JAALA!!!!

This is Jaala. Sing with me: "Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?" Aside from walking in beauty like the night, she is good designer and a really good knitting camper. She designed the sweater she is wearing. I think I might knit it. I'm going to get the pattern from KnitCircus magazine which will be delivered right to my door any day now. It's full of other nice designs to knit. It's a good magazine. She and Elizabeth(sidebar) publish KnitCircus. Ask for it at your LYS or go here to see the patterns and to order a copy or subscribe. Here's Jaala's blog.

I accidentally left Jaala's name off the list of campers even though we caravaned and arrived at knitting camp together, even though we had a shouted conversation through an open window at park headquarters while she was outside in her car and I was inside on line with 30 people. Even though she let me have the short chair. Shame on me.

I love you, Jaala.

I made a shawl.

I started this last summer. I know I had it at Alt. Schmores Knitting Camp '08. I finished it right before Alt. Schmores Knitting Camp '09. It is two skeins of Suri Alpaca. I don't know the name anymore. It just reached. I probably could have done one more row because I had about a foot left over. The shawl is designed to tie around the shoulders at chest level to keep you warm and have your hands free. It's a copy of a gray one I remember from years ago that my roommate, Gwen, gave me. At least she gave it to me for a few months, but then she moved and she wanted it back. I had no choice but to knit my own 20-some years later.

I got back from knitting camp this week. The company was terrific--smart and funny, the food was sehr yummy, we found the best campsite ever, and even the weather was perfect. I saw a lot of these butterflies, but this is the one I saw first:

I neglected to take a picture of everybody. I won't torture anybody by posting her picture since I can't torture everybody. You should come next year, at least for the day. You don't have to actually camp. Think of it as a day in the park with knitting. A knitting picnic.

MollieBees, Elizabeth, Sue, Helen, Christy, Janice, Sheryl, and Jen, thanks for the memories and the treats including 3 kinds of marshmallows.

Gourmet S'Mores & Knitting Camp 2008 .

A good time was had by me at this year's knitting camp. I can't speak for "All." I was told by Nola from Monday night knitting to take lots of pictures. Here they are.

The weather was great.

Breakfast morphed into lunch. We had lots of sausage. There is talk of naming our camp Sausage Camp. (Okay, that was just me.) There were 3 kinds, 4 if you count weenies. You never sausage food.

This, in particular was delicious. Elizabeth cooked it. I think everybody had seconds. Some of us had thirds. Of course I'm not talking about the salad part. Elizabeth worked her tail off, by the way. She also carted my ass, did the shopping, provided lodging, cooked more food for us and made the coffee.

Making S'Mores on night number one. You can tell it's the first night because the S'More making started before the fire was truly mellow enough. The S'Mores were gourmet because there were regular grahams, chocolate grahams, peanut butter cookies, Hershey bars OR fancier chocolate. Yes, I tried the peanut butter cookie s'more! Note: Choose a cookie with a mid to high degree of structual integrity. I think Oreos show promise.

The accommodations were accommodating. There was another tent, too. That does'nt look rite with to m's.

Knitting happened.

So did the weaving in of ends on a crochet project, though I don't believe the actual crocheting occurred at camp. If more crocheting was this nice, more of us would like it better.

I thought the yarn swap was pretty big. This by the way, is only part one. JPKnits came later, bearing mohair.

~

I'm up for doing it again next year. But if I win the lottery, we're going to the Washington House Inn or some such place. They've got fireplaces for the s'mores. I know I can win. I just need to buy a ticket once in a while.