Well, I’m a few days home from a marvelous vacation with my mom. I’ve recovered from the jet lag, almost adjusted to my seemingly invigorated allergies, and I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things. I’ve much to do.
Kristi and I used to take a mother-daughter vacation almost every year, but since moving out to the sticks, this is less practical than in days gone by. We definitely made up for lost vacation time, hooking up a balcony room on our cruise and visiting the spa twice, bitches! I even succumbed to the unaccustomed luxury of it all by buying some fancy cleanser. My normal skincare routine consists of a wet washcloth and store-brand Lubriderm, but I’ve recently been using some Magical Miracle Superfancy skin cream my mom sent me, in hopes that it will make me young and beautiful before I get to the bottom of the jar (which will hopefully last until my birthday, since I ain’t forking out the stack of cash for another jar, especially when I’m not in a massage-and-facial-induced state of suggestibility).
While I always feel a little sheepish about cruise travel (it’s about the least authentic way to see any place), I love it for the same reason I love a sampler platter: you get a little taste of everything and can decide what you want to come back for more of later on; and if you’re not crazy about any particular place, you haven’t invested much time or emotional energy in it. Gluttony without commitment. Now, in addition to my delusions about returning to Poland, I get to pretend I’ll go back to Venice, Croatia and Slovenia!
Maybe because this time, I didn’t encounter any yarn shops (on our Baltic cruise, I was positively overrun with woolly temptations), while on vacation, I actually read a lot more than I knit (thanks to my new Kindle, impulsively purchased before paying bills and quickly rationalized for its free 3G web/email connection, very handy in a foreign land with no international cell phone), though I did finish this little mystery number:
I also repeatedly tried and botched brioche stitch half a dozen times. I’m going to drink a beer, kick back, and try again tonight.
While I was gone, two of my new patterns went live!
First, the That Girl! Tank, the companion piece to last year’s That Girl! Summer Jacket in Craftzine.
Ravelry Page | Craftzine Pattern
And then Date Night, a quick-knitting lace top with short shell and long tunic versions.
And I’m embarking on an exciting new round of patterns, as well! I am absolutely besotted with this new project. But more on that later.
So SO glad you had a wonderful time on your trip. The trip sounds amazing. Your mom is so beautiful – now I see where you get your good looks.
Are you selling your shell pattern. That is oh so cute.
It’s free in the current Knitty.
Looks like you had a fabulous time. Welcome back! And I love your new patterns!
what a great picture of you and your Mother…sounds like a nice trip to boot. I’ve never been on a cruise before.