a last hurrah

    I feel like I've been in a whirlwind for the past three days, but a fun and somehow peaceful whirlwind. I had a great time going to the TVR meeting in Huntsville with Rissa--by way of Birmingham's Superior Grill & Knit Nouveau, then home by way of Little Barn. Topped off with a lovely evening of Mediterranean/Lebanese food and Mid-Eastern dancing last night, some bargain clothes shopping and delicious lunch today, it was perfect 'girls only' mini-vacation. The only thing missing was Lisa, and Rissa's DH was good company at meals last night and today.     While at the knit shop in Birmingham, I discovered an affinity to Artyarns products. Seemed like every skein that caught my eye was by Artyarns. However, I don't think I overindulged. I only bought two skeins each of two sock yarns: Brown Sheep's Wildfoote in Columbine (SY16, much prettier in person) and Artyarns' Ultramerino4 in 132 (a blue and turquoise colorway). Oops! I forgot about the ball of JaggerSpun Zephyr in White, a a 50/50 Tussah silk & merino blend.     Late this afternoon, Rissa gave me my first spinning lesson. Well, actually, in spindling. The spindle is so cute and small, and if I concentrate on the sequence of steps I can actually manage to do it! I doubt I'll get a lot of time to practice this week, but the Harvest Festival is this weekend, and I'll get to do some more then for certain. (Rissa posted a photo of me spinning on her blog.) I think that it will be a real treat to be able to sit and spin with the women in Tibet on our trip next May. Maybe they will get a kick out of it, too!     As for my own knitting... I ran out of yarn for the meditation scarf while in Richmond last week, but I finished it just a day or so after I returned home -- well, except for those darned tails! I managed to get the (short-row) heel turned on that green Senso sock,* as well as break one of Lisa's Brittany 0s while I was working on the ribbed leg! One of my bamboo 0s had been broken this summer either when the TSA searched my checked bag or later as a result of their repacking. Whichever it was, I didn't notice it was broken until I got home from Mexico because I never even worked on the sock while I was gone. So... while I was at Knit Nouveau, I bought new size 0 bamboo needles, and two Inox circulars in size 0 too. Now the green sock is on the two circulars, and coming along nicely. (I'll post a photo tomorrow; just too sleepy tonight to drag it and the camera out.)     While I was in Virginia, I took time to rent a car and drive to DC to visit two friends. One toted me to a yarn shop, The Yarn Barn where I bought a beautiful skein of Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch in color 704, a blue and green colorway. I worked a short-row toe and really like the way it knits and looks. Then I set is aside and tried to concentrate on the green sock (and my EGA class stitching--which I'll try to remember to talk about tomorrow). Now, though, I have got to go to bed; I can hardly hold open my eyes! *Seems I never posted about this sock before, even though I knew I took photos of it. Turns out that the photo is of the sock before I tore it back to the toe and then worked a different pattern for the body of the sock. So, no-can link to picture or blog entry.