Meeting Mr. Eisaku Noro of Noro Yarns by Kelli

What a charming, talented man,Mr. Noro! Saw him throw out the first pitch at the Mariners baseball game Tuesday night, and by amazing chance he came to talk where I work!!!  One of the only 2 places he visited. 

His first visit to USA. Speaks very little English, brought an interpreter to help answer questions about his love of color and fiber!  Did you know he tells a story with all his color ways?

Here I am, maybe a little to close, but wanting to get my Noro vest in the shot ~  Such a high-fiber life I lead!  

Get Your Local Yarn Shop "ON" - posted by Kelli

The 2015 Local Yarn Shop Tour, Puget Sound area happening now! Though
Sunday, May 17th !
Please join us in celebrating our 10th year of shop touring.
 If you can't make it to our area, make it to your own LYS, in support.
Our tour is making it more interesting with every shop on the tour
giving away  free patterns as well as an originally designed button!
Everyone can purchase this commemorative tote bag~
Stop by Wild Fibers and come see me, now through Saturday
to get your " Where The Wild Things Knit" button! and of coarse
all our fabulous yarn!

                           ~ Kelli

Playing Hooky

I got to take a personal day at work so went to sit and knit with the 'Thursday Group' that I never get to see.  Talk about sensory overload ~ so much chatter and needles flying and projects to see ~ how can I be this tired from just sitting for 4 hours??  I need a nap! 

Jo & Zoe got to go and hang out with us at WildFibers:

Is it just me or does Zoe look stoned when she's sitting next to Jo?  Between the outrageous locks and the buggy button eyes.....I think some changes are in store.  Thoughts???

I cast on Kate Davies' 'Peerie Flooers' while I was there ~ 4 hours and only 7 rows done.  Geesh ~ I just can't knit any faster, especially with colorwork.  It's hopeless ~ or I am!  It's so pretty so far, even just the little bit I've done:

And if you're intrigued by what's underneath my knitting, let's pan out just a bit:

The word had gotten out that I was going to make an appearance today and Linda (THANKS!!!) remembered that I had wanted to borrow her Herbert Niebling books and a few German lace knitting magazines.  Pages and pages and pages of inspiration.  Linda, I will try very hard not to drool all over them!
                                                         ~Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 6

I feel my time off winding down and I'm not ready for it to be over with.  I'm having too much fun!  Today I got to go sit and knit with the group I go on retreat with in October.  They meet weekly ~ I meet 4 times a year when I'm on vacation from work.  It's always fun to visit with everyone and see what they've been up to.  Met Kelli first for coffee and then followed her to the coolest shop in Burlington, Stowe's Shoes and Clothing, where we lucked upon a sidewalk sale.  I scored 3 pairs of shoes (badly needed) one of which was on sale.  I'll definitely make the trek that far north for shoes in the future ~ they had all my favorite brands.  Then we met the gals for knitting at Wildfibers for a few hours.  I ran across the street to Easton's Books to try and find a used set of the Anne of Green Gables series.  No such luck but I did find the very sweet book in the picture above.  It's called The Little Wooden Doll by Margery Williams Bianco (copyright 1925) to add to my old children's book collection.  It's about a lonely old fashioned hinged wooden doll that lies neglected in an attic until the spiders knit her a lace dress and the moths give her velvet off their wings for a new cloak and the mice bring her corn silk for new plaits in her hair.  Then the birds and mice scoop her up and take her to a lonely little girl that lives in the woods who loves her forever and names her Rose, the name the wooden doll has always longed to be called.  I love a good story!  ~ Melissa

Retirement

The older I get, the more appealing it sounds ~ a week of vacation just isn't enough anymore.

We've been working on the house all week so today was for fun.  Went and sat with our knitgroup and saw some of the retreat gals for the first time since October.  The drive to Mount Vernon was beautiful as always ~ it's nice to get in the car and actually be able to drive and not do the stop-and-go that is my everyday life.  Spent some time visiting with my #1 Homey for the first time in months, also (that would be YOU, Kelli!) ~ it was a great day and I actually got a bit of knitting done on my Bias Summer Scarf.

Punta Yarns ~ Merisock Handpainted

And tomorrow, we're bombing the house for the moth invasion that I'm afraid has started (I killed 2 yesterday ~ the nasty, nasty buggers), and the gang that went to Portland on the yarn train is heading over to the Olympic Peninsula for the day to visit some yarn shops that we've never been to.  It will be a great day if we only have 1/2 the fun we had in Portland!