An FOF day to remember

Today was an excellent FOF day.

9:30 a.m. Off to Yasmine Djerradine to have a combo remodeling and laser facial with Nathalie. First she uses gentle electronic currents to activate the circulation and tone the muscles. She then massages the face with serums and creams. The laser treatment is designed to remove facial hair. “We don’t want to have even one hair on our face,” Nathalie declares, in her soft and seductive French accent.  A beautiful French woman, she’s passionate about her job and she loves to make her clients feel  and look wonderful. She knows more about skin than most dermatologists and works on lots of high-profile women. If you’re in New York and want to splurge on truly luxurious facials, Nathalie is my fave.

11:30 a.m. I’d been planning to stop into String, the best knitting store in the world, to drop off a cape I just finished. I am crazy about knitting, but have never sewn the pieces together (known as “finishing.”)  I leave that to the experts at String. It costs a little more, but the finished product is perfect.

I was thrilled to see that the owner, FOF Linda Morse, was working today. Linda has become a dear friend and I hadn’t seen her in a while. We caught up, enjoyed a salad together and she helped me pick out yarn for a new project. (I’m going to knit a beaded silk and cashmere tunic to wear over leggings.)

I spent a wonderful afternoon knitting and chatting with other customers around the big table in the sunlit happy shop off Madison Avenue.  Today, I met FOF Dotti, who told me she’s been “doing the Eat, Pray, Love thing” since her divorce. That includes traveling around the United States, learning to paint and knit and visiting with her son in Manhattan.

A resident of Sun Valley, Id, and Northern Michigan, Dotti has been house sitting in Greenwich, CT, where she took a painting class with David Dunlap. She also spent a week with David and 10 others at his painting program at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. The program included wonderful food and luxurious accommodations at the Museum’s Brick House, where founder (Electra Havemeyer Webb) once lived.

A former teacher, Dotti is looking for a new career. “I am a good project manager,” she told me. Judging by the looks of the scarf she was knitting for a gift, I’d say she’s a pretty good knitter, too.

By the way, Dotti gets her natural silver hair to look so shiny by rinsing it with organic apple cider vinegar and water (three parts water, one part vinegar). She learned this tip from the woman who does Martha Stewart’s hair.

4:45 p.m. After five hours knitting and talking, I was bleary eyed.  David picked me up to go home so I could write my blog.

I’m especially happy to be alive on days like today.  I can relax, enjoy one of my passions, take care of myself and spend time with some of the best FOFs in the world.  We all need that now and again.

P.S. If you’re a knitter, you’ve got to visit String’s website or go in person.  If you’re not a knitter, become one today. It’s a perfect passion for Type A personalities.  It keeps you focused and is relaxing at the same time.  And you can’t ever buy sweaters, coats, accessories as beautiful as the ones you make yourself. If you don’t want to knit a sweater yourself, String will do it for you.