How I Spent My Summer - The Cliffs Notes

Did I have a busy summer? You might say that.

A synopsis:

The week before Memorial Day the ducts under the house were replaced and the air conditioning was reconnected. School got out. Finished one Ty-Dy Wool sock, cast on sock number 2. Baseball tournament Memorial Day weekend. Zack hurt his elbow pitching, 6 weeks of physical therapy. Trip to Cincinnati for a baseball tournament and a Reds game. Good knitting time for sock #2. Trip to Lexington for another baseball tournament. We got to visit with my parents and nephews while we were there. Ate at Joe Bologna's and played Apples to Apples (highly recommend both). Worked on sock #2 until I realized I screwed up the divide for the heel flap and it didn't match sock #1. Balled it up, said some choice words and pitched it in the knitting bag (knowing full well it's my fault for knitting without a pattern or notes.) Tried a toe up sock and hated it. I harrassed Zack about summer reading. I bought a new washer and dryer! We wondered how a summer that started with so much rain could be so dry. Then the heat kicked in and we endured 100 degree days. I spun some Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) fiber on the CPW--lovely! The February Lady cardigan came back out of hiding and I finished it. Spent some time at Kentucky Lake with Randy. School started back up. Zack found out he and several other classmates were given the wrong summer reading assignment. I worked out my teaching schedule at Haus of Yarn. I've worked on maybe a dozen finishing projects for them over the summer, and I'm getting repeat clients! I cast on the Annette and Liesl cardigans (got to have a sweater on the needles.) Knit up a bunch of tiny Christmas socks for the class I'm teaching. Went to Hamfest in Huntsville and found out that "Hams do it until their gigahertz". Bought Zack a Nissan Pathfinder (it's nearly as old as he is), he'll be 16 in a few. We're getting ready for Labor Day weekend on the Cumberland River with my parents. I have 4 more finishing projects in the hopper plus a refurb project for my mom.

So, there you have it--more or less. Thinking back over the summer, this is probably the first Saturday morning since mid-May that I haven't been out of town or had to be somewhere. It's lovely!

I know you're thinking, "Gee Chris, all that blah blah blah about your summer is fine and well, but move on! What about yarn shops? What about knitting?" I was able to get sneak away from the tournaments and visit a few yarn shops.

Cincinnati:
Lambikins Hideaway - About 10 miles out of Cinci in Hamilton. Neat old building, but the lighting could be better. They also have fabric upstairs.
Yarns and Fabrications - Huge and bright with a great selection. Lots of Habu yarn, which not a lot of shops carry. Quite friendly too.

Lexington:
ReBelle Girls: This is located in the middle of the UK campus. The coolest thing about this shop was that they carried a TON of fair trade merchandise, bags, key chains, jewelry, etc. I got the cutest project bag for $10.
Magpie Yarn: Very lovely shop, (website doesn't do it justice) but a little tricky to find. If I lived in Lexington I would knit here regularly!

Huntsville:
Yarn Expressions: Every time I'm in Huntsville I stop by this shop. Great selection, nice and bright. She also carries some spinning supplies.

That pretty much gets us caught up. I'll post photos of February Lady and my finishing projects in the coming days....and will try not to let three months go by before I post again. I am so ashamed! But please know that I'm glad you came back to visit. Talk to you soon!