I’m battling a serious sinus problem over here, which made my weekend rather miserable. Everyone seems to think being ill means having time to knit, but that definitely didn’t happen. I did, however, do a fair bit of daydreaming about groovy, wool-encased hot water bottles, for some reason. The classic red rubber bottle is one of those random things I remember taking up space in the bathroom cabinet when I was a kid, but that I can’t imagine actually owning or using. It seems like a relic, and yet I’m constantly running across enticing photos of them in cozy woolen sweaters, like the ones pictured — top row: free knitting patterns from Julie Weisenberger and Garment House; bottom row: finished goods from Not On the High Street and a whole Etsy shop full of them.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been hyper-aware that my respiratory misery is nothing compared to the suffering of so many people who lost their power, water, homes or even loved ones to “super storm” Sandy. I haven’t said anything about it on the blog simply because I don’t know what to say. My heart truly goes out to everyone affected … and that sounds so entirely inadequate. I know a lot of people knit for the homeless or hospitalized at this time of year, and I’ve been wanting to organize a charitable knitting event of some kind here — inspired by Cephalopod’s support for Afghans for Afghans earlier this year. The latest word out of NY/NJ is that there are tens of thousands of people left homeless by the storm, just as winter is setting in. I understand most organizations are looking for things like money, food and flashlights at this point, but I’ll be looking into whether there’s a particular shelter or relief group we could also direct some handknits to. If you have thoughts or suggestions on this, please let me know.

Wherever you are, I hope you’re well and warm.

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