Thursday, February 2, 2012

I found it!

Okay, I found my camera. (I was sitting on it!)

This is Designer's Desk:

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Here's the restaurant, from the outside:

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(Didn't get a picture of Chocolate Kitchen.) Here's Wool and Company:

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And the beautiful colors:

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Here's St. Charles, very interesting:

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and the Fox River:

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There is a Fox River embroidery guild that does amazing stuff; do you suppose they meet around here?

Thanks for your patience with my scatter-brain.

Where's my Camera?

This post will be pictureless, because I can't find my camera. I had it on Friday, and took a bunch of pictures for our guild outing, and now.... If I find it I will add pictures later.

We had a lot of fun on Friday. We went to Designer's Desk in Geneva, a wonderful needlework shop on 3 floors. The basement was the most fun, because all the sale items are down there, at 75% off! I picked up two handfuls of Anchor pearl cotton and a couple of other metallic fibers for cents on the dollar. The main floor is all the fibers, and needlepoint canvases. I do not enjoy stitching on canvas very much; it makes my hands hurt, but the fibers are amazing. There are sliding panels 5 or six layers deep in one room. Every time you slide a panel it reveals another layer of beauty. I knew I would be able to find the couple of skeins of Needlepoint Inc. silk I needed for my advent calendar project, and I did. The top floor is all cross stitch patterns and kits, with some counted canvas work as well. There was so much to look at! They also have a very nice classroom and a framing department.

Carol, Barb and I had a lot of fun browsing!

For lunch we went to Nosh across the street. They have an interesting selection of sandwiches and salads; I had a breakfast burrito that was good, with poached pears on the side. They were out of desserts (we got there towards closing time) but that didn't matter too much, because we had seen the Chocolate Kitchen right next door, and had already been thinking of stopping there. I had 1/3 of a brownie (the other 2/3rds came home with me) and Barb indulged in a decadent gelato.

We poked our noses into a nice little Italian pottery shop, but soon headed out toward St. Charles (less than 5 miles away) to the Wool and Co. yarn store. It is a very nice store! I love the swaths of color on a wall of yarn. Carol got yarn for a sweater, I got 2 sets of needles and a ball of sock yarn for an 18" doll dress, and Barb got an idea for a guild project for next year.

Traffic was good both ways, and it was a dry day, sunny on the way out. We had a really nice time!

Sunday I finished knitting the wrap right at bedtime, and last night I finished sewing in all the ends. Now I am working on the edging, 3 rounds of crochet, but that shouldn't take too long. When it is done I have to get back to my lacy shawl and start the hooded vest I bought the pattern for last fall. I have to make a swatch for that so I can get gauge. I think that is what is making me most nervous about the vest project, it is the first garment I have ever tried, and I should make it so it fits. I have 2 little projects to take to Arizona with me, but I will show those latter.