Sorry! My Seattle trip was so busy (though perhaps not particularly successful from a promotional standpoint), and I was off the internet for more than a week while in Michigan. Suffice to say I am home, and there is much laundry to be done. That and catching up on some applications and other music stuff I'd let slide a bit. But I think things are relatively in control now.

Souvenir sock yarn time:


Kureyon Sock! I know this is a contentious yarn, but I've been wanting to try it. I had to choose between this and some Smooshy in Seattle (at Weaving Works--huge and cool store), but the colorways for the latter just weren't setting me on fire.


I didn't know Rio De La Plata made sock yarn! This stuff is awesome. It's for Mark, supposedly, but I'm tempted to keep it for myself... This is from Friends of Wool--there are two yarn stores in this relatively small town, but this is the one outside the chichi downtown shopping area, and I felt the prices and selection were much more my speed. Plus they had a cute little Scottie dog that fell in love with Mark.


Speaking of socks for Mark, I finally finished his Storm socks. It's a relatively quick pattern, though definitely in the mindless category. I would've finished them a few weeks ago, but I held off on the second one so I could make Monkeys in Seattle. (No dice--why didn't I check the gauge before I crossed the country without the right needles, and with a yarn that feels yucky at 8 sts/in?)

I did get to work on my Poet's Pullover in Seattle, though:


I am not in love with this yarn--Pingouin Familia, which my mother picked up in a thrift shop, and which I gather is South American--as it's kind of on the scratchy side for acrylic. (It ain't Red Heart, but it's not much better.) I do like the color, though, and once I got past the eleven inches (!!!) of ribbing it has gone pretty quickly. I made a load of modifications to the pattern (and actually need to frog the neckline ribbing a bit and add some decreases, since it's gapping), and I am particularly happy with how the bust short rows turned out. I'm about halfway up the second sleeve. I left this home when we went to Michigan, though--and brought another sweater pattern (the white one) with me. Isn't it gorgeous? I finished the first sleeve while we were away...


...and have started the second. This is another one with a lot of modifications, most of which I figured out in the car early on in our trip. The three-quarter sleeves are the only structural change. I just love this, though!

I dunno, I guess I should be sharing all these details from my trips, but I'm kind of burned out on them. And our last two days in Michigan were not as fun, for several petty reasons (among them being that Mark's friends undercooked meat on the grill, so he and I were a little sick on our way home, conveniently). But we did do some fun things--we went on the Seattle Duck Tour (corny!), and there were some cool docks in Michigan. I do generally like to visit new places and see new things--on my own timetable, and without having to worry about when I'm going to be fed next (we went 14 hours between meals our first day in Seattle). I don't think that's too much to ask. :) I must say, though, probably the best part of our trips was the fifteen-degree temperature difference between both places and here. So nice not to feel sticky all the time! Bring on the fall.

p.s. Helen! If you're reading this, I need your address. I have stuff for you!