Lots of traveling and knitting, not much reading

infant cocoon

I have to report that my trend of non-readingness continues unabated. I’m currently on Summer Trip #2, in lovely Brevard, North Carolina, where our daughter is at horse camp in the Pisgah National Forest while we grown ups have Adult Camp (which involves mojito’s, gin and tonic’s, a lot of consignment store shopping, and this morning, a pedicure!). I love Adult Camp and our daughter loves horse camp, so it’s a win-win vacation.

Summer Trip #1 was to Georgetown, Texas and the surrounding environs (which includes Austin) to visit graduate school friends. We talked some sociology, and also did some shopping. So far, shopping seems to my predominant summer activity.



 When I’m not shopping, I’ve been doing a great deal of knitting. I knit some bags for the two daughters’ of friends who my stepdaughter goes to horse camp with. I’ve finished a lovely scarf with some alpaca yarn I bought back at the Indiana Fiber and Music Festival in the spring. This is a simple magic scarf pattern from Crazy Aunt Purl’s Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair. I love, love, love this yarn. It’s soft and so subtly colored, and I knitted this scarf all for me.

While working on this scarf, I was traveling on the plane to Austin, and encountered another knitter working on a tank dress using top-down knitting. She recommended Barbara G. Walker’s books on top-down knitting, and I have one ordered through interlibrary loan at my local library. Very excited about knitting myself some serious clothing items, because as you will see, there are only so many scarves and hats I can knit for my stepdaughter (or maybe not).

Using some Cascade Pastaza, I started a beautiful infant cocoon, using a pattern I got from our local yarn store, Harriette’s Knit Knook. Pastaza is a llama and wool blend, and sheds quite a bit. I was on the back end of a bad cold, and couldn’t tell if it was the Pastaza or my cold making me all stuffed up. I think it was probably the cold. But the infant cocoon turned out beautifully and I love this yarn.

But because I thought I might be having an allergic reaction to the Pastaza, I had to make an emergency yarn trip while in Georgetown. At NeedleArts, I bought some Misti Alpaca Tonos Worsted and started a wavy scarf pattern. I love the way Misti Alpaca feels and the wavy pattern is very fun. That scarf is waiting on another ball of the Misti Alpaca, as I only bought one.

So, for North Carolina, I had to pack a ball of Cascade Superwash 220 and a beret pattern. My stepdaughter’s birthday is coming up and I thought a beret would be a nice gift. While in Brevard, we had to check out Charlotte’s Fibers, where I bought some cute novelty yarn to make yet another scarf for my stepdaughter, who will be fully equipped with scarves and hats by the time I’m done. My friends bought some cotton yarn to start a crochet project and a knitted mobius scarf.

New crocs + pedicure = happy feet

After pedicure completion and lunch this afternoon, we’ll be hitting my favorite shoe store in the entire world, Moose Tracks in downtown Brevard. Now, I have to confess to already having purchased new pair of Keen’s and some stylish Croc sandals, so my shoe budget may be tapped. On the other hand, I might need a pair to match my exciting green nail polish!

I did actually buy a book in Texas–The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine–and so far it’s an excellent book. Look for an eventual review, but it’s a long one, and there’s so much knitting, traveling, gardening, shopping to be done in the meantime.