So, where was I?

Oh yeah, I remember. I was just running out the door for a little trip. Well, I'm back.

I actually went to help my sister, who had a little operation. She is doing much better now, which is a huge relief. She made some comment about us getting older now and this being just the beginning of the health issues...sigh. Not me. Even though I am the oldest of my siblings, I am not anywhere near old enough to say this is the beginning of the end. It's all about your attitude, right?

In honor of our sister's surgery, and because he was long overdue, our baby brother came to town and brought his lovely new wife. He spent some time at the sister's house, then packed up and moved over to my house for a nice visit.

I didn't even mind missing the Yarn Harlot last night, at least not too much. It was their last night with us and since my brother's visits have been less often or reliable than the Yarn Harlot's, I wanted to spend the time with him.

By the way, his wife is wonderful! We all love her and hopefully didn't smother her too much with our adoration.

Have I mentioned that my brother is a chef? And that his wife is too? Just thinking about the gorgeous, delicious food I have eaten in the last week and half makes me smile. Unfortunately no food pictures. I didn't want to scare my new sister-in-law too badly with my oddities, at least not all of them at once!

Oh, and all of these flower pictures are from my yard. It has been a very wet, gloomy Spring around these parts, but things are still blooming. Hooray for that!

A little knitting has been happening too. I wanted to welcome the sister-in-law with something special, so I knit her a pair of socks.

Pattern: Sarah's Slip Stitch Sock, Yarn: Blue Moon Socks that Rock colorway Midsummer Night, Medium weight.

My sister-in-law is a beginning knitter, so I thought she would appreciate something hand-made. She did seem to and even put up with my request to pose for pictures in the new socks. See what I mean about not exposing her to my oddities all at once? I knew the sock pictures were more important that the food pictures.

Finally, for those of you who have made it through this entire post, here is a little yarn p*rn for your enjoyment:

This is a skein of hand spun Superwash Merino from a little company called Declan Knits. I bought it at a super tiny yarn shop in ZigZag Oregon called Cast One On. I had never noticed the shop before, but as I drove by I saw that they had a large sign that said "Yarn" on the side of the building. Since it was new to me, I had to stop in and see what they had. Was I ever glad I did! The owner was very sweet and is a dyer and spinner who seems to only sell through her little shop at the moment.

Yes, the color is at least that vibrant in person, actually I think a bit more. I absolutely love this yarn!! She had a pair of mittens made out of the same yarn and I think that may be what mine is going to become. For now though, it is going to stay next to me in my office and keep me company.

By the way, she wrapped the yarn in tissue, put it into a gorgeous little bag and even included a tape measure as a little perk. If you ever find yourself in ZigZag Oregon (and why wouldn't you), I highly recommend stopping into Cast One On and checking out the handspun.

That's it for now. I'll try not to stay away so long next time. Otherwise I just end up with these huge posts.