Aug 2, 2008
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Time's here again folks. Vacation time! And not a moment too soon---after delaying it all summer we are finally able to go on vacation. Boy do I need this vacation. But you say, you are a stay at home parent, WHY do YOU need a vacation? Isn't your life a vacation? (This is what my husband said--in not too many words. Yeah, he got smacked for saying that-don't worry.) I need a change of scenery. I am emotional exhausted. And am feeling a bit faded, stretched, and raw. And recent things have happened to make me nearly spiral into a black pit of despair. So PLEASE bring on the vacation.
Last night--thought we almost, nearly had to cancel the vacation. Yeah, both my heart and Jamey's heart stopped... We spent the afternoon into the evening with our friends, T and R...and a wonderful time chatting and playing Guitar Hero and Rock Star (I rock by the way--I might be tone deaf, but I can hold my own on most 80s songs). Well, gas in their part of town is like 20 cents or more cheaper than our part of town, so we stopped to top off our gas tank. Jamey reached into his pocket for his debit card and came back nadda. I had mine--so could get the gas. But Jamey hadn't seen it since he LEFT IT ON HIS LAP after we picked up some lunch at Chick Fil A. Shit shit shit. After calling to check out bank balance, Jamey called T. to see if perchance our debit card is on the couch or IN THE street. Lo and behold. It was IN THE STREET--wrapped in the receipt from Chick Fil A. In fact the receipt was torn so we think we ran over it while as we drove away. Let's hope that is the extent of our vacation bad luck (almost every year SOMETHING happens that adds a half a dozen grey hairs to my head.
Anyhoo--we are leaving late Sunday posting will be intermittent for 2 weeks...ha it'll probably just be like the postings of the past several month. You might not even be able to tell the difference!
Wish us luck and pray we don't fall into the Bayou on the way through the south.
Labels: vacation, whine
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Jul 14, 2008
Stinky Gym Sock
Boy do I need a vacation. I feel like I in a rut. I fee like an old stink damp gym sock.
I just can't muster any sort of energy at all. My internal clock is fucked up too. I am going to bed waay too late and thusly dragging my arse out of bed waaay too late.
This week is Kim last full week here. I'll miss her and her help. I wish she was staying--I think it would be good for her to settle here. But I don't think she's ready to leave home yet. Oh well. I did get her to quit smoking--hopefully THAT will stick. A few days ago I bought her to nicotine gum.
If you stopped by earlier--or follow my tweets you would have noticed that I cleaned the tub. Rather finished it...it had so much lime scale it took several days if scrubbing. I was contemplating a before and after, but I really don't want to share that much info. Anyhoo, it's such a thrill to have a sparkling tub with a nice new shower curtain (got that a few weeks back). Right now I am looking at the dinner room table that I need to clean off. I should clean it off before Kim's boyfriend arrives tomorrow and DEFINITELY before my parents come. I don't need my mother to make her motherly noises.
Eh, make that stinky dried gym sock stuck to the couch.
Labels: cleaning, daily rant, family, vacation
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Jul 15, 2007
Stash Enchancement
I am using Crazy Aunt Purl's caption technique--I really like it and I may be using it in the future (esp. since I don't take the best pictures). I figured I'll tell my yarn crawl stories before I spill the beans about the total vacation. I hit 3 yarn shops while on vacation---it pays to do your research first...maps are handy. I should have taken my own advice and printed out a few maps. Oh well...next year, I'll know better.
Myrtle Beach: Knitting Up A Storm
I was a total idiot and didn't take pictures of Knitting Up A Storm (no webwsite), even though I lugged in my camera. You would never know I had at one time wanted to be a filmmaker and owned a blog for 7 years. So instead you get this pic of my sock on the beach...my sock had a good vacation too.
The owner (I totally forgot her name) was extremely helpful and super nice. She didn't mind at all that I had to wonder around aimlessly for a bit and didn't mind my chatter. The store is large, she had just moved to this location (she's been around for about 3 years), so she hasn't yet had a chance to really fill up the store with yarn yumminess.
I really agonised what to buy--silk had my heart, but I was afraid of ruining it--even though it was so so soft. But I put the artsilk back...poot. I also was fondling some jitterbug sock yarn---but I put that back too (although I am regretting it...I liked the colors but I didn't want stripes and I was afraid it would stripe)I ended up getting about 800 yards of rose colored laceweight, Alpaca Twist Fino. I also bought bamboo DPNS in size one--yep for more socks!
I really enjoyed this store and I am looking forward to going back to it next year (let's hope I remember to take pictures next time).
Washington, D.C.: Knit Happens
Actually Knit Happens is in Alexandria, Virginia--in old town. Very cute locale.
Just after I took this picture of all that yummy yarn, I was spotted by this gal--the one in the middle, I think is was the owner, Kristine (Update: This is Elspeth and she has a delightful blog. I found her blog by pure accident in a comment by Nicole in response to a post from Go Knit In Your Hat) She offered to take my picture. She asked if I had a blog. The problem with my blog is the horrendously long internet address (I am planning to rectify this) which is NOT easy to tell people without a business cards.
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Knit Happens is a really cool, small store, packed with yarn. Oh I was in hog heaven. Once again I was fondling the silk. The day before I looked up the MS3 Clue #1 picture and I HAD to start it ASAP. So I was on a mission: lace weight and Addi Turbo Lace needles. Because over 6000 knitters are participating in the KAL, there was NO white, offwhite, ivory, cream, black, or navy lace weight in the store. At first I picked out a brown--but I couldn't see myself working with brown yarn, so I picked up 3 skeins of Misti Alpaca in Sea Mist.
Kristine (or the blond one) Elspeth renamed me Madam Clapotis when she saw me struggling to reach some lace weight. I liked that. One of the other gals (I think the gal on the right--if you clicked on that link above), helped me pick out the Sea Mist--since there was only one small sad skein of white lace left.
After picking up my Addi Turbo in size 4, 24 inch circulars, we were out of that store--before I bought anything else and broke my bank. When we got home I realised that not only was the circ too short, but the join was very rough. I begged my Mom to go back and see if she could exchange it. She was 5 minutes too late, but thankfully they opened up for her, their computers were already shut down so I couldn't get the longer circ, but I did get a replacement needle. THANK YOU!! I can't wait to visit the store again when I visit my parents next summer.
Hoodwinked in Falls Church!
After Knit Happens we stopped at the Noodle Company for lunch--YUMMO! And as I rounded the car after we parked I saw this:
Oh joy another yarn shop!!?! Joy joy!
NO! A clothing store--pfft--what a fraud! What a complete and utter letdown--I was totally jipped.
Staunton, Virginia: On The Lamb
On The Lamb was my favourite yarn shop. When I left that building I felt like I had left a big hug.
I didn't get a decent picture of the front, so you have to imagine it. It was a remodeled home (perfect!!), the first floor was the shop; the second floor was apartments: imagine living above a yarn shop. I bet the tenants don't even appreciate it. Could you IMAGINE a knitter living above a yarn store: yep it would be a very poor knitter, but ooo they would have such a great stash!!! And it has a bay window (I LOVE bay windows).
This is the first room (off the hall that you walk into). I met Angel and she is awesome. She walked me around the shop told me about all the yarns. Showed me a finished Swallowtail Shawl (it's the yellow shawl on the chair) and admired my Clapotis (and how can you wear that on this hot day!!? Cotton baby cotton).
I would LOVE to sit in those chairs and just knit at the bay window! I wondered around a bit and Jamey let me spend a lot here: so I brought home some cute sock yarn (pink TOFUsises), two hanks of blue lace weight Malabrigo and yet another Addi Turbo lace circs--this time in 32 inches). I am NOT sure what the blue lace weight will be, but oh it will be so soft and beautiful. The socks will be my own pattern (presumably) after I finish the never-ending socks.
I am SO glad I bought two pairs of Addis even though they were 32 dollars combined--they are HEAVEN!! I am sure every time I mention my lace knitting I will be waxing poetic about the wonders of the Addi.
We were on a time crunch too...I hated that--because I could have spent ages at the store talking to Angel and Joe, the owner. I totally felt at ease...which I why I took tons of pictures. Angel also put Kisses in my bag too...what is better than yarn--yup chocolate!
Joe is actually from the Texas area. His family is H.B. Zachery here in Texas...a huge construction company--we see their signs everywhere. I had a great chat with him. I am hoping when we go to VA next year on vacation I can go to their knitting night. Jamey was actually very miffed at me because I spent too long chatting and we had to be back at the house to meet his sister.
When I left, I really did feel like I had left a huge hug--even though there was no actual hugging. This store has SUCH a great vibe to it. I feel so sorry for my SIL and MIL that don't knit--they are missing out on such a wonderful store and great people.
Flashin' My Stash. I didn't mention my stop at A.C. Moore---it's a craft store--so not technically the yumminess of a yarn store will all their natural fibre goodness. I did pick up some more cotton (they were on sale) for some cloths and such. The Marble is a really pretty variegated yarn with a interesting green twist--not sure what it's gonna be but it's gonna be pretty.
Labels: knitting, vacation
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Jul 11, 2007
There is no place like HOME
Folks, we've been home since 8 o'clock last night. We had a terrific vacation. On my part it was relaxing and the two weeks seemed to stretch ands stretch. I got to see all my brothers before they go off to war. I got to enjoy Kimmy being a grown up finally (working a part time job has given her some pleasantness she didn't have before). I got a tan (ha! you say--it's a Birdy tan which is still very very pale in comparison to the average Caucasian bear) and more freckles. I also got YARN--very pretty soft pet worthy yarn.
I deleted over 4000 spams from my inbox and uploaded over 200 hundred pictures from my camera. Give me some time and I'll put together a very nice travel diary for y'all to enjoy--with a special diversion at the 3 yarn shops I visited.
We saw the Harry Potter movie today--totally freakin' awesome and I of course cried like a baby at the end. On vacation we also saw Ratatouille and Transformers...both rocked. So that means--only TEN _more_days till Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out. GRIN.
While I was gone Kottke became a Daddy--how awesome is that. Ollie is so cute. I missed a lot being disconnected form the 'net. Heck while at the beach we didn't even watch TV--missed all the rain San Antonio got (our lawn looks like a lush green jungle) and the searing fires and temperatures in the West.
I've got a lot of work to do now that I am home: knitting work, web design work, blog work, and teaching work...never mind the ever present cleaning work. Since this vacation was so energising for me and restful--I am totally ready to jump in a get some work done.
Labels: cleaning, daily rant, vacation, weather
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