Back Home Again

OK, back to reality, or as close to it as my life gets...

I had a wonderful vacation. I got to spend a lot of time with my Mom, who is in a nursing home. She is so cute. I noticed her hands get cold easily, so I made her a muff from some incredibly soft and yummy bulky alpaca that I picked up at great store in Chicago. She had previously made me an afghan that color with cables on it, so I thought I'd do what I could to keep her warm, too.

I spent the first 4 nights at my sister Margie's. She lives on the north side of Chicago, in the Rogers Park neighborhood. She has a cat named Murphy, who approved of the alpaca. Maybe because he's the same color as the yarn. I got to eat real pizza again, more than once. It was very, very good. Some of the leftovers went as carry-on home with me in the "overhead bins". We also had a delicious dinner at the Morseland Cafe a couple of blocks from her house. The food was fabulous, the mojitos were very tasty, the atmosphere was cool, and the people were the best. We were going to go to shop for yarn together on Friday before I left, but stuff got in the way of that. I hope she goes without me and takes up knitting again. I need more people to be obsessed with fiber.

I had time to visit 2 yarn stores. I took the L (that's the elevated train, for those unfamiliar with what I mean). If you have seen the movie "While You Were Sleeping", it's that kind of train. I went to Arcadia Knitting on Lawrence Ave. They arrange the yarn by color, very neat. That's where I found some fingering weight Lorna's Laces for a shawl. I also picked up another Dale pattern, what am I thinking? That someday I will really have time to make a whole sweater in my size? I guess I am hoping I will maybe finish a pair of mittens, or a headband. I'd insert a picture here - - but I can't yet. More about that later. Then I hoped back on the L and went downtown to Loopy. I found a lot of nice things there, including the alpaca. Both stores were great, and the people very nice. It got colder and windier and believe it or not, I had no scarf with me. I own a bunch, they just could not be summoned by me at will. So, in a clever moment, I found a skein of yarn that would make a great scarf and wrapped it around my neck twice and wore it back to my sisters house. So I know that when I eventually get around to making it, I can expect warm and comfy.

I spent the second half of my trip at my other sisters house in southern Wisconsin. I went from the city to the country. In between visits with Mom, I also got to go to a yarn store with my sister Karen. It's near Delavan. It's called Needles and Pins Yarn Shoppe. It was great, nice selection and nice people. My sister went in with me. She found a really pretty scarf pattern and yarn but decided not to make it because she doesn't wear scarves. I did kind of push her over the edge when I reminded her that she does wear socks. Then I pointed out the huge selection of Trekking XL sock yarn, and the purple kind of sealed the deal. She's never knit with double points, so I had to teach her real quick. She picked it up very fast. She didn't seem to be having any problems and knows to go back to the shop if she has any questions. Keep your fingers crossed that she has good first sock karma, or I am so screwed when she sees me next.

I did finish my daughter's red scarf, and made lots of progress on the project I can't talk about yet. The swatch is finished except for the blocking and the pom-pom, see?
It has a needle in it because the flipped up brim tends to roll. I'm really hoping blocking will help. I did not knit on the Olympic project at all. I was so unsure that my brand new teeny-weeny expensive metal Addi's would go thru screening at Midway that I chickened out on attempting that. So, into the suitcase they went, and the other project was carried on. I finally cast on the project at 5:20 pm TODAY. Two days after the official start! Yikes. That's all, just YIKES. I do have seven rows done, out of like 125 for the body of the sweater. Not time to panic just yet.

Normally I'd share pictures of the newest additions to the stash, but I don't have any of it here. It's still in Wisconsin, waiting for transport back to me. There was an issue of stuff that wouldn't fit in the suitcase. That's mainly because I had some things of Mom's that can't exactly be shipped, like some furniture and a mantle clock. So the yarn got stuck into some drawers and my son will drive it back on his spring break. He doesn't know that yet. I think I can live without it for that long. Unless my sister takes up knitting big time and decides that it should stay with her...