busted, twice

I'm telling you, you can't get away with anything in a small town. There is very little crime to speak of, so the police do silly things like pulling people over for not wearing seat belts and monitoring their speed traps (word to the wise, the 25 mph speeding limit is severely enforced in WV towns). I'm not complaining. It's just unexpected for me, urban chick that I am. So yesterday, after a LONG day on the road, Lily and I pull over for pizza in Hancock, a few miles from my house. After dinner, we are just pulling out of the parking lot, not having moved 100 feet, and I get pulled over, for not having that seat belt on.

We strategized in the truck while the officer was running my plates. Lily offered to burst into tears, but we were laughing too hard about that for it to work. So when he came back, I had to tell him the joke about the woman knitting while driving. You know it--this woman is driving very erratically, weaving around on the road, and a cop pulls up alongside and sees she's knitting while driving. He yells "Lady, pull over! Pull over!" She nods, smiles, and drives on. He pulls up alongside her again. "Lady!! Pull over!" Same result. Finally, he has to cut her off and she is forced to stop at the side of the road. The cop is very agitated at this point. He goes to her window, and shouts, "Lady, didn't you hear me?! I said PULL OVER!". She hold up her knitting. "Oh, officer, its actually a scarf".

He didn't get it, man that he was. But I did just get a warning.

a pretty sight

Opening date for the shop is set for May 12th. This year, believe it or not. The shelves are all in place, painting is done, and 95% of the stock is here (still waiting on those Turbo lace needles, which I can't wait to try). This photo is of some of the Brown Sheep that I got — thirty six colors in all of the worsted. A yummy sight to any knitter.

The cats have all had coccidia and colds, and the male kitten is coming into, ahem, maturity. His neutering got postponed for 2 months because of his being sick. I don't know if I can deal with that, particularly with yarn soon to be at cat-heinie level. He will have to be banished from the shop till June.

I have two sample knitters with three projects in the works! Thanks Mary and Jane! It would take me a thousand years to knit up all the shop samples I want by myself, not to mention swatches. They'll get done eventually, right? I have a bunch of samples started, project-slut that I am; one felted cabled bag, 3 lace shawls, a coral red bamboo lace camisole, and several socks, none of which will ever be part of a pair.

This coming weekend is the Sheep and Wool fest. I'm taking a 3 day class pre-festival, tapestry weaving, with Archie Brennan and Susan Maffei. I try to take one of the workshops there every year, as it's the best way to see the festival before the crowds. Last year, I did the shepherding workshop, and learned — theoretically at least — how to trim hooves, get a sheep on its behind, and give shots. This year, I've made a few contacts with spinners who have booths, so I'll get to meet them when it isn't so hectic. It's really fun to see the animals being set up in their barns, and groomed to perfection, almost like behind the scenes at a beauty pagent (not that I'd actually know what that's like).