I returned from Washington, DC last week only to find that spring had arrived in my absence. The day before we left it was snowing large lofty flakes that looked more like falling feathers than snowflakes. They melted as soon as they touch the ground, but it was snowing nonetheless. Just a few days later, we came home to sunny 70s, and by the end of the week it was in the 80s and pushing 90. This week, so far, it has stayed in the 80-90 degree range the entire time. I think we bypassed spring and went directly to summer! My husband took me to dinner last night at Cracker Barrel, and I was really glad I had brought my newest knitted shawl along. It helped me fend off the icy blast of air conditioning!
And now for something completely different….
My husband is a musician. He started playing violin when he was 3. He also plays classical guitar, trumpet, piano, mandolin, and cello, among others. He passed along to me some interesting musical videos that I would like to share. Check them out!
Greg Patillo, flute: Inspector Gadget and Peter and the Wolf
Alex Depue, violin: Owner of a Lonely Heart
My green shawl is finally finished, just in time for spring. Whew! That took much longer than it was supposed to, but I guess it is my own fault for being such a perfectionist. I blocked it on Saturday and wore it to church yesterday. The color of yarn is truer in the picture of the full shawl than in the detail pic.
My husband and I both agree: It is good to be home. We traveled to Washington, DC for his job for a few days earlier this week, but were very glad to return home. We arrived on Sunday, and we discovered that on Sunday almost all of the restaurants where we were staying are closed on Sundays. While walking around and looking for a place to eat, though, we did take a nice walk completely around the White House. (Had I known we were staying so close to it, I would definately have taken my camera with me.) But, we were simply looking for a bite to eat, and I was wearing 3″ heels, I was not about to walk back there for a picture. After all, we all know what the White House looks like, right? Note to self: Next time I go to a city where I plan to do quite a bit of walking, I should take along at least one pair of walking shoes. (I am a very petite 4’10″ and so I wear heels every day. All of my clothing is tailored for heels and, unless I am working out, it never occurs to me to wear anything else.) My husband and I did enjoy dinner at a couple of nice restaurants, however, and enjoyed spending the time together in travel and at the hotel. I did plan on visiting several museums, but I became ill the day after we arrived and did not really get out of the hotel much except to eat. On the day we were to leave, I did have to check out of the hotel several hours before my husband finished with work. So, I did strike out on my own to visit Stitch DC, a knitting shop 
just a metro ride away. The shop was small and did not really have a wide selection. (I was looking mostly for lace and/or sock yarn, and I wanted something I did not commonly see at stores in my area.) I did, however, find a cone of Habu textiles 100% silk in the mocha color. It contained over 1800 yards of shimmery taupe colored silk, so I could not resist. It will make a lovely lace shawl and be a nice souvenir from my trip. That little jaunt exhausted me, so I unwound at the Border’s Cafe for a while and then spent about an hour at my husband’s office before leaving for the airport. After a fiasco with my husband’s plane ticket (he had the eticket, the confirmation number, and a seat assignment, but was not in the airline’s computer system for the second half of our flight) and a long trek in Chicago across the entire O’Hare airport, we finally made it home at nearly midnight.
I really have been remiss in my posting lately. I suppose that my knitting discouragement has overflowed into other aspects of my life. After my 
when I pushed the green one aside as I contemplated my options. It is the melon shawl from 
It is a business trip for my husband, but his boss told him to bring his wife! I am going to enjoy a few days off work, visit a yarn shop and a couple of museums, and (of course) knit! I will post pics and details when I return.