A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I have been wanting to knit a simple sweater for several months now but have been put off by the price of yarn.  Then I remembered how much Diane Soucy liked Bartlett coned yarns and in fact even went to Maine to visit their mill.  The very first sweater I knitted from the EZ percentage system was over 20 years ago using this same yarn and color.  The first step is to skein and wash it before it can be swatched, but the price is right.  I got 1,750 yards for $45 including shipping.

 

Yesterday was the prettiest day so far since we've been here.  We met up with DIL Missy to watch Logan's baseball game at 4:45.  The game was over in the 5th inning because his team was so far ahead.  Ian and I decided to drive downtown and try the new location of Los Jalapenos which has inside seating.  Neither of us was in the mood to pick up tacos from the old location and drive home to eat them.  Best fish tacos ever!

Signs are popping up that tourist season is on the horizon like this horse and cart we passed on our way back to the car. He's perhaps jumping the gun a little as rain is in the forecast for this weekend.  We could hear live music from several places and the night was young - for someone :)

We parked right by this waterfall/fountain at the top of Wisconsin Street and I'm sorry I didn't see it then because the light was poor by the time we got back.  Please note the yarn bombs on the feet of the giant bird sculptures.  There's a Fiber Arts Symposium here this weekend so local knitters went out yesterday to install them around the city.

I got an email last week announcing that we could come to their open market today in the vacant Orvis building in the Old Mill District, a classy place.  I didn't know what to expect but it had started to rain pretty good after lunch and it seemed like a great Saturday noon activity.  The market was a collection of local fiber artists and their work.  A lot of them were from our guild so just it ended up being a fun time to visit.  Kay was showing up how to insert a row of Leno in a scarf, new to me.  She's teaching a class on pile weave techniques at the guild meeting this Wednesday.

My samples are finished, each one is a little different since I was measuring and experimenting.

I'm still partial to this one, partly because it's reversible.  I think a pair of these would look cool hanging together.

These fiddly ones also have a front and back but it's not as dramatic and as long as the proportion is off, I can't tell if this pattern would be a attractive until I weave it right.  I've wound a solid black warp for four more towels - next week.

Yesterday I met with Dr Miriovsky, my medical oncologist, who will be responsible for my ongoing care and future follow-up visits.  I went in loaded for bear, thinking I was going to have to sell my objection to a five-year-course of Tamoxifen and he stunned me by showing me statistical evidence why he thinks it's a bad idea for me.  It was as easy as that so I wasted the sleepless night for nothing.  I'm released to begin radiation but don't have a start date yet.

It's nice to listen to the rain patter on the skylights as I finish this post.  I've spent another couple of frustrating hours today trying to figure out a way to successfully get the pictures from my iPhone into my Microsoft Pictures library.  It worked well for a while and then this week only half a photo would be imported.  I think I've found a workaround without being too complicated.  Keeps me on my toes!