SEPTEMBER SLIPS AWAY

I can't believe how long I've been trying to make a blog post.  I have been SO busy since I returned from vacation.  this trend actually started while I was on vacation and I had to cut short our last day to make a quick (not really since it was a 12 hr drive) trip back home to attend to a network issue.  Since I have been just trying to keep my head above water since returning from vacation - I don't have much "new stuff" to report on.

I did go to a great yarn shop while on vacation.  Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows how much I LOVE visiting yarn/needlework shops when I travel.  Well - I found a new shop in Maryville Tennessee before I left when I was researching whether there were any new shops that had popped up since I was in that area last year.  So I found The Knitting Nest owned by Antje Gillingham who is actually a famous sock knitter and has written two wonderful books on the subject.  Knitting Circles Around Socks and Knitting More Circles Around Socks is book number 2.  Sorry to say she was sold out of both books when I visited there.  To say this shop was beautiful is such an understatement.  It was gorgeous!  The floors were reclaimed barnwood - there was exposed brick on several walls and the back of her shop had an open balcony which had nice views of downtown Maryville.  Come and take a tour with me - I  have lots of photos to share with you.

Here is the charming downtown street and the beautiful brick exterior of the Knitting Nest.

Once inside - oh my goodness - what a wonderful layout on this shop - the space was gorgeous!

Here is a table full of Malabrigo

I'm not sure I even made it to this wall

  Such lovely colors and I loved the presentation.Here is my non-knitting mother making a purchase LOL and Jody and my dad were patient husbands just wandering around and pretending to be interested.

The shop was divided into areas of interest and this is the "sock " area - all her sock books and sock yarns were in this area.  There was a baby/children's area and so forth.  Yes I did find many things I wanted but I settled on a new Rowan book and yarn to do a lovely transitional jacket.  I have already started it so I will show a progress photo on that one soon.

I don't have a lot of other vacation photos to show you - I did not take tons of photos - since we vacation in this area of the Smokey Mountains every year - I just don't do a lot of photos any more.  We did however visit a new place - my folks knew of a great steak/bbq joint in Dandridge - it is a darling little town - so quaint - wish we had arrived sooner so we could have walked the streets and gone in some of the antique and gift shops.  As it were - my mom and I quickly hit one gift/antique shop which was housed in the upstairs back of the 100+ year old store where Smoky's Steaks and BBQ is located.  We got there a little early and were able to nab a seat on the porch which overlooked the downtown street and an interesting cemetery with graves dating back to the civil war.  I could have spent more time looking but darkness was catching us and I'm WAY too much a believer in ghosts to be walking around a place like that at dusk LOL. 

Here is another shot of the quaint downtown street - Oh - I want to live in a place like this !

Vacation 2010 is just a sweet memory now - seems like ages ago that we were sitting on that porch enjoying a blissful conversation and meal with my dear folks.

I have one last photo to show you of a shawlette that I made for DF Carol's upcoming birthday next month.  I am astounded with myself that I actually gave poor Carol her birthday gift in advance of her special day.  Every single year Carol gets her birthday present somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas but this year I wanted her to have this to enjoy on her annual pilgrimage home to NY state.  For the knitters out there - it started out to be Multnomah - a very popular pattern which has a feather and fan lace border - well - I did not like the way it was going and after putting in about 10 or 12 rows - I ended up pulling it all out and making it a MultMara shawlette.  Mara is one of my favorite patterns and I pictured one I completed in my last post for another friend.  Not only that - I have already started knitting another beautiful Mara for myself.  So here is Carols - it is knit with Dream in Color Classy which is a hand dyed yarn.  Color:  Chinatown Autumn I think it was called.

I hope this finds all of my friends in blog land enjoying fine fall weather.  Apparently Mother Nature forget to send any fall feelings way down south.  We are STILL having temps in the upper 80's - at least we might slip into the upper 60's at night.  No matter what - it is still better than 110 heat index that we had a month ago.

Thanks for visiting my blog and I appreciate your comments.

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS GALORE

I have so many friends who have August birthdays not to mention my dear mother who turned 70 this year.  I sure don't think she looks or acts her age.

I usually host an August birthday party every year for a few friends who are in the illustrious group.  DF Karen came up to spend the weekend and she sure livened up the party with party favors for all and cupcakes too.

Here is a shot of the gift table - look closely and you'll see a lovely BBD Bluebird framed piece that Karen stitched for my folks 30th anniversary - I'm sick I did not get a close up of it but I did not - suffice to say I did not finish the "hart" sampler I was working on for their anniversary but I will finish it one day.

I also did not get a photo of the gorgeous aqua "mara" shawl that DF Henrietta knit for my mom for her birthday - However here is DF Anne Marie showing off the Mara I knit for her.

Ooops sorry - that shot is a bit blurry but she was twirling around and the others were worse. LOL

Here is Henri with her little Quaker Swan needlebook kit I gave her .

Mom getting the first glimpse of the BBD Happy Birthday that I stitched for her.

I have to show you a close up of the beautiful finish that Lois at Elegant Stitch did on this piece.  It was exactly as I had envisioned it - a lovely little package for my dear mom.

and the back - we used the lovely Old Primrose Inn fabric from BBD.  I LOVE how it came out and I'm so proud I actually got it completed and Lois was able to get it back to me before the party.

It was a delightful day had by all - I got two lovely hostess gifts - a lovely Pandora bead from Anne Marie and this beautiful Just Enough Ruffles scarf hand knit by DF Karen in an OH so typical "mel" color.

Karen also presented each guest with party favors - most of us (knitters)  received this wonderful book

You would have thought it was a party of 10 year olds when the squeals of joy went up as the guests opened their party favor packages.  It was such a thoughtful gesture but then I am the luckiest person in the world to have so many dear and wonderful friends.  Greatly missed this year was DF Katie whose daughter fell at church just before the party and she spent the day in the hospital emergency room and DF Jill who was celebrating her Mom's 80th birthday out of state.  Hopefully there's always next year !

Because I am currently sitting in the Smokie mountains on vacation and Jody keeps asking me what I am doing - I am going to cut this post off with these happy memories of a fabulous day with very special friends.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day doing whatever it is you love doing !