February 18

Greetings! Betsy and I had a bast on Friday dropping the machine off in Middlebury. We visited The Vermont Yarn Company, a warm and pleasing yarn shop. Any yarn store with bales of hay on the outside, and a wood stove on the inside is for me..... I picked up some traditional Norwegian yarn for a pair of mittens, and a great classic Norwegian mitten book. I have knit Norwegian mittens but it was years ago and I'd love to do another pair. Betsy and I found these great bamboo pins and very neat little bamboo crochet hook, all great fun :) I did find the buttons I was looking for at a shop called Be Jewelled, one of my favorite stops. Very high end vintage items... look at all the bakelite! I was drooling... and kitchen ware from the 40's & 50's Ahhhhh... complete glass sets and fab table cloths etc..... I couldn't resist a vintage football button! Some of you know my dad was a football coach and I still love the game... can't wait to build a bag around that button, and it'll alway remind me of my dad. No doubt one of the coolest buttons... ever. She does sell on line here:

www.rubylane.com/shops/bejewelled.com

Well worth the visit. I also found 6 beautiful vintage mother of pearl button that were perfect for my latest sweater, love it! The entire day was needed for the both of us and it was a ball. That night was the opening ceremonies for the Olympics which meant the mass cast on! My Ravelympics project is coming along nicely! Saturday my older son and his girlfriend came by for a visit and the guys went to the mountain while Hannah and I went to..... you guessed it, a yarn shop. She's a new knitter and has caught the bug big time! (Not that I had anything to do with that....) so I helped her finish up her first project and she's already moved on to mittens.... impressive! Sunday was Valentine's Day and Paul's birthday so we got together with old friends' for a five mile cross country ski up at Camel's Hump... we loved it. Fondue and shrimp for dinner and of course.... the Olympics!
I'm almost caught up on back work and will probably have next week be the first case night! There may be a bag or two, not sure yet... but I have custom bags waiting so will see how the week plays out. Thank you all for the kind words, much appreciated! Be here next week to see my hopefully completed Ravelympics project! I'll fill you in on all the crazy details.....

Woody came out and turned two noste for tonight, and made a top for a friend of his. He had made one a few years back and she's wanted one ever since... it's so pretty and boy did it ever spin! Love it.....

Have a good week all, thanks for stopping in and knit on good women!

Martha.