A Very Plucky Day

Love at first sight. Some say it happens, others disagree.  When it comes to yarn, I'm afraid it happens a little too often.

This past Saturday, Jill (Knitterella) and I made the trek to the other side of the state for a Plucky Open House.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with Plucky Yarns, you must be educated!  Here's a crash course:

The open house was hosted in Liesl's (aka browncurls on Ravelry) gorgeous home in Grand Rapids and Sarah (the face behind Plucky Yarns, thepluckyknitter on Ravelry) brought a beautiful variety of yarn.

 Sarah's long time friend, Nicole came along as well.  She's not on Ravelry yet- hopefully soon (after all, she did have the cutest stitch markers I have ever seen!)?

Besides all the plucky yarn, Liesl gave us a tour of her amazing stash.


(as you can see, yarn wasn't the only thing gawked over in Liesl's closet!)

These were also spotted in Liesl's room:

They were very well-loved (holes in the bottoms and all!)



Jill walked away with some great finds (and since she does Plucky's design work, she had credits to spend- jealous!)...

And knitting ensued

All in all, a wonderful day- I hope it happens again soon!


And tomorrow... a peak at what I stepped away with and how it's knitting up (I'm not purposefully keeping it from you, but the gloomy weather is not allowing an impressive yarn stash picture).

Overdue

But better late than never (sadly, I'm using this mantra a little too often in my life these days). 

It has become a bit of a tradition with Joe's side of the family to take in the fireworks each year at Greenfield Village.  It is now something that I look forward to every year, if you are in the area and have attended, I'm sure you understand why.  

A picnic is packed and our blankets are laid on a hill in order to claim our spots for the evening (and we must get the same spots every year.  As soon as the gates open, we have the two fastest guys in our family run ahead of the crowd to claim our spot- victory!).  

This is from the Greenfield Village website, just so you have a better understanding of what it's all about:

"Entering Greenfield Village is like stepping into an 80-acre time machine. It takes you back to the sights, sounds and sensations of America’s past. There are 83 authentic, historic structures, from Noah Webster’s home, where he wrote the first American dictionary, to Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory, to the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. The buildings and the things to see are only the beginning. There’s the fun stuff, too. In Greenfield Village, you can ride in a genuine Model T or “pull” glass with world-class artisans; you can watch 1867 baseball or ride a train with a 19th-century steam engine. It’s a place where you can choose your lunch from an 1850s menu or spend a quiet moment pondering the home and workshop where the Wright brothers invented the airplane. Greenfield Village is a celebration of people — people whose unbridled optimism came to define modern-day America."

It really is one of the most charming places I have been to.  The fife band walks around entertaining the crowds before the DSO takes the main stage.


The kids love this stuff- they even have stations with old-fashion games for them to try:

Since it was one of the most beautiful evenings I can ever remember, Joe and I walked around to see some of the sights.  We were entertained with old-time patriotic melodies:

And inspired by Thomas Edison's goal to have one major invention every six months and one minor invention every 10 days. 
If only I could do this with knitting patterns!

We visited the oldest windmill in the US

And although the houses aren't open (like they are during normal park hours), they are still fun to look at.


And a stroll through the gardens on a beautiful evening only help to make things more perfect




As we settled into our seats...


 and took in the sounds of the DSO...


I grabbed my knitting and Joe made an observation.  The lady right in front of us was working on her own knitting project.  And what did I learn from this?  Knitters know how to have a good time:


She must have snuck that in!

Overall, a wonderful evening with wonderful company.  I know the Fourth of July isn't usually a 'tradition-type holiday', but do you have any? 

Baby Bootie Follow-Up

You remember these guys, don't you?


That's right, they were the last-minute, KitchenAid-felted, 3-in-1 felted baby booties.

The recipient was the lovely Brandy Fortune.  I met Brandy at TNNA in June, but didn't realize I would be meeting her until the day before I left.  Brandy emailed me a while back and volunteered to take pictures of my 3-in-1 Felted Baby Booties on her daughter, Rowan.  This is why there was such a rush to complete the baby booties (and thus the infamous KitchenAid experiment).  To tell you the truth, I actually sat at a table in the Bryson Distributing Booth at the TNNA marketplace finishing these little booties... all because I forgot my sharp needles and had to take one off their display unit in order to sew on velcro and embroidery... really (Thanks, wonderful people at Bryson!). 

Anyway, Brandy is the author of the online blog Pixie Purls, and also has a pattern line to go along with it.  The Milk Infant Top has been a favorite of mine since it was published:




Besides having her own blog and pattern line, Brandy is also Co-Editor, Photo Editor, and Web Diva of the ever-popular Petite Purls. Petite Purls is an online knitting magazine that offers free children's patterns seasonally.  If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must!

So are you itching to see the beautiful shots of the baby booties on an actual baby?!?  I'm sure you are!









Aren't they just adorable?!
There are more, too!  You can see the rest of the photos here.

And while we are on the subject of baby items, I could use a little advice.  I know many of you are mothers and help for a soon-to-be-mom is always appreciated.  yesterday on my day off I started registering for my baby showers- I thought it would be easy, but quickly learned I was in over my head.  Is there anything in particular that you love, couldn't live without?  Anything I should pass on?

I'd love to hear what you have to say!