Vacationing With Katrina

Hurricane Ivan "visited" Pensacola, Florida last September and did a number on my daughter's townhouse. It is still under reconstruction and she won't be able to move back in for several months. Hurricanes are so horrible, but people in Florida say they prefer them to California earthquakes. Go figure.

Well, I have just returned from visiting Pensacola. While I was there, Hurricane Katrina had Pensacola in her crosshairs before moving a hundred or so miles west. Once we realized we would not have to evacuate, we hunkered down and knit during the storm -- I even got a new knitter hooked! It was a great way to take our minds off of the storm raging outside. We still got plenty of wind -- 70-80mph-- but did not incur any damage. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those in the Gulf cities who were not as fortunate.

Right now, I am thinking of the Bette Bornside Company, a yarn shop in historic New Orleans that I have done business with for several years via mail and Website:

Bette Bornside Company was established in 1986 as a retail mail order supplier of medium-priced, quality yarns and accessories to knitters and crocheters. In 1991, we expanded to include a retail shop at 2733 Dauphine St., New Orleans, LA 70117.
We are located in the Faubourg Marigny, an historic district in New Orleans, adjacent to the French Quarter. Our neighborhood, which runs along the Mississippi River, was established in 1806, and is a time capsule of 19th century New Orleans.

I wish them well. Be safe, Bette Bornside, be safe.

Knitting at Bodega Bay

Last weekend, six knitting friends and I rented a lovely house on Bodega Bay, and spent the whole weekend knitting, eating, knitting, buying yarn, eating, and (did I mention this?) knitting.

It was heavenly.

No phones. No kids or pets. No non-knitters who needed explanations for our behavior. No questions about exactly what is a "yarn emergency" and why, when only one person has one, does it result in three other people dropping their needles, grabbing their purses, and piling in the car for a 40-minute-each-way drive on a twisty two-lane road to the nearest yarn store. Knitters know.

This is the best photo I have of the group. You will notice that there are no needles or yarn in this picture. That is because all projects have been quickly dropped and abandoned mid-row so we could partake of the other major event type of the weekend -- eating. Who knew that knitters were such good cooks? Each of us hosted a different meal, and, of course, we also had a Beverage Engineer and a Snack Engineer. Doesn't everyone?

It was a great weekend. Great company, great conversation, great knitting. Let's do it again!

Real soon.

Hmmm....might be a good idea!

Well, I guess it would be "sheeper" than gas, anyway. . .

Gone to Charlestown, MA...

This is the stitch marker set that went to Becky. Kinda hard to see, but those are little pink glass flowers with green leaves underneath. The little pouch is felted alpaca from West Valley Alpacas.

A day trip to West Valley Alpacas is not to be missed if you are anywhere within 100 miles of Esparto (a little northwest of Sacramento). Pat & Jon make everyone feel right at home, and are happy to introduce you to their very friendly herd -- one by one. Of course, while you are visiting the alpacas, you might as well wander over to the onsite store and indulge yourself in some very beautiful yarn. I never can decide which is my favorite color -- which is probably why I have so much of it!

Here's a Hint...

Here's what I sent to one of my stitch marker swap pals for August. Hi Jenn! :)

From Someone In Vermont

This is from the second of my August stitch marker pals. The markers are bottle-green glass with lavender flowers on the bottom, and purple stars on top -- except for the "center stitch" marker, which has a lavender star. Absolutely beautiful!

This stitch marker exchange is such a great idea! It's so much fun seeing how creative knitters can be in a related medium. Some folks might say that yarn and glass are not related -- guess some folks are not knitters!

Stitch Marker Swap!

I am so thrilled with these beautiful stitch markers! They are a beautiful shade of turquoise blue, and remind me of the ocean. And this very thoughtful person even included some plain jump rings for larger projects. They arrived tied up in a little ribbon and tucked into a too-cute mini-purse gift bag -- how clever is that!! Thank you very, very much, Whoever You Are!