My annual yarn outing

It's become tradition that I have a yarn outing in Milwaukee with my friend Helen, also a bead artist and knitter and a lover of fashion.  This year I invited along another knitterly friend, Elke from Germany.  She knits beautiful things.  I fell in love with a hot pink Birch, a lace mohair knit that she wore last fall in Germany.  It's on my list, but I'm still knitting for my little Love, Malayna.  I want to insure that she always a Grandma knit to wear.    During our yarn outing to the River Boutique and Yarn in Brookfield Wisconsin, I purchased the second Sublime baby silk and bamboo dk book.  The yarn is a dream to work with.  The pattern is simple and I being nothing if not impulsive, bought the right size needles so I could knit on the plane on the way home.  I accomplished all of this on my flight from Milwaukee to San Diego, so I predict it's going to be a fast knit.

Also along and joining us for lunch was Maggie Roschyk.  It was great fun getting to spend some solid time together.  Helen guided us to the Middle Eastern restaurant Casablanca  on Brady street where I had the dolmas and hummus.

Sublime Little Constance Cardi

Baby silk and Bamboo DK

Culinary delights and visits with friends continued through the week including dinner with my German friends at Calderones, dinner at the Noble with the Bad Liz, Debi from Beads of Colour, and Janice, a wired art girl.

Saturday night was Downtown Dining at the Chophouse with Huib and friends Gabriella and Jeroen.  Gabriella shared with me her Beads in Motion gallery design which is in typical Gabriella style a piece of unique and thoughtful beauty.

Sunday was a wind down evening with friend Judy of Judipatuti who was a vendor this year selling her beadmat, thread catcher and tote collection.  This latest collection will be available on line soon and it's all I could do not to purchase my 6th or 7th bead mat.  So many new prints I was in love with.

And continuing our culinary outings, we had Monday morning brunch at the Noble, where the eclectic menu satisfied the taste buds with a lamb burger topped with fried egg.  Beautiful flavors.  We were joined by Amy Blevins who I only recently met and love.  She has an infectious sense of humor.  Her and Bad Liz became fast friends cavorting around the show floor taking photos with an interesting point of view.

Amidst all of this fun, Liz and I taught four classes, met many new and old friends at Meet the Teachers where Pat joined us.  Liz took me shopping to a 14th floor trunk show, where I fell in love with a clothing line by Mary of Facets.  I ended up with a Shibori died mesh top and skirt in, hard to believe, red, well kind of a fuchsia red.  Very versatile, very good for travel.

So now, a day to unpack, do laundry, grocery shop and attend to some of life's more mundane details.  A return to reality and to the last bit of work to do on Beads of Motion.