The Sock at a Car Show

While MFB was healing up he wasn't able to get away like I did to MDS&W, and we do like to get away even if it is just a day or a weekend, so on May 19th he was past due to "Git". So git we got and where we got to was the Carlisle Import Kit/Replicar Nationals. This is a car show in Carlisle PA and Volvo was the featured car. We hopped in our Volvo S80 (Photo courtesy of Swedespeed) and joined in on the fun. This is my first car show but we both are sports car enthusiasts.

Rather than parking in the South 40 of the Fairgrounds we parked in the car show and it made the day even that much better. No long hikes anywhere. When it was time for lunch we grabbed the picnic from the trunk and sat in our camp chairs under beautiful sunny skies.

We met some nice people, admired lots of pretty cars and during a couple of our breaks I even took the time to knit on the P sock. Here the sock takes in a Volvo that has over 2 million miles on it - that's 2 million miles and the announcer said the owner drives it every day. I am impressed. (This picture shows that I made it to the heel flap on the sock)

It's amazing how a bunch of greasy old car parts being offered up for sale are as attractive to MFB as yarn and wool were to me when I was at MDS&W. I wouldn't have him any other way. How long will it be before he talks me into going with him to look for an old "Brick" to restore, or as he calls it a Project Car? Probably this weekend.

I leave you (waves at cousin Lonnie and Mark) with a picture of the nicest *smirk* Subaru I could find at the car show. Seriously though by the time we found the Subaru's there weren't that many left. Lonnie and Mark don't like Volvo's and have a Subaru. I couldn't resist Cuz!!

A weekend away - Part 2

and a little knitting news...(warning picture heavy post)

So Sunday morning we head out to Baltimore to meet up with our cousin Jan. We parked at a hotel at the Inner Harbor and met up and had lots of fun. I didn't really have any memories of Jan as the last time I saw her I was a baby, but within five minutes we were fast friends.

We walked around for a few minutes and guess what we did -yep had to decide what to have for lunch. We decided on a Irish Pub type of restaurant, and the four of us decided to split two Corned Beef Sandwiches. I was quite surprised when the waitress told me they didn't have any russian dressing for the sandwich. The waitress looked at me like why would they have russian dressing. It wasn't until the following day when I was whining about this to MFB and he said something like, "Honey, did they call it a corned beef sandwich or a Reuben". Oh ... yeah. Sorry.

So we sat there outside eating our passable sandwiches and getting to know one another. I found out that Jan lives about 4 hours away from me, and trying to narrow down where she was I asked if she was near a town called Chadds Ford. She said sure and asked how I knew of it and I told her I had been to a yarn store back in March 2006 and she said oh Garden of Yarn? Sure enough, that's the store and she's a knitter too. Something else we have in common. Mark took off for a couple minutes while we were sitting there, I assumed he was making a personal call of some type and about five minutes later he returns and hands me some sun screen. He had noticed I was taking on some sun and went in hunt of some sunscreen. How great a guy is that? Mark you're the best!!

After a couple of hours sitting and chatting we decided it was time to check out the USS Constellation and tour the warship that is docked in the Inner Harbor as a museum. The picture shows the beautiful weather we had and why I needed the sunscreen. Here is a shot of the ships wheel, I loved the wood so smooth and polished. Since I'm a retired cop it's natural that I'm interested in armament and so here is some of the ships 38 guns. We toured this boat assisted with listening devices which brought history to life and while below decks I could picture the ships crew working the guns and living their life on the seas. Every bit of space on the ship had a purpose and life must have been very cramped in the close quarters. Here are the officers quarters ... and here is the crews sleeping hammocks. These ropes looked extremely heavy, but they were deceptively lightweight. I'm glad we took the time to explore this history.

All too quickly my cousins and I had to go our separate ways. With hugs and promises to get together soon, I headed for home to meet up with MFB who was on his way home from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

On the knitting front - yes occasionally I actually finish something!!

Pattern: Perforated Edge Scarf from The Little Box of Scarves I picked up a couple years ago.
Yarn: Berroco Cotton Twist color 8464 70% Mercerized Cotton 30% Rayon purchased at Knitters Dream with Jessica back in March
I had to get used to the yarn as it enjoyed splitting, but the feel of it and the drape are just lovely.
I started this the beginning of March and finally finished it a couple weeks ago and sent it off.

The scarf was a surprise for Lonnie as I wanted to give her a remembrance of our time in Arizona. She lives in Texas but travels a lot and sometimes planes can be cold so I thought I would make her a scarf she could tuck in her carry on if she needs it. The colors of this remind me of the desert and I think the colors suit her.

I hope you all had a safe and happy Memorial Day and took a couple minutes to remember our men and women of the many branches of our armed forces who protect our freedom.

A weekend away - Part 1

Back in March I had a special weekend rendezvous with family, sans MFB. I never did share the experience here until now.

On Saturday morning March 24th I met up with my cousin Lonnie and her boyfriend Mark (they're from the Houston area) in Washington DC at the hotel we stayed at for the weekend. It was across the street from the Smithsonian. This is my cousin that I reconnected with in Arizona back in February and I had been looking forward to this weekend ever since. I'd never met Mark before and within two minutes of meeting him I knew that this weekend was going to be even more fun than I had imagined.

My drive down from PA was a little stressful just because #1 I don't have a GPS and #2 for some reason I am unable to comprehend the written word. Even so, the last thing I wanted to do was relax so we headed out for some fun.

First stop was a hotel across The Mall to park the car for the day. We went to the International Spy Museum and purchased our admission tickets for the afternoon, from there it was a short walk to Ford 's Theater where John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln and Petersen's Boarding House where Lincoln was taken and quickly succumbed to the fatal shot. Ford's Theater is still used today for performances and I hadn't realized that both buildings are run by the National Park Service. I love going to historical places and having my limited memory of school lessons refreshed.

While wandering the streets I noticed Cowgirl Creamery which turned out to be a cheese shop and had to check it out. The shop had that special tangy smell that tells you this is going to be good. Wish I had brought a cooler to take some cheese home. We thought it was time for a "refreshing beverage" and I remembered that we had walked by a restaurant and I think it was the District Chophouse so we thought we'd give it a go. When we walked in we smelled GARLIC. We sat at the bar and they set us up with a sampling of their (I think) lagers. That's a great way to decide on a beer, I was happy with my choice. Oh the garlic? It ended up being garlic french fries. Yummmeee.

After lunch it was time to go back to the International Spy Museum. This was totally fun. An interactive history lesson on the craft of espionage. They give you some time to decide what your "cover" is for the afternoon. As you wander through the museum there are computer "stations" where you play out your "assignment". I wish we had been able to take the time to do this, but the lines were long at the stations and so we passed. At the end of the museum there's a "border crossing" where the computer interviews you to see if your cover still passes to get out of the country the assignment has taken you to. I've just recently been released from a foreign country - I failed. I really enjoyed the museum displays and history, we must have been there for three hours and could have been there another three. We left there with the knowledge that "Things are not always as they seem."

It was then time for a break and so we headed out for something to drink. A cup of coffee for me followed up by an Oatmeal Cookie, not the kind you eat but the kind you drink. Never had one before but someone twisted my arm. It was good. Refreshed, we headed back out to explore. After awhile we decided we needed to get some dinner and after some discussion and wandering we headed over to Oceanaire a restaurant that Mark and Lonnie knew of. No we didn't have reservations, yes we'd spent the day in jeans with backpacks wandering the city streets and being tourists. Can you find a table for us? The inside of the restaurant looked like what I imagine a well appointed state room on a yacht would look. Highly polished warm wood and most people were wearing suits and dressed for a nice evening out on the town. We had excellent service, although we thought we were going to have to offer the server a chair as every time he came to the table he started a conversation about a watch or flying or fishing. Also the food was fantastic, I had my first ever sashimi and it was unforgettable. One of the interesting server upsell occurrences happened when I asked the server about the root beer float and then I realized they had the little soft ice cream in a dixie cup with the flat wooden spoon that I remember from my school lunch cafeteria days. I had to have the dixie cup ice cream. He brought me a root beer float! I told him no I wanted the dixie cup and then he set that in front of me and he said he thought I wanted both! Hunh??? This was a true dining experience. We left there absolutely stuffed and it must have been 10:00pm.

We walked the six or so blocks to where my car was parked and headed back to our hotel. We drove past the capital and it was all lit up. Just beautiful...do you think I thought to take any pictures that day? No. I'm just a dolt. It sounds like we spent most of our time eating, but really it was time spent talking, getting to know my cousin and her guy better and laughing so much my face hurt. When we got back to the hotel we collapsed.

Next time..day two in Baltimore where Lonnie, Mark and I meet up with our cousin Jan.

I knew I was in trouble..

... this morning when the first document I found on the office fax machine made me immediately think I wanted to pick up my current knitting project.

Does this mean that I have a serious problem or am I normal?

Knitting motivation

Wheeee!! Here's my Pomatomus Sock progress. The marker shows where I started when I decided I better get back to this fun pattern. I think I finally have my knitting motivation back. It must have gone on vacation when I did back in March. Motivation had a longer vacation then I did, that's for sure. These almost look like they are going to be identical twins, if so, how in the world did I manage it? This is made from Opal in the Petticoat colorway.

MFB is steadily healing up. He ditched the crutches a couple weekends ago for a cane and even the cane has been abandoned. When he told me the surgeon said he should try going without the removable cast boot, I asked him if he told the surgeon the advice was a week and a half too late. Now, if I can just keep him off the baseball diamond and golf course for a couple months so the sprain can heal. Bad news, we drive past both every day to and from work. Patience is required in these situations. Do I have patience? Yeah - not so much.

I love the show Boston Legal, especially William Shatner as Denny Crain. This has absolutely nothing to do with knitting but has everything to do with hockey. Tonight Denny is threatening to engrave his name on Lord Stanley's Cup! The nerve.

Entrelac and the Sheep on the Bus

I hope everyone has enjoyed their Mothers Day weekend.

I have actual knitting content. With many thanks to Knitty Otter and her wonderful instructions on Entrelac, I have two samples that will become dishcloths. This was my first try using 6 stitches per diamond. I used Sugar and Cream cotton in the Buttercream colorway. Here's my second worked with 8 stitches per diamond, again in Sugar and Cream but I can't remember the colorway. I didn't block either of these yet.

I signed up for which starts up in June. When Jessica asked me about it at MDS&W, I told her I didn't think I would. Keep in mind that just about everything I picked up in Maryland was sock yarn and I have Trekking, Regia, Sockotta, Froelich and Knit Picks. Does this sound like someone who shouldn't join? In preparation for this I decided I better finish up my Pomatomus Socks from Knitty. I set aside the P Socks back in the winter when I was working on some charity knitting. The more I think about Summer of Socks the more I'm looking forward to it.

Thinking more about my story about the sheep on the bus at Maryland Sheep and Wool, I did find another blogger who was on that bus and she does have a picture of the sheep on the bus.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Whew. How strange life is when the shoe (or cast) is on the other foot. MFB has graduated to using a cane instead of crutches and has a lot more freedom. He changed the spark plugs on my car and did some "puttering" outdoors so he's happy to feel his independence returning. He's still feeling my hovering which frustrates the heck out of him, but we're gradually moving back to a normal existence.

So much so, that he insisted I go to Maryland Sheep and Wool. Well since he insisted ..

Saturday morning I was on a charter bus arranged by my LYS and the bus could not get there fast enough. I was surrounded by good friends and new friends. Two of whom I know better than the others kept me company for about the first hour and then they took a nap. Me, no. Picture the commercial with the two little kids trying to sleep the night before going to a large amusement park known for the Mouse but "I can't, I'm too excited!". MP3 player and knitting to the rescue. One of my traveling companions was knitting socks from Tofutsies, which I have been wondering about. It felt so smooth, that I added that to my small list of must finds. Before we exited the bus, our trip organizer gave us the same wise crack as last year. Don't buy a sheep or a rabbit.

My friend Lori had suggested a couple places to go and so we thought we'd hang together for a short time. First stop - the dreaded t-shirt line. I didn't pick up a shirt last year and had regretted it. I didn't realize there was more than t-shirts! Along with my shirt I got a bucket hat and mouse pad. While waiting to pay Jessica called and she came over to meet up with me. I was really excited to meet up with her again as I so enjoyed our time together in March. Once Lori and I paid for our things, Jessica confirmed our thought that the line across the way was for STR. This was the first item on my list and away we went. Jessica kept us company while we stood in line to pay and actually took a picture of the three of us and as she relates - I do believe this is the first pix of me on the web. Jessica rocks on doing the self portrait thing doesn't she?

Lori took off on her own, and Jessica and I caught up for a little more and then she was off to meet up with others with plans for us to meet up later. Away I went to explore. I found the Tofutsies I wanted, and then at Lori's suggestion off to Tess Designs and bought, yes sock yarn. Then off to find some Koigu. The rumor was that the special Koigu vendor wasn't there due to a broken leg. There was a good deal of sympathy being expressed for the poor thing, and then funny comments about how there seems to be a lot of leg injuries lately with pointed looks (Lori) sent my way.

I treated myself to a lime fizz and headed out for where I thought the knitbloggers meet up would be in hopes to meet up with Bridget. I asked several people if they were she, with no luck. Later on I found out that there was some confusion about where the meet up was and so we missed one another. I met up with Jessica again and she introduced me to Kim, Risa and Risa's shy daughter Kat. Fun times.

By this time I had procured everything I came for. Not ready to head for the bus, I headed back out under the darkening and rumbling skies to explore. I found a tent that wasn't too crowded and wandered and found something special. Told myself, I already have everything I came for and walked about 20 yards away. All of a sudden I was back inside the tent. Asked how much it was and walked out not more than 20 paces when again, all of a sudden I'm back inside the tent and out I walked with it. This isn't lace weight and they only had 200 yards, but I'm thinking something delicate (which I am not). Lori suggested some Victorian looking wrist cuffs with buttons. That sounds promising.

Are you still here? OK then I know you might not believe this as I didn't think to break out the camera but..

While loading up our bus we saw two women lead a sheep to a charter bus with New Jersey plates on it. In the luggage compartment of the bus sat a dog crate. This I did not want to see. What we ended up seeing was the sheep being led up the stairs to join the passengers of the bus. Then the bus took off. I can only assume that the bus was headed to NJ. Probably a long drive, eh? Probably a smelly, noisy drive. If you don't believe me check out Kim and Roberta's blogs.That's everything I came home with.

A very memorable day, spent with terrific people - my day couldn't have been any nicer. Made all the more special because my husband is healing faster than I had imagined.