Pittsburgh Recap

Hi!  I'm back.  Thank you, Nora, for covering the blog for me last time.

As Nora mentioned, I was out of town a few weeks back.  I went to the Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival with my crafting buddy, Cindy.  We drove out Friday morning and came back Saturday evening.  This was our first time to this festival, and we're not sure we'd go back.  The market was good, but the classes left a bit to be desired.  The only class I took that I really enjoyed was the Tunisian crochet class.  Nora showed you my class samples last time, so I won't bore you with those.  I will show you what I got at the market, though.

First up is a skein of Jewel sock yarn from Oink Pigments in the colorway Redrum.  It is a reddish salmon color.  I hear salmon is the color for 2019 so I guess this is close.  The reason I bought this particular skein is because it is close to the color I want for a sweater I plan to knit once I finish one of the two I have in my active knitting WIP queue.  Someday I'll make Hamilton in a color close to this.  This sock yarn is to remind me of the color I have in mind.

I also bought a skein from Dusty Tree Dyeworks in their exclusive colorway for the festival.  This color is named Polar Vortex.  It is a very pretty hand dyed in blues and greys.

As I've mentioned in the past, I am currently knitting Joji Locatelli's Odyssey shawl.  Once that is off the needles I am going to make her Slow Curves shawl.  Yarn Culture had kits made up and I couldn't resist the colors.

Four skeins of their Spun Right Round Classic Sock in a fade from deep green to cream.  I loved how the sample looked.  Green is my favorite color and can't wait to wear this. 

Also at Yarn Culture's booth I bought a Jul shawl clasp.  I have a wooden stick that I've been using but it tends to come loose.  This one holds great so I won't lose my pin or my shawl.

I also bought a set of Addi FlexiFlips in size 1.  These may become my go-to needles for socks.

The last vendor at the market that I purchased from was Stunning String Studio.  Last year at Stitches Midwest, I bought their Oktoberfest shawl kit.  It came with the cutest beer stitch markers.  At Pittsburgh I bought some other stitch markers from them.  The set  on the top are plastic disks that you can write on.  Great for keeping track of stitch patterns.  The bottom left set are wine themed and the bottom right are digits 0-9.  Both sets are super cute.

Friday evening after dinner, Cindy and I visited the "Block Party".  It consisted of different vendors and crafts people showing their wares.  There was a man who had Polish crafts: palm weaving, Pisanki Easter eggs and carved, blown eggs.  I've always been fasinated with Pisanki eggs.  I bought a kit from him to try this year at Easter.  He taught classes, but unfortunately those classes are in the Pittsburgh area.  Not convenient to go to. 

Other vendors/demonstrators at the Block Party included someone spinning raw angora bunny fur, people doing henna hand tattoos, someone selling essential oils and a lady showing stretches that crafters should do.  Cindy and I participated in the stretching demo, which relaxed us quite a bit.  The wine we had in our "coffee" to-go cups didn't hurt either.

When I came home from my trip I discovered Nora had developed an eye infection.  I was able to get an ointment from the rescue center but that didn't seem to clear it up.  Last Thursday I took her to the vet for her first checkup.  The vet gave me a couple other things to try.  Hopefully it clears soon.  I'm not a fan of the squinty kitty eye.  It makes her look angry.

Well, that's about all I have to share for now.  We are going to dinner with some friends tonight and then doing an escape room.  We've never done one before so this should be interesting.  I just wonder what happens if you don't solve all the clues in the allotted hour.

Notes from Nora

Hello!  My name is Nora.  I'm new to blogging.  In fact, I'm new to almost everything around here.  Last Saturday I met a lady who was visiting the cat rescue center where I was hanging out.  When we met I knew it was destiny so I adopted her.  She thinks it's the other way around, but I did a fabulous job of manipulating her.  I immediately crawled into her arms, purred and rubbed my head against her cheek.  She was a sucker for my overwhelming cuteness.  I knew my days at the rescue center with the 50+ other cats was over.  Oh, happy day!!!

My new mommy brought me to her house.  It is much bigger than the cage I lived in.  I have many windows to look out, lots of soft surfaces for naps and room to run when I feel a little wild.  

I even have a new daddy.  He loves to snuggle with me, especially when I'm napping.  I don't mind. 

Last Thursday there were big storms near our home with lots of wind, thunder and lightning.  I stayed close to mommy to make sure she was safe.  She told me I was a good kitty and showed me pictures of some big dogs she said were my cousins.  They weren't being very brave.  The biggest one was hiding under a table during the storm and I could hear another one barking at the thunder.

Did I mention I have a lot of room to play?  There are a lot of things in this house to explore.  Mommy doesn't seem too happy when I eat her plants.  I can't help it though.  They taste yummy.  I noticed that she moved a few to higher spots.  I think she want me to strengthen my legs so I can jump higher.

I've also noticed there is a lot of string around this house.  I haven't played with it yet but mommy seems to like playing with it.  It looks interesting but she doesn't leave it out when she's done.  One of these days she'll forget and I'll get my chance to see what is so fun with it.

Mommy went away for a couple days with a friend.  Daddy said she went to some craft festival in Pittsburgh.  When she got home she told daddy she was a little disappointed about a couple of the classes she took.  I don't know what classes those were.  She only showed us the things she made in the one class she liked.  It was something called Tunisian crochet.  Not sure what it is, but it used more of that string she seems to love so much.

One of the things was a wavy pattern.  She said she really liked making that and might use up some scraps of string to make a blanket in this pattern.

The other thing she showed us had different textures on it.  It looks like something I'd get my claws stuck on.  She seemed to like the texture at the bottom the best.  Daddy and I were completely baffled about why she was so excited about it.  It would interest me more if she'd rub a little catnip on it.

Well that's a lot of blogging for a young kitty of only 7 months.  I need a nap.  I see daddy sitting on the couch looking at magazines.  I think I'll go over now and lay next to him.

Travels

 This winter is starting to get to me.  January and February have been cold and grey.  Ed and I escaped the dreariness for a long weekend in Orlando.

Every few years Ed gets an email from a particular resort offering 4 nights at a very discounted rate.  We've taken advantage of these offers at least 4 times in the past, but each time required sitting through a sales pitch for their 'vacation club'.  Don't call it a timeshare; they get offended.  But it sure looks and smells like a timeshare.  Anyway, each time we've gone we've said 'No.  Thank you.'  They still invite us back.  This time we were not required to sit through the pitch.  They did ask and offered us cash and an upgrade if we would.  We declined because we just wanted a relaxing, no-agenda weekend away.  The concierge said we wouldn't be invited back if we didn't listen to their talk.  We'll see.  Ed thinks they'll send another offer in a few years.  If not, he thinks he'll be able to get us invited to other resorts.

I don't regret declining the offer.  We had a wonderful weekend.  We relaxed by the pool.

Enjoyed the sunny, warm weather.

Took walks everyday.

And visited the Disney Boardwalk, which we do every time we go to Orlando.  We don't do the parks.  Just stroll along the boardwalk.

While on the trip I cast on the Odyssey shawl from Joji Locatelli.

I'm using 3 skeins of Baah Sonoma that I had in my stash:  Pebble, Krona-logical and On The Rocks.  They go together nicely with a subtle fade.

 Up to now the pattern has been miles of garter stitch.  I'm at the first pattern row and managed to screw things up.  I discovered my mistake while sitting at the airport waiting to board our plane to come home.  I ripped out the errant row and shoved it in my bag.  I haven't touched it since but hope to get back to it today, after I finish February's edition of another shawl.

My enabler (aka my friend Cindy) talked me into signing up for Jimmy Beans Wool's Sunshower Shawl monthly club.  Each month a mini-ball of yarn and the instructions for that color are sent.  It is a nice bite-size bit of knitting that can easily get done in a day or two, provided you don't misread the instructions.

Before we went to Florida, I finished the Oktoberfest Shawl and pinned it to block while we were gone.  It turned out absolutely beautiful.  I wore it to work on my first day back.  It was so soft and cozy and kept my shoulders warm while sitting at my desk.

Our oldest daughter is traveling also.  She is on a mission trip sponsored by the University of Michigan Dental School.  Two professors take 8 students each year to Kenya for 2 weeks.  Kristin was among the students selected this year.  They will visit several schools and orphanages to provide dental care to the children.  They just completed their work at the first orphanage.  In two days they cleaned the teeth of 300 children and filled many cavities.  This will certainly be an adventure she will remember the rest of her life.  I'm very proud of her.