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My favorite things


Hugs from my Sophie Darling rank
high among my favorite things.
Ever since school started, one or more members of the family have been fighting some sort of cold. Currently, we are dealing with a head-cold/sinus thing, and it's my turn. Until I'm feeling better, I'm keeping my exercise pretty low key — that is, as much as drill instructor, Ainsleigh, will allow. She likes to watch me sweat, that's for sure!

My go-to when I need to recuperate is yoga. I like that it is low stress but still presents a strength challenge and uses the entire body. It also helps relax tight muscles, and I sleep much better, especially if I do a quick practice at night.

Beachbody has just added Yoga Studio, a collection of yoga routines from across all the programs, to the On-Demand member library with new practices being added all the time. I've been exploring the newest options and found a couple I really like. One is a 10-minute routine to ease lower back pain, which I've found really helpful, especially after a couple marathon knitting sessions. It is a BOD exclusive, so if you want to check it out, you can do so here. The first 30-days of on-demand are free, and if you're not impressed, you can always cancel and not have to pay a thing.*



Ainsleigh has been my most dedicated workout buddy for a while, but it seems like she may be on her way to adding spinning buddy to the list, as well. I had dusted off my antique wheel for a project, which piqued her interest. She was insistent on spinning, too, so I set her up on the modern wheel, a Kromski Minstrel, and away she went! It was shocking how intuitive the whole process was for her. Working her feet and hands together was a bit tricky, but if I kept the wheel moving, she could manage the drafting pretty well.

A full bobbing on an antique Tyrolean wheel.

I felt free to a little wheel spinning, because the spindle project is finally finished. Between the angora/wool skein and the wool skein, there are, approximately, 550 yards. The wool was a breed new to me, Targhee. It felt similar to Polwarth in the way it spun and in how it puffed up with washing. It may even be a tad softer than Polwarth. The top was from Fat Cat Knits in Pepperspark, which was a club colorway I mixed and reorded on a blending board and spun from rolags on supported spindles.


The wool spun on the Tyrolean wheel was from a raw fleece which I dyed and then drum carded. After the singles are finished, I will probably make a traditional 3-ply, just because the thickness varies a bit, and having three plies should make for a more even finished yarn.

I've been knitting and crocheting like crazy, trying to finish projects before Christmas, but my queue just got longer again with the arrival of, Making No 2: Fauna. It is a craft magazine unlike any other I have seen, so well made and covers a variety of crafts from sewing to needle work, knit, crochet, felting, quilting and cooking. There are even coloring pages!

These things I have shared are a few of my favorites. My hope, with Thanksgiving drawing near, is you will have some time to reflect on the things in your life which bring you joy.


*Nickole Dahl is an Independent Team Beachbody Coach.

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