What do you mean it’s broke – isn’t it brand new?!?!?
We hit our hometown of Birmingham, Alabama today!
This was on our travel list for several reasons. We purchased our Reflection at Dixie RV in Calera and needed to have a few things fixed on our rig. The other reason is family! My parents live in Helena, as does my brother, sister-in-law and adorable newest niece (who I LOVE to knit for)! We also have aunts, cousins and friends. We decided to spend a week visiting, getting our rig fixed up, and hitting a couple of yarn shops!
Dragging the extended family along!!!
My mom, who doesn’t knit (even though I’ve tried for the last 10 years to get her to try it), was a great sport and went with me to visit in the making, a yarn shop in Cahaba Heights. This shop has many beautiful yarns, notions, bags and fabric! The fabric was a surprise to me. It is a very open shop with windows across the front, a nice seating area with folks knitting and chatting, and cubbies and tables with yarn displayed.
They had an interesting table with skeins of yarn attached together for a mystery KAL (knit along) that started the first of February. My fingers itched to grab up a group of colors and “knit along” but talked myself down because of the projects I already have waiting to be knit! {ED. NOTE – like the scarf that is still waiting to be lengthened} At the cash register, I noticed a basket of wool balls and felted soaps from my favorite shop in Conway, Arkansas – The Twisted Purl! Shout out to Cyndi!
Another day – another yarn shop!!!
We headed to another shop in town, Knit Happenz at Memory Hagler Knitting. My understanding is that the current owner, Holly, runs this shop started by her mother years ago! This shop had a warm, friendly feeling from the minute you walked in the door. We were greeting immediately upon entering and told about the sale yarns. They were putting up new inventory and making room for more to come.
There was a nice, big table toward the front of the room where several people were knitting and a large couch section tucked in the back that I would have missed if not determined to see the entire shop 😊! Several ladies were sitting and knitting back there also.
What do you mean it’s on sale!!!! I’ll take it!!
My mom saw a sample cowl that she liked and it was made with sale yarn! I LOVE a yarn sale (doesn’t every knitter?). So I picked up a couple of balls of Misti Tui Alpaca in grey and cream to knit this cowl up for her. She never asks for anything, so I’m happy to be able to knit something she wants.
It is a cowl knit with 2 strands of cream for a couple of inches, 1 strand of cream and 1 of grey for a several inches, then ending in 2 strands of grey. Mom is cold all the time, especially her neck! The plan is to knit it up quickly for her and get it in the mail. {ED. NOTE – It did not knit up quickly} (I forgot to take a picture so you’ll have to wait until it’s finished) {ED. NOTE – Again, not quickly at all} I also picked up 2 skeins of Classic Elite, Tiverton Tweed 
in a shade called Wood. It was just so soft and squishy, I had to have it!
Travel Note
In 2 days, we’ll be moving on again – heading to Virginia to see our oldest son – he was deployed for 6 months back in April, so it’s been almost a year since we’ve seen him – and his wife. BTW, her messy bun beanie should be ready by time we get there! I am using the Copy.Cat C. C. Beanie pattern from Clementine Knits and Crochets. The pattern lets you choose whether to leave a hole at the top for the “messy bun” or close it up and finish however you’d like, with a pom pom, etc. 
Can NOT wait to see them!!