more about the weekend...

...our Internet connection is back. Yay! While we have cable Internet at home, by the time I get home, I'm pretty tired of looking at a computer screen. So I left a few things out of Monday's post just do I could actually post something.

Besides doing my crafty stuff, I decided to get a few things that we needed for Thanksgiving. It's at my house this year, so I get to cook all my favorite things. The Daughter will arrive on Wednesday and will be able to help me out. There will only be five of us for dinner, but some other family may drop by for dessert.

I made my annual trek to Williams-Sonoma in Los Gatos. I used their Apple and Spices brining mix last year and just loved it. I wanted to get that again, plus their turkey gravy base. Now I can make an OK gravy, but adding some of the gravy base to it really adds that extra oompf. While I was there, I picked up a jar of their Pecan Pumpkin Butter; now I just need to figure out what to use it in!

One thing about going to W-S in Los Gatos is that Sur La Table is one street and one block over, and there is a nice Borders bookstore across the street from Sur La Table. I hit SLT first...I found some red cookie sprinkles that were different than the kind you get at the grocery store. They also had some pearl luster dust--I use this for the snowflake cookies and I was almost out.

Then I went across the street to Borders and bought the new JD Robb book, "Creation in Death." as a treat for myself.

I'd forgotten how much I loved shopping. I used to do a whole lot more of it. At some point, my crafts kind of took over my life and I stopped going on shopping trips except for the grocery store. While I'm sure I've saved some money by not shopping as often, I think I've missed just being out and about. Hmmmm, need to figure out how to balance the experience with the checkbook!

I'm almost to the end of the Corrugator scarf. It's interesting how the blues started off light and got darker and darker as I knit the scarf. I'll have to practice more on my spinning to get a more consistent color change.

Just so it won't be a picture-less post, here's a shot of the yarn that's calling my name right now:

This is a beaded metallic wool from Blur Heron, in the Winterwood colorway. I think this is destined to be a wrap of some sort. I don't have enough yardage for Nereides, which I'd love to knit for myself. So either I'll have to find one more skein or find another pattern. However, this is not on the short list of things to do for Christmas, so I'll just have to admire the yarn from afar!

Speaking of Christmas, I'm making progress on my secret projects. I think the recipient will be quite surprised!! That's all I'm saying...