Home again, home again, jiggety JIG!!

Whew - finally home after a long weekend in Memphis. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, and this week doesn't show any sign of being different! Two weeks ago, I got the news that my temp-to-perm job was going to be temp-to-unemployed, but it worked out well. I had a new job by Thursday, and I am looking forward to the new gig starting next week. The week before Labor Day weekend was filled with getting ready for our trip to Memphis, and getting the guest room set up. Of course, the wallpaper didn't arrive until last Monday, just in time to get shoved into a closet. I was hoping for it to be in by Friday so I could paint on Saturday and wallpaper on Sunday, but the re-decorating spirits had other ideas. I did get 12 quarts of braised beef canned, though :)

Wednesday night, after work, we loaded up the van, and shoved off for Memphis. We had a great time at the show, although sales were a bit down from last year. I made some new friends, and TRHM and I had a wonderful time. I got out to the LYS, and I have to say, I was less than impressed. I expected with a name like "The Yarniverse" I would be wowed. Uh-uh. No. Not really. They did have a nice selection of Colinette, and that seemed to be the main line. Of course, I was looking for baby patterns and yarns, and found little of either. They had a couple of those adorable "Debbie Ware" kits to make hats and sweaters, and a little bit of this and that baby yarn that contained wool. For the baby knitting I do, only the softest wool-free yarns are okay, preemies have very delicate skin. There was one bin of Dreambaby DK, all the way down at the very bottom corner, behind the rocking chair, that had about 12 skeins of yarn shoved in (yes, shoved, not even nicely arranged). There was a small basket of patterns, and I found a pattern for an adorable baby sweater. Upstairs, I found a skein of red and a skein of green Dreambaby for Christmas hat&bootie sets. Downstairs, I found some yarn that would be good for a Christmas present I am starting, but they didn't have enough of the color I liked. I bought a really great tote bag - I'll post a photo later tonight. The owner didn't really seem to "get it". I told the cashier that I wanted one of the bags hanging by the work table, and the owner said "Oh, well, I only bought one of those as a model. But if you really want it, I guess I could sell it to you." The same thing with the baby sweater pattern - the cashier looked at it, and said "Oh, this isn't seperate, It goes with that box of baby patterns." I explained that I had thought that, at first, so I checked the box of baby patterns, and it was a full set, so I thought they were selling it seperately. "Well, I guess I can sell it. I just put it there so people would see it." Maybe Tennesseean knitters are different, but when I go to a LYS, and see stuff, I want to actually BUY it ... not just look at it. What is up with that?? The thing that totally turned me off was a sign that said "Feel free to sit and knit, but only with yarn purchased at The Yarniverse". I just really don't think the restriction is necessary - they are the ONLY LYS in Memphis!!! At least that I could find on my internets. You might have more on yours. I think that next year, I might plan enough time to go to Little Rock, and see what they have to offer.

I have been knitting, but UFO August is a total disaster! Not a single FO, nope, not a one. I have two socks almost finished (I am putting off the Kitchener part - hate that part!) that are in need of a mate. LBT is nowhere near finished - but I did get almost through the 4th repeat of the lace part. I screwed up something royally with the Shetland Tea Shawl, and I am thinking that I really need to start that one over. I have a baby sweater that I started at work, and have been working on at lunch. I made good progress on it, and have the body of the sweater finished, and one sleeve almost finished. Then I will just need to sew up the seams and do the collar. That will be an FO soon. I sewed flannel linings into some burial buntings, and just have to add the ribbons to tie them closed. Hopefully, progress pics will be up later this week.

The biggest project is to get the guest room taken care of - TRHM is going to Baltimore for a comic book show next weekend with his British friend, and so we will have an overnight guest! I will get the weekend to myself, so I will be able to get caught up on some of my other projects. I bought a fabulous plaque for my guest room - it is a turn of the century brass plaque that one of the other dealers at the comic book show had. I'll post pics of that, too. It is way cool!