woolythyme

the gift of time....

Two friends and I decided to give each other the gift of time this season and road trip for an overnight....

 

 

The lobby of the Capital Hotel greeted us with a 27' tree laden with ornaments of the Hotel....

 

and the smell of gingerbread...

 

 

from this adult size gingerbread playhouse, filled with jars of candy for us to sample.

REAL gingerbread...real icing...real cookies.  I could have had a tummy ache if I had thought too much about the amount of sugar!

 

The next day we were welcomed to  Moss Mountain Farms, the home of....PAllen Smith.

I think the fog just lent to the ambiance of the day....it was perfect.

someone who has more books than I have...there were piles every where!!!

sleeping porch had three beds...we thought we might spend the night (hee hee! don't we wish!)

Allen is quite an accomplished painter, too.

inspiration e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!!!

Lunch was amazing....recipes in his cookbook!

Sadly, he wasn't on site while we were there....he was getting ready to spend some of his time with these beauties...

at a poultry show in Knoxville.

 

While my friends and I shared the gift of time and friendship....

and Allen was sharing his gift of time and learning...

 

my hubby is sharing his gift of time....and clean water in Kenya.

 

 Please wish him well.

some things are worth waiting for...

 

It was my birthday. 

  

Actually, my birthday was in June, but a friend and I decided to go on an antiquing outing to celebrate, and we finally found a couple days to make this work.  

We ventured to the middle of the state; made a rather minor detour to check off Mt. Zion covered bridge from the 'covered-bridge-life list'---on our way from a successful stop in Bardstown (vintage quilt) to Pleasant Hill Shaker Village where we spent the night.

The trip was perfect. The colors, the shops (even a yarn store!!!), the food, the accomodations, the temperatures, the company.  

P - E - R - F - E - C - T.

 

 

If we had waited another two days, we would have been snowed on.

 It was so much fun, we decided to come back next October.

Happy Birthday to me.  Cheers.

 

Cape Cod + summer = hydrangeas

 

 

mixed with other flowers...

 

mixed colors....

 

big blooms...

 

lacey blooms...

 

in the landscape...

 

I really love hydrangeas.

 

knitter's guide to packing for a trip---102….

There are a bazillion sites that have suggestions on how to pack for a trip....

• make a pile of what you plan to take---then put half of it back in your closet (this seems to be the mantra)  
• Pack in a small carry-on suitcase (which is easy if you truly have followed suggestion #1)
• Make sure everything you take coordinates with everything else (you know---if you spill on top 'A', tops 'B', 'C', and 'D' still match the pants (and visa versa)

This is all fine and good for your clothes, but let me assure you---this DOES NOT hold true for your knitting.  

* * * * * * * * * * 

 

We were at about hour 29 of the 30+ road hours in the car on our trip last week when my daughter turned to me and said....

'I can't believe that cowl isn't done yet.'  (of course, I have been knitting the entire trip.)

No.  It wasn't.  And it wasn't really even close.  I had OD'ed on garter stitch.  I didn't know that could happen.  I love garter stitch.  But mile after mile after hour after hour and it had happened.  

I started the trip working on the Albers Cowl

....basically, just garter stitch log cabin squares that would be sewn together.  Sounds perfect, right?  Portable, mindless knitting.  And what was even better....I soon discovered that my gauge was off and instead of making 3 squares, I was going to have to make at least 4.  More knitting.  Long trip.  No problem. (HA!)

The bright, fun colors kept my interest for maybe the first 8 hours or so. Then, I needed a break.  I volunteered to drive (actually, I volunteered several times), but since I'm known as the scary driver in the family (a reputation that I sooooo don't deserve), I had to find other diversions.

the socks were finished first...

let's garter some more...

 

then a mitten...

more gartering...

make that two mittens...

and now, all that's left in the knitting bag is the cowl (and enough yarn to make another similar cowl----I was really counting on this project).  Back to gartering.  Lucky for me, we were almost home.

 

I'm now on what I think is the last log cabin square...

and while I think this is going to be a fun, funky cowl, it wasn't the enjoyable travel project I had hoped for. (I'm enjoying it more now that I'm not in the car and can get up and do something else in between rows.  I know this doesn't make much sense, but apparently this is how I 'garter'...I never knew.) Too much car gartering.  Not enough variety.  Lesson learned yet again.

 

SO...when KNITTERS pack their knitting for a trip, my suggestions are:

• make a pile of your knitting for the trip....then double it (It may require it's own carry-on suitcase.)

• make sure the pile includes a variety of yarn weights and colors (in other words----make sure nothing 'matches')

• don't ever ever ever rely on 'souvenir' yarn to get you through a trip--- you just may not make it to the shop you had scouted out, and even if you do, you will eventually end up with dozens and dozens of size 6 needles that the new project always needs and that you failed to put in your travel bag because you NEVER knit with size 6.  (Ask me how I know this.)

Lucky me.  I get to try out my advice.  I leave again Wednesday, so I started my pile this morning.  So far, I have two sweaters (one worsted wt and one fingering wt), an intricate lace scarf, a baby hat, some booties, and an afghan.  What do you think? Am I overthinking this?

Days 6,7,8…Williamsburg

 

We toured...

 

We had history lessons... 

We met some local celebrities...

(Benedict Arnold told his side of the story....insisted he was NOT a traitor.  He still got boo-ed.)

George Washington...he was cheered with a hearty HUZZAH!!  (The colonial version of hip-hip hooray.)

We mustered with the troops...

marched with the fife and drum corps...

of course, there were cannons and muskets fired....

we had a great bilbo teacher....

then practiced, practiced, practiced until it was mastered...

the brick makers were a real hit...

a dirty job, but someone had to do it...

two days in a row (notice, different clothes)

crafters...

hoping to get one of these back home...

gardens...loved the gardens...

but, I think my favorite thing was a facebook message I got that said---are you really in Williamsburg?  I live here.

 

A friend from high school.

day 5: washington dc

A three-story stack of books on Abraham Lincoln!  We've really 'done' the Lincoln-thing for most of our visit....the war, the Address, the assassination (we were at Ford's Theatre this morning), his hat (this was a seek and find in the Museum of American History----it used to be in the 'assassination of Presidents' room; it's now with the Emancipation stuff.  Phew.  At least we tracked it down....Jaybob was almost in tears when we couldn't find it.)  

(He WAS in tears when he dropped his crushed Ford's theatre penny in the grass and we wanted to move on.  It's been very VERY interesting traveling with the boys!!!! Yes, we found the penny.)

We walked to the Capitol again...to take pictures on the steps.

oops.  the steps were blocked off.  we had to settle for the ledge.

Then we looked at it from the side...

and the back...

we walked across the street to the Library of Congress...

it was closed.

So far, we've walked about 132 miles (just an estimate) and haven't seen anything new.

We had lunch at the Museum of the American Indians.  We loved lunch.  We didn't spend much time in the museum.

Next up:  Hirshorn Museum (modern art)...total bust.  The second and third floors were both closed.  The ice cream in the sculpture garden was great, though.

Yes.  I dragged everyone through the National Gallery.

They actually liked...both the front

and back...

of Ginevra de Benci (the only da Vinci in the Americas)

and the newly acquired Van Gogh...

and I loved the special Andrew Wyeth exhibit, and I knew not to push my luck any further.  

We've had two really really really full days on the Washington Mall....it's time to move on to Williamsburg.

Au revoir!!!

day 4…washington dc

Washington was a quick 2+ hours from Gettysburg....we didn't think when we made all our plans that we'd be arriving Saturday and avoiding the weekday traffic.  En route...

(I was NOT driving.)

It was one of those lucky days all around.  We arrived about 7 hours before our 'official' check-in time and our room was ready.  So we unloaded everything with only the slightest 'oops' when we dumped a bag of pretzels in the middle of the perfectly polished and spit-shined foyer and were off on adventures by 9:30.  We were close enough to walk everywhere today....conservative estimate:  minimum of 326 miles.  No kidding.....

 

First stop:  White House

Everyone must have been sleeping in.  It was pretty quiet.  While my people were  admiring the front view, I was checking out

Michele's kitchen garden.  It's a beauty.  I'm going to have to get on the weeding when I get home.

Next up (literally)...Washington Monument

from afar...

from below you can really see the 3 different kinds of granite used...can you believe only gravity holds all these blocks together?

and yes, 

'ouch', it's really pointy.  (sorry, we all got really carried away with these dumb pictures.) 

If anyone else does the National Parks Passport book....here's the best kept secret in town:  The little building in front of the Washington Monument has the stamps for ALL the monuments/sites in town.  WHOOPPPEEEE.

 

After a couple hours in the Museum of Natural History and a stroll through the Sculpture Garden (hello, Claus Oldenburg and Joan Miro!) we needed a little break.

a chocolate break was good.

The IMAX was even better.

We rallied for the Air and Space museum.

And more silly pictures on the Mall before dinner and the night time monument tour...

We stretched out on Kentucky while we waiting for the tour to begin.

Gosh, it was a great day.  Let's do it again!

Vacation: days 1,2,3….the abbreviated version

Day 1:  10.5 hours in the car with a 9 and a 10 year old boy.  We survived.  Enough said.  Met up with some family for dinner; caught up and regrouped and had a really good night sleep.

 

Day 2:

The Pittsburgh Science Museum 

We hung around for awhile...

We practiced weightless maneuvers...

I discovered I actually weigh just the right amount....I simply live on the wrong planet.

We aren't related.

A MAJOR (MAJOR!!!) highlight.  (Space shuttle potty.)

The sports center:

 

The only kid in line to get two out of the four balls in the strike range.  An agent was waiting to sign him up.  (you would have thought so....he was PUMPED!)

We really made up for those 10 car riding hours yesterday.

I was the only one taking pictures in the bathroom.

The Duquesne Incline, opened in May 1877.

Isn't Pittsburgh a beautiful city?

Ended our day visiting this 350 pound hunk of a chocolate babe...and a dish of ice cream so big even the boys had a hard time finishing theirs.  

Today:

a little trip down memory lane!

the boys were totally bummed that we couldn't get in to my 'haunted' dorm.  JayBob was convinced he saw lights flashing and curtains moving, so he was actually OK with the visit.

On to Gettysburg:

Our ride-in-the-car tour guide did a great job....tried his best to engage the boys...

one encounter with a displaced Union soldier...

but it was a r-e-a-l-l-y long day.

We do know who fought, who won, and that we didn't want to be a drummer boy in 1863.

See you tomorrow!

yarnalong…..please, come along….

We leave in the morning.  Do I have enough packed? 

• Alber's cowl (this one is out of Miss Bab's fingering wt merino; there is mystery  yarn packed for a second)
• Basic mittens (using up odds and ends in the stash.  No. I don't know why in 90 degree temperatures I decided I needed to knit wool mittens. )
• Socks (a birthday ball of Lollipop yarn---squishy soft and yummy---gifted from a friend who knows me and my color love all too well!!!)

 

I.AM.NOT.GOING.TO.RUN.OUT.OF.KNITTING.ON.THIS.TRIP.  (Yes, I know.  I've said this before.  This time I mean it.)  Daughter, on the other hand, has so much food packed that we'll be able to eat out of the car rations for the whole week. And she's stashed so many car-entertainment things that if we fail to reach our destinations, the boys will still think they had a great vacation.

 

This is the first time that just the two of us have traveled together.  You may have noted:  clothes, maps, and directions have yet to surface as indispensible items. We have our priorities.  (I also have the addresses of two yarn shops.)

 

I grabbed a stack of books at work today, and settled on this one.  I used to read everything Elizabeth Berg wrote, but I think (I hope) I missed this one.  I hate rereading books.  Even when I don't really remember the story all that well.  (I also picked out a spy-thriller today: The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry--after all, we're going to see the Jefferson Memorial, right? As I started reading it, I knew everything that was going to happen. I can't tell you the whole story, but I can't bring myself to reread it, either. I think I liked it.  It sure started out great.)

Off to find some clothes to toss in the car....and it looks like we might need an umbrella, too.  I seem to be specializing in rainy-day vacations this year.

* * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * 

A little aside-----

Can you see the ribbed stripes on the socks?...and the beginning of the ribbed mitten?  For years I didn't know to get 'clean' lined stripes on ribbing, you need to knit a round every time you change to a new color before launching in to the rib pattern.  You would think this would mess up the ribbing, but it doesn't at all....and makes such a nice transition.  You all probably knew this....but just in case.....

 

NO-O-O-O-O!!!!!

It's time to start packing my bags again.  My daughter and I are taking her two boys (JayBob and the CandyMan) on a whirlwind 'history'week. (don't tell them about the 'history' part...they think they are just going on vacation.)  First stop will be a quick overnight with the boys' great-grandma, then off to Gettysburg, Washington DC, and Williamsburg.  (Would you like to take a virtual vacation with us?  I think that could be arranged.)

 

As I do with every trip....the knitting gets packed first. (I finished my last trip-project someplace between Mont St-Michel and Etretat and I'm NOT going to be caught short this time.) You know how much thought gets put into this kind of project choosing.  Things that will take a fair amount of time to finish, yet will keep your interest but not so much that you can't enjoy the scenery as it whizzes by the window.  There is an art to choosing just the right thing.  Patterns are named to help you out (ie Traveling Woman's shawl---which, by the way, I did on a trip once and it's totally a winner.  Love it!), blog posts are written about the dilemma, and entire knit-nite's are often dedicated to swapping the pros and cons of certain patterns/projects and the success-rate each had.  I was NOT overthinking this when I spent the better part of yesterday rummaging through patterns and the stash and trying to make a good travel match.

 

2014/2015 appears to be the year-of-the-baby (another niece just joined the ranks of the mommas-to-be) so I thought adding to the baby gift stash would be just right.  I finally came across an o-l-d mandarin petit baby pattern booklet (that I'm sure has been out of print for years) with the cutest onesies and hats and sweaters; I have a small bag filled with mostly orphaned skeins of mandarin petit, but enough to make several of the little things. P-E-R-F-E-C-T.  The yarn...to go with the pattern...to go in my bag...to fulfill a need.  In the travel knitting bag it all went.

This time he actually ATE part of it instead of simply shredding it.

He does look a bit sorry, but I'm sure he's only sorry that he's not going along.