James River Yarn Crawl Part 3

Remember I was doing the James River Yarn Crawl last week?  And how I had so much fun buying yarn and spending so many pennies I won't be able to eat for six months?  

I've already lost three pounds!

But honestly, that has more to do with getting an extra 8,000 steps in each day while at work this past Memorial Day weekend.  Thankfully we haven't run out of food in the pantry yet.  That worry is for another day.

Today, I'm just excited by the yarn fumes.

The second stop we made on the yarn crawl was to The Flying Needles, also in Williamsburg.  We almost skipped this shop but I'm glad we didn't.  They were barely advertising their participation in the yarn crawl and their lack of excitement for it upset me a little bit.  I'll admit, I copped a bit of an attitude.  But, the shop was only a short drive from our first stop so we decided to check it out.

I'm glad we did.  They may not have been advertising the crawl, but they were definitely participating!  They had a ginormous display of yarns from Dragonfly Fibers.  Oh my goodness!  I could have spent a lifetime's worth of grocery money at that one table alone!

Dragon Fly Fibers, Squishy Lace, Mushroom Hunting

After carrying about 50 skeins and multiple Dragonfly Fiber kits around with me, in the end, I only bought one skein  of Squishy Lace in the Mushroom Hunting colorway.  That tiny touch of grayish/blueish/green among all those browns got the best of me.

Madelinetosh Sycamore

Sarah definitely has good taste.  She chose this Madelinetosh in the Sycamore colorway.  At some point I'll turn it into a cowl for her.

Cozy Color Works

And then there was Cozy Color Works in Mahogany (on the left) and Toasted Marshmallow (on the right.)  Neither of these are typical of my taste in yarn colors.  The Mahogany is slightly more mauve in real life and I am not a fan of anything mauve.  I'm also not a fan of knitting with white yarn.  But the two combined....  I just Had to have them!

I was a little disappointed that this shop wasn't offering any freebies nor did they have any kind of drawings for prizes.  Each shop was supposed to offer those but....   The conversation at that night's Sit and Stitch was pretty interesting with lots of varied opinions.  Some folks felt they had been treated so badly they didn't feel welcome while others had been treated wonderfully.  Personally, I was in the wonderful category, although I'll admit to being disappointed that the only freebie they offered was an invitation to sign up for a bus trip.

Three on Thursday - Growing Things Part 2

What kind of southern woman am I?  I rarely bake and I definitely don't garden.

My tomato plants either have leaves,

Or one tomato.  Of the seven plants, none have both.

The grapevine leaves have taken over and blocked all the teeny tiny grapes from getting any sun.

But the mint is still alive.  It's even spread a teeny tiny bit!  A Very teeny tiny bit.

Joining Carole and friends for Three on Thursday.

James River Yarn Crawl Part 2 - Yarn Matters

Did you participate in the James River Yarn Crawl?  Six yarn shops located between Ashland and Virgnia Beach participated.  I was only able to visit three of them, but three was enough!

sciencephoto.com

My plan was to visit a few, buy a few smaller priced items and end up at my local yarn shop where I'd spend the bulk of my yarn budget.  That didn't exactly happen.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and my daughter accompanied me.  Being the sweet, good girl that she is, she volunteered to drive so that I could knit on the road.  Our first stop was at Yarn Matters.

yarnmatters.com

We took the scenic route down Rt. 60 rather than fighting the traffic and construction on I64.  We arrived much quicker than expected (Sarah was driving after all!) and we had no trouble finding the shop.  

Yarn Matters is a smallish shop, but Oh!  The Malabrigo wall!  One whole wall, one whole, large wall was nothing but Malabrigo.  Have I ever mentioned my passion for Malabrigo's yarns?  Poor Sarah.  She's not a knitter.  She tries very hard to have patience with me in yarn shops after all, trips to the yarn store frequently end up turning into a new hat, gloves, a scarf or a pair of socks for her.  But as I pulled skein after skein of Malabrigo off the wall you could see her will to live shrink moment by moment.  She was a pretty good sport about it though.  She helped by putting skeins back almost as quickly as I took them down off the shelf while I tried to make a purchasing decision.

yarn haul

Remember my plan to spend only $20 - $30 at this shop?  Yeah, that didn't happen.  But it could have been a WHOLE lot worse!

Pictured from top to bottom...

475 yards of the softest fingering weight Superwash Merino from Neighborhood Fiber Co. in the Edgewood colorway.  It's not showing up well in the photo but it's greens and blues and black.  Sarah and I may come to blows over who gets to be the proud owner of whatever I knit this into.

480 yards of Ewe So Happy Sparkle Sock yarn from Tempting Ewe Yarns.  What looks like dust in the photo is actually sparkle.  The yarn is a superwash merino base with a little Stellina spun into it.  The yarn's color is Exhausted and it is also greens, blues and black.  It's only very slightly lighter in color than the Neighborhood Fiber Co. yarn, but it sparkles.  It's name is Exhausted and it sparkles!  Does it get any better than that?  Yes, actually it does.  Sarah doesn't like her knitted items to sparkle which makes this one mine.  All mine!

440 yards of sock/fingering weight Malabrigo Superwash Merino which has been kettle dyed in Velvet Grapes.  It's not my normal choice of color but I saw it and just had to have it.  Just Had to!  It's purpley maroons and deep dark pinks and looks like someone spilled a bottle of red wine all over an expensive, and very absorbent, antique table cloth.  I can not wait to knit something with this yarn.  If only I had a clue what I wanted to knit.

And last but definitely not least, another Malabrigo merino sock yarn in the colorway Aniversario.  It's a muted, every color in the crayon box multi color.  This is another skein that Sarah and I "agreed" on which means, we'll be fighting over it later.

I also picked up a stitch marker made specially for the yarn crawl (which is blending into the background in the photo) and was gifted a Yarn Matters pin for shopping there during the crawl.

If you ever find yourself in the Williamsburg, Virginia area, be sure to stop by Yarn Matters.  It's a wonderful little shop, run by a sweet, friendly and helpful shop owner and it's located not far from the Williamsburg Visitor's Center.  The shop is also located dangerously close to my mother-in-law's house so, Yikes!  I'm going to have to show a Lot of restraint every time I visit her.

Memorial Day

photo courtesy of freelanceknight.com

Wishing my American friends a safe and happy Memorial Day.

Sunday Supper - Texas Caviar

Well, summer hit with a bang and it's going to be too hot to eat today.  So...  

photo courtesy of southernliving.com

Instead of eating an actual meal, we'll snack.  Preferably on cold foods.  Today's Sunday Supper meal plan is Texas Caviar and the recipe comes from Southern Living.  It's filling but light, it's relatively healthy, there's no hot stove involved and best of all, it's served cold.

Overwhelmed and underfed

I'm overwhelmed and underfed.  Or at least I will be underfed.  Let me explain.

At the un-Godly hour of The Sun's Still in the East, Sarah and I set off for the James River Yarn Crawl.  It was a beautiful day for a road trip.

James River Yarn Crawl

We only made it to three out of the six yarn shops, and it's a good thing too!  I bought so much yarn! I'm overwhelmed by it all and I won't be eating, or at least able to buy groceries, for the next six months.

We did manage to stop for lunch before I spent my last penny.

Esme

I'll share trip details and my purchases with you over the coming days.

The start of a new Hitchhiker

Oddly, the first thing I started knitting from the new stash is another Hitchhiker... with my least favorite yarn of all that I purchased.  I've seen several other people knitting Hitchhikers with gradient yarns and I felt the need Need to knit my own.  

Either gradient yarns are falling out of favor or they are more popular than ever because The Center of the Yarniverse was the only shop out of the three that we visited that had any in stock.  I like the colors in this yarn, I mean, what's not to like about greens, blues and grays?  Specially greens, blues and grays that look like old, faded denim.  But it's cotton, and I'm not a fan of knitting with cotton.  Actually, it's 55% wool and 45% cotton.  But that 45% is enough to already have my fingers aching.  I have the feeling that this Hitchhiker is going to be a slow slog of a knitting project.  But the colors - the colors will make it worth the effort.

photo courtesy of lodestoneandladysmantle.blogspot

Meanwhile, I'm off to photograph my new precious yarns.  Just as soon as the spouse leaves for work and I can safely take them out of hiding.

Three On Thursday - Memories

I took one of those four hour strolls down memory lane the other night.  Yes, I took the stroll at night.  For once I was all set to go to bed early, at least early for me.  It was one of those perfect moments when I finish knitting a row just as the movie I was watching ended and I began yawning.  All at the same time.

As I always do before bed, I checked the weather for the next day.... and somehow I ended up seeing a Facebook post about 1970's & '80's punk bands.  And I fell down the rabbit hole.  For the next four hours (too bad it wasn't only three,) I recalled my teen years by:

1.  Watching several hours of video on Youtube and slam dancing around my living room.  And yes, I may have been alone but I was moshing and slamming.  Slamming into every piece of furniture we own.  I still have the bruises to prove it. 

photo courtesy of wrirrvamusichistory.tumbler.com

The stroll down punk rock memory lane had me Googling Going Bananas, a Richmond bar known for featuring punk music back in the day.  The bar shut down long, long ago and I couldn't find much about it online but in the process of searching...

James River Raft Race, photo courtesy of richmond.com

2.  I was reminded of the James River Raft Races.  Oh. My. Goodness!  Those things were a blast!  And dangerous!  There's nothing like a gazillion drunk fools, floating down the river on homemade rafts while wearing crazy costumes.  The races did raise money for some worth causes though.

3. I have no idea how looking at images of the James River Raft Races lead me to Chuck Richardson, but they did.  Chuck was an outspoken city council member with a slight heroin problem.  The radio stations loved to poke fun of him and I remember driving to school while Spelling with Chuck played on the radio.


I'm joining Carole and friends for Three on Thursday.

The polls are open

Thank you all so much for the kind, congratulatory words regarding my recently finished blanket.  I can not express how good it feels to have it completed.  And I mean, actually completed!  As in, ends woven in, put away in the blanket chest for the summer completed.  Not just the knitting finished and ends left hanging.  Actually completed!

But on to the prayer shawl....

Manos Del Uruguay Prayer Shawl

Well, that's a horribly lit photo.  It's storming.  Again.  And the natural light in my house is non existent.  

I mentioned the other day that I'd made a mistake so I threw in an open lacy row to cover it up.  Then I attempted to make that look planned.  Obviously I'm making this design up as I go and I'm not following a predetermined pattern.

From the beginning, I've been planning to put some kind of lacy border around the bottom.  Originally, the shawl was going to be solid garter with a wide "*yo, k2tog* border.  But now I'm not so sure.  Now I'm thinking about a lacy, as in actual lace pattern, design in a contrasting color.

I'd been planning to use that skein of yellow Hawthorne... until I got it out of the drawer and introduced it to the Manos Del Uruguay.  They aren't bad together.... but the contrast is kinda... harsh.

I really like this pink skein of Hawthorne with it.... but it's kinda pink and blue... and I don't want to look like I'm wearing a baby blanket.  And yes, I have begun thinking of this shawl as mine rather than as a prayer shawl for Sue.  I'm just a tad bit selfish.

And when I was trying to stuff the pink and yellow yarns back into the drawer, I noticed this miscellaneous skein of white.  I think I like it best, but will it be too boring?

I have no idea what that white yarn is.  I found a ton of it at a Goodwill years ago and have two skeins left.  Long ago, I knit a Pi shawl with it; it was fantastic to knit with and blocked well.  Other than the crinkly-ness of it, it has the same soft feel to it as the Manos Del Uruguay.  I feel like it play well with the Manos.  What do you think?

The polls are open.  Let me know which option you vote for.

52 Weeks - Favorite Books

I'm fairly confident that I've listed them here before, probably more than once, but today's 52 Weeks Blog Challenge is to list my favorite books.  Over the years, there have been many, many books that I have claimed as "my all time favorite" while I was reading it, but rarely did I ever re-read them over and over again, nor did they provide the emotional response of my 'official' all time favorites.  So...

In no particular order,

Jaws, by Peter Benchley.  It was originally published in 1974 but I think it was probably 1976 or 1977 before I discovered it.  I love a good scare and it became my tradition to read it every summer either while laying on the beach, or by the pool.  By the late  '80's, I'd replaced reading it with watching the movie and by the mid '90's, I slowed my obsession with the tale down to only reading/watching it once every two or three years.  I think Jaws is the only book turned movie that I like equally well on paper or film.

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.  Ahhh.... what a wonderful love story!  I'll never forget my boss, Nancy, forcing me to read it.  She practically threatened to fire me if I didn't read it.  I remember I kept asking her what it was about and she kept saying "a family" and I kept thinking "How boring!"  Boy was I wrong!  I haven't read The Shell Seekers anywhere near as many times as Jaws, but it was a favorite summer read for many, many years.  To this day, whenever I see people picking up shells on the beach, over grown English gardens or a house crammed full with too much furniture, I'm reminded of this book.  Where ever you are today Nancy, thank you for introducing me to The Shell Seekers.

The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard.  I have Opera to thank for this one.  I only read the book once and I could only read a few paragraphs at a time.  The story was just that emotional!  I doubt I'll ever read it a second time, but the story of the family's struggles has stuck with me.  I also have this book to thank for my Way over protective, 'stay with me and don't talk to strangers' behavior while my kids were growing up.  Heck, the kids are both in their mid 20's now and I still worry that someone might snatch them.   Thanks Opera!

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi.  I'm not sure this book actually falls into the 'favorite' category but I have read it many times.  It was the first true crime book I ever read and the whole story fascinated me.  The way Manson was able to control and manipulate people and the stories of him doing things like staring at the clock in the court room and the clock stopping.... just fascinates me.  And gives me goose bumps.  And, my best friend throughout my 20's had lived just a few houses away from the LaBiancas.  That, of course, just made the story that much more interesting.  And terrifying.  Have I mentioned I like a good scare?

Sunday Supper - Macaroni Salad

With the exception of how to properly* cook a steak and bacon, my husband and I usually agree on how to prepare food.  There are a few things that one of us won't eat that the other loves, but as far as agreeing on how a dish should be prepared, we're normally in agreement.  Except for macaroni salad.

Mike comes from a heavily vinegared, onioned, green peppered and cheesed family.  My family's recipe was a bit more basic.  Macaroni, Hellman's mayo, celery, salt and pepper and done.  It has taken us 25 years of marriage to figure out an agreeable compromise.

photo courtesy of peasandcrayons.com

Compromised Macaroni Salad

cooked and cooled macaroni (We usually cook the whole box.)
1 or 2 tomatoes, chopped
1 - 4 stalks celery (depending on availability) chopped
1/2 - 1 small green pepper, diced
0 - 1/2 of a small onion, diced  (The amount depends on if Mike is watching me cook or not.)
1 cucumber, partially peeled then diced

Dressing:
1 cup of Hellman's mayonnaise
1 TBS Ketchup
0 - 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (Again, less if Mike isn't watching.)
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp pepper
(Note:  If Mike isn't home and there's no chance I'll get caught doing it, I leave out the vinegar, Worcestershire & sugar and add in a tablespoon or two of dry Ranch dressing mix.  He always likes it when I make it this way but he throws a massive fit if he catches me doing it.)

Mix all the "chunky" ingredients together.  Pour the dressing over top and stir.  Refrigerate for an hour or more before eating.



*If you were wondering, steak should be rare enough to practically still moo while bacon should be cooked until it is blackened and unrecognizable.  Mike's preference for burnt steak and raw bacon is disgusting!

Finis

The Kroy blanket

is

finally

finis!

I even wove in the ends!

Three on Thursday - Serendipity

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.

Serendipity!  It's Three on Thursday and I have three projects on the needles.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Only three!  The Kroy blanket is finished!  More about that later, when I can stand to look at it long enough to discuss it.  For now, the blanket is off the needles and tossed in the corner.

But today..... Today, I have three projects on the needles.

Madli's Shawl

1.  Madli's shawl.  I haven't touched this one in over a month.  Luckily, I was waaaay ahead of schedule when I tucked it away to focus on other things.

Prayer Shawl

2.  The prayer shawl.  I was all gung ho for this project at first and then.... I showed it to Sue without telling her who it was for and she wasn't the least bit impressed.  I thought she'd at least gush over the color but....  I'm not sure if she A) just didn't like the color and/or feel (although it's incredibly soft) or B) simply couldn't visualize it.  Whatever the case, I lost my enthusiasm and decided to focus on finishing the ^%#$^%* Kroy blanket.  

Now that the Kroy is done, I'm back to focusing on this shawl.  And if I'm being honest, I sort of hope Sue doesn't like it.  I wouldn't mind keeping it for myself.

As for the pattern, I'm making it up as I go.  I'd been trying to decide if I wanted to knit it in solid garter with a lacy edging, or if I wanted to knit occasional *yo, k2tog* rows into it.  Problem solved.  I accidentally left out an increase row, so to solve that issue, I made up for it by doing the yarn over row without knitting two together a few times to make up for the missed increases.  Serendipity!

Knit Picks Stroll

3.  A  cowl.  I don't think I've mentioned this one here before.  I haven't even listed it on Ravelry yet.  It's another 'make it up as I go' project.  I'm knitting it with Knit Picks Stroll Tweed in stripes of Wellies Heather, Barn Door Heather and Down Heather.   My plan is to knit the Wellies (black) and Barn Door (maroon) in stockinette and add some lace or texture of some kind for the Down Heather.  The Wellies and Barn Door are both dark and much more tweedy than the Down.  I don't think patterning would show up as well on them.

As much as I'm looking forward to wearing this cowl this winter, the project is on the back burner for now.  Winter is a looong way off. 

It's my party

Today's my birthday but I won't be crying.  I hope!  

Instead of the normal birthday celebration, I'll be spending the day taking Sue to the oncologist for her monthly check-in.  I'm happy to report that she's made it through her first three chemo treatments with absolutely no ill effects. 

And another reason I won't be crying...

photo courtesy of pinterest.com

Did I mention, Sue's oncologist looks like a pirate.

52 Weeks - Childhood

Today's 52 Weeks Blog Challenge topic is what I miss most about my childhood.  That one's pretty easy.

I miss hanging out in the garage with my dad while he built things with wood.

I miss being skinny and limber.

1980

I miss having silent knees.

I miss the fishpond we had in our backyard.

Sitting on the porch with Dad, Gloucester Banks, 1964

I miss going to Gloucester Banks.  I spent the summers of my youth there and have THE best memories.  There wasn't a care in the world other than being caught swimming the river.  I still can't believe that at nine or ten years old, we not only survived swimming across the York river but we never got caught by our parents. We'd swim across, run around Yorktown then swim back. It's a very wide river, right at the mouth of the bay.  We could so easily have been sucked out to sea.  If my kids Ever pulled a stunt like that....  But boy did we have fun!

Gloucester Banks at Gloucester Point

I miss Coke in a small green bottle.

I miss my childhood friends and our silly antics.

I miss having someone else prepare all my meals.

I miss having $10 and thinking I was the richest person in the world.

Sunday Supper - Strawberry Soup

First,

Happy Mother's Day!

Today's Sunday Soup recipe is for chilled strawberry soup.  I won't actually be eating it though.  I have to work this afternoon and the soup has wine in it and my luck, I'd eat a big bowl full, go to work and get randomly drug tested.

Strawberry Soup, photo courtesy of myrecipes.com

I'm not normally a fan of cold soups but this one....  It's basically strawberries, yogurt and wine all blended together then chilled.  There's wine, but no cooking involved.  What's not to like about that??

On the needles

I just can't even....

Kroy Blanket

The ^%$^%#)(* Kroy blanket is Still on the needles!  I thought for sure it would be done by now but....  

It is on 16 inch, rather than 24 inch needles now so that's good.  And while bunched up slightly, the stitches aren't so bunched up that they automatically fall off the needle if I set it down without putting point protectors on them.  That's even better.  

I haven't counted the remaining stitches.  I refuse to do that.  I just don't want to know.   But I've knit three and a quarter skeins since my last post where I guestimated it would take an additional four or five skeins to complete it.  For your sanity and mine, I pray I was right.

Three on Thursday - Not me!

It's been said that I have a 'type' when it comes to things like men, books, TV shows and even nail polish.  I don't even wear nail polish but I own 45 bottles of various rosy pinks.  But I'm quite sure I don't have a 'type' when it comes to choosing yarn.

Let's take a look at a few recent purchases.

Berroco Remix Light and Pixel

Both yarns are from Berroco.  The Blue is Remix Light, is a cotton, acrylic, silk and linen blend.  It looks and feels like faded denim.  The blue and green speckled is Pixel, a superwash wool.  I have no idea what pattern I'll knit with these but one day I will combine them into something. 

Prose

This one is Prose from Wisdom Yarns  in the Greenery colorway.  It's a not very soft superwash sock yarn in shades of blues and greens.  It may not be the softest skein in the stash, but I absolutely love the watery blues and greens.  I'm also thinking (and hoping) it softens up once it's washed.  Luckily my feet are, well, let's be honest here - gross.  They are calloused enough that not so soft socks don't bother them at all.

Whisper Lace

These skeins are both Whisper Lace from Fibra Natura.  They are superwash wool and silk blends, lace weight and their color names are Harbor (the blue) and Ocean Torrent (the blue and green multi.)  These yarns are super soft and while I once again don't have a pattern in mind.  When I purchased them, I'd planned to knit a simple cowl holding the two yarns together.  But now I'm thinking about a simple shawl knit from the multi with a solid lacy border.  Only time will tell.

So, what do you think?  Do you think I have a type?  I don't have any kind of problem saying no to blue and green yarns.  People are just silly!  Of course I don't have a type!  No, not me!


I'm joining Carole and friends for Three on Thursday.

Connections

Thank goodness for Barnes and Noble.  

Besides my book fetish, Barnes and Noble has free WiFi and coffee.  And cookies.  Can't forget the cookies.

The wonderful folks building a house down the street from us cut the internet cable so I'm happily typing away at the local Barnes and Noble, drinking Trenta iced coffees and eating cookies.  And knitting.  Of course I'm knitting.

See that project bag that coordinates so well with my knitting?  Anne, one of my knitting group buddies made it for me.  That's not a great photo of it.  I'm sitting at a tiny table with my computer, calendar (an 8.5 x 11 paper one!) my pen collection, my phone, my coffee and my cookie and my purse all spread out on the tiny little table.  And other patrons were giving me weird looks and I was too self conscious to continue trying to take a decent photo.

That photo is a little better.  It was taken at a knitting group meeting a few weeks ago.  

Any hoo - I love the bag.  It's the perfect small to medium sized project bag.  I can get two skeins of yarn, needles and most of a shawl in there.  And, it has a little claw hook hanging off one end where I can attach stitch markers or tiny scissors.  And see the stars?  They sparkle!  It looks like glitter splashed over the fabric but it's definitely not glitter.  I really, really love this bag.  And it doesn't hurt that my current project color coordinates.

And since it's #Unraveled Wednesday, let's talk books.  

Oh my goodness!  I started reading a new series (The Ariane Trilogy) on my Kindle. OMG!  I read the first two books (The Ash Moon and The Somber Call) in a little less than 36 hours.  Work got in the way of my immediately finishing the series but when I got home last night I started the third book, The Crucial Shift and read 82% before the need for sleep took over.

The Ash Moon written by Michelle Dare

Everyone at work was teasing me about reading the series.  First, it's YA but hey - I like YA books.  They are quick to read, usually very entertaining and they tend to be 'clean.'  The series is advertised as a paranormal romance.   In other words, it's a bit Twilight-ish.  But SO, so much better.  The human girl character takes care of herself and is anything but needy and the vampires in no way sparkle.  They are nice (for the most part) and funny, but they do not sparkle.  And there's ton's of action.  Oh, and did I mention, it's free on the Kindle.