Are you ready for this?

Whenever my mom has a story to tell, she likes to build up the suspense by saying "Are you ready for this? I mean are you ready? Are you really ready? Listen to this..."

I am my mother's daughter, but we differ in style, at least when it comes to hyperbole.See those buds, plump and ready to open, reaching for the sun to become what they were meant to be? That's me. At least that's how I have felt over the last two weeks. The wait is over. I have a new job!!!! I have waited a long time to make this change, and while it was hard to finally make the decision to do it (comfort is very seductive), the perfect opportunity literally fell into my lap (they wanted me!!). I'll essentially be doing the same thing I do now, but on a much larger scale with more responsibility, and of course more compensation. I keep pinching myself. It's real! I gave my notice today and start my new job 2 weeks from tomorrow! What will I wear? Will there be knitters there? I'm going to try really hard to chill out now because I have worn myself out fretting needlessly.

Sigh.

Let's talk about Yarn Tour! While it wasn't quite the trip we had anticipated (yarnwise), we still had a great time. Unfortunately, Isis on Penhallow in Portsmouth does not serve brunch on Saturdays (pooh!), but we found a great BBQ place that serves the world's largest chef salad I have ever seen in addition to some mighty tasty sweet potato fries! With full bellies, Aimee fell into a used bookstore while Lori and I headed off to Portsmouth Fabric Company, where I found the perfect Kaffe Fasset fabric to line my LTL bag:and some Amy Butler fabric I have been lusting for (future skirt).Lori was very well behaved and just drooled. Aimee bought several books for $1 each.

Finally, after some hair raising driving, we arrived safely at Hubs with patterns and calculators in hand, ready to lay down some cash and buy some yarn! Lori was immediately enticed by some Premiere...

Aimee checked her patterns for something, anything, to use some yarn for...

while I deliberated with a fellow knitter over whether or not Provence would work for the Josephine Top. How great is it when you can plonk yourself on the floor of a shop and play with yarn and meet other knitters who came armed with some of the same patterns you did?
Despite the fact that we must have spent at least 2 hours fondling, sniffing and otherwise mauling yarn, Lori bought a set of needles, Aimee bought a bag of yarn for $20 (for real) and I came away with 6 skeins of Imagine at $3 a pop. Not the haul we were expecting, but good fun was had by all.
I've already knit a gauge swatch with the Imagine (5.5 sts to the inch on size 4) and think that I'll make a simple boat neck fitted sleeveless top. I just love the colors, but the knitted material is a bit stiffer that I thought it would be, given the drape of the yarn in the hank. Who cares? It was only $18!!!

Since I didn't find anything for Josephine, I ran to my favorite LYS the next day to buy this Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton. I got perfect gauge, but may modify the pattern to get a smaller size. The finished 36.5 will be too big.

Since life is never simple, Mr. Strange left town yesterday to be with his mom who was admitted to the hospital for complications from shingles. She is responding to antibiotics and will hopefully be released tomorrow. So, while I am happy about the new job, my heart is miles away with my dear one and his mum.

I look forward to a time, hopefully sometime soon, when I can just knit and think about what to knit next and nothing else.