when I tell you that it is dyed in a magnificent collection of blues and greens.

Blue Moon is a bit of a puzzle to me. From what I gather, they started out selling their yarn exclusively at trade shows, then branched out to limited internet sales. While chatting with the lovely booth ladies, I also learned that they try to choose yarn to take to shows that is not available on their website.

What this means is that if you have the chance, check out the yarn marketplace at every expo near you, because Blue Moon might be there, and you can buy the yarn for much less than ordering off the website (no handling fees). You must do this, because no matter how much you love the yarns for sale on their site, their booth will have more, better, different colorways which you have not yet seen, in a variety of weights (including dyed wool stuff you can spin up yourself). Seriously, go there.

The second skein is 650 yards of superwash merino three-ply sock yarn by Pat Fly of Angora Valley Fibers in Citrus. (Scroll down to see the pic - ooh, out of stock, but they did have two skeins left as of Saturday afternoon - HURRY!)

Angora Valley Fibers is based in Tenino, Washington. When I noted the URL on the band and asked if you can order the yarn off their site, I was all ready for them to say “Not at the moment…” and then I would berate them for being FOOLS, because this yarn is GREAT, and EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE SOME. But she said “Yep, and free shipping.” That kind of stole my thunder, but you should totally go order some of the three-ply awesomeness.

The Angora Valley booth also featured an antique sock-knitting machine, which was a little bit like a sausage grinder, except that socks come out, and also when you turn the crank, all kinds of delicate little wire fingers do amazing things which are insanely entertaining to watch. It made me feel a little like Internet Explorer. (Wheeeeee!)

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On the viral front, I’m feeling overall a lot better, but I think I have a sinus infection, and also I have completely lost my sense of smell. (This is more than a little alarming, I can assure you.)

In the last 24 hours, I have put my nose perilously close to the following substances and inhaled deeply, but failed to detect the smell of: Arctic Blast Listerine, Mentho-Lyptus lozenges (plain flavor), tea tree essential oil, barbecue sauce, Dawn dishwashing liquid, ground coffee, brewed coffee, cat food, Kirkland brand shampoo, Kirkland brand conditioner, Ivory soap, dijon mustard, tropical fish food flakes, toothpaste, Sea Breeze facial cleanser, and probably a whole host of other things I’m forgetting.

However, this afternoon I did sniff deeply of a lavender sachet at the yarn expo, and definitely smelled lavender. Just a little bit, and only on the far left side, but it’s a good sign that it’s only a temporary problem. I’m keeping my fingers crossed on this one, because people do permanently lose their sense of smell after a viral infection (Anosmia), and I really like smelling things. I sniff things all the time (I am only partially aware of this habit on a conscious level).

I’m staying home again tonight, and taking: vitamin C, zinc, herbal tea, sinus decongestant, chicken soup, Advil, yogurt and fresh fruit, saline nasal spray, steam baths, and anything else I can think of.

I am, in short, doing everything except the one thing that everyone says will work: the neti pot. I can assure you that if you want me to use a neti pot, the following will be true:

1. There will be a struggle.
2. I will have to be forcibly restrained.
3. There will be much wailing and crying, not all of it mine.

I’ve heard good things about the neti pot. And I’m sure they’re all true. I really am. I’m not saying that it doesn’t work. I’m just saying get that thing the @#$% away from me!

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