trip to Whitesboro

I went, after all, because they couldn't muster enough people for the party; we're going to do a lunch some time in June instead.

So I got off a bit later than would normally be ideal - a bit after 10 am. Which put me down there just after 11 am, and I was hungry*

(*Breakfast was something I had bought on impulse at Kroger's a while back - a "microwaveable" french toast cup. It was not good. Do not recommend. Most of their house-brand stuff is good but this was not. I mean, it wasn't terrible...but oatmeal would have been better, and I *always* eat oatmeal and get a little tired of it)

So I went to Lovejoy's first off, which was smart, because they filled up shortly after I sat down and one of the waitresses - I suspect the head one - ran out and sort of desperately said to the person working the checkout counter (they are also a shop) "No more! We don't have any more room!"

I got a cup of hot tea - it was remarkably chilly for May here, in the 50s. The flavor of the day was "lemon velvet" - a black tea with lemon and maybe? vanilla? It was good, and I got a free refill when I had drunk most of it.

And I ordered the quiche of the day: chicken pesto. I am not a very adventurous eater but I figured that could not contain anything I disliked. I did have to wait a while; they weren't quite out of the oven yet (!) I got to see one of the cooks take them out....so yes, a wait, but I also knew my food was super fresh.

At any rate: Chicken pesto is a good flavor for a quiche. I might even try to figure something similar out for myself using the basil from my garden. It was just cooked chicken, and the pesto mixed in, and probably mozzarella cheese, and a little bit of sun-dried tomatoes on top.

I also got a half-slice of German chocolate cake for dessert (Having half-servings of dessert at a restaurant is, IMHO, a brilliant idea: you can have a little indulgence but if you've had a big meal, you don't struggle to choke down a whole piece of cake - or have to take it home or leave it - and of course it's less calories and sugar and all of that. And their cakes are good; they seem to be from-scratch rather than from-mix; all too many restaurants either use a boxed mix or buy from a food supplier that does and yes I can tell a difference.

And then, on to the yarn shop. I particularly wanted yarn for a Wingspan shawl, and I knew I wanted just a simple variegated or self-striper (so I didn't have to buy lots of skeins of lots of colors, and also, I confess: there is something I find aesthetically appealing about not having ANY joins in a project - be they socks or (more rarely) a shawl.) Most shawls take a longer amount of yarn so you have to join balls.

I considered some of the hand-dyed yarns, but in my experience, a lot of those, you have to *alternate skeins* for a bigger project (this one calls for 400 meters of yarn, which is very very close to a standard sized sockyarn skein, and I've been burned far too many times by running short for the bind-off) and I considered getting two skeins but meh, I really dislike alternating skeins.

Then I saw the "Cheshire Cat" yarn - 514 yards, so easily over the required meterage. (437 yards is roughly 400 meters). And the colorway is...fine....especially given what I often wear in the summer. (I was envisioning a dark background with lighter colors, but I will come to like this as I work on it). I didn't see anything I liked better in the hand-dyed yarns, and as I said: not having to alternate skeins will outweigh it not being the absolute perfect color combo in my mind.

It's the yarn on the left; the colorway is called "Curtsey":



The other yarn is for socks, which pattern yet, I'm not sure. Maybe I even make them for my mom for Christmas or something. And I bought some more stitch markers because you always need more stitch markers and I like the closed-ring kind, which these are.

I had  a $20 gift card (because I spent a lot at my birthday trip) and so the shawl yarn was virtually free to me.  

I also went to the quilt shop, specifically seeking a wide backing, which I found:



The one at the back is the backing. The bright colors and rather whimsical "ripples" design should go nicely with the designs on the front of the top - which I hope to finish and photograph this weekend. And it pleases me to have a wide enough back without seaming.

I also got the typographic piece to insert in the back of the Cipher quilt, which is going to be the next one I undertake - I might even consider ironing off the fabrics for it tonight.

The other fabric is a jelly roll of Sweet Pea and Lily and I really love the colors in it. I'm going to do the pattern shown there - with just a white background (I have white fabric on hand) and the yardage of the sweet pea fabric is for the binding. (I will probably either use a plain back, or try to find something in my stash - this will be a smaller quilt.)

I also drove back through Pottsboro and went to the Brookshire's (for a change in grocery shopping). I didn't need a whole lot - I reorganized my "pantry" (such as it is; I don't have a dedicated pantry space which is part of the problem) when I was getting ready for the dishwasher guy and I need to work down on the canned goods this summer.

I also noticed that Pottsboro now apparently has a quilt shop - I didn't stop, though, because I'd already spent enough money, and I had frozen food in the car, but that might be worth exploring at a different time.

(Yup. I will  just have to keep in mind they're not open Mondays)