You can't really tell from this photo, but this scarf is loooooonggggg. And super cozy and squishy and cool! While in Berlin in December Steve fell in love with a gorgeous scarf in the most beautiful yarn shop.

The Rhinebeck sweater is important.  I learned this during my first trip to Rhinebeck when I failed to wear a knit.  WHAT?!!!  I've learned a lot since then!

This year, when I go, I will be wearing the Antique Flora by Wool & Pine.  The yarn is by Gina from SkeinCocaine and she will be wearing one also!  Along with a few others.  All in different colors with the body of the sweater in the same color.  I am super excited to see them all together.  
We were in Colorado last week (more on that later) and I spent some quality time outside knitting.  

My latest project off the needles; The Robinia Sweater by Anne Ventzel. 

My husband and I decided to try something new this February.  "How about a couple of weeks in the desert?" he asked.  I was up for anything.  

We woke to a spectacular view.  I had no idea how gorgeous the Arizona sunrises and sunsets were!  Lucky peeps who get to experience this daily!
I brought one project with me.  Only one.  (That was a bit challenging for me.)  My Half + Half Triangles Wrap. However, since there is so much mindless knitting in this project, I knew it would be the perfect one.

I arrived at Haus of Yarn and wandered the gorgeous rooms of this shop looking for the perfect yarn.  Lately, I am putting more effort into the color of the yarn, making sure it will fit into my wardrobe and actually be worn!  Olive green is always a favorite color of mine so I was drawn to the olive above.  I'll be swatching today so will be sure to share the yarn and the pattern soon.
I posted this photo on Instagram and played a little game with it.  I thought it would be fun to play it here, also!

The first person who can give the pattern name of the three knits in this photo will receive a box of yarn goodness from me!  (Continental US only, please.)  I realize the knit in my husbands hand, behind my back, will be a bit hard to guess.  Especially since I haven't posted it here.  So, I'll give you a hint... I made my son Charlie one a few posts back.

Have Fun!

I love New Orleans. I hadn't traveled there in years and it seemed like the first time I had ever seen it. Cleaner, maybe because we stayed off of Bourbon street, but definitely cleaner.
Brennan's may have been our favorite dining spot.  We stopped for brunch and it was out of this world.  Super creative with their dishes.  Since I try to mostly eat plants, I did find the food somewhat hard in New Orleans.  I should have done a little research before and looked into some healthier choices.  But when you are traveling with other people that can be hard!
Cafe Du Monde definitely a spot to stop!  Knitting on my Beatrice Mitts happened there.  I brought a little powdered sugar home intertwined in my yarn.
SO much happening in this city.  Music on every corner.  Just so much life!
We went to the unbelievable game of the Saints vs. 49ers.  It was truly an awesome game.

But the real reason for this post is a little FYI:

On my way into the Superdome the security took my knitting needles.  And, they informed me that there was no way I could retrieve them on the way out.  They would be headed to the landfill.  (So sad!) They were size 2 metal needles.  Like traveling to Mexico, maybe bamboo would have been okay.  But metal, no.  So, just in case you think you might want to knit at a football game, consider making sure you have wooden needles, not metal!

Time in the Sierra Nevada's.  With my man, my sisters and my Hipster Shawl totally put me in the mood.  I LOVE hand knits!
And my family.  ❤️

Last month I had the honor and complete pleasure of being invited to Nantucket. Wow. What a magical place that is! Honestly, If you've never been, grab your flock and get yourself there!
Hahaha.  I crack myself up!  You see,  fLoCk just happens to be the name of the most awesome yarn shop in Nantucket!
Well, the sweet/cool/creative owner, made the pattern using 2 skeins of knit collage yarn.  I agree, it's not an everyday hat.  Or maybe for some it is.  It's just one that I wouldn't wear everyday.  It's more of a statement hat, don't ya think?  (Whatever that means.)
Of course, I bought the yarn to make one.  I just had to!

I"m waiting on the pattern.  The owner just sort of winged it and she needs to write it down.  And she really needs to find the time to do that.  I totally get that, as time is scarce and lives are busy.  I'm good waiting.  Cause the yarn is great to look at all on its own.
By the way... fLoCk sells homemade sourdough bread made fresh daily.  How awesome is that?!  I never wanted to leave.

Well, hello there!  Hello new month!  Hello new projects!  Hello new yarn!

I can't believe it's been about a month since I've been here.  I don't know where the time goes, however, if I look at my calendar, I can see clearly where it went.

We left on March 19th for Spain.  Barcelona to be exact.  Wow did I love it there!  And how happy do you think I was when we left the Picasso Museum and my husband spotted this sign.  Looking for a local yarn shop when I travel is one of my most very favorite things to do.  And this one found US!  I didn't even have to go looking.  It was pure dreamy, too.  An entire wall of local yarns.  You betcha I bought some.  (More on that later.)
On March 22nd we headed to Mallorca.  A gorgeous Balearic Island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.  We spent 4 lovely nights at the Cap Racot Hotel where we felt like we were in a different world.  Truly a remarkable experience.  Then back to Barcelona for our final two nights.  We came home just in time to attend a special wedding.  Then on April 2 I flew to Florida for a week to spend time with my sweet mother.  From there I flew to Atlanta, rented a car, and drove to Alexander City to see my baby, Andrew at his college.  I returned last Thursday.
Yep.  That pretty much sums up where the last month went.
On the go.  With knitting constantly by my side.

The last day, a storm rolled in.  It was a great time to work on Turtle Dove, capturing all of the warmth I could into that sweater.  

I am now fully excited about Christmas.  Both Charlie and Andrew are home and I'm leaving in about an hour to pick up Libby at the airport.  All babies under the same roof tonight!  Yippee!

I have so much to share about our trip to Italy.  It truly was amazing.
However, I am packing again to celebrate mothers.
From one side of the United States to the other.
A party for a life well lived for Steve's sweet mother in California.
And, a birthday celebration for my sweet mother in Florida.
Back soon.  xx

2 weeks in Italy.
3 small projects.
Hoping it's enough!

Oh my goodness.  I did not intend to take this long of a blog break.

I brought out my camera for the first time since I was on spring break and found this photo which is one of very few that were taken.  Seems like a million years ago.  I'm glad I have it to remind myself that I really did fly all the way to Hawaii and back.

I'll be coming back to this space with some knitting content very soon.  My fingers have been super happy working on my Sunset Highway sweater.  It seems to be the perfect spring time knit even though we are having snow flurries while I type!

Happy Monday!

Cabo San Lucas.   Seriously beautiful.  It was my first time to the Sea of Cortez.  These photos don't even show how spectacular the colors are.  I think this was the first time I have ever traveled without my DSLR camera.  I just decided to keep it simple.  So these are photos taken with my phone.  We stayed in a house in Palmilla.  I would highly recommend it.
Some of our highlights:
Fresh guacamole.  Sunrises.  New friends.  Dinner at Flora Farms.  (Truly a must experience.) Margaritas. (Although I don't drink them.  Corona's for me!)  Big beaches.  The Giggling Marlin.  Cabo Wabo.  Drivers who know where they are going.  Artwork in the sand.  Sea glass hunting.  The Office.  Glass hearts.  Dinner at Edith's.  Great music.  Whale watching.  Snorkeling.  Seeing the arch of Cabo San Lucas from boat.  Perfect weather.  Coffee and Yarn.
Oh, and knitting is one of those things they tell you to place in checked baggage.  I giggled when I saw that photo.  Our sweet knitting amongst some very understandable items that would not be safe on board an aircraft.  I have had my metal needles confiscated before, but did manage to take my bamboo needles out of Mexico.
Happy travels!

 We just returned from a fun vacation in Lake Tahoe.
Pier sits.  Lake jumps.  Jeep rides.  Wanderlust.  Live music.  Delicious food + wine. Wild flower picking.  Flower crown making.  Chambers punches.  Boat rides.
The last boat ride resulted in this.  I stepped into the boat and rolled onto my foot breaking both my foot and my ankle.  Oy.  I know my knitting peeps will rejoice with me in all the extra knitting time I will have.  There definitely are perks that come along with an injury.  A gift in every experience.

Oh my goodness! I don't know where the end of May went and can't believe we are already about a week into June!  CRAZY!
I've been doing a little traveling and just have to mention how I fell in love with AMSTERDAM!
Toast travels well just about anywhere.  Never leave home without them.  (Either in the knitting form or the knitted form!)

Just finished making a batch of Snickerdoodle brownies.  Perfect for a cool, June day.  I'm off to seam together Crazy Feeling Sweater.  Can't wait to try it on!

We headed to Arizona on the 7th to hike the Grand Canyon.  And, oh, was it G R A N D.
This trip is definitely one that takes some planning.  And, in case anyone is interested, I will give you some tips and highlights.  (Please feel free to email me at anytime.) Steve and I traveled with a couple and she has had the unbelievable gift of hiking and staying at Phantom Ranch eleven times.  (Eleven!)
Some tips and points to mention:
•If planning on staying at Phantom Ranch, you must book this adventure a year in advance.  So, if you would like to hike down during March 2018, you will need to make reservations on March 1, 2017.  It gets pretty hot in the Canyon (Typically 10-20 degrees warmer.) So, February/March are great months to travel.
•We hiked down Kaibab, stayed in the Cabins for 2 nights and hiked up Bright Angel.
•You can choose to stay in a cabin or a dorm.  The cabins have 2 sets of bunk beds.  The dorms sleep 10.
•Two nights is an ideal time to stay at the Ranch making day hikes out of your time in the Canyon.
•It took us 6 hours to hike down Kaibab (leaving the south rim at 9:30am)  and 8 hours to hike back up Bright Angel (leaving the Ranch at 6:20am).
•There are 2 seatings for breakfast 5:30am/7:00am and 2 seatings for dinner 5:30pm and 7:00pm.  We ate the 7pm dinner after arrival at the ranch, the 7am breakfast and the 5:30pm dinner during our day in the Canyon.  And, the 5:30am breakfast on the day we headed out of the Canyon.
•Plan to arrive at the Ranch before 4pm if you would like to enjoy a cold beer.  Kitchen closes at 4pm in order to set up for dinner.

I can honestly say this was probably the trip and time of my life in terms of personal achievement.  It hits all levels... Spiritual, Emotional and Physical.  I was completely and utterly in awe.

My mom and sisters and I spent last week together in St. Petersburg Florida.  We really loved it there.  Right on the water with great restaurants and cute shops.  Well, I'm not exactly sure about the shops as we didn't do any shopping, but it DID have great restaurants, museums and a beautiful marina. To tell you the truth, we could be anywhere just as long as we spend time together.

How cute is that t-shirt I am wearing?!  Thank you Elizabeth!  I absolutely love it.  I found them here if anyone is interested.

Knitting happened.  Pink Memories was finished.  Back soon with pics.

Hi Friends!

Then we flew North to Gustavus to stay at Glacier National Lodge.  Incredible views from the plane.
Gustavus is my favorite new small town.  Super friendly, super cute.  We spent the Fourth of July watching their parade.  Those people know how to do it!  Then there was a reading of the Declaration of Independence with many locals taking a turn reading.  It was so wonderful to see the closeness and realness in this community.  I loved that my children were able to experience it all.
The view of the Fairweather Mountains from Glacier Bay Lodge our last morning.  Can't you just smell the crispness!

I'll see you next week!  Happy weekend!