"Rosiecation" 2016

Since I'm just starting back up, I've got a lot to catch up on!

Last weekend I decided I needed a little getaway by myself to "rest and recharge."  What better way to do it than to go to a new city, get a fancy hotel room, order room service, binge watch NetFlix, do some shopping, and of course KNIT!

I decided my destination would be Ft. Wayne, IN which is about a 3.5 hour drive from me here in Cleveland.  Not too far away where most of the trip would be spent in the car, but far enough away to "escape" from reality and not worry about what is going on at home.  I left Friday morning and came home Sunday.  It was an A-MAZ-ING weekend!  The hotel of choice was the Hotel Fort Wayne and it was wonderful!  The room was gorgeous and the bed was so comfy :-)  If you're ever looking for a place to stay... I highly recommend checking them out!

King Sized Bed Just For Me!

Once I got there, it was just a matter of figuring out what I wanted to do.  The shops I was going to visit didn't open until Saturday, so I had the whole evening free.  Went down to the hotel bar and got myself some dinner and even a drink (which I rarely do).  Totally a great way to unwind from the drive there. 

Cherry Vodka & Diet Coke = YUMMY!

After dinner, I headed back to my room to knit the night away and binge watch Once Upon A Time on Netflix.  I brought a couple of projects to work on, but my main focus was starting my Campside Cardi by Alicia Plummer (Ravelry Link).  When I got there, I only had about 4-6 rows done and I couldn't wait to get started!  So, after kicking up my feet, I got to work.

Saturday morning was really an exciting one to say the least.  After getting lost going to find a Starbucks (I needed a Pumpkin Spice Latte!), I finally found it and then made my way off to do some shopping. 

The highly coveted "Team PSL" knitted mug from Starbucks

First stop was to Knitting Off Broadway.  What a gorgeous shop!  It was a recommendation from a gal over in the Facebook group I belong to and it was a very good one!  The ladies there were wonderful and the selection of yarns bursting from the shelves was amazing!

I was "good" though and only grabbed a few.....

Knitting Off Broadway Haul

Hedgehog Fibers Sock in "Fly", "Glacier", and "Boombox", and a skein of

The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze Polwarth Worsted Organic in "Black Spruce" to make Hubby a hat.  I've been drooling over the Hedgehog Fibers for quite some time and I couldn't wait to get my hands on some!  It's SO. INCREDIBLY. SOFT!!!  I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to get, but alas I did have to leave some there as I had one more stop on my shopping trip and needed to save some money to spend there. 

After I left there, I headed over to the "Yarnirvana" of sock yarn stores.... Simply Socks Yarn Company.  This was the shop that decided my location of my little getaway and I was prepared.... I went in with a shopping list.  

 

The shop was totally overwhelming when I walked in.  Yarn lining every wall and more in the shelves filling the rest of the shop.  I was so overwhelmed I forgot to take a picture!  I did manage to get everything on my list... and that was it.  It was so hard to not "buy all the yarns", but I needed money for dinner that night and gas money to get home... so I had to leave all the pretties in the store.  Lol.  I did manage to get some gorgeous ones though.

Simply Socks Yarn Company Haul

Socks That Rock Lightweight in "Lil' Sprout", "Lady Grey", and "Supreme Black Dalek", Madelinetosh BFL in "Magic" and "Night Hawk", as well as a sock ruler.

Once I got back to my room it had started to thunderstorm, so I decided best to just stay in for the night and relax in the room.  Being starving though meant I needed to find dinner, and I was already back in my comfy relaxing clothes and didn't want to change.... Room service it is!  I've NEVER ordered room service before, so this was an extra special treat.

Shrimp Caesar Salad - YUM-MY!!!!!

I felt adventurous and settled on the Shrimp Caesar Salad and OMG... it was AMAZING!  So much so I almost ordered another one for later.  Ha ha ha.  Once dinner was finished, it was time to get back to work on the cardi.  Between Friday night and Saturday early-evening, I had managed to get about 50% of the body done on it.  It's truly amazing how much you can get done when you don't have any interruptions!

Finally, on Sunday it was time to go home.  I was honestly kinda sad to leave and have to go back to "reality," but I knew work would come early on Monday and thought I should give myself some time to "recover" once I got back so I left earlier than I had planned on.

All-in-all, it was a totally amazing trip and I'm already saving my pennies to go back in a few months.  Yes... same city... same hotel... same shops!  That's how much I enjoyed myself :-)  My "Rosiecation Cardi" ended up being about 90% done on the body by the time I got home, and should hopefully be finished within the next few days.  I can't believe it! I think this is the fastest I've ever knitted an item bigger than a hat in a long time!

Well, that's it.  My trip was awesome and I had a wonderful time.  I can't wait to go back, and I came home feeling "refreshed" and ready to get back into the swing of things.  If you've never done a trip like this before (going by yourself for a weekend away in a hotel), I highly recommend it!  I was hesitant at first, but don't regret it at all what so ever. Looking forward to the spring when I can do it again :-)

Time To Start Again

I've been blogging off and on for years with my previous blogs going neglected and ultimately deactivated.  I always have the best intentions, but sometimes life gets in the way and some things get lost in the shuffle.

It's time to start again though.  With my Etsy shop booming, and my ever-growing passion for crafting getting kicked into high gear, I thought it might be time to start writing it all down.  The good and the bad. 

My plan is for this to be my "creative outlet" for all things crafty, plus some life stuff mixed in.  From Etsy shop stuff, to my personal knitting, sewing, embroidery, and quilting...I've got lots of material to cover. 

If you'd like to venture into the "Mind of Rosie," be sure to follow the blog (button on the right-hand side).  I'll even be doing some exclusive shop stuff just for blog readers.

Stay tuned....