Some yarn and a sock

I'm back from the mountains. A quick over night up to Beaver Creek (near Vail) to give a presentation. I have to admit, the drive was one of the easiest I have ever had up the hill. Probably because ski season ended over a week ago. And it's very strange to be up there because there is still SO MUCH SNOW! Loveland and A Basin are still open, but all the other ski resorts have closed because their leases are up for the season with the National Park Service. So all this beautiful snow, and quiet chair lifts and no one skiing. And Beaver Creek was virtually a ghost town. I walked into shops where I was the only one in the store.

So, I decided to make the most of my time and hit a yarn store on the way up, and two on the way back to Denver. The first store I stopped at was the Yarn Studio in Minturn. Kathy is the owner and we had a great time talking and I found out I had seen her at a Rockies Stitch and Pitch game in 2006. When I went upstairs in the shop while she wound my yarn, I saw a framed picture of that game that was in the Rockies Magazine. Guess who was in the picture? Me. There I was sitting a row or two behind her knitting away on a shawl. I need to try to get my hands on one of those magazines. I want the picture. Any way, the Tahki pattern book is from there, I am going to make the sweater on the cover, and have ordered the yarn. This is a stretch for me, because anyone who knows me, knows my favorite size needles are either 2s or 3s and this is knit on 10.5s. But it is such a cute sweater that I had to get the yarn.

The purple yarn is from the shop too. It is Suri of the Western Slope in Bright Purple Melange and so far it is only sold at the Yarn Studio. It has 5% Magenta Flash, a sparkly thread plied with it, and has 465 yards fingering. Oh this is pretty. The little glass heart is also from the store, and is fired glass and can be worn as a pin or a necklace. I'm thinking it might hold a light shawl.

The colorful yarn with purple and blue and yellow and orange is also some local yarn. It is sport weight for socks, hand-dyed by the Leadville Ladies and sold at the Tea Time Quilting and Stitchery in Breckenridge. For all you quilters, oh my, you should see the fabrics in this store. Makes you want to jump right in and start a quilt.

The last store I stopped in was in Frisco - What's Needling U. The owner was very nice, but they were out of a KFI pattern I wanted for a zippered hoodie. She's going to call me when it comes in.

I didn't get much knitting done last night because I ended up being social and not going to my room as I had planned. I ended up dealing Texas Hold'em for 2 hours and giving the players a hard time. The April sock needs some work, but it is coming along. Still haven't finished March's but you know me, the sock orphan Queen.

Have a good night, me I'm trying to stay inside, even though it's pretty out there. Too much pollen and mold I'm afraid. I went to the allergist on Monday, and they are going to do more testing on me a week from Friday. There is something in the air that this nose and these eyes just don't like! I am hoping to get to the colorwork on the Roslin Hoodie tonight.

Whoops, I forgot to talk about the skein of yarn on the right side of the picture. This is also sock yarn in the colorway Goody from from Tempted Bad Grrl Hand Painted Yarns. I got this in the mail from Loops in Tulsa. I get interesting sock yarn from that store, things I have Never seen before.

Happy Earth Day.