...And Then We Went to Colorado!

*This post comes much later than planned. We moved, then had no Internet for a couple of weeks. Then the laptop decided it was fed up with life. But these things have been remedied more or less satisfactorily. We're moving again in a couple of weeks, but that should be a smoother transition. 

So, after a bumpy plane ride that involved charged for carry-on bags (what the biscuits?!), two-dollar sodas (that we didn't buy), and service with a scowl, we landed in Denver.  By the end of the night we were safely ensconced at a friends house and ready for some much-needed sleep.

We decided it was wise to rent a car for the following day.  We drove to Estes Park and there met with my first yarn tourism spot of the trip! The Stitchin' Den is amazing! It stretches across two storefronts and has managed to stay vibrant and expanding even after the trauma of last year's floods.  They also carry items for the cross stitch (my old love) and needlepoint artists. I bought a large jewel-toned skein of a yarn I have since forgotten the name of. I have no idea what to do with it, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

The other new yarn store I discovered was Wild Yarns in Denver.  This adorable and unabashedly hip shop featured locally spun and dyed yarn as well as selections from some of the bigger luxury brands. Don't let their small size fool you. I found many delicious skeins to fall in love with. It took much effort, but I finally settled on a sport weight yarn from Sleep Season in a moody colorway called Enchanted.

Of course I had to stop by Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins in Boulder to pick up another locally dyed treasure. This time around, I got another skein from Sunshine Yarns in Far, Far Away. It looks like a night sky in a fairy tale.

Needless to say, there was great food and drink and a spectacular wedding!  I have definitely fallen in love with Colorado and hope to go back as soon as next fall.

So, We Spent a Day in Atlanta....

The beginning of June brought us back to Colorado, my new other-second-home-away-from-home.  Mr. Deep lived there for many years before returning prodigal son-like to the South, so he has a lot of friends out there (and now I do, too!). You can read about last year's trip here, which started in Albuquerque, NM.  We were quite excited to get out to that beautiful state and visit friends, see a couple of them get married (Congratulation Shannon and Alex!!!), enjoy beer, and SHOP FOR YARN! Okay, that last one may have been just me.

But first, a word about our travel out there.  I really am sad I didn't take pics of this side trip for the blog, but I hope my Pultizer-worthy narrative will suffice....

Do to the ridiculous cost of flying these days, we decided to Megabus it from Columbia, SC to Atlanta, GA and fly from there.  If you are new to Megabus, know that we only spent ONE DOLLAR each way per person for a 5-hour trip.  It was a comfortable ride all things considered, and much more pleasant than the plane ride (I will not be flying Frontier again anytime soon).  The downside is that it left Columbia at 3am.  That was a little gnarly, I admit. However, we got to Atlanta at 8am and, though some weird travel alchemy that happens in such situations, we had tons of energy, and since our flight didn't take off for 10 hours, we had all day to play in the city.

We wandered around pretty aimlessly for about an hour, finding a great cup of coffee on a tree-lined street and having an impromptu picnic in Centennial Olympic Park. We couldn't find exactly what we wanted for breakfast, and we had all of our snacks we bout for the bus ride, so it was a pleasant, cheap alternative to a restaurant. Then we headed off to Little Five Points which, if you've never been, is a fantastic enclave of artsy Bohemia populated by those who would probably hate to be called artsy or Bohemian. There we explored a coffee house, a couple of pubs (practice for Colorado, you know) and a lovely Indian restaurant called Planet Bombay featuring a craveable tandoori chicken and very entertaining Bollywood videos.

Our favorite pub was The Porter Beer Pub, where we experienced amazing service and were introduced to Orpheus, a brewery new in the Atlanta area.  My favorite was a Double IPA called "transmigration of Souls". Beautiful.

After we were well fed and beered, it was time to get on MARTA and head to the airport. And away we went!

~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~

A Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, Mr. Deep and I took a mini vacation to Folly Beach and Charleston.  When we got back Sunday, we had somehow accumulated a week's worth of sunburns and hangovers in 36 hours, but it was sooooo worth it.  Below are some highlights.  I don't have pictures for everything, but there is the obligatory couples selfie at the bottom.

I found this little cairn so mysterious and unexpected on this overcast and nearly empty beach.  Mr. Deep said it looks huge in the photo, but it's only about 8" high.

The morning started off as overcast, but it was perfect for keeping the heat down and the glare out of our eyes.  The water was cool and jellyfish-free.  The sun did come out after a few hours and we quickly realized we had forgotten our sunscreen, which made it time for a beer...

The Surf Bar at Folly Beach felt like a little Caribbean getaway.  Set a block off the main drag, it was populated at this hour primarily by locals and one sweet yellow dog.  I couldn't believe we were only two hours away from home. 

Mr. Deep, handsome as always.

A perfect hibiscus.

After walking through the shops of questionable souvenirs, we decided it wouldn't be a true beach vacation with a cocktail in hotel beach bar.  Mr. Deep observed that we must have wandered onto the set of an MTV reality show.  The deck was packed with deeply tanned phone-loving college kids who looked like they were drinking their way through last night's hangover on the last weekend of the summer.  It was awesomely entertaining!  Mr. Deep found it the perfect  opportunity to grab a macro-brew and enter it on his Untappd app. (If you are a beer drinker, you should check it out, btw!)  I ended up with some really wonderful concoction made of hibiscus vodka and ginger beer.  Truly lovely.  Afterwards, we took a walk on the pier and saw a pod of dolphins!  It made the souvenir I bought seem downright prophetic.

Here is a Bud Light with the newest addition to my corny keepsake collection (which will be another post altogether someday).

For some reason, all desire to snap photos left me once we were changed and headed to dinner in Charleston.  That said, I have to mention my favorite moments in town:

• Dinner at Amen Street.  There was spicy shrimp ceviche and a beautifully tender calamari.  I can't wait to go back because I didn't get any oysters (at a raw bar, no less!), and you have to love a place with champagne specials.  

• After dinner, Mr. Deep led me on what I thought was a goose chase for dessert.  But he had a plan.  He landed us at Charleston Grill, a place he knew I had been to years ago and loved.  We sat in the newly remodeled lounge and listened to jazz.  Our dessert was the spectacular Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska with blueberry sauce.  Oh. My. Heck.  I'll be dreaming about it for months.

• Our last stop before leaving for home Sunday was to Christophe Artisan Chocolatier.  This is becoming one our rituals when in Charleston.  Their truffles and handpainted chocolates in subtle flavors like blue cheese, earl gray, and lavender caramel are something to behold.  They also have more traditional fare like vanilla bean and raspberry, but they are far from what anybody could call ordinary. 

It was, needless to say, a wonderful trip.  We got to visit with friends we don't see nearly enough and get some summer sand in our hair.  We'll be going back very, very soon.  Oh!  And just so this post continues with the yarny theme of my life, here is a picture of the toe of the sock I made during the drive...

And, of course, the aforementioned selfies (couldn't pick just one)....

Tales from the Road!

Last week, Mr. Deep and I returned from our travels to New Mexico and Colorado.  We attended a wedding in Albuquerque and enjoyed a wonderful visit with friends in Denver and Boulder.  As is my habit and desire, I had to find local yarn shops in the cities we visited and spend my vacation funds therein.  I was delighted to find several well-stocked, beautifully thriving businesses in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Boulder.  Limited time was the only thing keeping me from exploring more shops, and I made a vow to return to see what Taos and Denver have to offer in the way of fiber.  I spoke to shop owners about  experiences with independent dyers and local fiber artists and walked away feeling more inspired and better educated in my chosen field.

Yarn ain't the only thing brewin' in Albuquerque!

One of my favorite moments was when I was in The Yarn Store at Nob Hill in Albuquerque on a hot afternoon.  Several yarn-lovers were wandering through the gorgeously filled shelves where I found myself excitedly extolling the virtues of toe-up sock knitting to a customer.  I found some hanks of locally dyed yarn from Fiesta and checked out the price.  It was quite expensive, but rightly so.  I was encouraged as a fiber artist because the price was reflective of the work and care that goes into the yarn.  But does it sell at that price?  The fella behind the counter said it did very well.  And lo and behold, the woman behind me in line had some in her hand to purchase.  She said it was the only thing she bought.  Validation for the small fiber artist!  This made me so happy!  Unfortunately, the beautiful artisanal yarn was not in my budget (I didn't even expect to find a yarn shop there so easily!), though I did manage to get away with an amazing Malabrigo skein.  However, Mr. Deep and I plan to return soon with a larger yarn budget and more space in the suitcase.

Beautiful yarn, bad picture of the label.

Before heading up to Colorado, we stopped into Santa Fe for breakfast and, across the parking lot, I found surprise yarn!  Yarn & Coffee beckoned to me and I had to answer.  A good-sized co-ed group of knitters was gathered in the small but well-appointed shop.  I was pointed to some locally dyed yarn and fell in love with a skein of Wooly Wonka perfect for Mr. Deep's next pair of socks.  (I'll be ordering that and anther skein by phone this weekend.) The owner gave me the names and cards of other yarn shops in the area.  I loved the sense of community this small jewel of a store exuded. On my next swing-through, I'm definitely setting aside time for a cup of coffee and a knitting break.

Mr. Deep and I spent most of our vacation in the Boulder/Denver area, but, as Mr. Deep is very well-loved and was in great demand among his friends, I only had time to visit one yarn store, Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, which had been suggested to me days before by a friend who lives in the area.  This shop specializes in spinning and weaving as well as yarn! After

My stash enhancement from Boulder, CO.

an hour of roaming between the shelves, and sending a few picture texts to Mr. Deep and his friends to help with the decision process, I was able to narrow my choices down to two gorgeous skeins, including one from local dyer Sunshine Yarns and one special edition shade from Dream in Color.  I also got some well-received advice regarding the business of being a dyer.  They practically had to kick me out as every turn inspired another potential project in my head and, therefore, another yarn I wanted to buy.

At the end of my bi-state "yarn tour", I walked away with two thoughts.  One was that I am so excited to go forward as a small independent fiber dyer. I felt that there were people who appreciate the artistry and hard work that goes into the fiber arts.  The other sentiment I had was that any community that has one local yarn store (or two or three, even!) is so fortunate.  Each store I visited had a sense of community and support, not just with regulars but even with a traveler just blowing through town.  I can't wait to revisit these stores and discover others in the area.  If you have a LYS in your area, visit it, patronize it, join the knitting/crochet groups that are offered.  These places are treasures.