Now We are 40

It was a wonderful trip but there's always something about being home, isn't there?

I've written a bit about my trip here. I'm a little disappointed to report that I wasn't able to get to the needlework store--or indeed either of the two yarn shops--that I found in Ljubljana before they closed on Saturday. (Why close at 1:00? Why? Why?)

I spent over fourteen hours in the air, so I was able to make some progress on two projects that I stuck in the carry on bag: E&E&F's Polka Dot Scissor Fob and Mirabilia's Christmas Elf Fairy. I finished the first, but I'm afraid the elf will be hobbling around on one leg for a while while I finish the Christmas presents that must be sent abroad soon, um, last week.

Slovenia, Slovakia, hasenpfeffer incorporated!

We're gonna do it!

So we're off to celebrate this milestone birthday in the country that sports the Julian Alps, Lipizzaner horses, a green river, a disappearing lake, a capital whose every l has a j, and 7500 karst caves. And it's only the size of New Jersey! We'll be able to see a lot in a week.

We leave tomorrow, but I am not going to be able to visit. Back Sunday, October 16.

Worst. Photo. Ever.

On Saturday, when I finished the surprise present, I took two quick shots of it for the blog. Last night, before I uploaded the camera, I erased some of the extraneous pictures and, of course, the good one that I took of this project. So here's a crappy picture. At least you can see the tone on tone 40. I hope you get the idea. Great time! Happy Birtday to my best pal.

On this momentous day, I also swung by Fireside Stitchery to pick up some floss. The guy who works there remembered that I am a cross-stitcher (it's a needlepoint shop). He lures me into the back room to show me some Graziano linen. The distributor has discontinued it, and somehow it's ended up in the back of this guy's shop. It was lovely to touch. And half price: $35/yard instead of $70. So I had to get a yard of that. He starts showing me some of the other fabric he has--some tablecloth fabric, blue gingham... I tell him if he has the beige gingham, I'd take it. Of course he has 2/3 of a yard. He gave it to me for $20 (normally about $50 retail). He tried to show me the misto (linen/cotton fabric) but I had to draw the line. If you live in SE PA, however, get your buns to the store--he's selling this stuff to other stores and the mark up is going to be a bitch!

Now of course, my coffers overflow with giant fabric cuts--the yard of linen I ordered from Nordic Needle for the marquoir arrived on Saturday too...