Blogging from the beach!!!

Well, it has been a wonderful week at the Redneck Riviera! We are staying at the Fort Morgan end of the Gulf Shores peninsula and it is quiet most all day long. We have a private beach and as far as I'm considered, renting a house is the only way to go. The whole family is here and we have enjoyed the time together.

The weather has been beautiful with sunny, waves, and breezes. It is hot but not nearly as hot as at home and the steady ocean breezes make sitting on the deck, in the sand or under the screened in porch a complete delight.

I have spent my days reading, knitting, and napping. We spent two days shopping in Foley at the outlet mall and got some great deals. You know outlets are not always the best deals around but as long as you know what the things you are considering buy are selling at retail you should do okay. The shopping was a nice break and a great bit of exercise.

Of course no road trip is complete without a yarn crawl. On the way down we stopped in Fairhope, Alabama. This is the coolest Gulf Coast town I have ever been to - not touristy or junky souvenir shops but classy and elegant shops and restaurants. The reason we stopped was because I wanted to check out The Yarn Cottage. What a gem of a yarn shop! The selection was not the best I have seen, just the standard stock like Cascade, Blue Sky Alpaca, and Berroco. But the atmosphere was so warm and inviting. There was a shop cat and dog that welcomed us in to the shop and the shop owner was friendly and knowledgeable. While I was in there, she helped one customer select yarn and then loaned her the right size needles to do the project because the customer didn't know if she had that size. I picked up some more Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton (love this yarn!) to make this sweater.

Fairhope also had a fabulous toy store and my mother bought my son a really cool front loader for the beach. Then we had lunch at the R Bistro. Lunch was elegant but casual and the cinnamon rolls that we bought were great over the next few mornings at the beach. My mom and dad had a salmon burger which they are still talking about. I want to go back and stay in Fairhope. We drove through the rest of downtown as we were leaving and it is like a little French Quarter without the smell and the drunks. If you are on your way to Mobile and what a little side trip, try Fairhope, Alabama. You will not be disappointed.

I brought three knitting projects with me so I could rotate. I am working on a dress for my friend, Julienne's baby girl. I'm knitting it in size 12 months for next summer because my friend is due this month. Actually she was due a week ago. The pattern is A-Line Dress by Sandi Prosser and it is knitting up beautifully. I love the bamboo yarn. I also brought my Ballet socks from Toe-Up  2-at-a-Time Socks. I started these last year and they just didn't look right. So I frogged them and started them again last month. But this time they are looking beautiful. Finally I wanted to knit a market bag with my Brown Sheep Company Cotton Fleece. I picked the Rutabaga pattern but it just wasn't look right. So I'm working a pattern all my own. It is coming along very nicely. I might just write it up and put it on Ravelry.

Tomorrow is our last day of vacation and I'm going to miss the beach and the sound of the waves but I'm ready to get home and sleep in my own bed again. Until next year...

Washington DC: Day 2

Really old church that DH saw when he was walking back from the hotel.

Saturday morning we got up and took the subway from Capitol South to Eastern Market. I know what you are thinking - a subway ride for just a few blocks - but we were hungry and I didn't want my DH to get too distracted by the wonderful Capitol Hill architecture. There would be time for that later. I was on a mission to go to Eastern Market and to visit a LYS called Stitch DC.

We ate breakfast at a fabulous restaurant called Ted's Bulletin. Homemade pop tarts and other breakfast pastries; adult milkshakes and good coffee (according to DH); to die for bacon and scrambled eggs; and cool decor. Perfect vacation breakfast! Then DH realized that he didn't have his wallet and we barely had enough cash to cover breakfast and tip. So back to the hotel for DH and strolling around Barracks Row for me. The LYS didn't open until 11 and I had about 30 minutes to kill. I slowly walked around Marine Barracks Row and slowly window shopped at the shops around Stitch DC. For those of you who don't know me personally, walking slowing and killing time is not something I do very well. I walk fast (like I'm running to a fire is how my dad describes it) and I hate waiting - even for a LYS to open. Finally the LYS was open and from the every beginning, it was packed. DH walked back from the hotel and got to see the architecture he wanted to and I got to slowly (I know!) walk through the shop and look at everything.

Stitch DC is owned by Marie Connolly, author of The Expectant Knitter. She is loud, opinionated and gracious - I mean all of those as compliments. She welcomes you into her shop with happiness and excitement. There are no strangers at Stitch DC. DH's walk was longer than expected and so I keep finding stuff I couldn't live without. Like...Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton to make this hoodie. I splurged and got a set of addi click interchangeable bamboo needles. What a treat!!!

USS Barry

We never made it to Eastern Market because we got distracted by the Naval Yards and the Naval Museum. It was a long walk but the museum was worth it. Unlike so many military museums, the exhibits were well done and the text was actually readable. I mean a non-military person can understand it. The USS Barry is on display and other really cool military stuff. I was about a 3/4 of mile downhill to the museum so it was over a 3/4 of a mile partly uphill to the Metro stop. Thankfully there was a CVS about a block from the Metro so we could get water. We hadn't prepared for that much walking in 100 degree temperatures. Water never tasted so good!

Next we headed to Dupont Circle for LYS #2 of the day. The water and sitting on the Metro for about 15 minutes revived us. We walked through Dupont Circle. DH took some great pictures. He was trying to get a picture of me in front of the fountain and I didn't know he was try to take a picture so I keep moving around because I was trying to figure out where the LYS was in relationship to the Circle. PRIORITIES!!!  Finally he said "Stop moving!!" And he got the picture of me in front of the fountain.

Then it was off to shop and find the LYS. We stopped in a fabulous bookstore. It was called Kramerbooks. As DH said - "if we had a bookstore like this in LR, I wouldn't need to go to Barnes and Noble anymore." We judge bookstores by their history sections, transportation sections, and their Jane Austen sections. Kramerbooks got a Z+ in all three. A quick look in Ann Taylor Loft (there was a sale) and it was up the street to Looped Yarn Works.

Up a narrow stair case, we found Looped Yarn Works. What I cool big city experience that was! We never have to go to the 2nd floor to shop in Arkansas except at the mall. Of the 3 LYS I visited in DC, this was my favorite. I don't know that I can explain why but it was magical! I was like the shop I dream about owning. Comfy couches, long wood table for classes, wonderful organized yarn in white, wood cube shelves. Trendy but understated at the same time. The sales clerk was friendly and helpful but not hovering.

I walked away with some Rowan Lenpur Linen, Wolles Harmony 50 gram, FrogTree PediBoo, and a single skein of Tilli Tomas Mermaid. But my best find was this project bag.

After about 8 hours of walking, we were exhausted but we still had a night in Baltimore ahead of us. More about that in a later post... 

Washington DC: Day 1

On Friday, I left the hotel in Silver Springs and took the Metro downtown to the Library of Congress. I decided to spend the morning doing research at the LOC before heading out to Old Town Alexandria for some shopping and LYS hunting.

Madison Building at the Library of Congress

To most people the Library of Congress is the Jefferson Building, with it impressive dome and grand reading room. But the Library is actually made up of several buildings. The Breckinridge Family Papers - the collection that houses Katherine Breckinridge's letters - is part of the Manuscript Collection. The Manuscript Reading Room is located in the James Madison Building on Independence Ave. (across from the US Capitol). I spent 2 and 1/2 hours looking at some of Katherine's letters and other family members papers that I just didn't get a chance to look at when I was researching my thesis. More details about what I discovered will have to come in another post. Researching at the Library of Congress is pure joy for me. It is a rare treat these days and I enjoyed every second of it. But I didn't want to spend too much time there (I could spend weeks) because I wanted to do something non-academic as well.

Capitol South Metro Stop

So underground I went to the Metro and off to Old Town Alexandria. I love using the Metro. Maybe it is because I live in a town without a subway system and wish at times that public transportation was more usable in Little Rock. I love being able to "commute" in Dc without having to drive. I love being able to knit or read during a commute. I would get so much knitting done if I didn't have to drive myself to work each day. I know what you're thinking - if I had to do it everyday, the fun would wear off. I don't know if it would or not. But I love it when I'm there.

fibre space LYS

I had heard about Old Town Alexandria but had never been there. It seemed that on other trips to DC, I always ended up in Georgetown. But this time I was on a mission to go to fibre space. This wonderful, funky yarn shop is just a 10 minute walk from the Metro stop along the brick paved sidewalks of Old Town. The shop was everything you want in a LYS - friendly, knowledgeable staff; the perfect selection of various yarn weights, fibers and colors. Local yarns were identified with special tags and all yarns were labeled on the shelf as well as the skein. They had yarns and patterns that I had heard of but never touched/seen before. Like Spud & Chole. And Mirasol. They had t-shirts and tote bags for sale with the shop logo. And if you spent a certain amount, you got a free drawstring bag. Don't know what the amount was but I spent it because I got a bag. The shop was wonderfully merchandised and there were 3 or 4 knitters sitting and knitting in the front of the shop (in the middle of the day on Friday!)

I ended up with a long sleeve t-shirt (the short sleeve looked like the sleeves were super short), a couple of small muslin project bags (LOVE!) and a package of new Hiya-Hiya darning needles. As for yarn, I snatched up some Mirasol  Lachiwa and Sweet Georgia. The store clerks encouraged me to stay and sit and knit but I was hungry and looking for lunch. The clerks and the customers recommended a number of places but I ended up at a Lebanese place called Layla's. I had a wonderful Chicken Shawarma Sandwich and a glass of wine (yes, at lunch in the middle of the day). After lunch I started back toward the Metro - shopping along the way. I was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.


Then it was back on the Metro and up to Maryland to get my DH from his training sessions. We took a taxi to our hotel - the Capital Hill Suites. If you are looking for a wonderful hotel in the heart of the District but don't want to feel like a tourist, then Capital Hill Suites is for you. It is my favorite hotel in all of DC and it is tucked in a residential area just a block off Independence Ave. and next door to the Library of Congress. A change of clothes and we were off to Georgia Brown's. DH made reservations and we were seated immediately. Skirt steak with home fries and spinach - delicious!!! DH had Rainbow Trout and you couldn't see the trout for all the shrimp on top. Dessert was Key Lime Pie for me and Pecan Pie (really Chocolate Pecan Pie) for DH. After that meal we needed to walk some of those calories off, so across Lafayette Square and to the White House. In all my trips to DC, I had never been to the White House. Tourists everywhere and 3 Libyans, holding Libyan flags, silently asking President Obama to help. It was a surreal scene.

A walk back to the hotel and rest for the day to come.

Yarn Crawl: Memphis

On Saturday two knitting friends and I trekked to Memphis (about 2 hours from Little Rock) for a yarn crawl. We visited 4 yarn shops and had a wonderful lunch. It was a great day and I think we all had a lot of fun. With each new store there was excitement about what we were going to find.

First, we stopped at Hank of Yarn in Southaven, Mississippi. It is in a nondescript shopping center but don't let the exterior fool you - Hank of Yarn is worth the short drive outside of Memphis. When we walked in, we were greeted by the owner, Henrietta "Hank" Davis. She was welcoming and warm. The shop have a great selections of yarns that we either hadn't touched in person or had never hear of. And for three educated yarn connoisseurs, that is saying a lot. The store was well organized (by yarn weight) and had a good amount of stock. I didn't feel overwhelmed by the selection. There was plenty of space to look around and not feel like you are on top of each other. There are 5 or 6 people sitting at a table in the back of the shop, knitting and chatting. I want this to be my LYS.

As to selection, Hank of Yarn had everything from Aslan Trends to Noro to Debbie Bliss to Cherry Hill. She also carries many of the accessories and knitting themed items that you see in catalogs like Patternworks and Webs. And although I look at them with fascination in the catalog, it was super cool to see them in person. And they have a card program (oh, I do love a card program). You can sign up free of charge and they give you a card and once you have spend $500, you receive a $50 gift certificate. Every LYS should have a card program. With a card program, I feel that I need to buy because I'm working toward something. We all need a goal!

So here is what I walked away with at Hank of Yarn...

• 6) skeins of Aslan Trends Artesanal (cotton/alpaca/nylon) for the Marnier Pullover (featured in the most recent issue of Interweave Knits Weekend)
• (1) skein of Malabrigo Rasta for a fabulous scarf pattern I got from Hank.
• (1) knit happy Water Bottle
• (1) knit yarn ball necklace

Next we headed to Germantown and ate lunch at a fabulous Mexican restaurant called Los Tortugas. Don't be mistaken - this is not Texmex or like any other Mexican food I have ever had. It is real Mexican food from Mexico City. No queso sauce or rancharo sauce smothering everything. Fresh local ingredients - YUMMY! Two of us had Taco Carne Asada and the other had Fish Tacos. Everything was delicious. It was standing room only but if we hadn't gotten a place at the bar then we could have just eaten in the park next door. If you are in Memphis, take the time to go out to Germantown - Los Tortugas is worth it.

After lunch, we went to Rainbow Yarns. Interesting story there. I had heard that the store was closed but was going to reopen in early October. Something about her husband got another job or was going to be transferred to California and she let the lease run out on the shop space. Three days after the lease ran out, they found out they were not moving. Isn't that the way it goes. Someone in a Memphis Ravelry group suggested that I call the owner and see exactly when she was going to open. I spoke with Bridget late last week and she said that she was opening on October 12 but that she would be at the store on Saturday until about 2 pm if we wanted to stop by. So we did and she had the most amazing fibers. It was chaos because she was trying to get all the stock back on the shelves, but she had Mission Falls, Noro and Classic Elite not to mention the most German yarns I have ever seen in one place. We didn't buy anything but we will definitely go back.

Then it was off to Yarniverse. I have to say that I was disappointed in the selection and customer service there. There were a lot of people sitting and knitting so I guess it is a popular place with the locals. The shop has two floors and the organization downstairs was ok but the organization upstairs was very confusing. No one spoke to us when we came in - not even a hi. Several other customers came in after us and no one spoke to them either. We wondered through the store for about 20 minutes. She had lots of Noro and Koigu but the organization was so confusing that I didn't know what was what. One of my friends found some beautiful, saturated green Noro that she couldn't live without and I found a hat I just couldn't wait to knit. I asked about the pattern (most of the other samples hanging around the store had wonderful, laminated pattern information tags) and no one knew what pattern it was and they didn't seem interested to help me figure out what pattern I would need to knit the above mentioned hat. I took a picture of the hat and figured I could find it. I also purchase one skein of the yarn for the hat. Then we waited and waited to checkout. I thought about just leaving but we stuck it out and left with yarn.

Aside: Ravelry to the rescue. Saturday night I searched Ravelry and found the pattern for this hat or at least one very similar to it. If you are interested, it is in the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of KnitScene (one of my new favorite magazines). For Ravelers, here is a link - Picot Cloche.

Finally we headed to our last destination - Stash in midtown Memphis. After an odd side trip (see later post for more details about stores named Stash), we arrived at a cute little 1920s/1930s cottage. We went in and were greeted by a friendly store employee. She was wearing the cool Jared Flood hat that is on the cover of his Classic Elite pattern booklet, Made in Brooklyn. There was a class going on in one room. The selection was ok but they were very low on stock - a lot of empty shelves. After a couple of turns around the room, I located the Cascade Lana O'Doro that would be perfect for the U-Neck Vest I've been wanting to make. Love Stefanie Japel!!! One of my friends found the perfect buttons for a sweater she is working on. The atmosphere was very warm - I just wish they had more stock.

The trip was wonderful but exhausting. 4 hours in a car and 4 yarn shops is a lot for any seasoned shopper to tackle but we did and our yarn stashes are better for it. Next stop, Mount Magazine in December and in the future, a crawl through the Arkansas River Valley and northwest Arkansas as well as a special trip to Tulsa to visit Loop.