Monday, January 23, 2006

Home again, home again

Sweetpea and I went on a nice trip to Vermont this weekend - which is why I haven't been posting or commenting since Friday. I wondered if taking the weekends off from my computer addiction might be a good idea. Then I got home to find 91 UNREAD POSTS on Bloglines!!!! It will take me days to catch up. Please forgive me for not commenting until I get through them all - but I will read each and every one!

Anyway, our stay was courtesy of a late wedding present from a friend who missed our wedding and then fell off the face of the earth for 10 months. When he finally resurfaced, I guess he felt he had a lot to make up for . . . although I cared most about the friendship and was really not at all worried about a wedding gift. We did enjoy a lovely trip though.

We stayed in Killington at The Vermont Inn. It was just as quaint and lovely as it looks on the web-site. I liked that there was no TV in the room, because we tend to fall into the bad habit of clicking it on first thing. We did, however, have a fireplace which was so romantic! The views from every window were gorgeous - and yes, I did bring my camera. I'm always really good at remembering to pack the camera. The part I never remember though, is to unpack the camera and take pictures. Waaaa.

Pea was looking forward to some nice, long, snowy nature walks. That's not really my thing, but I was game since he loves it so . . . okay, and also because he promised to take me shopping after!!! Not only was there NO SNOW (when has there ever been no snow in Vermont in January????), but it rained most of the day Saturday, with gusty winds. Not good for nature walks. But very good for shopping!!!

We headed over to Rutland and started out at Mr. Twitters. It was really cute, but also kind of expensive. It was a wonderful place to poke around though, and they had free coffee and snack samples - Key Lime Tarts!!! Yum. We then headed further into Rutland and found Lamb's Yarn Shop (scroll down a bit for the shop's review). Since it's part of someone's house, we drove by three times before we found it (but how cool would it be to have a YARN STORE IN YOUR HOUSE!!!!). As we walked to the door, I was unbelievably excited to see a sign that read "All Yarn 20% Off". 20% OFF???? ALL YARN???? Seemed too good to be true.

Well, every silver cloud has a dark lining. (Isn't that how the saying goes??) I walked through the door and was greeted my "Mrs. Lamb's" friendly daughter. She reminded me that all yarn was 20% off (ha, like I would have forgotten). Then she explained that the reason all the yarn was marked down was because the store was closing. It had gotten to be too much work for her mother, who was a very cute, very small, very old lady who needed a walker to get around. It's sad, because just by listening to "Mrs. Lamb" answering questions for the other customers, it was so evident that she loves yarn and is an expert in the craft. I tried not to be too sad, she seemed to have had a good run with the yarn shop, and I'm hoping she's happy to close that door of her life and have more time to knit her own things, bake some more (she had a blueberry pie in the oven when we were there) and relax.

Even though they were clearing out their inventory, they had a great selection of yarn. I immediately picked out a skein of Opal sock yarn, because I read on a comment to Chrissy's Socks Galore post that someone recommended it as their all-time favorite sock yarn. I guess I didn't notice the comment where someone said they didn't like Wildefoot, because I bought some of that too. They had a sample sock knit up in it, and I liked the thickness of it. Hopefully I won't find it bad to knit with. I also bought four skeins of Cascade 220 (which I've seen being knit up all over blogland) to make the Brioche Scarf and Hat from Weekend Knitting. I wanted to post pictures of my yarn haul, but it's been too dark and stormy today to get any good pictures. Maybe tomorrow?

On Sunday we headed home, which involved passing right by the New Hampshire exit where my best friend lives!!! So we were able to stop in and spend a few hours with her, her husband and my godson!! She is counting down the days until the new wee one is born, just two more months! I better get my little knitting needles flying!!

So, not much knitting got done, aside from working on another pair of slippers on the car ride home. Yes, I am sick to death of knitting slippers, but my thick warm pair has HUGE HOLES worn in the bottom and I am in dire need of a new pair. (It's still too cold to wear the worsted pair - New England winters need bulky!!!) Knitting for necessity, not for fun - I guess that's how my grandmother started.

Before I go, I just wanted to thank you all for your supportive comments on my Olympic Challenge!!! You are all much more confident in me than you should be - but I'm really just in it for the fun. I don't imagine I will master those socks in 16 days, but I'll enjoy having the challenge to work on - in between Figure Skating broadcasts, of course!!!

12 comments:

Jillio said...

sorry for the late blog comment! but i've been having sock issues of my own lately. i've taken practically all weekend trying to figure out the whole two socks on two circulars thing! i had so much trouble casting both the socks on, and even after that dilemma was over with, i would find i cast on the wrong number of stitches, or kept knitting both socks with the same yarn, or get both socks on one needle or urgh! frustration! so your olympic sock knitting endeavor already puts you on a high pedestal in my book! give yourself more credit, woman! you've mastered socks, so the only way to go is upward and onward!!! i know you can do it! :D
that romantic getaway you had this weekend sounded wonderful. i don't think i'll find a place with a fireplace around here! ;P and the shopping! can't wait to see your haul! how sad for that little old lady :*( but i can't think of a better way to spend my life than bringing joy and expertise to the craft.
and how lucky for you to get to see your bestest friend! very productive trip! yayyyyy!!!
the way i see it, knitting is knitting is knitting. whether it be for necessity or fun, there's nothing else i'd rather be doing with my free time, i.e. the time i'm not working, lifting, coaching. ;)

Sonya said...

Sounds like you guys had a lovely weekend. The Vermont Inn is beautiful. And, of course, any weekend with yarn buying is all the better.

Unknown said...

It would be lovely to have a shop on your own doorstep. So sad she is closing, but good for her. Glad you had a lovely weekend!

Cathy said...

What a wonderful wedding gift! I'm sorry you didnt get to take the long walk in the snow ;), but I'm thrilled you found such a quaint yarn shop and had time to visit with your friends and godson - what a nice way to end a lovely weekend! Welcome back!

Olga said...

Welcome back! That weekend sounds divine...it's always good to get away for even a little while. Can't wait to see all that new yarn on your needles!

chris said...

Welcome back, Karen!! What a wonderful and romantic gift! That Inn looks just as quaint as the pictures on Log Cabin Maple Syrup (which is the only image of Vermont I have in my mind. I know, I'm such a hick!). It must have been so wonderful to have a fireplace and I imagine the view must have been so picturesque. What an awesome yarn haul from Lamb's Yarn Shop! It's sad to hear about the owner, but it sounds like she really enjoyed her work, and like you, I'm hoping she'll have more time now for selfish knitting. :-) So glad to hear you had such a lovely weekend...thanks for sharing and take care, Karen! :-)

knittinmom said...

What a great weekend! I'm so jealous. Makes me look back wistfully on the pre-kid days when we could do stuff like that...

Enjoy that new yarn! Cascade 220 is da bomb.

amandazen said...

Glad to hear you had a great weekend and made it home safely.

Amanda

Anonymous said...

Welcome home! It sounds like you had a great time :o)

91 unread? Try 240 - that's what I faced when I didn't read any blogs for two days. yipes!

somebunnysloveDOTcom said...

Gotta love the New England winters to give you incentive for using bulky wool! But hey, having all 4 seasons is the reason to buy all kinds of yarn throughout the year, right? Feel free to drop me an email and maybe we can meet up at the Crystal Mall. I am not a native Rhode Islander, so I do travel. ;)
=:8

Ragan said...

I love Vermont in the fall...leaf looking. Ha ha. My mom lives across the Lake from Burlington. We loved to go on the ferry and walk around Church St. all day. Vermont in January...without snow???? What is that?

Anonymous said...

I'm so sad that Lamb's Yarn Shop is closing. It's right around the corner from my mom's house, so every time I visit, I make sure to stop in and buy some yarn. Alas...

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