The Stitch Up

Winter In New York

We did a little post Christmas, Happy New Year, trip to New York last month.  New York is just a great town and we try to see a few different things every time we visit.  This time we spent a little time in Brooklyn.  We hit the Brooklyn Flea Market which was awesome.  The market goes indoors in the Winter but still has plenty of vendors and so much food!  We ate grilled cheese, lobster rolls, donuts - and it was all delicious!

My main excuse for going to NY this time was to see the "Death Becomes Her" exhibit at the Met.  It was wonderful.  It was a really cool presentation of mourning clothes from the 18th and 19th century.  

While this exhibit was amazing, we actually stumbled on the last day of an exhibit on Kimonos which completely blew me away.  These kimonos had so many intricate designs and patterns they were truly art.

I was seriously in textile heaven.  

While we were in NY we found a great spot enjoy the sunset...

and the lights of the city at night.  

Despite how fast paced NY is our trip was really relaxing and rejuvenating and exactly what we needed after the holidays.

Back to the Beautiful Pacific Northwest

I did a little bit of traveling this Summer.  I headed out to Washington and Oregon to visit friends and family and cool off a little bit.  Truthfully, I ended up being there during a little heat wave and it was hotter there than here in the South.  But it was beautiful and fun and a great trip.

My first stop was near Tacoma, Washington.  I met up with my brother and nephew and we did a little hiking around Mt. Ranier National Park.  This is a gorgeous national park with lots of hiking trails for pretty much any skill level.

 

We took it pretty easy since it was just a day trip.  We stopped at a few trails on our way up to Paradise - the highest you can get by car.  These trails all had lovely waterfalls.

I managed to wrangle my adorable nephew in for a picture here and there.

 

At the top of the park at Paradise it was a little overcast so we actually couldn't get a good photo of Ranier itself but the area around the base of the peak had even more trails with waterfalls and a very cool hotel and lodge with that rustic architecture style of national park buildings that I just love.

The next day we took a little day trip to Seattle.  I'd visited Seattle years ago, but it is such an interesting city - I'm sure you could visit 100 times and still not see everything.  My brother found a cool tour that takes you underground to see the old part of the city before it was raised and built up.  It was creepy and super interesting.

Those glass squares are set into the sidewalk we'd just been walking on to get to the underground entrance.  From below the city, we went to the top:

Sky View Observatory has a 360 view of the city.  These were great photo opportunities and I even wrangled my brother and nephew into posing.

The last day of my visit with my brother was probably my favorite.  We hung around his town and took a hike through a lush, green park near his house that opens up onto Puget Sound.  I do realize that I was visiting Washington during the perfect time and had perfect weather and usually it would be raining like crazy - BUT - this park and the ocean and just the lovely laid back feel of the town had me really thinking about moving.

Such a great trip and visit.  I left unbelievably relaxed.  I just wish I could get out there more often!  Next stop on my trip was Portland and eating, drinking and shopping with my girlfriends.  I'll post that next.

 

Anniversary Get Away

This is the second time we've gone to New York for our anniversary.  It's pretty perfect.  It's a short train ride from home and New York is a different experience every time you go.  It's a pretty hectic place - I don't know if I could live there, but I absolutely love to visit.

We arrived at night and had a very romantic and (to me at least) sophisticated cocktail at a roof bar.  Does anyone ever get tired of the views in this town?

 

 

It was a little chilly but we snuggled by the ultra cool fire pit and enjoyed our drinks.

After sleeping in the next morning, we took a little walk about and the Husband demonstrated why he is the BEST by patiently accompanying me to some craft stores.  First up was Kinokuniya bookstore.  The Husband actually had some decent anime and book options of his own to peruse while I was pawing through their AWESOME collection of Japanese craft magazines.  My Stash:

 I also bought this organizer basically because it's adorable and I found the description of the cat to be too cute:

 

 

 "a cat wearing socks, not a cat with a pattern like wearing socks".  Because = obviously.

Our next stop was M&J Trimmings.  This was not quite so interesting for the Husband, but I was pretty quick.  I think this would be a nice resource to have if you lived in NY.  It was great to see the HUGE selection of ribbons first hand, but I would say that most of what they had I've seen on Etsy for much less money.  That does not mean that I left empty handed however:

 

 I'm not even sure what the plan here is.  I have a kind of vague plan of embellishing some jeans with embroidery and thought one of these might get worked into a design.  They were all pretty cute though so I have no doubt I'll come up with something!

Last stop of the craft tour was The City Quilter.  This store has some great fabric they design themselves with NY designs.  I bought some cool photo squares of a NY map and old postcards, and a NY themed fat quarter set that's going to get paired with the fat quarter my husband picked up for me on a previous trip.  (He really is the best!)

 

 

The rest of our time was spent doing some touristy stuff like going to the top of Rockefeller Center which we'd never done before.  The view was the best!

Most of the trip we just wandered around and enjoyed being in the city.  We had one of those great nights where we found a corner bar, met some great people and just chatted for a couple hours.  We also had some relaxing days of sitting in the park or in some corner of the city and people watching.  It is something special about NY that you can find exciting places to be if that's what you're looking for, but you can also find quiet beautiful spots to just relax.

 

I'm not sure how many times we would need to visit New York before I felt like I'd seen everything there is to see.  I think it's a city that will always have something new and exciting to discover.

 

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NY Craftin'

Desert Escape

I try to get out West to visit my family as much as possible and the fact that they live out in the desert makes these trips not just a wonderful reunion with people I love - but also a nice little warm weather escape when the weather on the east coast is still dismal and cold.

I made an trek out in early Spring.  We were still getting snow at home but once I arrived in Arizona it was perfection.

I pretty much lose my mind while I'm there trying to take the perfect sunset and sunrise photo.  I got up early and drove out to some of the hills around tow. I stopped randomly on the side of the road when we were coming home from dinner so I could catch the last rays of the sun.  I think I was driving my parents a little nuts and I still never felt like I was capturing how beautiful it was.

The great thing is that there is always another chance to get the perfect photo!  

My visit was wonderful and relaxing and I'm once again counting the days until my next trip.  Thank goodness the weather here has finally improved and we're fully enjoying Spring.  We don't have quite the dramatic sunsets here, but with the flowers and green everywhere I've still been taking pics nonstop.  I hope everyone is getting some sun, enjoying Spring and taking beautiful pictures!

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The West Is Best

The West Is Best

I try to get out to see my family in Arizona a couple times a year and to see my "home girls" in California at least once a year.  I love getting back to the desert.  I've grown to love Virginia and all of the green we're surrounded by here, but there is something about the desert and the mountains that still just makes me so happy.

I can always tell I'm getting close to my parents house when these warning signs start popping up:

I've actually never seen one of these wild donkeys but I keep hoping.  

My Mom and I always do some walking in the early mornings.  She's out somewhat in the middle of nowhere and I love the openness of the area and the quiet.

It's always quality time when I visit my parents.  We did a lot of relaxing at home and Mom and I snuck in some time at the spa and some shopping (of course).  I spotted this at one of the spots around town and thought it was amazing:

The artist uses reclaimed wood from the river.  This represents a native american spirit of the water - it was lovely!

After time with my parents I headed to Cali for some time with my girlfriends.  These are ladies I've known since we were kids and being with them is comfortable like family.  No matter how many months or sometimes years have passed since we were together in person, it feels like it was just yesterday.

My friend Teresa, who I stayed with, has an AMAZING collection of vintage hand embroidered textiles and I went a little crazy taking pics of them.

Crazy, beautiful stuff right?  

She also has a couple of framed hand embroidered pictures of flowers made by yours truly that I gave her many years ago.  I have to say, it's makes me so happy to see that someone still uses something I made years later.

They've held up pretty well!

In addition to chatting, eating, chatting and eating some more, we took a little day trip up to Idylwild.  It's so pretty and it provides a little break from the heat.

There are a lot of cute shops.  An artisan jerky shop had this sign out front that made me laugh:

In the vein of cool wood carvings, I also came across this GIANT carving of the Buddha:

It was a pretty relaxing day all around.

Sadly after a few days of relaxing and catching up with these wonderful ladies, I was back on the road headed home.  The only up side was that I had a night in Vegas to chill out, eat some more great food and enjoy the pool.

Vacations are tough, what can I say?

I'm back on the east coast now, wich I do love, but I'm also counting down the days until my next trip out west.

Richmond Rules

I had to head to Richmond for a conference last month and took the opportunity to do some sight seeing.  First up on the way in I stopped at the cute little railroad town of Ashland.  It's about 15 miles out of Richmond and is a scenic place to stop, grab a cup of coffee and stretch your legs.

This love sign is apparently part of a Virginia is for Lovers campaign - I thought it was pretty cute parked out in front of the train station.

After reaching Richmond I had to hit a couple of meetings and a dinner but I had plotted out a schedule of places to see starting first thing in the morning.  My first stop was Carytown - a neighborhood with great shops and restaurants.  They had the perfect place to get a little sugar and coffee rush - Dixie Donuts.

I had samoa, french toast and dixie spice flavors - they were AMAZING.

Next up - what I heard was a Richmond institution and a fabric mecca: U-fab.

It was pretty awesome, although it's primarily home decor fabric, and I did not have a project in mind but I SO wish that I did because the selection was amazing:

 

 

They also had a completely adorable machine for dispensing upholstery tacks - it looked like an old school cigarette machine:

Another highlight of Carytown was the Byrd Theatre - a very beautiful and old school theatre that still shows movies. 

The neighborhood around Carytown is also pretty, with lovely row houses, shady lawns and balconies.

My next stop was the Hollywood Cemetery.  It's a historic cemetery where James Monroe, John Tyler, and Jefferson Davis are all buried.  

The commemoration to Jefferson Davis:

Some of the older crypts near the Jefferson Davis memorial.

The cemetery is on the banks of the James River and has some beautiful views.

Palmer Chapel in the cemetery, overlooking the James River.

On the way back to MY hotel I stopped at the Jefferson hotel.  It has a beautiful interior with a statue of Jefferson.

It's apparently a great place to have high tea.  They do it up in the lobby. Unfortunately I didn't have time - hopefully I'll have time next trip.

The next day I headed back towards home, but on the way I stopped at Woodlawn Plantation for the Needlework Exhibit.  They have it every year and take submissions from stitchers from all over.

I wasn't sure what to expect but they had a lot of submissions in a variety of techniques.  The only criticism I had is that they were a little crazy about photos - I took a couple of pics before they told me that they weren't allowed. 

There were very few original works but some lovely kits and samplers stitched up.  I wish they provided the info on the designers for the various patterns.  A lot of the people viewing the exhibition were interested in where the different designs came from and I think it would be nice exposure for the designers.

I like these short trips around Virginia.  There are so many pretty historic places to see.  I probably only scratched the surface on Richmond and it's worth a trip just for the donuts alone.

Crafting in Montana

We mainly stayed in Whitefish Montana during our vacation in September.  When we were there several years ago I had found an awesome shop called the Back Door General Store.  They have a ton of cute things, and - most important to me - a section for quilters.  They carry patterns by McKenna Ryan, a local Montana artist and I loved her quilt designs.  They are mainly inspired by the outdoors - animals and moutain scenes from Montana and I picked up three applique quilt kits on my last trip.

However, as often happens, when I got home, life took over and these awesome quilt kits just sat in my "some day" craft pile.  On our most recent trip however, I dropped back in to Back Door General Store and found out they have classes on applique quilting and use McKenna Ryan patterns in the instruction.  I was down for this in a big way, so in between fishing - I scheduled a class.

We used a simple pattern - the applique was made up of just a few pieces.  The instructor is the owners daughter.  She was very patient and fun.  On the day I took the class it was just the two of us, but I think she gets more students once the tourist season lightens up.

I just finished quilting and framing this piece last week - it's a nice souvenir.

And while my main purpose in taking the class was to get skilled at applique so I could complete the McKenna Ryan kits I'd already bought, they had just stocked her line of Christmas patterns, so I didn't leave empty handed:

It's Bears in Santa hats - I had to get it.

Despite spending most of my craft time (and dollars) in the Backdoor General Store - I did manage to find some spare moments to check out a very cool yarn store in Whitefish.  The Knit n Needle Yarn Shoppe has a great selection of beautiful yarns and some of the most helpful staff I've met.  I told them I was just shopping without any project in mind, but after finding some beautiful yarn for socks, they gave me a beginner sock pattern and some basic instruction.  They would have sent this to my Ravelry account if I'd had one, but I don't.  Although this made me think I could use one.

I haven't had a chance to start on this, but the winter months after Christmas are perfect for knitting - so I'm all set.

It's always nice when my outdoor side and my indoor crafty side can coexist on vacation.  Whitefish was a perfect location for both and I can't wait to get back.

Lazy Virginia Afternoons

We took a drive through Virginia horse country a few weeks ago.  It's always beautiful and green and a lot quieter than the DC suburbs.

We started our drive the best way possible - with a stop for breakfast at The Apple House.  Their apple butter donuts are amazing and the sugar jolt gave us plenty of energy for the rest of the day.

 

What always amazes me about this area of Virginia is that you can be driving along through some little town in the middle of farm lands and come across some beautiful surprise.  

Driving through some back highways we came across the Waddell Memorial Presbyterian Church.  It looks like an old church from some English village, although as it was built in 1874 - it is an old church, just one nestled in the Virginia countryside.

We headed for downtown Culpepper for some lunch.  The area is picturesque with cute shops and as with many areas of Virginia - lots of Civil War history.

We had a couple of great burgers at The Stable and then took a stroll through downtown where we found My Secret Stash - cute store with vintage and antique goods as well as an old school candy bar.  The husband left with some lovely old maps and I left with a mix of pumpkin, gingerbread and chocolate mint malt balls.  

Our last stop on our country drive was Charlottesville.  A bigger town than the little spots where we'd spent most of the day, but we were in the neighborhood, they have a great downtown, and - I wanted to check out a yarn shop.  (of course.)

The Needle Lady has a great collection of yarns and some very nice and helpful staff.  I bought this yarn:

It is really soft and I thought it was going to be a bulky yarn. I planned to use it to crochet a cowl with this pattern from Handmade by Anne Potter.  However it turns out this yarn is a thick/thin yarn and trying to crochet with it was really a mess.  I made the cowl anyway using some basic Red Heart yarn I had around.  It came out cute, and I'm sure I'll get some use out of it this winter, but it doesn't have that snuggly bulky quality:

For the thick/thin yarn I did a little research on patterns.  Most suggested using really large knitting needles and a basic pattern - either straight knit or stockinette.  I started a scarf using size 15 needles and just knit stitches.  I've had to rip it out and restart a couple of times, as its a little tough to get used to the yarn and I want it to look symmetrical, but I think it's looking good now and I know it's going to be soft:

This is pretty amazing for me - to have two scarfs finished or almost finished before the cold weather really hits.  I'm trying to get organized now to start on some Christmas crafts.  It is early but it's the only way I'll get anything done in time.  

Hope everyone is enjoying the start of Fall and all the warm knits we can start wearing now!

Shipping Up To Boston

I had a birthday recently and the Husband planned an awesome trip for us to Boston to celebrate.  He kicked off our trip with a birthday gift that was amazingly thoughtful.

I needed a new overnight bag and how many guys know the name of their wives favorite fabric designer?  Well apparently my sweet Husband picked up on all my ranting about Amy Butler's gorgeous fabric (or all the cash I've spent on that fabric!) and bought me the perfect gift!

Our first stop in Boston? Lobster Rolls!  We hit town around lunch time so what else could we do?

Plus - we needed the energy for walking around a bit.  We were close enough to Boston Common to wander through and work off the lobster.  It was packed with people and clearly the center of downtown life.

We did a little window shopping after the Commons.  We hit an outdoor bookstore and then a couple of craft locations!

Winmil Fabric had a great selection of fabrics for really cheap prices.  There were no real out of the ordinary fabrics - it seemed to be mostly what I would find at JoAnns but for much less money.

The more exciting store was Windsor Buttons.  

They had an insane selection of buttons as well as a great stock of yarns and tons of cool books and patterns.  We left with a variety of great skull butons and a recommendation from the clerk on where to find some local, hand spun yarn.

We started bright and early the next day and hit the big tourist spots.  Boston is stuffed with great historical locations.  My favorite was Faneuil Hall where you can sit in the same spot where Samuel Adams spoke and the protests against the Stamp Act took place.

After Faneuil Hall we wandered to some of the other great historical spots.  They're all fairly close together and within easy walking distance.  Being the middle of summer however, everything was pretty packed with tourists.  It was interesting to stand where the Boston Massacre had taken place and walk into the Old South Meeting House where the Boston Tea Party started.  But we were glad to head out of the main tourist area and get a little breathing room.  

We wandered through the Esplanade by the Charles River and headed toward the Back Bay for a little late lunch and shopping.

The houses around the Back Bay were lovely and the neighborhoods were shady - perfect for meandering around.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at two beautiful spots.  First the Mother Church:

This is all part of the Christian Science plaza and is a lovely, peaceful spot to take a break in the middle of the city.

The second spot was the Boston Public Library which was far and away my favorite location in the city.

The inside was gorgeous and such an inspirational place to study and read.

After all the sight seeing we rested up and had dinner at a fabulous french restaurant and I toasted in another year of me with some creme brulee.  It was a perfect weekend and I recommend Boston to everyone for a birthday get away!

NY Craftin'

I am physically incapable of going on any vacation without snuffling out the local craft - preferably stitching - options.  New York was no exception.  On my radar from the moment our train pulled into town was Purl Soho.  The store was as welcoming, charming and well stocked as the web site.

The ladies were very knowledgable and offered friendly advice to anyone with questions about their project.  While there I heard them help one woman find yarn for a sock project and another lady find soft, colorful yarn for a baby blanket.  I myself left with a bit of a haul:

Cute fabric scraps, yarn and embroidery thread.  I have no exact plans for any of this but I did get inspired.

My next big craft find was kind of a surprise.  After stumbling out of McSorleys, four beers down, I spotted Surma and was frozen in my tracks by the gorgeous Ukrainian needlework.

(Photo from Greenwich Village Daily Photo.)

The shop had a collection of gorgeous Ukrainian needlework as well as patterns and notions.  Once again, I left with a bit of a haul:

A book of Ukrainian rose embroidery patterns and embroidered ribbon!  They also had a collection of some of the cutest cards.  I picked up a few but now wish I'd cleaned out the store:

I think you have to go to the physical store itself to really get the full range of products but they do sell some things online, so enjoy!

We'll see what this latest craft adventure inspires.  I'm back home, ready for the summer and ready to get crafty.