Last Week of September

Before heading out for a week long meeting in Pennsylvania, my DH gave me my birthday present - I love it! - now maybe I can break up this SW VA rock hard clay soil. I can hardly wait to empty my compost bin and work it all those nutrients into the soil using this fine implement.
I drove to King of Prussia since plane tickets were just too expensive for such a short flight and I'd need a rental car anywhere. Additionally, I love a road trip. This seven hour drive took me through central and northern Virginia, a quick pass through the northeast section of West Virginia, northwest "skinny" section of Maryland and central Pennsylvania.

I used the rest stops along the way for their intended purpose as well as opportunities for photo ops and book releases.

I planned my trip to spend my first preconference / registration day in Philadelphia. I visited Philadelphia several years ago and was eager to return. I made it into the city around 2pm and headed directly to Chinatown to have a tasty veggie meal. Alas, my favorite vegetarian restaurant had closed but I found Singapore Vegetarian Restaurant close by and it was equally wonderful.

Walking along I saw this.....

And this.....

Oh, now how did this happen - a yarn shop :-) The Yarn Cellar is a tiny space packed with beautiful yarns and more books than I've seen anywhere else....Of course I made some purchases.

A squat building squeezed between two much taller ones...kind of like the way I felt on the metro at the Notre Dame stop in Paris. Just when I thought no one else could possibly get on the train here comes two very large guys pushing in around me....

Sore feet anyone?

The Love sculpture known to many on US stamps popular on Valentine's Day...

Philadelphia is such a walkable city with these wayfinding maps frequently posted ...

Amsterdam?

Paris? Can you see the beauty of Philadelphia? I must return again for a long weekend and stay in the city. The rest of the week was spent in class studying - I did exercise in the hotel gym and finished a sweater . Back home, I attended the day long Roanoke NoSo and had great fun visiting old and new friends and knitting a little....

A beautifully textured rick rack like yarn a college professor of mine was knitting - I always knew she was cool....
A soft throw someone was knitting for a charity raffle - I'd like it for my bed!

Pompom yarn because I like the preppy color combo....

A tableful of handmade scarves, baby hats, blankets and clothing to be donated to local charities..

A fun St. Pat's hat someone crocheted for the most creative yarn use award...

A precious little baby bib...

A huge amount of yarns were collected for the Alderson Prison Knitting group - this prison was the one Martha Stewart spent time....

And the winner of the best yarn use award was this cuddly knitted clown just perfect for a child to hold....I'm planning to look through my vintage knitting books to find a winner for next year....

Back home I froze some of my Italian flat leaf parsley.

Coarsely chop and place in blender with enough olive oil to cover it.

After chopping, pour into ice tray and place in freezer.

After the cubes are frozen solid, pop them out and place in a labeled ziplock and put back in freezer. These will be yummy in those winter soups and pasta sauces!

A few cayenne peppers salvaged from my garden....

Lastly, a quick purse I whipped up from yarn and a book I purchased with a gift certificate I won at the NoSo. I added vintage buttons from my collection as a decorative touch. Leigh Radford's One Skein is a beautiful book filled with fun projects....I'll be making more from this book. Sometimes a girl just needs instant gratification!