Rhinebeck Recap

I've already posted about my birthday, but there was so much more to the weekend. Linda, Tamara and I left early Thursday morning, drove up to Pt. Huron and across the bridge into Canada. The drive was just beautiful. It was a crisp, clear fall day. The further east we got, the more the landscape changed. Soon we were in the rolling hills, and they were covered in autumn's splendor of colors.

It was a very long drive, but I knit for several hours of it, thinking I might be able to actually finish my Rhinebeck sweater, but it wasn't to be. The chatter and laughter made the time fly by and before we knew it we were checking in to our hotel.

Frankie had arrived just before us. Frankie was a friend of ours, and was a member of our knitting group before she moved to NY a while back. She and Linda knew each other before they joined our knitting group. It was great to see her again! 

We all had some dinner and caught up a bit with Frankie, then got some sleep.

On Friday we enjoyed the fall colors some more, and the big event of the day was visiting the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park.  Click the link for lots of info, and photos of the interior. 

I loved hearing the guide tell the all about the Vanderbilt family, and the history of the magnificent home that we were touring. (Magnificent, but the smallest of their many homes). We were not allowed to take photos inside, but I got some great shots (with my new camera) of the grounds, and the mansion from outside. Here is just one of them:

After the tour, we went into Red Hook to find some lunch. We ended up at Bread Alone Bakery. Yum. After that we visited a winery, and then the indulgence of the day, we found Taste Budds, which is all about chocolate. Here's what I ended up with. I told myself all along that I was not holding back this weekend. Whether it was food, or drink, or fiber...I was going for it!

Isn't it pretty? It was sooo good. It's called Life By Chocolate (better than Death By Chocolate, right?)  Chocolate graham crust, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate glaze. Here's a peek at the inside. Mmmmm... And yes, I ate the whole thing. 

When we were done poking around in Red Hook, we headed back to our hotel for a bit, then went back out, tried to find a Geocache but Tam's phone wasn't able to pinpoint close enough. In trying to find it, we did enjoy driving through a neighborhood with some beautiful old homes. The architecture in the area just oozes history. The girls decided to get a light dinner from Panera Bread, but I still was filled up with the above chocolately goodness. We went back to the hotel and knit in the lobby, watching TV, while they ate. Eventually I walked across the parking lot and grabbed some Taco Bell when I got hungry. There were several other knitters in the lobby. It was nice to just relax before the craziness was to begin. 

I've already posted about most of my day on Saturday.  Sunday was more of the same.... walking and browsing and fondling and desiring and deciding and buying and eating and spending time with friends and enjoying the animals, etc.  I think a future post will highlight all of the purchases. 

We were back on the road early Monday morning. We left the hotel at 7am, when it was 28 degrees and there was a thick layer of frost on everything. It was actually several hours later before we saw the last of the frost. It took a long time for the sun to warm things up enough to melt it off. Enjoyed the scenery all the way home, but it was very anti-climactic.... The excitement was gone, we were exhausted, the landscape became more and more flat as we left the mountains and rolling hills behind. Before we knew it we were sitting in a long line of cars to cross the bridge back into Michigan from Sarnia, Ontario. 

I arrived back on my doorstep at 7pm, and fell into bed shortly afterwards. After a wonderful whirlwind birthday weekend, it was great to be back in my own bed. 

What a day!

Oh my goodness, how much fun did I have on my 50th birthday today! 

It started early, and my first gift was on my bed when I got out of the shower, from Tam. It was a skein of pretty green Socks that Rock yarn, and the book It's Not Easy Being Green. Cool gifts, thanks Tam!

Rhinebeck was fabulous.... SO much to see, and about a gazillion people all sharing the same fun. I loved watching all the beautiful handknits walking by. That was really fun. 

I  got to meet Jane today. We've known each other only online for several years now, and finally meeting her in person and spending time with her was wonderful. It was not awkward in the least, and we really had fun. We spent some time going through a few vendor barns and then split up again, making plans to meet for dinner later. 

Tam and I continued on and bought some goodies. There was some fiber (chocolate-colored alpaca roving, beautiful autumn colored roving, black alpaca yarn and some beautiful autumn colored yarn... I wanted my fiber purchases to remind me of the beautiful landscape of the changing colors on the mountains near Rhinebeck, hence the 2 purchases of autumn colors!) and I bought a number of other fun items. The PERFECT button for my sweater (no, it did NOT get finished, but I'm still plugging away) I really could have used that sweater today. It was a bit chilly, especially when the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up a bit. I got a few Christmas gifts for Diane (neener neener, Diane!). I bought a beautiful handmade lucet.   

There were a few other purchases, and I may get a few more things tomorrow. But I enjoyed the experience so much. Seeing all the animals, all the various vendors, and like I said before, just the wide variety of handknits on everyone from infants and toddlers, as well as women and men of all ages.  

We watched the Frisbee-catching dogs, we watched the sheep-herding dogs. We wanted to hug all the alpacas, and laughed at the long bottom teeth on the llamas (I had never noticed that trait before). 

Mid-afternoon I looked at Tam and said "stick a fork in me, I am DONE!" I was so exhausted. My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my back hurt. So we joined the other hundreds of people who seemed to have had the same thought at the same moment, and slowly made our way back to the hotel. 

I iced my back, then got in the bath to soak for a while, and rejuvenated myself. We rested a bit, and then Jane and her cousin came and met us and we went out to dinner. We ended up at Ship To Shore and had a really good dinner, but mostly a really great conversation. 

Oh, and there was the matter of the BEAUTIFUL green scarf knit for me by the lovely Jane. It's Kid Silk Haze. So soft, so light, yet warm. I just love it. Thanks again Jane!

The plan originally was to go to the Ravelry party in Red Hook after dinner, but we talked for hours and ended up missing it. Oh well, I was very happy to have spent the time with Jane to get to know her a little better. Jane's cousin Gail was great to be with too. Such a nice time.

Tomorrow morning we'll get up a little slower and arrive at Rhinebeck a little later. We'll revisit some of the places we took notes to go back and look again, or decide on (or against) some things we couldn't decide on today. I don't know if it will be more or less crowded (or the same) but I'm hoping maybe a little less crowded. There were a heck of a lot of people there today. I mean... seriously, a boat load of people. 

But...what fun it was~

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who made this day very special for me!

Pictures tomorrow or when I get home.

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm off to buy "some" wool! It's a beautiful fall day in New York....we're gonna have some big fun!

Yay!

Look Ma! No Glasses!

I'm a week into my Orthokeratology, using Paragon CRT lenses while I sleep. It has been a little frustrating at times. Yesterday was a day I was questioning whether or not this was a good idea. I do feel better about it today. 

I have made 5 trips to the eye doctor in 7 days. I have had 4 different CRT lenses for my right eye, and one for my left. I have in my possession a soft contact for my left eye and 3 different ones for my right eye.  So far I have managed to keep them all straight (I think!). While my eyes are in transition, I wear whichever combo gets me through the day until my next appointment. 

I am going for the "monovision" correction, which means my left eye is being corrected for close vision and my right eye for distance. This morning there was a distinct improvement with my "really far" vision, and close up was better than yesterday, though not quite as clear as the first few days. I can definitely tell the lenses are working. Now my brain just needs to bring the two together, because the mid-range is still pretty blurry. So walking around the house is fuzzy, but reading and computer work are pretty clear (no knitting has been going on, but maybe today!) and I may try driving without soft lenses today (but will bring them with me if I feel I need to pull over and give myself some "correction").

The concept is very cool, and hopefully the monovision will eventually make things clear. If I don't think I can handle the monovision, the eye doctor will end up correcting both eyes for distance. This will mean I will probably have to wear reading glasses at times. I guess I can live with that. But I'm hoping I can avoid glasses either altogether, or for a very large portion of my day.

I've had glasses on my face for 43 years (I wore soft lenses for a couple of years, and even then it was off and on, not exclusively). I am ready to be rid of them. I just was too afraid to go for the LASIK. 

So there has been a little hiccup in the progress on my Rhinebeck sweater, but hopefully I will be back in full swing and can still get it done. If not, then being able to see without glasses or contacts (during the day) will be well worth it.

I was able to create a WEBS fund with money I got from eBay auctions that ended over the weekend. I sold off some stuff from my crashed car. Free money! I still can't believe that someone bought the manuals for $47.00! I literally had them in my hand over the trash can before I decided to try to sell them on eBay.  I got $40.00 for my iPod cord (it was different than the one I needed for my new car) People will buy just about anything, I swear! It's all good though... now I have money ($225.00!) for my trip to WEBS and it won't take away from my Rhinebeck fund! Yay!

Hot Cocoa Jacket

The yarn for my Hot Cocoa Jacket (designed by Jordana Paige) arrived from Webs yesterday. YIPPPEEEE!!! I cast on last night and seem to be the first one on Ravelry to start this pattern. I'm quite excited to be knitting myself a sweater....the first one in decades! Of course, being the hot-blooded woman that I am, I won't be able to wear it indoors (I can barely stand a long sleeved t-shirt during the winter, let alone a sweater....this is unfortunate, but it's the way things are). I have held off on knitting myself a sweater for just this reason. But there were several times the past fall and winter when I was outside and I thought to myself "if I had a nice sweater, this would be a good day to wear it". So when I tried on this sweater at Threadbear last weekend, I knew I had found "the one".

You can see me wearing it here (nice shot of me with my eyes closed and a blurry hand, but just look how it gives me a WAIST!). The design is very flattering, and that is the thing that sold me. Of course the yarn (Rowan Cashsoft DK in the Lichen color) is really nice to knit with too. I'm going to love this project! (we'll think about assembly when the time comes...I don't want to spoil my enjoyment with such thoughts so early on).

Thanks, Jordana, for a great design! Thanks, Amy and Jillian, for another great book! Thanks Rob and Matt, for hosting the book launch party!

Wish me luck on getting it done by birthday/Rhinebeck time! (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can............)

Hooked on Baby Knitting!

I'm on a baby-knitting kick! I gave these cute booties to Debbie for Kasie on Friday. I just adore how these turned out.

I made the mistake of searching Ravelry for the tag "Baby" today and came up with 1367 pages of the most adorable baby knits. I ended up ordering another bootie pattern that is just to die for. I'm not going to say which one yet, until I have a pair knit up. Then I'll share. I just want to knit baby stuff all day long. What is going on here?

I have a feeling there will be some more knitting going on before the shower. I did end up making a hat to go with the green sweater/sox/booties set. I'll try to get a picture of that tomorrow.

Believe it or not, I'm sick again. This has been a horrible winter. There is so much crap going around...it's hard to stay healthy. I'm hoping a good night's sleep (with the help of some Nyquil) might help. If not, tomorrow it's me on the couch with.... what else....some baby knitting!

Rhinebeck on my birthday!

I've been wanting to go to Rhinebeck (the New York Sheep and Wool Festival for anyone who doesn't know) for several years. I never could quite justify it. I was thinking I would try to go this year, and then when I went to the website and saw that Rhinebeck opens on my birthday, I knew that I had to make it happen. Especially since this is a momunmental birthday....I'm hitting the big 5-0,(EEK!) and what better place to do it than in the midst of fiber and friends. Yay!

So I've started looking at flights, and have lots of time to stash away some $$$ for fiber stash! (and travel, etc.) I have a very generous friend in CT who is going to get me from the airport, put a roof over my head, and accompany me to Rhinebeck. I have "known" Christine for 10 years, but it has been an online friendship, and I am so happy to be able to finally meet her in person. I am really hoping my other friend, Jane, who I've also known for several years, online, will travel to Rhinebeck this year too, because we have been very anxious to meet each other as well!

I also hope there will be others that I will be able to put a face to a name, etc. I'm quite excited.

I have started a Rhinebeck fund, and so far, in less than 3 weeks, I have been able to add $195....all of it is winnings from family poker games! I'm on a winning streak it seems, so I'm putting it away for the trip. I'm hoping to continue to add to the fund, while I'm sure it won't be at this rate. It's a nice start! I think I'll put a running total over on my sidebar. :-)

I taught another sock class this morning. All went well. It's a really fun group of ladies, and that always helps.

I'm still working on the socks I started when Diane was here. I'm done with the heels, and heading on up the legs, using the Beaded Rib stitch. I'm anxious to get them done and on my feet! I love 'em!

Still waiting for my Knitpicks order to show up with my new goodies.

Holiday Knitting Pix and misc.

I'm finally getting around to posting pix of my holiday knitting and misc. I forgot to get a picture of Kim's Peekaboo Mittens, but here is everything else...

Socks for Mike. Double strand of Araucania Ranco...nice and thick, to keep his feet toasty warm when he goes ice fishing. (But with the whacky weather we've had recently, that might not happen for a long time, if at all this season! 65 in January? Weird...)



Here's Karen wearing her Fidget, and "Fidget Mitts" that I designed. I did the Fidget using Tahki Bunny Print. I had 2 balls in my stash, and used a little more than 1 for the Fidget, and decided that some fingerless gloves with a cuff using the same pattern and yarn would be pretty cool. I used gray Lamb's Pride for the main part of the gloves, and loved how they turned out.



Kim's Peekaboo Mittens were made from the same gray Lamb's Pride. I was supposed to knit Kaitlyn a pair of mittens too, but those didn't get done.

While Diane was here, we had quite a bit of fun. We spent a couple hours at Threadbear in Lansing after I picked her up from the airport the Saturday before Christmas. Mike had gifted us with a mini retreat, telling us to stay overnight in Lansing and have some "sister time". What a nice gesture that was! I didn't get any yarn at Threadbear, but I did get this lovely glass shawl pin, made by Moving Mud. Diane got one too, though hers is a little bigger.



After hanging out with Rob and Matt at Threadbear, we made a quick trip to Little Red Schoolhouse, where I got a few sheep themed items, then we had dinner at Los Tres Amigos in the same area. We spent the night at the Best Western down the road. It had a lodge theme, and we sat for a while in the log furniture in front of the fireplace in the lobby, knitting and chatting. Unfortunately I had no batteries in my camera at that point, cuz that would have made a nice photo to add right here!

We thought about using the hot tub and pool, but there were quite a few loud unruly children families there because it was winter break. We hid out in our room, chatting, reading, relaxing. In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel, packed up, went to Target and Macy's and then back to Threadbear for another quick visit. Diane wanted to show off the shawl she is knitting with the Targhee that I spun for her.

OMG THE SUN IS SHINING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY DAYS OF GLOOM!

Sorry for the interruption but that was worth taking note of!

Anyway, the shawl is beautiful, and I was happy to see how nice my handspun looked and felt knit up. Of course, dolt that I am, I didn't get a picture of that either, cuz it would have been nice to add right here! (I really must start using my camera more!!!!)

After leaving Threadbear Sunday morning, we went to Andy and Karen's house to wait for Mom and Dad to arrive for the surprise. That really was fun.

On Wednesday, we tried to shop at 4 different yarn shops, but only one was open, being the day after Christmas and all. I have been wanting to get to Artisan Knitworks ever since it opened, and was happy that it finally happened when I was with Diane and Mom. Diane and I got the last 2 hanks of really great sock yarn from Autumn House Farm in PA. It is the Specs sock yarn, which is hand-dyed merino (sooooo soft) and has flecks of other colors spun in (and hanging out) I'm not sure how long the specs will hang onto the yarn when the socks are worn and washed, but it's fun knitting with them. Here are my socks in progress:



This photo shows the little specks better than the ribbing side:



So the rest of the week Diane and I spent knitting and just hanging out, which we get so little time to do. She and mom both loved the Fidget when they saw the one I did for Karen. Diane went shopping in my stash and found some Araucania Nature Wool Chunky and knit one up. Mom knit one too.

Anyway, before I knew it, it was time for Diane to go back home. I am so sad that we can't spend more time together like that. But I really appreciate the fact that she was here for Christmas. It was very special.

Speaking of special, I was definitely spoiled this year in the gift department. Here are my knitting/spinning related gifts.

12 oz. of gorgeous merino top from my friend Jane.



Jane always spoils me with fibery goodness. She also sent these two hanks of sock yarn. Aren't they purdy?



Mike got me this "Happy Pastime" Hummel. I have several knitting Hummels now, added to the collection of Hummels that Mike started buying me when we were first married.



And I had this Snowbabies "Hooked on Knitting" figurine on my wish list, and Mike came through with it for me. I also bought this for Diane as one of her gifts this year. It's so cute!



Mom and Dad gave me a Knitpicks gift certificate which I have already put to use and am waiting for my order.

Kim gave me the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear book, and Kaitlyn gave me the Knitted Icons book (which is a real hoot!)I got Complete Feltmaking too. I love adding to my knitting library!

I also got several cute knitting-themed ornaments (including a few I bought for myself on ebay before the holidays)

And the icing on the cake....I got a Woolee Winder with not one, not two, but THREE bobbins, for my Joy wheel. I've tried it, and found there is a bit of a learning curve trying to get the tension just right, but once I get it, I'm going to really love it!

I am definitely going to do more spinning in 2008.

Fun Birthday/Weekend

My birthday itself was rather a busy, errand-running day, but I did get to have some fun in the evening. I met up with my knitting buddies at Borders, and Tam brought some homemade cannolis that were to die for. Thanks Tam....they were sure delish!

I bought myself a birthday present while I was there: More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlotte Schurch.

My weekend started bright dark and early Saturday morning. I left the house about 7:15 for my 2 hour drive to Lansing. I was spending the day at Threadbear for their 3rd Annual Fall Festival. The shop was hopping the entire day....it's so fun to be in the midst of all that excitement! I brought socks to knit, and also brought my portable wheel. I was able to get both knitting and spinning done while I was there for over 8 hours. I also sold some goodies. I did a little better than last year, selling some bookmarks, orifice hooks, patterns, stitch markers, pens, etc. But no matter what, it's always great to be there.

One of the other vendors there was selling some gorgeous yarns and rovings she had dyed. I ended up getting a bag of superwash merino roving that I am going to try to spin for a pair of socks. It's from To Knit Perchance To Dream and it's appropriately called Last Leaves of Fall. Pretty, no?



I finally got a chance to meet Kristi....what a sweetie she is! And Kellie was working that day...I had originally met her in line at a Yarn Harlot book signing. It was nice chatting with her again too!

My friend Kim was there for a while, hanging out with me and one of the other vendors, Rebecca, who she's known and been friends with for a lot longer than me. Kind of fun that we were in the same place at the same time again this year. I originally met Rebecca at a similar event at Heritage Spinning and Weaving a few years back, and we both also did the Threadbear event last year.

After a fun day hanging out surrounded by tons of fibers, I drove home (in the dark, having missed out on a perfectly lovely, above average temperature, sunny fall day....but it was worth it). I was pretty exhausted when I got home just before 9pm, and was dozing at times while I did some laundry. I would have loved to just drop into my bed, but I had to get Kaitlyn and her friend from work at 11:30. They are ticket-takers at the haunted house/haunted hayride at one of the many orchards in town. What a fun job, huh? Not fun for those of us who have to pick them up at that late hour though. Oh well, it's just for this month, and she's loving it.

Sunday was my birthday celebration with my mom and dad, and Kim and Drew. Mike made dinner for all of us. Oh my, was it good. We had Beef Burgundy with homemade noodles, a loaf of bread fresh from the breadmaker, roast butternut squash, veggies and dip and mom's banana cake for dessert. Mike did all the shopping and cooking (except for the squash, which I made,and the cake, which mom made), did all the dishes during prep and after dinner, etc. It was just so nice to sit back and relax. Thanks Mike!

I got some great gifts for my birthday. Earlier in the week, my friend Jane sent me a package of goodies. I could feel there was fibery goodness in the package and I couldn't wait a few more days til my birthday to open it, so I tore in and found these goodies. A green Chibi, cute bumblebee tape measure, some great sock yarn from Lotus, and these two beautiful Zitron rovings. I can't wait to spin those rainbows! Thanks Jane!



Then on my birthday I got a Knitpicks gift certificate for my mom and dad. My plan is to put it towards a set of Options needles. I've wanted them for a long time, but was in no big hurry because I have 2 sets of Denise needles (one of which I am planning on selling, so if anyone is interested, send me an email soon, before I put them up on ebay). Thanks Mom and Dad!

Kim and Drew gave me a gift card to renew my XM subscription, which was just about to expire. And the cutest cell phone holder EVER. It cracks me up every time I look at it. I tried really hard to buy myself a pair of lime green Crocs (or knockoffs) all summer but every time I found them in lime, they didn't have my size. Maybe next year. Thanks Kim and Drew!



Diane sent my gifts home with my mom and dad when they were visiting her recently. She sent a great skein of Rio de la Plata sock yarn in a bright yellowy-green. It's got a funny story behind it. Several months ago, Rob from Threadbear had called me (knowing my fondness for all things green, and sock yarn, esp. RDLP sock yarn) telling me about this skein, and wanting to know if he should save it for me. At the time, funds were very tight, and I couldn't justify buying another skein of sock yarn. I was IM-ing with Diane, and told her about the phone call from Rob. She immediately emailed him and told him she would buy it for me for my birthday. I had completely forgotten all about the phone call until I saw the note on the yarn. Isn't she sweet? Diane also sent me a great green vase from a store called Blooms. She's always finding me something that's got "Bloom" on it, and I love that. The bag was tied with ribbon that said Blooms, and there was also a pen with their Blooms logo. So cute! Thanks Diane!





My friend Maria in California sent me a Starbucks gift card. I look forward to sipping a nice hot cup of Chai Latte while thinking of her. Thanks Maria!

Here is a picture of the felted pumpkin basket I gave to my friend/neighbor Donna on her birthday Friday. I kind of screwed up the increases but I think it still turned out ok. She loved it! I'm not sure if it was the pumpkin, or all the chocolate I packed into it. =)



All in all, it was a great few days!

Happy, Happy, (I got my) Joy, Joy!!!!

Yesterday was a good day! It started out a bit busy (and way too early, after a very long, hot, eventful weekend with not enough sleep) Jake had an early ortho appt. (He's at the end of Phase 1, yeah!) and then I had a PT appt. I have been hobbling along on a sore knee for 5 months. I finally decided it was not going to get better on its own so I'm hoping the therapy will help. Otherwise I'll have to explore other options. I kinda need to walk (AND SPIN) for the rest of my life.

So around 1:00 pm, Debbie and I headed out, got some lunch and drove 2 hours to Threadbear. It certainly goes faster when you have someone to talk to!

When I was almost there, Rob called to ask where I was, and told me my friend Rebecca was there in the store (neither of us knew the other one was making the trip over there). When we got there, she and her friend Jenny were pulling up again (they had gone out to get some drinks). They came back in the store to hang out with Debbie and I for a while.

I was there to pick up my spinning wheel....I was so happy to finally be getting it...just in time for vacation. Yeah!

I also had a credit at the store so I picked up Nicky Epstein's new book Knitting Never Felt Better. It is such a great book! She is so darned creative... I'm in awe. I will get much inspiration from this book, I just know it.

I had enough credit left over to buy one of the last skeins of Rio De La Plata sock yarn that Rob and Matt had scored. In fact there were only 2 left (on the face of the earth maybe?) in the store so I took the other one for Diane. Cuz she deserves it. Aren't these skeins gorgeous?


I knew some of the yarn stores had already received their shipment of the Interweave Knits FELT magazine, even though the release date was supposed to be July 17. However, Threadbear hadn't gotten theirs yet. BUT.... When Rebecca and Jenny left to go to Little Red School House, they came back with the magazine in hand. Rebecca handed it to me, and I was practically begging her to tell me what page the ad was on as I was frantically flipping through it and then...I saw it....my B4 Bag and my name...right there in an Interweave magazine. Dang! That felt GOOD!






I don't know what was the best part of the day...getting my wheel, seeing my name and design in a magazine, bringing home a new book and sock yarn and not having to spend but a wee bit of money cuz of my credit. It was all good!

Here's Joy in her new home:



And some practicing with roving that Sabrina left in the bag for me:

Off to play some more!

TNNA Loot

Here's the stuff I picked up at TNNA. Not including all the paper (catalogs, brochures, price lists, etc)

A couple of tote bags (LOVE the Nicky Epstein one that she signed for me!) some yarn samples, Takumi needles, some patterns, tapestry needles, wool wash, and my TNNA credentials on the left.

and here's the yarn I got at "The Merc"

Good Riddance to Bad Company

So my gall bladder is gone. Hopefully it was indeed what was causing all the problems over the past 10 months and as soon as my (4) incisions heal, I will be feeling much better.

I got to the surgery center at 8:30 as requested for my 10:00 surgery. I didn't actually get to the OR until 11:45. Hurry up and wait, ya know? The procedure took just an hour, and after a short time in recovery, I was on my way just after 2 pm.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, got up for some soup around 6 pm, and then went back to bed. I didn't feel like knitting, so just caught up on some email, watched tv, and read.

This morning I am feeling a bit more pain than yesterday. It's a gloomy, rainy morning, so I think I will be going back to sleep for a bit, and then see how I feel. I did bring my knitting back up to the bedroom, so maybe I'll be inspired later.

My mom made me a big batch of cinnamon rolls to bring home with me yesterday (YUMMY!! Thanks Mom!) She and my dad came and sat with me (and Kim) yesterday before surgery, brought Kim some lunch while she waited, and then stayed until I was ready to go home. My sister (and her friend Becky) sent me a chocolate-themed box of goodies...Look!



The candle is "white chocolate mint" and smells really good. There are some of those new Hershey sticks in dark chocolate, some cocoa mixes, chocolate lotion, and then a Soduko book and some thank you notes. Thanks Diane and Becky!

Sunday it was sunny so I was able to get a picture of the yarn I bought from Lynn. Isn't it lovely?



Ok, back to bed for me....I want to feel better for "my day" tomorrow! (though I think any celebration will wait until the weekend....)

Big Pile, Little Consolation....

Here is what was in the bag that I came home with last night. It was all SMASHED into a garbage bag, and was quite heavy to haul.

At the top of the photo is a drop-stitch sweater knit from Colinette Tagliatelli wool tape. I loved this yarn from the moment we got it in the shop. I bought some for my sister. I bought some for my friend Jane. I never bought any for ME! I have loved the sweater from the day Trudy brought it in. Now it is mine, ALL MINE!

It's probably hard to tell what all is in this picture. There is Burly Spun, some of my coveted Noro Blossom, Inca Alpaca, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, the new Plymouth Tweed, some Galway, Cherry Tree Hill baby mohair loop, some washable wool for future grandbaby knitting, lots of K1C2 Fleece, also for future grandbaby knitting (no, Kim is not pregnant, and they don't plan on babies for a few more years, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead, right?) Jake also picked out the green Fleece...he wants to try to knit himself a blanket. Go Jake!

This second photo has some more stuff added to it. This is what I've brought home since the sale started. Added to the pile is a bag of Encore Chunky (top) for an afghan I am going to knit for my niece and her fiance. I'm HOPING it will be a shower gift, but it may end up being a wedding gift. We'll see how it goes. Also a bunch of Butterfly Cotton, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (top left), 4 new Addi Turbos, and lots of colors of Galway (along the bottom)

Obviously I played a part in this result. Wall of yarn? Practically gone. Talk about "down to the bare walls.....The other wall had more yarn left, but still....it was hard to believe how fast it flew out the doors over the past few days, but especially yesterday.

The place was packed for just about the entire 9 hours we were open. We even sold 1 of our 2 remaining spinning wheels, so that helped too. It was exhausting...physically and emotionally. It's still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the store is no more. I am going to stop in again today to see everything packed up and maybe that will make it click in my brain.

Here we are after having pizza and a few drinks after the shop closed last night. We've already set up a time and place for our first knitting date. I'm glad we made sure to do that...we've just got to stay in touch! In the photo are Lynne, Chris, Jenny, Me, Delphine and Amie (in the back) I wish Rebecca was there, but she left for vacation on Tuesday. Unfortunately we didn't get this photo until after Trudy had left. Drats.

I hope I can find room for all this yarn...the guest room/craft room is getting quite full! And because it is still the guest room, and we have guests coming in 2 days, I'd better get crackin' and start stashin' the stash!