Back in the Saddle

One year ago I declared my intention to "blog" regularly.  Now I look back and see it has been two years since I've added anything here. After perusing a couple "drafts" from Spring 2014, I decided to post them and then add the missing photos which are what held me up in the first place.

Okay, here goes my new attempt (which is also waiting on photos.)

Lately you could be following the rabbit tracks down to Iowa City on a fairly regular basis.  DS Eric and I have been meeting for coffee on some of his late start days at the U.  Today we were over at the Bread Garden Market because he particularly wanted to try Stroompwafels with his coffee. Apparently you set the wafels over your hot black coffee which warms with yummy innards and then you much them with great contentment.  I don't know, because he decided his machiato was not hot enough for the purpose.  Update coming (I hope.)

After coffee we wandered over to the Iowa City Public Library.  Roaming the stacks made me very aware of all we have lost in Cedar Rapids due to the flood.  Even though we have made good efforts at restoring the library's collection, we have lost so much! And on top of that our voters have decided that asking for more funding is too extreme.

Not to end on a down note.  It is a beautiful day outside (even with the wind.)  Thankfully we were not blown away by the storms last night. I have new fibers to set out and a fiber show to prepare for in the Amanas this weekend. We will also be celebrating Eric's 19th birthday.  This means we have been in Iowa for nearly 20 years!

Iowa Landmarks

Today (March 31st) Liz and I traveled to Ames, Winterset and Ankeny.

Our first stop was a flop.  The Niland gas station was closed so we opted for the Dutch Bakery in Ames for coffee and goodies.  Then up to Gilbert to visit Tina Rice at PIXI.  What a creative woman and what a fun gallery.

Next we planned to visit Clint's booth at the cafe in Winterset.  They were closed however so we walked around the square and discovered another cute little cafe where we had delicious sandwiches right next door to Fons and Porter's Quilting store (also closed) before we finished up at Heartland Fiber.

After perusing the yarn shop we headed out of town via John Wayne's birth site and the little park south of town and the museum park.

Now, up to Ankeny to inspect another yarn shop: Knitting Next Door. And next door we discovered a cute little furniture and furniture repair shop and Liz made a new friend.

Now back up to Ames and a restaurant for dinner.  We ended up at a cute little cafe, the Cupcake Emporium where we had nice sandwiches and delicious cupcakes and I found the Birthday Squirrels.

It is good to have a fun travel adventure companion.  It is really good to be the passenger so you can knit!

Local Color

I made a flying trip down to Letts, IA and High Prairie Fiber today, March 13th to replenish some fibers and yarns for the shop. Abi Hutchison has a great fiber studio where she creates a variety of yarns and spinning fibers.


I finished a shrug this last week known as "Sleeves" with her Heritage Jacob yarn known as "Yarn with a Face" spun from a heritage Jacob flock, each yarn is named by the sheep.  This yarn has a lovely hand.  It is soft and scootchy and feels lovely to knit.  I love her color names, "Solidago", "Blazing Star" to name a couple.


Today I picked up a new yarn spun with Blue Face Leceister (BFL), Alpaca and Silk.  I haven't knit it yet, but I'm anxious to try it out.  I also replenished my stash of "Walkabout" shading yarn and her BFL roving, superfine Merino roving and silk top.  I haven't had her "String Things" in stock for a while.

It is a wonderful experience traveling around the Iowa countryside.  There may not be the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, but there really is a quiet beauty in this area of the country.  The first time I ever drove down to Abi's they were playing Musorsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" so today I put in the CD. Perfect.

Autumn beauty

I love Autumn days like this. . 

and this.

 It would have taken me all day to travel home from St Charles, IL and SOAR if I had stopped for every photo opp.  Instead I chose to click as I drove and hope for some decent shots

 The hills heading into Galena were roller coaster-esque.

 By the time I hit Dubuque the sun was beginning to set which left me an hour of driving with the sun in my eyes.  It led to some beautiful photographs though.

 Moving forward to 30 October 2013.  I awoke this morning to overcast skies but by the time I left my friends house the fog had truly settled in.  How I love a cold, foggy, rainy Fall day.

 And finally. . . the last rose of Autumn.  Gertrude Jekyll challenging the frost.

SOARing

This last weekend the rabbit tracks led to St. Charles, Illinois for the Spin Off Autumn Retreat 2013.

It has been 13 years since I was able to go.  Much has changed since then; kids have grown up, I hope I have gained some expertise in spinning and I now have the shop.
I was in a surly mood as I drove across Iowa and Illinois, second guessing my decision to go to SOAR.  Life has been so busy and I feel as though I am running through it too fast to appreciate it.

Making a fulled yarn in "Creative Chaos" class with Kate Larson.

Finished fulled yarn - fun and colorful

Idea pages and color swatches

Spinning cotton on a Tahkli spindle with Andrea Mielke Schroer

Electronic carder from Clemes and Clemes - looking forward to this one coming into the shop.

Proof that I can spin a thick yarn - with Cindy Howard-Gibbon and Elizabeth Ashford.

Richard Ashford creating on the blending board with Cindy and Elizabeth.

At breakfast the last day with new friends, Louise, Anne and Kim.

Encouraged by my classes, I've set a challenge to work with these great fibers from Bonkers.
Chris, JoAnne and I will use the same colors and each make our own creation.

My Little Cotton Rabbit Emma wants to learn how to spin cotton on a Tahkli spindle
 just like I did at SOAR with Andrea Mielke Schroer.

Visiting the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis

So, the last time I posted I was also in Minneapolis.
This time I'm here for a family wedding reception and activities with Mom and Steph - A girl's weekend.

I was nice to visit with aunts, uncles and cousins on Friday night.
Saturday Steph lined up a visit to the American Swedish Institute for us with her friend Karen, beginning with lunch at FIKA (their delicious restaurant).  American Swedish Institute

Meatballs with potato puree, cheese dumplings with trout roe, salmon smorgas, chilled cucumber almond soup, ginger beer, wild mushroom and green beans with roasted cherries, radish smorgas and birch cream soda.  New Scandinavian cuisine - YUM.

The Turnblad Mansion seen through the glass of the newer portion of the ASI.

The current exhibit is glass artists from Sweden -  Pull, Twist, Blow — Transforming The Kingdom of Crystal.  The exhibit is housed partly in the new section and partly in the mansion which was the original site.  It is interesting seeing the play of turn of the 20th century architecture and design against the very modern glass art.

 

A beautiful light-filled room.

Sunroom at the mansion.  Would be beautiful for spinning.

I found a few rooms which would be lovely for hosting a spinning party (making yarn not sweating on bicycles).

The plaster work on the ceiling reminded us of wedding cake icing.

The Visby window - a huge stained glass piece.  The stocking cap on the man in the center inspired a hat in the new book I found in the gift shop.

Many of the pieces were intriguing but didn't speak to me. 
The pieces by Ingelene Klenell I really loved.

 

 

 A crystal forest

  Postcards - the incomplete glass represents our incomplete memories.

I also found a fun knitting book, Swedish Handknits inspired by the ASI.

 

Who knew wandering around a museum could be so exhausting.  Home to Steph's where she made us a wonderful salad dinner and shared her yummy chocolate-dipped caramel apple (no pictures) and we watch Murder on the Links with David Souchet as Poirot.

Sunday: the Twins.  Do you think they'll win?  It'll take a miracle.

Two-Shop Yarn Hop, Lunch and IKEA

I'm writing from Minneapolis tonight while my sister is cooking up dinner.  Saturday and Sunday were the YMCA Regional Swim Meet at St Thomas University in St. Paul, but I chose to stay up here an extra day while Jeff and Eric ended up spending the night in Albert Lea.  That is another story.

When I planned to stay an extra day with Steph (sister) and visit some yarn shops and IKEA I thought I would be by myself, but it turned out that Steph had the day off today.  I had never been to IKEA and she has not been to a yarn shop since I showed her R. Rabbit's shortly after I opened.  We made our plans, Googled yarn shops and selected a couple that were somewhat enroute to IKEA and close to Birchwood Cafe for lunch.

Steph outside Bella Lana - www.beautifulyarn.com

Inside Bella Lana - love the ceiling and restful atmosphere

Enzo, the Italian Greyhound shopdog - sweet boy

Steph and the stuffed animals

Next onto Birchwood Cafe.  Their "good real food" is really good food.
www.birchwoodcafe.com

What we ate.  This is Steph's plate with her Maple Squash soup and  her Citrus Tamari Tofu sandwich.

Rabbit crossing?

Outside Steven Be Yarns - Big and bright and colorful - inside and out  R. Rabbit's feels really cozy compared with this.
www.stevenbe.com

Charles Schultz meets Swedish Icons.
I finally made it to IKEA.  What to say about this place?  I could get seriously lost in there.  Steph says she would like to live in the showroom.  I fell in love with a couple kitchens, there are bookcases everywhere and comfy couches and chairs.  Then there are the gadgets and dishes!

At the IKEA Marketplace - yum!

Steph made me buy "Gossig Kanin" or cozy bunny.  He is showing off the lingonberries.

Spinning yummies from Steven Be: Annespun carded blend of silk/alpaca/mohair/glitz/merino.