So much to talk about....

Yesterday, I got to meet Diann of "Knits with Cats" - she was in the North Texas area for some family stuff, and wanted to meet.

I suggested we meet at Kelly Square, a historical building turned shopping area in Sherman. I was a few minutes late (cursing my underestimation of the time it took to get there all the way) , parked (and mirabile dictu, there WAS parking, even though it was a weekday)jumped out and crossed the street. I saw a couple sitting on a bench. I thought "That might be them." Then I saw that the woman had red hair and was knitting.

I knew it had to be them, then. Like Diann said, it's kind of a universal symbol. (Heh. The Knitter's Sign, like the Bat Sign - would that be a ball of yarn with two needles stuck in it, projected on the night sky. Actually, I'm kind of surprised no one's come up with a knitting superhero yet....)

Anyway, after some discussion, we caravanned to McKinney, which has far more interesting shopping than Sherman does.

We got lunch first, spent a long time talking. It's funny how you feel like you "know" someone longer than you actually have, when you've been doing what amounts to the pen-pal thing. Both of them are really nice people. Ken is kind of quiet, I hope we didn't run all over him with our talking about short-rows and socks and number of projects going on at one time...

I don't always feel comfortable meeting new people; I'm kind of antisocial normally and I go all awkward and make lots of betises, both verbally and etiquette-wise, when I'm nervous, but I was more at ease in this situation than I usually am. Partly because they were so nice and down-to-earth, but also partly because I had the shared interest of gardens and knitting....and, as it turns out, antiques. We looked longingly at a number of things in the shops - I didn't buy any furniture mainly 'cos I don't have room at home for anything more. And for them, of course, there was the little issue of getting it on a plane...

At any rate, we hit my couple-of-favorite places in downtown McKinney.

First of all, Yarn Again - which yielded two treasures for me:



This yarn looks even nicer wound up than it did in the skein. (Which is interesting; usually I find handdyed hanked yarn loses something once you wind it off). This is going to be either one of the "Shape It!" scarves, or I'm going to look in my Lavish Lace book and see if there's anything that jumps out at me from about 300 yards of heavy worsted... I do like the idea of the Shape It! scarf, and Diann explained to me (and I'm afraid my brain didn't absorb properly) a way of doing it using short-rows rather than increases. I'm hunting the web, but not immediately finding a description of it. I may just have to cast on and muddle about and see if I can figure it out. (I'm not good with short rows anyway - at least the wrap-and-turn kind of short rows, or at least I'm not good with understanding them 'til I sit down and DO them).

The yarn reminds me a bit of the sunsets over the lake at my Uncle Bill's beach house. I hope it looks as nice knit up. (One thing that's hard to see is that it's a cotton-rayon-linen blend yarn, and the rayon makes it shine just a little)

I also bought some sockyarn:



It looks kind of like Koigu (I agree, Diann) but it's a bigger skein - should be enough for a pair of socks as it is. Diann was going to get this particular one (I was looking at a purple) but decided she "didn't need" it (What is this "not need"? I do not understand...). So I snapped it up. I'm thinking it wants to become a pair of Gull Wing lace socks - or at least, I'll try that (sometimes variegated yarn and lace don't mix well, then again sometimes they do)

The color reminds me a bit of hummingbirds.

We also went to the Old Jail Bookstore (which goes by another name I can never remember). Didn't see any books I couldn't live without, which is unusual for me. Also went to "The Antique Collection," which is my favorite antique shop down there.

Then we said goodbye (they had to get back to Sherman) and they went on their way. I think it qualifies as a Grand Day Out.

I did stay back and shop a bit more - bought a bar of lavender soap and also went to the quilt shop and got a few fat quarters to fill in on a lavender-and-gold quilt I'm planning. Then to the grocery, then home.

I love McKinney; going there gives me that feeling that Holly Golightly described about Tiffany's: Nothing bad can ever happen there. (Oh, I know, realistically, it can and does, but when I'm there, looking at antiques or drinking an iced chai or sitting in The Pantry eating pie, I feel somehow protected from the slings and arrows of everyday life. Like it's a time-out, or a "safety box" or something like that). It was nice to be able to share it. I hope Diann and Ken enjoyed seeing some of my favorite shopping destination.

I've also been holding out a few finished projects on you. First of all, here are the Grasshopper socks, which are from a yarn I traded to Diann for.


It makes me sad that it's too hot to wear socks where I live right not, because I love the colors in these so much.

Also, before my vacation, I finished the Cuba socks:


I think it was worth trying to force them to be identical.

And the "Series of Unfortunate Color Combinations" a/k/a the Missioni Color Socka socks:


I don't hate them quite so much as I did when I was working with them, but I'm still not sure what outfit I can wear them with.