2010 Yarn Shop Hop

Lara, Jackie, Becca, Amy and I had a full day (& Friday nite) of yarn adventures driving together to 7 of the 9 yarn shops participating in the fourth annual Central Kansas Yarn Hop. The purpose of the hop is to visit each shop for a stamp to be entered into a drawing for gift baskets with each shop providing a different experience:

Sugar Bunny Boulevard - My spinning extraordinaire friend, Laura, and her new yarn shop in El Dorado. She rolled out the carpet for us Friday for a night of soup and knitting. It's a cozy but spacious shop. She provided the best freebie hand dyed yarn.

Yarn. - Our first stop on Saturday where we received the warmest yarn hop welcome making us feel like knitting celebrities when we walked into the door. Good shop notions for purchase such as buttons, project bags, sticky notes, etc...and my favorite - FUDGE!

Newton Beadery - Saw Connie, Cass & Mimi there. I didn't buy any yarn but did get a crystal rosary bracelet.

Laura May's Cottage - Cute little small town shop next to her home. Saw Jan and Maxine there. We liked the free note pads but it was way too warm in there to linger long.

Yarns Sold & Told - Inspired to make their sample sock yarn leftover blanket. Absolutely gorgeous and such a nice lightweight feel. Knitsters: Seriously, we've got to have a leftover swap and make this!

The Shivering Sheep - Abilene, KS is one of my favorite destinations. This shop is a hidden gem that furnishes my knitting room with all kinds of sheep art. This time, a black and white sheep canvas picture, more cool knitting buttons and a project bag. Other mandatory stops included margaritas at LaFiesta and handmade jewelry from Tracine's.

Twist - Twelve hours later we made it back and stopped into our hometown shop at closing time. I may be biased, but Shelly provided the best freebie - a shop notions holder and pen. I used a gift card (thanks, Aunt Vicki!) to get a couple skeins of Tupa, jumping on the bandwagon to make Clockwork.

Also on this trip, each shop provided a free small skein of yarn to make this shop hop scrappy scarf. Lara is our two-time undisputed Fastest Knitter. She represented well on our trip by almost getting her scarf completed. She inspired me to make it to the other two shops tomorrow. So much yarn...so little time!

Breaking in New Skates

I have some new figure ice skates. The rink made me quite a deal with 15% off and a free bag, blade covers and socks with purchase of skates. For Lesson II, we worked on swizzles and it was bound to happen -- I fell during open skate time. It wasn't just a stumble or trip, I was going forward pretty fast and my toe pick vaulted me into a full belly flop that just about knocked my glasses off (Note to self: wear contacts next time-geek) and everyone on the rink said a collective OOOH! In fact, everyone (me included) involuntarily gasps when someone falls. I've been very apprehensive about falling and crippling myself so I guess it was good to know I could bite it hard, get up, brush myself off and keep on skating. Then there's the blisters that comes with breaking in new leather skates...OUCH!

Oklahoma!

I always look forward to a relaxing weekend in Oklahoma! It's our annual fall family reunion at Osage Hills State Park where together as a family we camp, cook, hike and lounge around. Time passes by slowly and I cherish simple things like listening to acorns and walnuts falling from the trees and knitting on the rocks by Sand Creek. We take long hikes in the woods and laugh over a guitar being played over a crackling campfire. You are in our hearts and thoughts, Grandma & Grandpa M.

Fall Noro for Ice Skating

I finished a pair of Noro (Silk Garden) mitts and cowl just in time for my first ice skating lesson. It's cold on the rink and they did the trick in keeping me warm. There were 5 adults in my class and we learned some basic moves. The ice is smooth and slick which makes gliding across the ice seem almost effortless. It has the feeling of rollerblading yet much easier to turn, pivot and spin and I didn't fall down once which is a very good thing. I can even skate backwards so watch out -- I feel a jump coming on!

Fall Finds

It's that time to find a perfect pumpkin. I like mine with a flat side to fit up against a wall. My pumpkin find is displayed on the front porch along with a cornucopia I purchased at a work craft sale. My porch is now festive but I still need to get a couple yellow mum plants to add a little pop.

Firefly Fringed Scarf IV

You could say I love this scarf. So much that it's the 4th one I've knitted so far. Someone special really liked mine so this one is now blocking and will be mailed out soon. This time from Hempathy in white beach.

2010 Blues, Bikes & BBQ

It was another good Blues, Bikes & BBQ motorcycle rally in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This year we had many guests in our group for a total of 21 motorcycles. It was a beautiful thing to see so many cycles in our pack riding side by side through the curves and hills of Arkansas. We took in a night in Eureka Springs, the rally and some back roads in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Live to Ride...Ride to Live!

Noro Kureyon Shawl

I really haven't been knitting much this summer until recently. Just finished another Spring is in the Air lace shawl like what I made for Aunt Janine except this one was knitted from Noro Kureyon Sock yarn with greenish beads. Love the beautiful colorways of Noro yarn.

Rainier Alpacas

Aunt Rita dropped me off at the train station and I rode the Amtrak back to Tacoma where Laura and Dan picked me up. We had the entire day to spend together before I took a red eye flight from Seattle back home. We stopped at one more REI in Tacoma and then headed back to the house. On the way there are several alpaca farms and we stopped at Rainier Alpacas for a look see. Laura gifted me with a full bag of alpaca fiber to take back to Wichita. Now I'll have to get my Spin ON!

Congratulations Aunt Janine

It's been a busy week hanging out with my Aunt Janine in preparation for her wedding. We've been able to run all kinds of errands and have family fun at the same time right up to today - her wedding day at their home in Vancouver, Washington. Everything was handmade with love from the fresh flowers we arranged from garden roses and dahlias to the dress she sewed and the beaded shawl I knitted. Aunt Rita made the cakes - banana cake and chocolate with marionberry. The rain didn't spoil the outdoor ceremony as the guests sat under a tent filled with china table settings and satin tablecloths. It was a beautiful wedding with the rain falling softly around us followed by a wedding dance that moved into the dining room. Congratulations my dear Aunt Janine and your new husband, Dave.

Images of Portland

Happy Knits

I have a very good aunt. She picked me up at the train station and we drove immediately to a knit shop around the corner on Hawthorne Blvd called Happy Knits. It's a very happy shop and a feast for the eyes with color and very clean lines throughout. Just the kind of shop I could only dream about having. A chandelier and fireplace in the knitting lounge added a classy but cozy touch and whimsical head models displayed hats and scarfs. I purchased several skeins of Madelinetosh fingering merino to make the sample shawl displayed and modeled by the owner.

Leaving Washington

It was a sad goodbye when Laura drove me to the train station in Tacoma so I could start the second part of my vacation in Portland, Oregon for my Aunt Janine's wedding. The Amtrak from Tacoma to Portland was about 2.5 hours and was so enjoyable. The seats recline with plenty of leg room and unlike an airplane I was able to get up and walk around and see other areas of the train like a game room, womens lounge and concession area. I should've been knitting but instead I just sat and watched the scenery as we pulled into small town train stations and the lakes and mountains along the way.

Mount Rainier Adventure

We called this our "mountain day" as Laura and I packed up to head to Mount Rainier which is amazingly only 39 miles from their small town. She's so sporty in her Jeep (I so want one now!) and we took off the tops for some cool mid 60's air in our hair and sun on our face. On the way up the Cascade mountains is a mandatory stop at Wapiti Woolies for new knitted hats. The base of Mount Rainier is at 6,400 feet elevation with recent snow yesterday and the kind of stillness that can only be found in the mountains. Just call us moutain girls.

A Day in Seattle

We loaded up and drove into Seattle (about 40 miles) for a day of shopping starting at the most awesome outdoor sport shop, REI. It's their beautiful flagship store complete with a glassed enclosed climbing rock wall. Of course, I got my shop ON and found a couple sport skirts and REI canvas belt to take back home. As we were leaving we saw a young girl with dreads get slammed up against the building and cuffed by two undercover cops...I almost felt sorry for her.

Then it was on to the famous Pike Place Market for a couple hours before dinner - an absolute explosion of people, art, fish and produce that requires much more time than we had available to see it all. Laura's sister, Lindy (& Gary) joined us for a swanky dinner on the water at Palisade's. We cracked up at Laura who had the largest lobster in the ocean and I opted for the shashimi tuna. It was a magically wonderful event of a meal.

Old Friendships

Thank you Facebook for providing the opportunity to reconnect with old friends. Especially my high school BFF, Laura, that I haven't seen for over 20 years. Emailing across the miles just wasn't enough so I made flight arrangements to Seattle, WA to see her and I'm staying here for four days (before going to Portland, OR for my aunt's wedding). There's something unexplainably cosmic about high school relationships that's so easy to revert back to. Remembering old times and finishing each other's sentences comes so easily to us.

Laura and Dan have a good life outside Seattle with their own business, mountain home in the foothills of Mount Rainier with a killer view and three loving dogs. Our evenings have been spent watching the sun set with seafood, wine, patio fires and joyful laughter. Our mornings spent watching CMT videos, drinking french press coffee and eating Dave's Killer Bread with peanut butter and fruit.