Ithaca is Gorges

Ithaca was recently named the eighth best place to live in the US by Kiplinger's. I'm not sure what the criterion were, but it is a nice town if totally isolated. The people are friendly, the scenery is beautiful - something the residents proudly express in the title sentiment Ithaca is Gorges on T-shirts and bumper stickers, and the atmosphere is comfortably collegiate/granola/green. It's been compared to Berkeley, but more intimate. This week I came along for my husband's weekly trip to Ithaca in the neverending quest to finish his Ph.D. On Tuesday, we hiked along Buttermilk Falls - one of the many waterfalls and creeks winding among the numerous gorges Ithaca is nestled among.

Ithaca also means visits to my favorite yarn shop. This time, I handed over the unblocked Shetland Triangle and picked up two projects. The first one is the following:

Yep, it's another Pea Pod set. I showed the yarn shop owner a picture of the blocking (and as yet unassembled) pea pod set that I'm making for my friend and she immediately asked for one for the shop. This one is being made in Punta del Este's Mericash, a machine washable merino and cashmere blend. It's a new yarn (and I believe yarn company) that's kettle dyed and very reminiscent of Manos with its subtle nearly solid washes of color. I've never worked with a single ply yarn before. It's wonderfully soft and very easy on the hands (unlike the Jaeger Matchmaker Merino), but at times I'm afraid of breaking it so I'm treating it very gently.

The second project is the lovely cabled handled bag from the new Rowan Wool Silk pattern booklet. I'll show pictures of the bag and the yarn (in a clear teal) when I start to work on it.

Last night was also my and my husband's monthiversary and we went to Red Lobster to celebrate. Maurizio's been wanting to go for ages ever since he saw a commercial for the chain on TV. I get such a kick out of his excitement for such things. I sometimes forget he's Italian until he expresses desires for American staples I take for granted like oreos and twinkies.