Happy Monday!

OK, So typically Monday's suck. . .. and today isn't all that different, but I'm trying to be positive because I have 2 days to finish beading the bag and sewing the lining and assembling it to get it sent out before the wedding. This is causing me some level of stress, on top of the fact that my job turned me upside down with a big problem last week that I'm still trying to navigate resolution to. So, of course, in the face of all of this, rather than 'nose to the grindstone' to get things done, I decided to write a blog entry :-) I feel slightly better, though, as I will not include pictures today. (See a compromise. . . some procrastinating. .. not as much as it could be, though!) OK, who am I kidding. . . it's just another really dreary day and the pictures wouldn't come out anyway!

So Charlotte was nice. Really, we didn't actually go all the way to Charlotte, our friend lives up in Salisbury. I also have a cousin in Concord, so we drove down there to meet them for lunch. Of course, since we were 'close' we had to make a yarn store run :-) Now Jake is used to this, our friend Jim, however, now thinks I'm nuts! We went to The Needlecraft Center. It is fairly small but they carry some beautiful yarns. I escaped without too much injury. . . one ball of Rowan Calmer for Twinkle Toes, and one ball of Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima sock and a set of DPNs. I talked myself out of some Koigu and failed to note the color. . . sure I'll never find it again. It was SOOOOOO beautiful, deep raspberry/purple-y with black. . ., but I couldn't decide if I made socks with it if I would really ever have anything to match the colors, and they only had 2 skeins, so nothing else I could necessarily make with it. I very nearly bought these amazing handmade circs from Nepal made out of some sort of animal tusk. I reconsidered, however, when I couldn't determine if these tusks were used after the animal had been killed for other uses, or if it's some sort of poaching or anything else I wouldn't feel comfortable supporting. They were quite striking, though. The drive to and from NC gave me time for some simple knitting. . . I made a Ballband Dishcloth and another Grandma's dishcloth. (seriously, I need to cutback. . . but I'm totally on a dishcloth binge. . and how many does one REALLY need?). Jake really liked the ballband, though, and I'm considering making a bathroom rug like in Mason-Dixon Knitting out of the pattern. I also started the Undulating Rib Sock with the Fortissima I bought.

The drive home from NC SUCKED! OK, I didn't have to drive, but it still sucked! Pretty much the whole way thru Virginia it poured. Poured is really a generous term. . . . more like torrential vengeance from above. I am unusually paranoid in heavy rain, stemming from a hydroplaning accident 3 years ago in Canada. So, my elevated pulse and the slower than usual progress and lil' Jimmy Ray shaking from being scared of thunder made for a long drive! When I got home, however, I was greeted by the Malabrigo from ImagiKnit! I am pretty much speechless about it. I ADORE both the colors I bought. A teeny-tiny part of me is reconsidering giving one to my SP. That would be bad, though, right?

Then, to round out the weekend, I went to a Roller Derby bout. No, seriously. Who knew, right?! It actually was really fun to watch. Why did I go to roller derby, you might ask?? Well, it just so happens that some derby girls happen to enjoy knitting, too :-) Jess, from my Tuesday knitting group is a derby girl. She is a St. Brawli Girl, part of the Dominion Derby Girls. Our friend David was very excited about the prospect of meeting a Derby girl, so we went. Unfortunately, Jess wasn't playing because of a recent surgery she's recovering from, but her team did win. It took us a good 20 minutes to figure out really what was happening, but once you get the hang of it, it's really fun. Seemingly painful, but fun! I totally suggest you check it out if you have roller derby near you :)

So that's all for today. I'll follow up with some pictures as soon as the weather is sunnier!