Back from Vacation

We just returned from our annual R & R in Door County WI. The weather was perfect for biking and hiking and we did plenty of both. Of course there was also time for knitting (me), reading, running (him), and general lolling about. Since I never posted photos of the second Aestlight Shawl (designed by Gudrun Johnston) I asked Bob to take some on our last day. The blue is Dream in Color Smooshy and the variegated in the Bird's Eye Lace is a left over from another shawl. I believe it is Mountain Fiber in the Pheasant colorway. With temperatures in the 60's during the day and 40's at night, we were wearing our woolens a good deal of the time during our vacation. We came home to 90 degree heat, so although expected, it is a bit of a shock to the system.

We always keep a bird and butterfly list while we are in Door County. We didn't break any records this year in our 5 days but we had some good sightings. I've starred our favorites, either because they are unusual, numerous, or firsts in Door Co.

Birds Seen 6/6/10 through 6/10/10

Kingbird

Cardinal

Bluejay

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Red Tail Hawk

Sandhill Crane*

Mallard

Barn Swallow

American Robin

Black-Capped Chickadee

Redstart*

Redwing Blackbird

Kestrel

Goldfinch

Flicker

Red-eyed Vireo*

Bobolink*

Eastern Bluebird

Common Yellowthroat*

Downy Woodpecker

Indigo Bunting

Pelican

Mourning Dove

Turkey Vulture

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Crow

House Sparrow

Gulls and Terns

Butterflies:

Monarch

Painted Lady

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Spring Azure

Sooty Wing

Cabbage

Skipper (not sure which kind)

White Admiral* (First time we have seen in Door Co)

Mourning Cloak

Birds we heard but did not see:

Wood Thrush

Oven Bird

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

House Wren

Phoebe

Black Throated Green Warbler

Pileated Woodpecker

Meadowlark

Field Sparrow

As we drove down the lane, past the old apple tree and along the green and white fence, toward our home in Illinois, I thought of the old Scottish saying, "Haste ye back". Indeed, we will.

Independence Day Shenanigans

We spent the July 4th holiday in Wisconsin with friends. We had a wonderful time...

We biked along the lake to the golf course.

The guys got stuck on the lake when the boat died.

Then they played gondolier to bring the boat back to the dock.

Carol and Dave had early morning coffee on the lake.

And of course, we knitted by the lake. This little sweater is from one of my favorite patterns: Easy Garter Sweater, from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. The colors of this little sweater remind me of the lake: greens, blues, browns and a creamy off white.

I finished it off with assorted buttons from my Mason jar: alternating and unmatching blues and greens.

Details are on my Ravelry Projects page.

Off the Beaten Path--another Wisconsin Shop

Somewhere in the midst of my notes I forgot to blog about the last stop on our yarn safari, Off the Beaten Path Yarnhouse in Monona. Carol and I had a great time here, chatting with Karen, the owner, and browsing through the rooms of beautiful fiber. The special focus of this shop is natural fiber of all kinds and offerings of local artists. We were impressed by their wide range of natural fibers (95% of their offerings), the friendly atmosphere, and their commitment to global charities and causes.

Carol tried on one of the shawls in the Relaxing Room.

Among the patterns I purchased was Sonoma Shawl by Oat Couture. I like the sample in the shop, knit with sport weight yarn, a size for a petite person like me.

I also bought

• Flirty Tank by Y2knit
• Heartbeat Sweater by Just One More Row
  
  
  

We watched Karen upack boxes of new inventory.

I'm sure Carol and I will visit Off the Beaten Path again the next time we go on Yarn Safari in Wisconsin. It is a wonderful shop and definitely worth a visit.

Madison Yarn Cruising Part 2

This day could be described as a Delicious Fiber Sandwich--two yarn shops with a filling of coffee and Trader Joe's.

After a leisurely rising and enjoying the morning peace of the lake, Carol and I set out for The Knitting Tree. This cozy and bustling shop is located in a residential area of Madison, not far from Trader Joe's. The shop owner was very friendly, as were the other patrons of the shop. We both bought Malabrigo Sock Yarn and received a free pattern, Shimmer Scarf. Later on we saw a variation of this scarf at every shop we visited. I fell in love with one of the samples in the shop, a cropped sweater (Berocco pattern) in a beautiful pale greenish-gray cotton with a nubby texture. I would have purchased the pattern except it was done in pieces with a lot of sewing up. I believe I can achieve the same effect in the round, probably top down. Just a few days before our visit, The Knitting Tree had hosted Scottish designer Ysolda Teague and they had signed copies of her new book Whimsical Little Knits for sale. Had I not already bought a copy the week before, one of these would have been amongst my purchases. I did buy two beautiful skeins of Arucania Fingering weight.

Needing some sustanance after The Knitting Tree, we headed to Ancora Coffee Shop, right across the street from Trader Joe's. I had THE BEST LATTE ever and purchased beans to bring home to my coffee lovin' husband.

Then we crossed the street to Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is my favorite place to shop for groceries, although I am also fond of my local grocer, Lindy's. It is my surpreme food fantasy that a Trader Joe's will open up near us. It may seem silly to go grocery shopping when on vacation but since there is no Trader Joe's near us, I am reduced to drastic measures. Do I like Nature's Path Flax Plus? YES! Other favorites are the trail mixes with almonds and dried berries, Irish Breakfast Tea, raisins, and other assorted cereals.

Our last stop of the day was Lakeside Fibers. Lakeside Fibers shares a building with large coffee shop tucked into the back of the meandering store. They have a fine selection of yarns. The big wagon wheel display in the front room catches the eye as you walk in the door. We were too full of Ancora coffee to contemplate another cup, but the coffee ambience was good. I didn't make any purchases here but Carol bought a few things.

By the end of the day the back of my car was filled with coffee beans, Trader Joe's, and wool. What a treat for the senses!

On Yarn Safari in Wisconsin

I have so much blogging fodder on my hands right now that I might as well plunge in and not worry about the order of events. My friend Carol invited me to spend a few days with her mother and daughter at her parents' cabin in southern Wisconsin. The area around Madison is a knitter's mecca with several lovely yarn shops, each with its own particular flavor and style. But first, let's stop in downtown Stoughton at a wonderful Norwegian Bakery that has been in operation since 1949. Fosdal Home Bakery has the most amazing cookies and I'm sure everything else is wonderful also. My favorite cookies were the fruit bars and ice box. The fruit bars were spicy, chewy, and had raisins in them. They were rather like an old fashioned molasses cookie. Delicious! You can also special order Norwegian specialties such as rosettes, krumkaka, sandbakkels, fattigman, berlinerkranser, and lefse. Grab lunch here if you like. Carol is guarding the decorated cookie case.

Down a few doors from Fosdal's is Woodland Studios where you will find an array of knitting wools, silks, cottons, and supplies in addition to frames, jewelry, and other local arts. The owner was especially helpful when we found her kits for a ponchito, her own design using Ozark Handspun and Farmhouse Lumpy Bumpy. We spent quite a lot of time here and both of us purchased wool and patterns. Unfortunately, I did not take photos here, which is a shame, because it is definitely a shop worth visiting. The town of Stoughton is worth visiting with its shops and Scandinavian flavor.

The Sow's Ear has it all, touching all the senses with its color, texture, aromas, and sounds. Located in Verona WI, outside of Madison, this shop is in an old Victorian house, much like the one we lived in for 25 years, so I suppose that is why I immediately felt at home there. The front veranda has chairs for sittin' and knittin'. Roses and peonies spill out over the front. Tables on the lawn sport colorful umbrellas to shade folks as they eat, sip, and knit. We met a woman and little boy with a Japanese Chin puppy. Carol has one of these dogs so of course, a photo shoot was in order. Inside the house we were greeted by a friendly group of ladies sitting around a big wooden table knitting. They knit here every Thursday morning. I asked their permission to photograph for my blog and they said, "Sure, we love to be in things!" Comfortable sofas and chairs are on the periphery of the room. The Sow's Ear serves Ancora Coffee, the best in Madison (more on that later) and wonderful sandwiches. After spending quite some time wandering through the several rooms of yarns we settled down for sandwiches (tuna for me, chicken for Carol) both served on baquettes with a side salad. I think we spent about 3 hours in this shop. Truthfully, we could have stayed all day! We met two other knitters, Molly and Doreen, who I need to look up on Ravelry. Folks in Verona are mighty fortunate to have this yarn shop in their midst and they seem to know it. Everyone we talked to sang the praises of this shop.

What could make a day of Yarn Safari more perfect than ending it with piping on the lake?