ideaphoria

NOVEMBER HAPPENINGS

We're hosting Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and so I'm brining the turkey this evening. While I'm waiting for the turkey to finish its time in its brine bath, I thought I could show you a few photos. (I mean, if you can't blog when it's going on 11 at night and the only reason that you're still up is that you're brining the turkey, when can you blog?)

The first full week of November, I went to Tucson for a few days. My sister, who moved from our gloriously green corner of the country to spend her retirement years in Sedona, drove down to Tucson to meet me. We had gone out to do a little sightseeing, and when we returned to our hotel that night, the cacti flanking the driveway had been all lit up like Christmas. After spending most of her life around Douglas firs, Dear Sis just can't get enough of the saguaros. She ooh'ed and aaah'ed over the marvel of these lit up cacti. "You're never without your camera, Kar -- take a picture for me." So there was nothing for it but for me to stop the car, get out my camera, and crash around through the plantings and get stabbed by cactus needles, so I could get these photos.

I was seriously concerned that hotel security was going to see us crashing around in the underbrush in the dark and decide we looked suspicious. Dear Sis kept telling me I was paranoid.

For the trip to Airzona, I neglected to pack any of the million-and-one tote bags that I already own. But my everyday purse was just too small, and my airplane carry-on bag was too big, for carrying around my knitting. So I splurged on a new Brighton bag:

I love it! (I felt even slightly virtuous about this, since the price tag on this bag was a mere fraction of what the price was of that knitting bag that Naomi found while cruising the Nordstrom website.) And this bag was just right for carrying this project:

my Swallowtail Shawl, which grew by leaps and bounds. Even my sister (a non-knitter) remarked on how much progress I made. I'm nearly ready to start the first tier of the Lily of the Valley border.

More cheesy touristy photos:

Because I have a mail order business, I have some interest in the post office. Heck, I'm one of their best customers! So when I read that the Postal History Foundation has a museum in Tucson, I went there.

Here I am, playing Postmaster General.

If you are a stamp collector, the Postal History Foundation is the place you want to go! In addition to the 1880s post office storefront, they also have cabinets full of all different kinds of stamps and these can be purchased.

My tour guide shows me a drawer of foreign stamps; the sections are labeled: Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Portuguese India.

My days in Tucson were only too brief. And then it was back home, to real life and duties like homework knitting.

Earlier this week, Sandy came over for lunch. She also gave me a guided tour of Ravelry (she's blueheron, I'm KarenCampbell). I have not yet done much with my Ravelry account, because, frankly, it wasn't all that intuitive to me, but Sandy definitely has the hang of it and showed me the highlights. Oh, if only there were more hours in the day....

Sandy in her O-Wool hat. Pattern available from Two Swans, of course.

Sandy in her Bullseye Hat, knitted in Julia yarn. I'm ordering this yarn for Two Swans. I've been very impressed with how stretchy this yarn is, and it has a little bit of mohair content. I don't know whata it is about mohair, but I have always been crazy about it.

Another view of the Bullseye hat:

Sandy is the designer of the Midnight Sun tam and the Autumn tam. Several of us in the Feral Knitters group are planning to make one or the other (or both).

Well, the timer's going off, so I've got to go pull the turkey out of its brine bath. Here's wishing all my Ideaphoria readers a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Posted by Karen at November 21, 2007 10:40 PM