Return from the Land of the Lost

Not having a camera has weaned me from blogging. DD's Senior Exhibition is next week and I am hoping that she will feel inclined to return the camera then!

I spent last week in Tampa, Florida. I think I blogged about my upcoming trip. Planning knitting for these trips is always a challenge. I did not want to take the shawl. I was 4-5 rows from the end and wanted to make sure I had enough to keep me busy during the week. I also did not want to pack the shawl incase luggage disappeared.

Instead, I took Porthos and a sock. I carry on my computer and a large tote bag. The knitting fit well in the bag and I made it through security with no problem. However, not much knitting took place on the trip down. On the short hop to Charlotte my mantra was: "grownups do not throw up on airplanes". We landed with enough time to run to the next gate and board. The first part of the flight was trying to get my stomach to settle and then as the pressure grew, my mantra became: "grownups do not cry on planes." I really thought my right eardrum was going to break. I could do nothing to relieve the pressure.

The first thing I did upon registering in my hotel was to ask where the nearest drug store was so that I could purchase Sudafed. They gave me directions but indicated it was too far to walk. I have been puzzled this year. I have not traveled much in the previous three years and have just begun to travel to trainings again. It is interesting, every place I have gone, people look very startled when you walk. I don't know if it is a safety issue or just our society. I walked to the drug store, it was about .5 miles. There were restaurants in the area and a shopping mall. I spent two of my evenings in that area.

One of the afternoons I got a taxi and went to a local yarn store. It was a wonderful trip. The shop was Knit N Knibble. Porthos was almost finished and I was itching to start another summer summer - not a wool sock. The staff was most accommodating and helped me to locate a pattern and to part me from some money. I purchased an Oat Couture pattern for the Rockport sweater. The directions are written for both a DK and Aran weight. We perused the store until I found a yarn in the correct gauge as well as a good color and enough yardage. I ended up with Calmer in a delicate yellow. Of course I did not have extra needles with me so I bought both Inox 4 and 6 circulars and settled in to knit a gauge swatch. There were at least 8 knitters just hanging out. They were seated around an old wooden table and on a comfy couch and easy chairs. The conversations were fun and it was clear these people knew each other, their projects and families. The folks were friendly and I had a wonderful afternoon. The shop closes at 6. At about 5:45 I called for a cab and went outside to wait. The owner noticed that I was still waiting outside at 6:30 and made me come back in to call again and she sat with me and knit on a store sample while I waited.

While we waited, we chatted. The shop has been open for 4 years. There is a kitchen in the back of the shop and they offer Lattes, sodas and baked goods which adds to a very warm atmosphere. I asked if there were always as many knitters hanging out and she replied that it was common to have many hanging out - they call it their club house. On Sundays the shop is closed and the owner opens for folks to come in to sit with her and knit socks. They have a full class schedule and she has knitters from 60 miles away who come regularly to classes. There are yarn shops closer to those folks and they still choose to travel. It did feel like that sort of place! I was jealous and wish I had a similar community and time to enjoy it.

Knitting update later this week.