I'm back (Long post warning)

It's a bit weird to be back to be honest. Yesterday I spent most of the day looking at this kind of thing.

Then the plane landed and I was in the midst of this.

On the way back I did cheer up a bit though because everything is so green and lucious and that wouldn't have happened without a fair dollop of the wet stuff.

Let me get the good stuff down though before I drop off to sleep. One thing I noticed about US yarn shops is that they are not that obvious. This is the one I went to as soon as I arrived and which remains my favourite.

This was the most obvious. Another....

....didn't even have a sign. It did have quite a good yarn wreath on the door though which is an idea should I ever come over all twee.

However, a lack of presence doesn't mean I didn't manage to get sorted (sorry for those double negatives). Possibly my favourite acquisition are the crochet hooks I went out there wanting to get.

Then there is some lovely cotton with a multi colour acrylic twist. I *really* like this bu have no idea what to do with it.

First lovely haul plus...

...the books I got at the same time.

Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers is all I hoped it would be. This knitted bouquet thing could really have legs - even knitted table centres as well maybe?

Another day another yarn store. This was from Loop.

And then this is my arrival from elann.com

I spent a lot of yesterday in Amish country part of which was a quilt museum - oh yes, nice.

The quilts were divine. There were mostly traditional and historic patterns but there was also a display of new handkerchief quilts. I really rather like this idea - would mean you could highlight the pattern on, say, a kaffe pattern even more by quilting it as the centre panel on something.

I had a GREAT time. One of the reasons for this is Tom, who I may have mentioned in a previous post. He is the guy who came over the install the software and train me on it 2 weeks ago. We really clicked and it was pretty clear from when he first got to the IOP that we would get on really well. As well as generally being there to answer my dumb anglo/american confused type questions during the conference he offered to take me to Amish Country because I'd mentioned I wanted to go to the quilt place. He'd mentioned that he had two motorbikes and I keenly accepted a lift although was a bit wary of going too fast. But then...it turned out I am a complete speed junky and kept telling him to go faster. I so have to learn to ride and get me one of those things. Sat went so well we met up again for yesterday for the museums (philadelphia art museum and the rodin museum - easily the amost equal of the one in Paris.) When it came to time to say goodbye I was genuinely sad and managed to shed about 3.5 tears in the taxi (a major feat as you other pill poppers out there will know). Here are the two of us flaked out on the grass in front of the museum (incidentally, if you get a chance to go check out the asian art wing. They have rebuilt whole buildings in there and the decoration and exhibits are jaw dropping).


I've offered him our spare room any time he comes to london because it is his favourite city but neither of us know when we might meet up again. Boo :( Plus there is the small problem of explaining this to Pooch who is bound to think there was more than friendship in it. In fact being honest had the Pooch not been the one and only Pooch for me then I probably would have jumped him. But having made my commitment I now find attractions to others (because it's not like everything shuts down just because you've found 'the one') quite amusing and a way of having a laugh with myself. Is this a terrible thing to say? Pooch has quite a little portfolio of 'real' (i.e. accessible) women he would twirl his moustaches at were I to allow such a thing, including my best friend! I've had to start trying to find Joe attractive in retaliation. And that's a real effort.....

Pooch has been sublime while I have been away - the flat is very clean and he has left me tulips and lots of post it notes in unexpected places telling me how lovely I am and that he loves me. He's coming home early tonight and I can't wait to see him - he really is unique and I love him completely. Hoorah!