My DC - Week 36

Today I've got another of the monuments from Lafayette Park. There are actually monuments in each corner of the park and fountains and canons within.

The inscription on the monument reads"

Erected by the Congress of the United States to Frederick William Augustus
Henry Ferdinand Baron von Steuben in Grateful recognition of his services to
the American people in their struggle for liberty

Born in Prussia September 17,1730
Died in New York November 28, 1794

After serving as Aide-de-Camp to Frederick the Great of Prussia he offered his sword to the American Colonies and was appointed Major General and Inspector General in the Continental Army.
He gave military training and discipline to the citizen soldiers who achieved the independence of the United States

MCMX

Walking through the park after taking lots of pictures and feeling pretty satisfied with them I came upon a different angle and saw some elements in shadow. The helmet on the seated figure with its serrated edge really struck me so I took yet one more picture of it.

I hope that you all have a great weeked full of all the things you love.

NaKniSweMo Prep

The knitting frenzy continues. Both the Noro Scarf and the Helena baby sweater are nearing completion and I'm maintaining a respectable pace with the kippot so until last night I was in a really good position for NaKniSweMo. Then startitis struck again. One minute I was sitiing on the couch happily working on the Noro Scarf and the next minute there was the start of a blue mitten in my lap. I really have no excuse. It just kind of happened but it's ok because it's just a pair of mittenns and they're a nice, portable project. A knitter should never be without a take-along project.

Before I sat down to knit last night I did one last check of my NaKniSweMo supplies. I'm planning to knit the Tangled Yoke Cardigan for my grandmother. If I succeed in doing this during November it would be really cool since she asked for the sweater last Thanksgiving. I'd love to be swatching this project but I have no clue what gauge will actually be. The yarn I'm using, Plymouth Tweed, is not what was called for and Aylin, the owner of the shop I bought it at worked out the math for me to make it come out right. She told me to knit it as written, according to the instructions for the smallest size and it would work out to be the size I need which is a bit larger. Um... ok. My math sucks so I'm going to have to trust that hers is good and knit on faith. Wish me luck.

I'm really looking forward to NaKniSweMo and challenging myself. I'm not sure that watching the progress of one simple sweater will be great blog fodder but never fear. I'm still suffering from startitis so I'm sure that there will be other things in progress. I have at least 2 more baby sweaters up my sleeve and my holiday knitting has only just started. Full speed ahead.

Scarves and Cowls

I cannot believe how cold it is this week. Out doing errands on Sunday I saw kids wearing shorts and t-shirts (not mine because I'm a mean mom with an aversion to sick children) and Monday I broke out my warm winter coat. It was windy and rainy and cold. Perfect weather for wool.

Fortunately, I finished my handspun cowl on sunday night. How's that for timing? It's about 9 inches tall and it fits around my neck loosely but not too loosely. It slides on really easily, doesn't feel constricting, and it won't mess up my hair - all good things.

I wear it kind of slouchy so that it provides a nice barrier between my neck and the wind. There's a lazy, rustic feel to the piece that is complemented well by the yarn which is also lazy and rustic with it's thick and thin texture. There's still a bit of yarn left too so I may be able to make some mittens to match.

Happily I won't be the only one sporting warm, new neckwear from my needles this year. The Noro Entrelac scarf that my husband covets is nearing the finish line and I've found a pattern to make a scarf for another man on my list. This is Backyard Leaves by Annie Modesitt in KP Andean Silk. Admitting that the first pattern I tried, Forbes Forest, wasn't going to work was hard and frogging all that work... double ugh. Talk about painful. However, now that I'm 4 repeats into this pattern I feel pretty confident that this will be a winner.


Looking at the chart for this pattern scared me a bit at first. It's not the kind of pattern that you can commit to memory and just cruise along with but, after a few repeats it gets a little more intuitive and moves surprisingly fast. There is enough going on here to keep a knitter interested but not so much that you can't work on it while watching your shows.

Happy October 28th

My sister called this morning and asked where my big celebratory birthday post was. I dunno. I just feel quieter today. Happy, but mellow. Perhaps I'm still feeling reflective.

This year my day is a busy one filled with work to do, appointments to keep and places to be. I celebrated in little ways. I went to my LYS last weekend and indulged a bit since I had my special birthday discount to use. It's just a shade under 20% this year but it certainly helped me get yarn for yet another baby gift and a sweater for Stinkerbelle. Yup, nada for me but I'm ok with that. Covering my girls in handknits is the best thing in the world and besides, Stitches is in a few short weeks. I can indulge myself there.

Have a great day. I will, and I'll have a more substantial post tomorrow.

R is for...

Reflection

The action of turning (back) or fixing the thoughts on some subject; meditation, deep or serious consideration.

Above is just one of the many definitions of reflection
offered by the Oxford English dictionary but it's the one I like best. It fits my current feeling of introspection and re-evaluation of things.

I took this shot of a reddish sky last week. It was just so stunning that I quickly whipped out my camera and captured it. There was a time not too long ago when I fell back on pretty shots of the early morning sky quite a lot. I would stop on my way to work and linger at stop lights in a never-ending effort to capture those moments in time when the sky was putting on an extraordinary show. These days I still notice the sky but life moves so fast that I rarely have the time to stop and appreciate it.

Nature has a way of inspiring relection. When you see a stand of trees like this - so majestic and beautiful - it makes you feel so small. The forest can appear endless and so peaceful.

As a child I loved to climb trees. I would go as high as I could, often with a book, and rest in the crook of a branch for hours. It was peaceful up there in the dappled light with no noise but the rustling leaves. I always felt so safe and comforted.

There was no tree climbing going on the day I took these pictures. Some friends and I went to a local park one sunny afternoon as part of a religious ceremony called tashlich where we symbolically cast off the sins of the past year in the form of bread crumbs. Traditionally the crumbs are thrown into a stream and carried away.

The kids followed along the banks of the stream skipping stones and exploring. My friends and I followed them and reflected on life and the places it takes you. We thought about our regrets and our hope for the future.

My DC - Week 35

Here's the post that I had intended for last Friday. I wanted to share a great day that I had the week before.


I am really fortunate that my office is just a 5 minute walk from The Renwick Gallery which is part of the Smithsonian system (which means it's free). I've walked by it many times but 2 weeks ago, on a gorgeous, sunny, Friday, I walked over to check it out. Wow, just wow!


I didn't get to see the whole museum that day because I got blown away by the exhibit of glass by Lino Tagliapietra. Click that link. Go ahead - I'll wait. You've just got to see that man's work. There are some artists whose work you see and feel inspired with "I could do that" feelings. Sure it would take a bit of practice but it seems within reach and given the right inspiration it's possible. Not Lino Tagliapietra. My overwhelming feeling as I toured the exhibit was "how does anyone do that?" His stuff is fantastic and you should absolutely see it if you can. (The exhibit runs through 1/11/09) I may even go see it again.


The museum itself is pretty fabulous. I can't wait to see the permanent collection. How can you not feel positively towards a place that proclaims itself "Dedicated To Art" so prominently? In the archway just under the proclamation are the stylized initials WWC which stand for William Wilson Corcoran. This was built as the original home for the Corcoran collection.


Check out the other details from the facade of the museum. I love the painter's palette but I'm not sure I get the corn cobs at the top of the columns.

I can't wait to go back again.

60% and Then Some

When I started my kippah project I figured that it would be good blog fodder when my brain was fried or empty. Although it wasn't the reason for doing the project it sure did seem like a great by-product. Little did I know how productive my needles would be. It turns out that even the milestones in this little project have been hard to squeeze in.


Number 40 is one such milestone. That was the halfway point in this project and it would've been really cool to mark it with an obnoxious, self-congratulatory post that included great photos of a huge pile of completed kippot. Can't you picture it?

Well... I passed the halfway point September 28th and I was too busy to mark the occasion. Besides, most of the kippot are still in NY with my mom having their labels sewn in so I can't show the mountain of kippot. So much for the grand show.



The kippah seen in this post is number 50. I decided that the sister of the Bat Mitzvah girl needed something special too so I let her choose some glass beads to spice up her kippah. I love the result and so does she. Yay!

Thoughts of Warmth

Fall has finally arrived. Over the past few weeks we've seen temperatures here in the 70's and 80's but last weekend we saw the first frost and today it's finally jacket weather. I'm feeling inspired.

I stared this cowl, the Birthday Cowl by Nova Seals, a little over a week ago and it should be done by now because the pattern is really easy. I'm not a project monogamist though so I alternate between 3 or 4 projects on any given day and as a result stuff takes longer than it ought to. It's ok though because I love variety. Now that the weather has turned I'll concentrate on this a bit more. I think that if I focus then it could be done by the time I leave the office today and that would be a good thing because it's chilly out there.

I've got a few other things in my bag today - mostly yarn in search of projects. Ever since I finished Sahara I've been dying to cast on another big thing but I really want to do NaKniSweMo this year so I'm trying to keep the needles freer than usual. I'm sure that the current baby sweater, one of the gift scarves, and the cowl will be done within the next week so right now I just need one or 2 small, no-pressure projects. Stuff that could stand to be put aside for a month when I dive in to NaKniSweMo ifnecessary. The cooler weather has me thinking about warm hands so maybe I can whip off a pair of gifty mittens or fingerless gloves. I think it's do-able.

Mattie's Layette

I've had so much knitting going on lately that I never had a chance to post a sweet little set of baby things that I made for my new niece. She's had it for about 3 weeks and even got to wear it out and about a little.

You've seen the sweater before so I'll start with the accessories. I really wanted the pieces to read as a set so I trolled Ravelry quite a bit in a search for patterns. I found the perfect hat pattern, titled simply Cute Preemie/Baby Hat. It had sections of stockinette and lace delineated by garter ridges which worked well to mimic the yoke of the sweater and allow easy incorporation of the three colors.

In the small picture of the hat you see it before the crochet edge was added. For over a week I looked at the hat sitting on my living room table and felt like it was off - somehow not living up to expectations. Then one morning in the shower (where I do my best thinking) I remembered the last step of the pattern - the crochet scallops on the edge. It's a huge improvement isn't it? Without the edge it's ok but unexciting but with the crochet scallops it's sweet and finished looking. I was amazed at the difference that one little detail made.

After finishing the hat I went back to Rav again and came up with the Lacy Rib Baby Socks by Evelyn Skae. It only took a day to make these up and I love them.

The yarn I used for this set is Katia Mississippi 3 which I've used many times before with great success. I used to use it a lot. I just came across one of my earliest sweaters for Stinkerbelle the other day. It was a simple little midriff tee with short raglan sleeves and she wore it all the time. I cannot tell you how many times it went through the washer and dryer and yet it still looks great. It's still soft and the colors look good. Let's hope this little set holds up as well.

Here are all the pieces together. I added a little denim jumper from Old Navy. Looking at it all together I don't think there's a single thing I'd change. Now I need to think of what else I can make with that yarn because there's quite a bit left over.

Enforced Relaxation

I was totally prepared to spend the weekend feeling sad because I wasn't at Rhinebeck but, as it turned out, I was sick so it wouldn't have been any fun anyway. Surprisingly, spending a weekend being sick made me feel much less sorry for myself than just missing Rhinbeck due to circumstances. No self-pity, just lots of much-needed rest.

Instead of the planned errands I sat on the couch all Saturday while the family plied me with tea. I can't remember when I've ever drank so much tea in my life! Aside from the coughing, sniffling and general icky feeling, it was a wonderful quiet day spent relaxing with the family, catching up on shows and, of course, knitting.

Here's the current state of things. I'm nearing the end of the third (out of 4) ball of Noro for the scarf. I just love that project. It's such a nice counterpoint to the other guy scarf I'm working on. I'd show it to you but last night I ripped it out again because I still wasn't happy with the combination of pattern and yarn. Now I'm trying yet another pattern and I am hopeful that it'll be a winner.

The baby sweater needs one more sleeve and then I can start the finish work on it. I'll need to tack down the picot edges and knit the edging on. I love the color and the pattern but I think it might need a little something to puch it up. As I knit along on it I'm wondering if a contrast edge might work. I could tie it in nicely with a little embroidery or crochet detail around the top of the lace. What do you think? White might be nice but perhaps ecru or rose would work better. I'm also puzzling on the closure. My feelings on buttons are well documented but the simple tie called for in the pattern isn't grabbing me either. I'll have to see what my Nicky Epstein books have to offer. Any ideas?

My DC - Week 34

Oh I am such a dork. I just realized that I forgot to upload the pictures that I took last Friday. thankfully I have a little something in reserve but last Friday was sooooo cool. I am just dying to share it. Oh well.

This is the Warner Theatre. I used to work right next door to this building and I just love it. It's gorgeous inside and out. The piece on the corner reminds me of a crown for some reason.


I saw the Nutcracker here with the Girl Scouts and one year my old firm held their annual "State of the Firm" address here. Yes, it was very cool.

I just want to take a moment and thank you all for your response to My DC Fridays. I've received a number of comments telling me how much people enjoy it and I always try to respond if I can. Sadly, I don't always have your emails so I can't always tell you directly how much I appreciate your comments. Please know that the encouragement does make a difference and very often that's what inspires me to hike the city with my camera looking for cool stuff to share.

The Knitter Matures

Did you watch the debate last night? I did. It was a tough choice because it was up against the season finale of Project Runway. During past elections this would've been a no brainer - PR for sure! Last night the decision was just as easy but it went the opposite way and, Hubbo, DQ and I settled in to watch the debate. I guess it's just one more manifestation of my changing priorities.

Maybe it's the stage of life I'm in affecting my world view. I do have a birthday approaching although it's not quite a milestone. I just find that my attitude towards many things has changed a little bit and it even extends to knitting.

This is the Forbes Forest Scarf that I started about a year ago with the intent of gifting it to one of the men in my life. It's lovely. The yarn is KP Andean Silk and it's creating a fabric that feels fabulous and looks great. It's about to be frogged.

There was a time when I would've forced myself to finish it even though I knew it wouldn't be a winner. No longer. Tuesday night I broke into the second ball of yarn and knit another repeat of the pattern before stopping to measure the length of scarf produced by the first ball of yarn. It was only 9 inches and after a little quick math I realized that the finished scarf wouldn't be quite long enough. I also wasn't loving the bobbles and it was doubtful that I'd finish on time. Ribbit! I've already found another pattern that will work much better for me.

It still hurts to toss so much work but recent experience has shown that there are rewards for having the fortitude to make these tough decisions. This scarf, for another man in my life is a prime example of this. I love this project and, more importantly, I'm certain that the recipient will love it too. If he doesn't then hobbo will be happy to take it off his hands. He covets it wildly. I am so glad that I abandoned the scarf I initially planned for this person.

The third project that is currently active is the baby sweater at the top of this post. The pattern is Helena by Alison Green Will and I chose to work it in Louet Gems. I worked on it through the debate last night and I intend to finish it within the next week. That's another recent change in my knitting. I finish stuff regularly. All good things.

Q is for...

Queens College.

This is the college that granted me both my Bachelor and Masters degrees and provided me with the education I needed to obtain the job I have today. At Queens I felt more challenged and more engaged than ever before - you could say that I found myself there. It's the first school I actually enjoyed - and that relates to both the social life and the coursework. I LOVE Queens College and I'm very proud to say that I went there.

Here is a shot of the plaza between the New Science Facility (NSF - do they still call it that?) and the Rosenthal Library. I wish that the weather conditions had been better the day I took it because on a clear day you can see the Manhattan skyline framed beautifully over fountains. All that blue sky is actually fog or smog and hides the killer view. Trust me - it's very cool.



This is NSF which may look a little familiar to Law & Order afficionados. This building and others on campus have occasionally doubled for the fictional Hudson University on L&O. (not always though - I think they may shoot some episodes at other NYC universities) I love when I recognize my alma mater on one of my favorite shows even if they do use the science department as a stand in for dorms. I suppose they can be forgiven for that since Queens is a commuter school and has no actual dorms.



Appearances on L&O aren't the only connection between Queens and the entertainment world. Betty claims to have gone to Queens on Ugly Betty and Jerry Seinfeld wore a Queens sweatshirt on his show. The difference is that Seinfeld actually went to Queens. He's not the only famous alumni. The names Ray Romano, Carole King, Paul Simon, Marvin Hamlisch, Susan Isaacs may ring a few bells.

Here's the library where I took most of my grad level classes. I didn't study here much though. The books I needed where often off the shelves or missing pages. The shame!

I went to Queens for lot's of reasons - some well thought out and others less so. I loved that the school had a real campus with a quad and a student life that included sororities (go SDT!) and fraternities. I also loved the price which was way more affordable than most other schools. It was quite a shock to my system when I had to take my last 3 grad level classes at another university. I went from paying about $100 per credit to $300 per credit (3 credits per class). Ouch!



As shocking as I found the difference in the cost between Queens and the unnamed school where I took those last 3 classes, it was nothing compared to the difference in the classwork. Noname was way easier and I found myself getting top grades with little effort and feeling like they weren't earned. Queens was rigorous and I worked my ass off for the very first time during my years there. There was no coasting. It's been invaluable and I've never regretted choosing QC.

Sahara Sparkles and Shines

I could tell you all about my weekend and make quite a post out of it. There was the yard sale where 4 people wanted the one thing we hadn't planned on selling - my girls playset. Seeing it loaded on a picku truck and rolling down the street away from our house was weird. I could tell you all the pretty things DQ and I saw at the craft show on Sunday. I could even tell you about the haircut Stinkerbelle got yesterday that was so bad that the manager told us we didn't have to pay for it. It's wayyyy shorter than requested but thankfully it'll grow back.

I could tell you lots of things but I'll skip it all and get right to the good stuff - my new sweater.


This is Sahara by Wendy Bernard knit up in Cotton Fleece (New Age teal) and Tilli Tomas Disco lights (Natural). The Cotton Fleece was delightful. This was my forst time using it but it certainly won't be the last. It was easier on my hands than cotton usually is. I guess that the wool content makes more of a difference than I'd expect. The color is fantastic and the feel of the finished fabric is just lovely.

The Tilli Tomas was also new to me and the experience was more mixed. Disco Lights wasn't my first choice for this project. I was hoping to use Rock Star but I couldn't find it in the natural. The the beads in Rock Star seemed les likely to irritate my skin than the sequins in the Disco Lights. I'm happy to say that the sequins are less of a problem in that repect than I anticipated. What they are is sparkly and with the overall shine of the silk they really make this sweater special.

Unfortunately it's not a terribly sturdy yarn. Do you see the fuzziness in the picture? That started even before I put the sweater on for the first time. It makes me a little nervous to wear it. For that reason this will be more of a special occasion sweater.

I wound up with one full extra skein of both the Cotton Fleece and the Tilli Tomas. The Cotton Fleece I'll likely use but I'm not so sure about the Tilli. I really don't want to worry so much about my knits.



The pattern itself was fine. It's clear and well-designed. I only made 2 smallish mods. I did one less waist decrease (and increase) to accomodate my somewhat ample figure. I suppose that I could've done the decrease and the sweater still would've fit but I erred on the side of caution and I'm happy with the decision. The other mod was hubbo's suggestion. He told me that I really ought to go with a 3/4 sleeve because I tend to push my sleeves up all the time anyway. We debated it the whole time I worked on the sleeves and during one exchange he even pointed out that as I was debating the point the sleeves on the shirt I was wearing were pushed up to my elbows. In the end I think that he's right. It works much better for me like this.

This is only the second time that I've made a sweater for myself and the first one is a shapeless, sleeveless, mess. Comparing this to that earlier effort (no, I will not show it to you - it's that sad)I would say that I've come a long way. The usual turn-off to knitting sweaters for myself is the time involves in knitting larger garments but this really wasn't bad aside from the procrastination. Now I can't wait to get another sweater on the needles.

My DC - Week 33

Today I present a few pictures of the Wilson building. It's an intereasting and ornate building that would be much easier to appreciate if it didn't produce so much nonsense and ugliness. That's because this lovely edifice has the unfortunate job of housing DC's very screwy government.

From the front it's all business..


but the rear includes a nifty glass wall.


Here is a collection of details from around the building. I think that man of them would stand on their own.

Day of Atonement

Isn't scheduled posting wonderful? I'm actually in services today observing Yom Kippur with my family. We set this day apart by forgoing all electronics and concentrating on each other instead. It's kind of a thoughtful day and we really enjoy it. I find that my girls really crave "family time" and I love that about them. They just can't get enough.

If you see me I may be wearing a certain turquoise sweater that is fresh off the needles. That would probably account for the silly grin I'll be wearing on an otherwise serious day. How can you not grin when a long term project successfully reaches it's conclusion? And fit's like a glove I might add. I'll remember to add vanity to the list of all that I am atoning for. And teasing too since you'll have to wait for next week for the official modeled shots.

To all those fasting out there I hope that it's an easy one.

P is for

Peanuts!

Along with the peppers, tomatoes and zucchini there was another crop in our garden this summer. Peanuts. It was new to us and mostly experimental. We saw the peanut plants at a local nursery and picked one up thinking "why not?" We planted it and treated it with the same concern that we lavished on the rest of the garden - total apathy.



I weeded on occasion and we watered but that was about it. Above is a picture of what we saw most of the summer. Aside from the pretty little flowers that appeared in early summer the peanut plant was pretty unremarkable. Leafy and compact but nothing to write home about.

Look what was hiding underneath the soil though.



Those are peanuts just after they were pulled from the ground. They're not ready to eat though. They'll hang in a warm dry place for the next 2 weeks and eventually we'll roast them a bit. I can't wait to taste them.


There are only a handful of nuts on this plant. It makes you wonder how many nuts are produced by a commercially grown plant and gives you a new appreciation for peanut butter. I'm thinking that next year we'll have a few peanut plants.

Tiny Hat Takeover

My needles have been really busy lately. It's almost a compulsion and it's scaring the family a little bit. I really have no explanation but my best guess is that at a time when there is so much craziness and so many things that are totally beyond my control, this is something that I can control. Completing projects and bringing oder to things feels really good so my needles stay busy. I'm sure that I'll burn out sooner or later and return to my normal sluglike pace.


One thing that freaked the family out recently was the explosion of little hats that started to cover the windowsill near my knitting spot. They were for the Big Knit sponsored by innocent drinks. One day I just started making little hats and I couldn't stop. They were a great stash buster and I used up many of the scraps I'd been saving. You know the ones that were too big to throw away but not big enough to use on a real project. I had tons of them an I dragged them out and plowed through them.


It wasn't just the stashbusting that kept me knitting - these little hats were the perfect palette for me to explore my new fascination with embroidery a little bit. You may remember that I added a flower and a few vines to the back of Stinkerbelle's shrug about a month ago. It was so much fun and looking through Nicky Epstein's book I felt inspired. There have got to be tons of applications for embroidery on knitwear and little hats are just the start.


With the little hats, I got more embroidery books from the library and sat with them, a needle and scraps of leftover yarn and I went to town. I tried bullions, chains, feather stitch, herringbone and more. Some were more successful than others. Some of my favorites are the bullion flower on the brown hat, the stars on the red hat and the flowers on the grey one.

In all I made 12 little hats and no two were alike. I had so much fun and I hope that they help keep some of the elderly in the UK warm this winter.

Mudfest No Longer

Two years ago I went to the Fall Fiber Festival of Virginia at Montpelier and was overwhelmed by the mud. It was everywhere and it really affected our enjoyment of the show.
This year when DQ and I went back it was bright and sunny and we had a totally different experience. It was wonderful.
Some of the vendors were familiar to me like Dancing Leaf Farm. Dalis dyes yarn so beautifully. The colors just look like a party. DQ was so moved by them that she asked for a gorgeous skein of ribbon yarn to make a slim scarf for herself. It's just a simple garter scarf about 9 stitches wide on size 10 needles but it's a start. I'll be sure to show it to you when she finishes it.

I also got a little something at Dalis' booth. It was so hard to resist all of the beautiful yarn there but I managed to keep myself to just one purchase for me. Check out this roving in all it's rainbow glory. I'm thinking Baby Surprise Jacket. Won't that be spectacular?

I was kind of surprised to find so much there that was new to me. I've been to quite a few fibery events and you'd think I'd seen most of the local yarns. Solitude was one of the new to me yarn sellers. The wool is from local farms and the colors were so deep and rich. Just my speed. It was hard but I limited myself to just one skein of wool/silk yarn in a deep turquoise.

Another seller that was new to me was Creatively Dyed. That booth was the story of the day in more ways than one. I stopped because of the colors which were beautiful. I wassn't the only one who was impressed either. That booth was super busy all day long and I didn't see too many people leave with single skeins. It was more a matter of what your arms could carry.

Stephanie of Loop (seen here with Dianne) would certainly agree. I was surprised to see her there since she makes gorgeous batts herself. She confessed to having a bit of a fiber crush on Dianne's fiber. It's that good. There were beautiful braids with wool, bamboo and seawool. I brought home a few and Stephanie... well, the last time I saw her she had a huge pile of braids that she claimed she was going to share with a friend but I don't know. I saw the way she was petting those braids and I'd be surprised if she could part with much.

Another person who had a hard time parting with that booth was DQ. She just loved it there so much that she stayed to "help" all afternoon. If you stopped by there on Saturday afternoon then it's possible that she wrote you up. She even wants to go to Stitches now so that she can "help" in the Creatively Dyed booth. Who knows - if she spends enough time around the fiber fumes then perhaps I'll make a knitter out of her yet.

This is just one skein that I picked up at Creatively Dyed. Believe me there's plenty more at home but I forgot to upload the pictures and it's not all for me anyway.

Overall it was a great day. The weather was glorious, the company was good and the fiber was delicious! How was your weekend?