Falling Off the Wagon

So I caved. Sure, I've been traveling and enjoying the warm weather in southern Illinois, but now I'm back in the wet cold of Chicago. Yarn is the perfect remedy, of course. I had to return a rental car this morning, and, lo and behold, Loopy is just around the corner. I stopped in to see if they had something to use for a felted bag for Jen (she knows about this project). They did. I've wanted to try Karaoke so I was glad to see Loopy had some. I also spied some Nashua Wooly Stripes Tweed in a color that Jen will probably like better (Jen, please let me know, the bright colors on top or the browns to the left?). The red is some Lamb's Pride Bulky for a project I can't yet disclose.

I like Loopy, but I have one complaint. I don't like the giant price labels they put over the name of the yarn. I like knowing what the yarn is and who makes it. It frustrates me that the names are covered. I do like the very friendly, pretty, and soft dog that came and stood beside me for a while. I'm a big fan of shop animals. Oh, I also got 25% off. They are having a sale on their winter yarns. I basically saved the cost of one ball of yarn. Yee haw.


This picture represents some of the projects I have on the docket. The gray and the red are for secret projects. The green is for Joseph's sweater--I still have to find a contrasting color for tis project. The blue and brown is the Artyarns Ultramerino 4 for Stefan's socks. The purple is to swatch for Crumpets, for Renée. I've already told you the Nashua is for a bag for Jen. Yep, projects for Jen's family are still the majority.

While hanging out in hotel rooms, I worked on the something for Jen and another secret project. I didn't really make much progress, due to a headache and a full schedule. I did make some progress on the train today, after returning the rental car. The trains are only running on one track for about four stops worth. We sat in the tunnel for a good half hour. I got a bit of a cramp, from trying to avoid moving my left hand too much. I didn't want to poke the woman beside me. I got a couple inches finished on the something for Jen, so it wasn't too miserable.

I have to be a "knitting expert" for Winter Delights this afternoon. This time it's beginners. I love teaching beginners. I always say that making new knitters is my favorite thing. The challenge is going to be what they learn in two hours. The description says they'll learn to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. Whew. That's a lot for two hours. There are 15 students. That's a lot, too. Hopefully, this means that the students will want more attention and will sign up for a class at The Needleshop.