Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Return of the Prodigals


Gosh – it really is nice to see some rain at last! I know you mainlanders are figuring you’ve had about enough rain, right about now – but we’ve had none so – every drop is welcome! After the driest spring in memory, a dry winter and the driest recorded December and January, a few wet days is just lovely. You can actually feel your skin relaxing into its accustomed wrinkles!

We drove through rain on the way back from Hobart. Had a very satisfying visit to the fleshpots – mainly catching up with friends (with just a little retail therapy thrown in! Caught up with some recently married friends (well, nearly 12 months ago – but we haven’t really seen them since the wedding!) and saw photos of their honeymoon – they stayed in several wine growing areas in France! Paul also proposed in a vineyard and they got married in a vineyard and (is anyone seeing a theme here?) yes, they do indeed enjoy wine.

We spent Saturday with the Knightly Knitter and her family – left the men holding the babies and shot through to the joys of Salamanca and SnB. Kate acted as a very good conscience as I was distracted by sparkly stuff and swooped, magpie like, on anything which glittered in the sun! I managed to escape with only ONE skein of hand painted sock yarn from the lovely Spindle Tree – the spinners and dyers co-op, and some earrings and hair thingies. For me, a very restrained Salamanca!

Hobart SnB is in a lovely café and all the members were very welcoming (sorry – not sure what happened there – I suddenly became a Rotarian!). The Hobart SnB girls rock – they were great and I had a fun time! - It is always fabulous to knit in public with anyone else – but better with ten or so – some very nice stuff being knitted and fondled! Thank you, it was wonderful to meet the real people behind the blogs and Ravatars.

After releasing males and playing with children and a fabulous dinner we packed the thoroughly overtired and excited children off – spent Sunday with other friends and their kids and then still other friends (our rare visits to Hobart are like that – we try to visit all the people we haven’t seen since last time).

Monday was retail therapy – the Accountant, after castigating my clothes last week had decided to buy me clothes he approved of! His comment was that I used to wear much better clothes when we met. We met in 1988 and I moved in in 1989. This means I was 20 years younger, at least 2 sizes smaller and had a higher disposable income – much of which I spent on great clothes (some of which I still have in the hope I will one day be that slim again – we all have our dreams!). I also had no children and worked – so I did not wear SAHM clothes. But given that fact he was offering (and it would be nice to wear things which were not pull-on ¾ pants and t-shirts…..) I accepted!

I am now the proud owner of 3 gorgeous tops which I have promised to wear! (and not just leave in the wardrobe and admire!) It was a great weekend! Kids had a great time and I got to catch up with people I adore – and meet some new knitters!







Thanks Hobartians for your hospitality – we’ll try not to leave the next visit so long. And besides – 3 or so hours each way means a finished Noropup sock, a cast on Nutkin and a pair of Vog ons!

And when I went to the Post Office on our return? 2 packages – my RSC pack for 2008 including the Dragon Dance yarn and a package from a lovely knitter in the USA who I assisted to ahem, destash – so a skein of Yarn Ahoy and some Vesper Sock Yarn from Knitterly Things! I really must get some stuff off the needles so I can get some more stuff on!



11 comments:

gemma said...

Hey ms Tassie,
We have today in Sydney our first really sunny day for three weeks. wow!!!!
Mind you before that of course it was drought as everywhere else.
Gosh your socks look fab. The noro's are scrummy! I had hidden the credit card at present, but maybe later in the year I will fall off the no extra yarn wagon and succumb to temptation, cheers,

Rose Red said...

Look at you, showing off your sock yarn. Ptooey. Lucky you didn't flash the STR or there would be trouble!!!

How about flashing the new tops though? I too never pass up husband approved shopping opportunities!!

Taphophile said...

Busy, social, productive and remarkably restrained. You so deserve the new clothes. :)

Alwen said...

And the Noropup sock! oooo pretty!

knightlyknitter.wordpress.com said...

I touched the Noro sock! I touched it!! It is SO vibrant and gorgeous and really does need to have a cousin down here!!!
It was such fun having you Tink, we are all looking forward to the next time you visit!
ps guess what is ready to cast-off and cast-on??

DrK said...

i can never get enough rain, so i hope some more of it comes your way. check out the noro, and people think my patonyle pink is bright! hehe. love the vog ons too, my favourite sock pattern so far. xx

Donna Lee said...

What else is there to do on a three hour car ride (and why do I keep hearing the theme from Gilligan's Island "a three hour tour....") besides knit? That's why husbands should always drive. They don't knit! Sounds like a fabulous vacation.

Five Ferns Fibreholic said...

What the men don't realize is that SAHM clothes are just so comfy. Now that my ambition is to eventually re- enter the work place after some schooling, I'll be lost as to what clothes to buy.

That Noro sock yarn is just so yummy looking, I'll have to make an exception to the yarn diet.

MadMad said...

That sounds like a wonderful trip - full of all the right things to make it perfect! Will we get to see shots of the new tops? I have a seven-year-old photog I can lend you. He does tend to cut off heads, and get a little cranky, but it would involve shipping him off to you, so it would make ME happy, so that would be good right?

LOVE the new yarn, too. Knitterly Things is such fun stuff. Crazy. But fun. Like a few people we know, haha!

zephyrama said...

Sounds like a busy few days!

And I'm glad you have joined the destashing movement and are helping others empty their cupboards. It is very community minded of you! ;)

Amy Lane said...

Oh wow--I'm so impressed with your pretty sockyarn...

And it sounds like a fantastic weekend! I love it when your kids get to go play and you have good time too! (And the Noro sock is looking fantabulous!!! I've got to knit me some of that!)

May you have more fun and rainy days in the future!