Black Sheep Weekend

I owe knitting a debt of gratitude. It has been the motivation for many trips for me. Most recently, Becky and I went to Western Massachusetts. Our primary purpose was to make a pilgrimage to the knitting mecca that is Webs. My mother in-law gave me a gift certificate last year and I have yet to spend it. I was holding out for a weekend like this one.

Becky and I each took the day off of work on Friday to make an overnight trip of it. Our first stop was for lunch at what became somewhat of a theme for the weekend, a place called The Black Sheep.

The Black Sheep is a deli, bakery, coffee shop and restaurant. We had really tasty sandwiches and each got a dessert to-go so that we could have something sweet to refresh us after our yarn shopping extravaganza.

Becky's treat was a reindeer cupcake. She showed it no mercy. My cream cheese brownie took three sittings to polish off and for anyone who knows my affinity for brownies, that speaks to the richness of the brownie.

I didn't take any pictures in Webs. I couldn't hold still long enough to take photos. I couldn't waste any precious moments on photo taking. I had to focus...to be all business...to gather all of my energy in order to make just the right selections from all the worthy choices. There is a serious amount of yarn to be had in that store and some amazing deals on good yarn. I knew I was shopping with someone else's money (Thanks Joanne!!) but I still wanted to spend it wisely. Below you can behold a photo of the pyramid of yarn I acquired that day.

Another part of what is great about Webs is the amount of knitted samples they have available to touch and try on. One of the samples appealed to Becky and I so we both bought the pattern and yarn and are planning on doing a knitalong for it. Check it out. It is called the Tanglewood Cascading Cardigan. In keeping with the Black Sheep theme of the weekend, I purchased black yarn for the sweater. I normally don't knit with black yarn but I think I will wear this sweater to work and black would be the best color for that purpose.

We headed back to Amherst for dinner at Tabellas. It was a tapas style restaurant with a focus on local ingredients. I had the best sweet potato soup that I have ever tasted. Dinner was satisfying but we didn't linger too long since we knew we had a bottle of wine and an evening of knitting time ahead of us in our HoJo hotel room.

We did NOT eat at Chez Albert. Something about the poultry, upon swine, upon steer caused this vegetarian to run the other way...or more specifically a few doors down to the Little Eatery and Tea Place. Amherst fed me well this weekend.

The other pre-planned event of the trip was a visit to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Arts. On our way there we drove past a sign for a pottery sale. I could not resist and Becky did not object so turn around we did. We encountered a series of fantastic dinosaurs upon entering Kiln Works. The artist let me take a photo of one of his favorites.

The museum must have known we were coming because there were black sheep on the bathroom tiles!

The museum was worth the trip. We got to see an exhibit of Spiderwick art, an exhibit of Leo Lionni and early Eric Carle work and an exhibit that spanned a huge variety of children's book art. I loved seeing so many of the images I had encountered in picture books up close. I discovered that I have a thing for collages. If you aren't familiar with Eric Carle's images, you should check them out. He makes his artwork by painting tissue papers, cutting them, pasting them to a page and then adding embellishments. Ever since I saw Mr. Rogers visit his studio, I have wanted to go to the museum.

We did carve out a good amount of knitting time so I got to finish my socks that I thought would never end. I knit these socks a few rows at a time on the subway. I think I am done with plain old stockinette for a while. My next pair of socks are going to have to be lacework or something more inspiring then knit knit knit knit. These are knit out of Cascade Fixation using the Priscilla's Dream Socks pattern.

I also started a new project with a gorgeous skein of Sheep Shop Yarn - Sheep 3. The fiber is a blend of wool and silk. I am knitting a Roman Earflap Hat with it.