Ishbel gets the gold???

I'm calling the 2010 Winter Olympics the Shawl Olympics. As I watch the various sports, I knit either my Swallowtail shawl or my Ishbel. At this point, Ishbel is in the lead and may possibly achieve the gold medal by moving from WIP status to a beautiful butterfly of a shawl.

What makes this particular shawl extra special is the yarn. I purchased it at Knitty City, a wonderful yarn shop in NYC, where I had stopped to meet my blogging friend, Mary. The yarn is Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Coloi Disco Socka and has a silver glint to it. The glint may be silver but the shawl, and the memories associated with the visit to meet Mary in NYC, are pure gold.

What is this stuff??

I'm looking for places to go tomorrow...Somehow, I fell into this blog called Knit Your Socks Off. Good stuff. There are reviews of all the yarn shops in NYC and surrounding areas. So, much as I love Manhattan, I may be taking the subway to Brooklyn to check out The Yarn Tree. It will be an adventure of sorts, but I absolutely love Brooklyn and, if the weather cooperates, may be walking the Brooklyn Bridge, instead of the subway. Yarn Tree opens at noon, so there will actually be time to bask in Manhattan first. Visit Mary, see more yarn places. It's all good.

Almost forgot in my euphoric state to mention the Shibory. It's calling me. I guess I have to find out more about it when I visit The Yarn Tree.. Education is never wasted.

New York state of mind :)

Saturday is coming and, with it, a promise of a trip to my favorite city. The tree will have arrived in Rock Center, maybe the street vendors will provide that wonderful smell of roasting nuts...not sure if the Christmas tree vendors will be set up and ready to go yet. I sure hope not...but, ohhhh, the smell of the evergreens is awesome.

I hope to see Mary while I'm there. That's the only definite goal right now. Just being in the city means the world to me. If you've never been to the Tenement Museum, make it a stop when you visit. Or, visit St. Patrick's Cathedral .......I was lucky enough to hear a rehearsal of the Messiah in progress on on of my visits. The Christmas trees pop up everywhere this time of year...one of my favorites was the one on Wall Street...of course, if you're in that area, stop in at Trinity Church and say a prayer for the fallen. One of the most moving experiences of my life was my visit to

St. Paul's Chapel. The daffodils were blooming in the graveyard, the church was full of memorials to 9-11 and the people who offered care and comfort. And a young people's choral group was singing. Solemn, and so beautiful.

Life goes on...I guess what I love the most about NYC is the sense of community you feel when you're there. I love New York.

The interesting things you find online

Sometimes, the only thing you have energy for is perusing the web...

Today, I hit the jackpot. Ravelry never fails to amaze me with its' wealth of info from everyone around the globe. Case in point: Spindles and Spices blog

Check out this terrific Cat in a Hat. What a cool thing to do. She actually has a set of International hats...USA is one of my favorites.

I need to thank Mary again for teaching me how to include links cause it is just SO much fun.