The Land of Wool and Honey

So Much For Being Original

 Fingerless Mitts, Shaker Village, ca. 1840s.  

Fingerless Mitts, Cedar, MI, ca. 2012.

Project: Purple Muscari by yours truly.

Started: Saturday, January 28th, 2012.

Finished: Saturday, March 17th, 2012.

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Persia, half a skein.

Needles: Lantern Moon Sox Stix in Ebony, US 1 (2.25 mm).

Notes: Apparently, good ideas never go out of style. 

 

A Trip and A Loop

Last week on Saturday after work, we locked the door to the shop, threw a few sweatshirts and clean underwear in a backpack and headed South.  Well, sort of.  Curt had spring break last week and without the funds to go all out back to Costa Rica,  our only goal was to spend a little time together--and away.  Anywhere.  We didn't take the whole week off (back to the grind on Thursday), so after whittling it down (Milwaukee, Chicago, Louisville and Nashville were all strong contenders), we ended up choosing someplace not initially on the list at all.

Shaker Village.  How's that for totally random?  (And not even slightly urban...)

 

Shaker Village, established in 1805 and fully restored in the 1960s, is a living museum.  You stay in these beautiful buildings that were built two hundred years ago, chat with volunteers who wear starched white bonnets and watch demonstrations on how to weave and make brooms and those cute little stacking boxes.  You can read all about it on their website and even watch a little video.  Better yet, go there.  I have a strong sense that if you found this blog, there's a chance you might like it.  A pretty significant chance.

[And just in case you were wondering, even though the Shakers were celibate, (I know, I can't really wrap my mind around it, either), you can sleep in the same bed with your spouse.  Also, they have wireless.  Fears be quelled.]

Anyhoo.

There were sheep,

(Leceicester Longwools.  Totally guessed it.)

and springy blooms everywhere.

Of course we had to try a little local flavor,

so we took a day trip to Wild Turkey Distillery to see how they get it done.  And dang, do they.

The rooms were simply furnished with beautiful, classic furniture,

(Most comfortable mattress ever!)

and I could actually see myself living here forever. 

Or for a very long time. 

Okay, I was ready to leave after the second night.

I guess when you own a yarn store, grow your own food, actually anticipate canning season and your husband milks cows for his second job, you realize it's not really a huge stretch from your real life. 

Of course there was knitting.  Of course.  You know how I said we threw a few things in a backpack?  That was true.  It only took me 15 minutes to gather my toothbrush and pajamas.  Packing my knitting, however, took me two and a half hours. 

So I took four projects with me.  What?

Project: Looped Loop by Kirsten Johnstone.

Started: Sunday, March 25th, 2012.

Finished: Thursday, March 29th, 2012.

Yarn: Madelinetosh Pashmina in Terrarium, one full skein.

Needles: Addi Lace US 6 24" circular.

Mods: Added 12 stitches when casting on.  Which could have been a mistake.  I only had one skein and I wasn't about to spring for a second, so this piece was 8 inches shorter than the suggested length, before blocking.  I was sweating it the entire time hoping that all the comments on Ravelry about how much the Pashmina stretches could work in my favor.  Melissa--1, Yarn Gods--0.

Notes: The best project I could have knit on this trip.  Seriously.  You know how horridly motion sick I get.  Anything that requires the slightest bit of concentration (including reading GoogleMaps on my iPhone) is out of the question.  So if you're looking for the perfect project to keep your hands busy while solving the world's problems with your very best friend while driving 1400 miles in four days, this'd be the one.

You can wear it looped twice (I prefer this way),

or long and lanky, which is very cool, too.

Obviously, I didn't get the other three projects finished. 

Next time.

Wordless Wednesday: Gitche Gumee

 

(Lake Superior, Sunday afternoon.)

First Time for Everything

Last week's trip to Mexico was pretty much perfect, in addition to being a week full of firsts.

First time I'd been to Mexico:

 

First time I'd been to a blue agave farm:

 

First time I'd swum in an underground cave:

 

First time I'd seen Mayan ruins:

 

Chichen Itza.

First time I'd been to an all-inclusive resort:

 

 

First time I'd been to Miami (well, the airport), first time I'd read Anne of Avonlea, the first time I watched Gothika in Spanish, the first time I got a facial, the first time I'd had banana-infused tequila...

....and the first time my knitting needles were taken away from me at the airport.

 

 

My sad little projects I stuffed into my bag after the security officer in took my needles away.  I was really planning on cranking out the knitting on my way home.

I hadn't planned on this (naturally!), so I didn't have a self-addressed stamped envelope to ship my Addis back home (advice I always give traveling customers!), nor did we check any bags, so I lost my needles forever.  It makes me cringe to think they're in the bottom of a trash barrel somewhere in Cancun.  Sniff.

Thankfully, the X-ray machine didn't pick up my bamboo double points, so I made some headway on my purple fingerless mitts.  (Almost done.)

 

Another first? 

I figured out how to use, import and load video!  A few trip highlights:

 

 

 

   

Countdown

 

So.  Ready.