June Already

This year seems to be so disjointed and moving so very quickly. I spent the first three months sick most of the time then the next month scrambling to try and catch up. Then Oscar's job disappeared and we've been busting our butts to get some Ebay sales rolling in (all the while I was still trying to catch up with designing and reviewing). Now it is June, the first half of the year is almost gone and life looks so different now than it did in January. We are still busting butt on Ebay and I have had even more patterns ideas join the queue waiting to be born while working to finish the Kaleidoscope shawl.
The biggest thing to happen this week was the arrival of a long-awaited book co-written by my friend Deb Robson. I had to wait until I could find it on sale and used the proceeds from yarn sales to cover the cost. I normally would not have spent the money while things are in such flux but this is a treasure I will refer to for years to come. As things go, by next year the book may be less available and cost quite a bit more (although I hope for Deb and Carole Ekarious' sake sales demand a reprint). It is a book unlike any other in the fiber arena that compares and contrasts fibers from several different types and breeds of animal with meticulous information on using that fiber in many types of hand and machine work.  It is brilliant, comprehensive and gorgeously designed. What is this treasure? The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook from Storey Publishing (the link says coming soon but it is available right now). I am only a fraction of the way through it but already I am caught by the desire to do something to help the endangered fiber breeds, perhaps adding some information on what type of scarce fiber would work for some of my existing patterns or perhaps reviewing some of the yarn produced by the small-business crafters from those yarns. I am still mulling over ideas. I have plenty of time to think because it will likely be a year before I can put any plans into the implementation stage.
Anyhow, this month will be much like last month except that Oscar will be gone more and the ebay stuff will depend more on me. And I plan by this time next month to have the Kaleidoscope pattern out for testing and to be working on some other patterns. Just a short incomplete mental count gives me a list 8 items long of patterns already partially completed.
Reviewing is going quite well, I have already submitted 12 reviews in June. I hope to keep up the pace as there are more waiting on the shelf and a few more arriving soon. Good thing I like staying busy!
Now it's time to close. Amanda, Sean, Isabella Rose and Scott are arriving for a small cookout in a few hours  and we are not even CLOSE to ready.