Family time

The weather is gorgeous! It is incredibly quiet for the first time this week. Bugg and I dropped the boys off for a fishing adventure this morning before slipping off to a French bakery for breakfast. The food was incredible.

Driving didn't go as poorly as anticipated. Shoving a 15 year old 6'3" boy into a car and driving for 9 hours worried me, but it all went well. Hubs doesn't like stopping once on the road, but years with Bugg and I have worn him down. We stayed overnight and ended up near Asheville the next morning (a great plan, eh?). Asheville is one of my favorite places for so many reasons. An added destination was the fanciest McDonalds in existence. Bugg had just seen on a television show that previewed various McDonald locations and they covered this one one in Asheville. Bugg and FYS posed for a photo and both smiled. Either McDonalds can bring teenage siblings together or they were just happy to be taking a break from the car.

We were just across the street from the entrance to the Biltmore...so non descript that we had driven past many times and never known it was there. It would have been nice to have extra time to visit with Hubs and FYS. Bugg and I had such an incredible experience there over Spring Break.

Just so it happens, Yarn Paradise is just down the block from there. Someone had the insight to put a fly fishing shop next door to it which made my plight a bit easier.

Bugg nabbed some Malabrigo Lace in an apricot color and my choice was a bright violet blue. There were a few more purchases, but nothing very large this time. This yarn store is incredible and there is always something different to admire.

FYS finally chose some yarn for a pair of socks. His feet are so huge that it will take awhile and much dedication. This is a shot under the table of his foot next to Bugg's. Her feet are a size 8 1/2. He desperately wanted some bright yellow yarn, but was persuaded to settle for some Berroco Comfort Sock in a nice blue-grey.

With all of the driving time, lots of knitting has happened. The bolero will be finished once blocked and buttons are located.

Bugg's dorm pillow is coming along, but the loops are a pain.

The main focus has now been the Ring of Lace. The yarn is yummy to work with and it is small enough to take along when the kids are playing tennis.

We are taking a break from major activity today. Bugg has overdone it with tennis a little and my body is just plain tired from the extra activity. The beach is calling to us and we are off for a nice walk along the waves.

The Dance

We had quite the drive to reach our vacation destination last summer. We drove in two vehicles and witnessed this dance after stopping for something to eat.

Funny thing - he couldn't hear the music we were listening to, but his dance was right on beat.

Swallowtail Shawl, more vacation, and upcoming yarn sale

One week ago today I woke up here. It is hard to remember the water being so blue and it beckons me. Now that our vacation is over, we think through what we did and what we wish we had done. Our friends came to visit one weekend from Florida and it was the second time we've seen them (Savannah in April). We had fabulous Thai food that night and were longing to pop over and have dinner there last night. Dining choices of that nature are non-existent here.

I didn't take many photos this vacation and that is one thing I wish was different.

...on to the shawl...

Swallowtail Shawl

Yarn: Zephyr Silk/Wool - Marine Blue

Size 4 needles

Note: Mine is a tad smaller than the pattern states. I should have used 5 needles

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shawl. It is the perfect size to use for work (once/if I return) and the color is amazing. The softness is indescribable.

Other Knitting

Mom's pink top is drying (still). I will take pictures before mailing, but am pretty certain this is one garment that will not look right unless modeled and those photos may take awhile to get.

Remember my Tilly Garden Shawl? The one with the knit on border? The border I winged without the math? Well, everyone knew that wasn't going to work but I charged forth. It wouldn't block and the border was removed. Some fancy math and swatching was done and the new and improved border is moving right along. Again, photos to come soon.

I picked up some lovely Handmaiden Sea Silk, Jade Sapphire Cashmere-Silk, and Prism Lace Wool - all in various colors of the sea. I find myself nearly content and almost overwhelmed by my staggering amounts of stash yarn. There are only two things I still long for 1) Handmaiden Silken and 2) ANYTHING that comes from Chris' shop. So....I've decided to perform a little de-stash and will be posting the yarn here on my blog first. It will take awhile to get through all of it, but there will be some good yarn - I promise! My goal is to get some posted mid-week.

Vacation knitting

How things stack up when a person goes away from home! The e-mail and postal mail has been tackled, work e-mail remains. The house needs a light cleaning and I haven't managed to unpack everything.

All in all, this was a great crafting vacation. My swallowtail shawl is finished and should be blocked today. My mom traveled with us and purchased yarn for a top on the way to the beach and it is nearly finished (pictures coming soon). Bugg has been working on cross stitch month blocks to be transformed into a quilt - mom finished one block, Bugg nearly has two under her belt and I...nearly finished one (honest, it is almost finished - I promise!). There was not time to knit up any of the other yarn that traveled from my stash, but new yarn did come home with me. Chris, being the sweetheart that she is, had two bundles waiting when we finally came back home - which made going through the postal mail a lot more enjoyable. There are projects assigned to both bundles!!!

My mom learned how to knit and is nearly finished with a garter stitch scarf. She has even tension that is pleasing to the eye. She may be addicted to knitting - time will tell. If she had a dropped stitch or an unknit stitch from the previous row, her scarf would magically appear on top of my project and be waiting for me when I returned from wherever I had gone. The mistake would get fixed and mom would happily take of knitting again...until the next one. Truthfully, she didn't have many mistakes and she was a trooper, counting the stitches at every row to make sure they were all present and accounted for. When we left her house to come home, she was beginning her final 12".

Bugg is a natural at knitting (keep it a secret she is a semi-closet knitter). Her stitches are very even and she picks up techniques quickly. She is working on two projects - a sock using Socks That Rock and a small shawl. She didn't get the 'finishing gene' from me, but is working pretty diligently on both projects.

It seems this post is growing a bit long, I will leave you with a couple of photos which makes me smile - Bugg and my Youngest!

Another holiday almost finished

How lucky are we? Getting to spend 3 weeks at the beach has been fabulous. I would have bet the feelings of being ready to go home would have set in by the end of the first week. You know-'ahhh, this has been a nice break but there will be two tons of mail (including yarn) waiting along with inches of dust and it is time to tackle those things' feelings. Instead, I find myself checking lottery numbers to see if we can schedule time with a realtor to pick out our multi-million dollar beach front home.

All of my friends know that the weather in Michigan is a struggle for me. The humidity of the South is welcoming and I embrace it readily. There are cold-weather people and beach people - I am a beach people! Encouragement exists in knowing that we won't always be in Michigan, yet after nearly 5 years I find myself restless. So, as I contemplate the return to Michigan (and Bugg's Senior year), the knowing thoughts of 5 months of cold weather and snow make me cringe. Snow and cold weather are not very functional for a beach person.

Cut to yesterday:

The boys went deep sea fishing yesterday and the youngest son reeled in a 4ft. nurse shark weighing approx. 180 lbs. He also caught a few miscellaneous other fish, but his shark was the largest of the day. Hubs snared one miscellaneous fish and was satisfied to see our son's catch.

Us girls drove to Charleston, SC for some sightseeing and shopping. It was the hottest day of the year and we went through bottled water quickly. Weather reports had the water temp in the Charleston Harbor around 86 degrees. We aimed for a horse-drawn tour, but the weather was too extreme for the horses to come out and play so walking was our mode of transportation. We really needed a couple of days in Charleston to go to a plantation and to visit Ft. Sumter.

---The lottery numbers were not in our favor and we'll be off to the beach in a few minutes.

...We interrupt this vacation...

Being half-way into the vacation, a sense of peace surrounds me. No worry about trying to unwind after the long drive or anxiousness because the break is nearly over and it will be time to return to all that waits exists yet. My youngest son said it best today:

ME: (to hubs) What would you like to do today?
HUBS: I don't know, whatever you'd like.
SON: Let's just do more of the same.

Same= eat, go to the pool, go to the beach, eat

As predicted, we hit a couple of yarn shops along the way. Pictures will follow, but some lovely laceweight and Jade Sapphire cashmere followed me. My mom (not a knitter) decided to knit scarves for her friend's Christmas presents and is flying along on a garter stitch scarf. She also picked up some lovely yarn for a summer top...on which I am nearing completion. She chose a rose color of Cathay by Debbie Bliss. Youngest son tried to wrangle a pair of socks out of me yesterday, but changed his mind when told it would be a 'very long time' before those socks would fly off of my needles. Needless to say, little progress has been made on any of the projects which originally travelled with me.

Spinning?

A few weeks ago a drop spindle was calling my name. I've wanted to learn to spin for awhile and am mesmerized by the whirr of a spinning wheel. Not needing another expensive toy, I opted for the drop spindle. A very kind spinner (insert name later) helped get me started and I walked away with about a foot of spun fiber - that was spun by me! Once we return home, I think the waiting Romney will be spun away!

Choosing the perfect yarn to knit on vacation...

...priceless!

Thoughts of perfect little skeins of yarn, balls of fiber, and hanks to be rolled have been dancing through my mind for days. The idea was to swatch and choose patterns before departing for vacation. I swatched some Tuscany from Briar Rose Fibers for my Retro Cardigan. It was such a fun knit that I've nearly completed it. Thoughts of only taking things that would become Christmas presents (for 2007 Christmas) seemed like a good idea, but I've settled on a nice mix.

L-R Back row: Briar Rose's Grandmother's Blessing, Knit Pick's Sock Memories in Smores colorway (really, I could swear I detected chocolate and graham cracker smells as this yarn was wound), Knit Pick's Sock Memories in Cape Cod colorway, -peeking from the left corner is my Swallow Tail Shawl began this week, Aqua colored Panda Cotton, Briar Rose's Grace (bagged), Bugg's Lacy Cable Shrug in Briar Rose Wistful, Down Front: Ella Rae Silkience and Shibu. If this isn't enough, the shopfinder will be very near - and the driver gets to choose the route, right?

Realistically, this will not all be knit during this vacation, but at least there will be plenty of of options and SOME sock yarn from the stash is travelling. Note: I simply could not wind any Koigu, Lorna's Laces or STR - seriously, it's like sacred yarn and it's being saved for a momentous occasion - what is wrong with me?

Conflicted - there are blogs I read every day. Some don't post every day, but there will be lots of knits going on while we're away and blog-withdrawl is setting in.

On another note

We planned a picnic for last Sunday. The weather was a little cool (hence the sweatshirt and long sleeves) and the picnic was moved inside. Throw down a homemade quilt, call the Colonel and voila!

It was a very nice day!

...Off to the shore.