Cordless!

My lovely digital camera has a dead battery and I can't find my cord to charge it. Sadly I won't be able to get any pictures of the gorgeous yarn I bought in Nashville until I charge the camera and actually take pictures.

However, I will leave you with this teaser...



Yes dear readers, I visited a yarn store called the Haus of Yarn. And it was simply marvelous.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

I've Left on a Jet Plane...

Hurray! I'm in Nashvhille! My dad and I left our house yesterday just before seven in the morning to drive to the next city to catch our first plane. It wasn't actually even a jet plane; it was a small turbo power propeller plane!



We then had a three hour layover in Denver, ironically only a two hourish drive from our house. We found a good place to eat one of the other concourses so that killed a lot of time, especially since the Rock Bottom Brewery was slow that day!

The actual flight from Denver to Nashville wasn't too bad except for all the crying kids. My ears also popped a lot, and I was really tired. Sadly, it wasn't one of the better flights I've taken. I could totally tell how humid it was here from the moment we disembarked from the plane. Where I live in Colorado has a fairly dry climate so I think I am rather sensitive to humidity. Everything here is so green and there are so many trees! It's really quite beautiful.

For dinner, Dad and I went to the one and only Waffle House, a tradition on trips that take us south. I have a feeling that we'll end up eating there quite a bit more. Best grits to be found anywhere!



I haven't hit any yarn stores yet, but I did my research and hopefully I'll be able to visit at least one or two. The Compassionate Friends conference starts tonight, which is the whole reason why we came. I'm actually excited about that; the people you meet there are just amazing.

More updates about the country music capital of the world when I have more to talk about!!

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Working in Mysterious Ways

Warning: There really isn't much knitting related stuff in this post.

Pretty much everybody who has ever been around a church has heard how God works in mysterious ways, and as much of a cliche as it is, it is so true. The past week, I have been busy every night and some days with my church's summer day/night camp thing called Totus Tuus. The four teachers, college students from all over the place, were just phenomenal and inspiring. My Catholic faith has always meant so much to me, but programs like this really make it come alive. My week wasn't all just church stuff though; we also had a blast playing and I have pictures to prove it.

Me, my sister Rachel, one of the teachers and our "big bro" Blake, and my sister Gina

On the last day, all the little kids got to pick two of the four teachers and CUPCAKE THEM! It was so much fun and I took a million pictures. The kids chose Blake, our "adopted" big brother, and Carrie. After we cupcaked the teachers, the kids had a huge water fight! I stayed in the dry zone because I wore jeans and did not want to get them wet. These kids really get into everything they do from the games they play to their faith. One can tell this by the amount of cupcakes on our teachers' heads. Great picture, no?



We took one last picture, even if it is a little blurry. The redhead in the middle is Rachel, the other girl teacher and one of my new best friends. We had several heart-to-heart talks over the week and I got so much off my chest. The really tall guy on the left is Josh, the final Totus Tuus teacher, what a sweetheart, a gentle giant. Other people in the picture include Sarah and her sister, my sister Rachel, and two of the other teen volunteers.

Okay, now on to the knitting... Dishcloths are my new obsession as of late. I've cranked out two since we left for Arizona and I'm two thirds done with my third one. I figure that nobody can steal my washcloths at college if they're all very unique! I'm still working on wool scarf for my mom and the sample scarf for the shop. Thursday, I cast on a new pair of Fetchings in a gorgeous yellow for my cousin, but I messed up on the second one so I'll have to rip it all out and start over again! Patience is a virtue..

Also, my grandfather is doing a bit better now. He's been moved out of I.C.U. and into a new rehab hospital. My mom and I had lots of good talks. We stopped at Village Wools in New Mexico, one of my favorite yarn stores, and I bought some sock yarn to make myself a shawl! My mom even bought some yarn for herself so I'm anxious to see if she'll actually ever use it since she's not that big into fiber crafts anymore.

This post is long enough. I'll try to post more the rest of the summer. I miss blogging.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

What a Trip

Saturday morning, my family got news that my grandfather (mom's father) was in the Intensive Care Unit with pneumonia at a hospital in Arizona. So Sunday morning, my mom and I loaded up my car and left our house in Colorado at just past six in the morning and made it to Tucson thirteen hours later. It's been a crazy 24 hours too. I don't know exactly what's been going on with my grandfather, other than they're doing what he can to make him comfortable, even though he is asleep.

I'm going to try to update my blog still while we're in Arizona since I have my laptop and our hotel has wireless internet.

Thank God for caring friends and family who actually want to hear about all this. My mom and I have been on the phone so much. I think I'm praying more for my family than for my actual grandfather, but that's kind of complicated.

Until next time,
Lulu

Holy Sheepskin

Wow, it has been way, way too long since I last posted. The entire month of may was totally crazy for me, but the best part was I finally graduated high school on May 29th! High school was a wild ride, and man am I glad it's over.


My mom, me, and my dad after the ceremony.

I've been trying to get some knitting in, but with my crazy schedule it's been hard. Erin and I went to Estes Park last week for the Estes Park Wool Market. So many adorable animals! I bought my first drop spindle and some gorgeous roving, in addition to a couple books. It was great. We also got to tour the Stanley Hotel, Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining.

Of course, pictures of these adventures to come!

=(

Ravelry is down... I don't know what I'm going to do... So bored.

If I have nothing to do online, then that means I need to do more cleaning.

OH NO!!!!

Socks and Scarves from a Sunny Sunday

One of the things I love about Colorado is how much sunshine the state gets, about 300 or so days a year, and today is no exception. It's been a gorgeous all weekend inside and out, the temperature just perfect and the sky clear. I see some gardening in my future with the weather being as lovely as it is.

Moving on to the crafts...

Despite the lack of recent photographic evidence, there has been some serious knitting going on in my house (and at the local yarn store and the nearby Applebee's and coffeeshops, so on and so forth). The two projects I'm really devoting a lot of time to are my first pair of socks and a scarf for my mom.


While in Boulder a couple weekends ago, my cousin purchased a gorgeous skein of Cascade 220 Heathers for me in a medium shade of purple so I could make something for my mom. After much inquiry, I've cast on twenty stitches for a seed stitch scarf, similiar to the one I made for myself last year from the Cascade 220 Quatro. So far the scarf is coming along nicely and I've knit about three or four inches. I'm hoping to have it done for her by her fifty-first birthday in July.


My first pair of socks, also done from Cascade 220 are coming along nicely. Another inch of boring stockinette in the round and I'll be able to start on the heel. If you want to see a picture of the sock, look at what Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is holding in my picture with her!


Mom and I went to a friend's house Sunday to do some cardmaking. I've enver been much of a cardmaker in the past, but I can see the appeal. I managed to make some pretty nifty cards before my cramps and achy back dictated that we go home. I'm looking forward to making more cards in the future. Hopefully this will give me a chance to use up all my scraps of colored and patterned paper.


Other than some crafting and plenty of lounging over the weekend, on Sunday night I conquered my filing cabinet and started organizing all my past schoolwork and every other piece of paper I've found in my room. There is a huge bin in the middle of my floor just filled with paper to be recycled. After I get my room in shape, I really need to work on the perfect organization system for all my craft stuff. Soon I'll have to figure out what little of my craft stuff I'll be able to take with me to college in August.

Speaking of college!! I have my UNC Orientation on June 11 and 12, and the Estes Park Wool Market starts on the 12th and goes through the 15th. There's a youth hostel in Estes Park I can stay at for $30 a night!! I'm looking forward to taking this trip all by myself and do some fun sightseeing and maybe even throw in some self-discovery? So far my summer is really shaping up to be something exciting.

Happy belated Earth Day!

Coffee and cashmere,
Lulu