The past few weeks have been a whirlwind! After my husband turned 40, and Halloween, I turned 40! I celebrated for over a week, too. (Hey, I don’t half-ass anything, LOL!)
We had a small get-together at home with my in-laws and a few friends, then got in the car and took off for Ann Arbor for a week. My husband had to work there for the week, so I tagged along. Unfortunately he didn’t really get to relax much, but I was fortunate enough to have zero obligations that week, so I relaxed and had a good time. I spent some time going to museums (The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, and parts of the Museum of Art, both of which are on the University of Michigan campus). Otherwise I just wandered around, checking out all the independent shops, coffee houses and restaurants in the area.
My favorites of the restaurants were Amadeus, a German/Polish restaurant, The Jolly Pumpkin, an alehouse, Cupcake Station, a fantastic bakery with mini, regular and giant cupcakes, and Zingerman’s Deli, whose tuna fish is the best I’ve had, I think.
I also discovered a nice, if small, knitting shop right on Main Street, Busy Hands. Their selection of Malabrigo Rasta was unrivaled! The owner was very nice and helpful, too, even going so far as to hand me a bus schedule so I could explore more if I wanted to.
I bought some Rasta and immediately cast on the Laser cowl while sitting in a coffee shop one day. It knits up quick! I did a lot of sitting around in coffee shops, reading and knitting and people-watching, which was so relaxing in between walking miles every day on my wanderings. I even managed to start some Christmas knitting, which I can’t talk about here for obvious reasons. I have a few FOs but no pics till after the recipients get them. 
We got home and went back to work for only a couple of days, and then it was Thanksgiving! We hosted a small group of family and friends, and after dinner we Skyped my parents in so they could join us from Oregon. Technology rules!
Now, to finish the Christmas knitting. I’m finding that knitting podcasts and videocasts are helping. Discovered a couple today: Charminglochie, and Knittin’ On The Fly. Both videocasts are really engaging, very charming & fun to watch. You kind of feel like you’re nattering with your mates, except it’s a bit one sided. Still, these gals made me laugh during a little bit of a rough day, and for that I’m grateful. So thank you, ladies, for sharing your lives with us.
That’s about it in my little world. Pretty soon I’ll be registering for the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Show, but I’ll talk about that next time. If you’re in the U.S., I hope you had a very nice holiday weekend, and I hope all readers have a good December, whether you’re gearing up for your holiday of choice or just going to revel in whatever weather you’re getting this month.
