Gnorm goes Shop Hopping

I so rock as a shopping companion. First of all, all the yarn shop owners think I'm the most charming fella they've ever seen. It is so much fun to be fussed over.

Second, I love helping the lovely ladies who are hosting me pick wonderful yarns, and then helping them justify the expenditure.

My first yarn shop stop in Minnesota was at Coldwater Collaborative in Excelsior. The interior of this shop was so cozy and delightful. I loved the fireplace and old woodwork.

I managed to convince Lorraine she just couldn't live without trying the popular Noro Silk Garden Lite. She also just needed to get a pair of the new Addi Turbo Lace needles and a 40" cable for her Denise Interchangeable set. The other two cakes of yarn are additional colors of Summer Tweed, to go with the hank she received when I arrived.



Our next stop was Zandy's Yarn Etc. This shop is in Burnsville and also carries needlework supplies. Once again, I was the center of attention. I basked in the adoration, while Lorraine found this yarn for a pair of socks for her DH and located the sock blockers she found out she desperately needs, right now, this minute, 'cause she just can't live without them. Of course, I didn't have anything to do with her sudden, overwhelming need for these but was happy to endorse them as a prudent purchase.

More shop hopping in the next installment.

Gnorm Update

Whew, after a very full and busy day with Lorraine, we're heading out to go to her family's home in Iowa for the weekend. I'm getting two states for the price of one, this time around.

If you're interested in photos of my first day in Minnesota, check out these pics on Flickr.

See ya'll Monday!

Gnuman in NJ - Day 1

I met the children this morning. Guess what! Jennifer has triplets! And then she had a daughter! The triplets are three years old, all boys, and all boy, which is what I guess all that wrestling and tussling was about. Her daughter is 23 months old (going on 40, Jennifer says) and thinks she's one of the boys. She took a liking to me right away:



Boy E (Jennifer asked me not to use their names) took a liking to me right away, too, and tried to tackle Baby Girl in order to reach me.



That's Boy E in the green shirt. Fortunately, Jennifer dropped the camera and intervened none too soon--I didn't want to be in the middle of that!

We then hit the road for the Grand Tour. Boy E wanted to show me the sights:



He spent a few minutes feeling my nose and then said, "I like his nose." Thank you, Boy E!

It was a traditional NJ summer day, hazy, hot and humid, or as Boy M said, "hot and steamy." It didn't hold us back, though. We took a walk down Main Street to a playground that is fenced in and backs onto the train station. The boys complained if we tried to stop and take pictures, so we're going to try to do the Grand Tour tomorrow when they're in camp.

Metuchen sits right on the Northeast Corridor train line, which runs from Boston, MA to Washington, DC; it's used by NJ Transit, Amtrak (Metroliners and Acela) and the occasional freight train. There are a lot of commuters in town, which is approximately 25 miles south of New York City (Jennifer's two sisters, both knitters, live in Manhattan). The boys love trains and like to watch them as they go by. Boy E took me to see one:



It was so cool! I also had snack with Boy J (on the left) and Boy M:



The boys even let me drive the car!



Then Boy J took a fall, scraped his chin and cut his mouth. He was ok, but he was done with the playground. So we took a long walk to Jennifer's mother's house. She also lives in Metuchen (in the house where Jennifer grew up). The house is two houses from "The Woods," which is formally known as Woodwild Park. That's me at one of the entrances:



The children love to run through the paths, but we stayed in the strollers this time.

Jennifer's mom (the original knitter in the family) was really excited to meet me. She bought my pattern online about a year ago in a crazy bidding thing from eBay. She was totally impressed, too, and examined everything, even my seams! Unfortunately, we didn't get to take any pictures there. But she made lunch for all of us, and then we walked home. Or actually, everyone but me walked home and I was left behind. Bad Jennifer! But after she put the children down for a nap, she came back for me and brought me home. I was pooped! So Jennifer let me take a nap, too:



But before napping, I couldn't resist snuggling her WIP, a Monkey Sock in Shelby B's Nymphadora Tonks colorway:



Jennifer is making it for her sister in honor of the release of the last Harry Potter book. Obviously, she's behind schedule, but her sister understands. And Jennifer promised to share Book 7 with me when it arrives on Saturday. I'm glad I won't miss out!

Gnuman Arrives in NJ!

About 3 p.m. today, I was deposited on Jennifer's doorstep in Metuchen, NJ. It was hot, muggy, and there was a gentle thud of another box being placed on top of me. Jennifer didn't open me until about 5 p.m., but I did hear her "Wow!" of surprise when she lifted my box and realized how heavy it was. As she lifted out the layers to find me, I heard her exclaiming about how Kelli just outdid herself! Being as Jennifer's children were out of the house, she immediately brought me outside for photos; we didn't have much time, though, because she had to make dinner for the crew.

Here's a picture of me getting my first airing in Jennifer's backyard:



As you can see, I have a new companion to keep me company in my travel box, so the trip wasn't as lonely or dull as it could have been. Jennifer tells me that at the base of the (barely visible) fence post to the left of the rabbit is Crocus the Gnome, who has been anxiously awaiting my arrival all summer. She didn't introduce me tonight because the ground was too wet from a rainstorm.

Jennifer asked me to tell you just how generous Kelli was: she sent 3 skeins of Lamb's Pride in a lovely shade of pink; one skein of Alpaca With A Twist Fino in a slightly darker shade of pink; Amish Country Midnight Blue Popcorn for popping; a sheep journal; and Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial hand soap in Country Apple scent. From what Jennifer tells me, they can really use the soap, and I'll she what she means tomorrow. We didn't have time to take pictures of the treats, but we'll get to it soon.

We have an early start tomorrow: I'm going to surprise the children at breakfast and join them on their day (Jennifer's a "retired" lawyer who's now a stay-at-home mom to four children). We have swim class tomorrow at 8:15 a.m. I may go along for the ride, but I'm definitely not joining them in the pool! Rain is in the forecast, but if it's not raining, we'll take a walk around town and see the "sights". Jennifer says that Metuchen has been around since the late 1600's, and there's even a house that was supposedly a tavern during the Revolutionary War and is reported to be haunted.

Oh, and that other box: Jennifer's Yarn Pirate Booty Club package. It was a big day for yarn!

Warm welcome to the Land of 10,000 Lakes

After a whirlwind flight from Washington, D.C., I arrived safely on the doorstep of Lorraine in Minnesota. As usual, I traveled in fragrant luxury, snuggled up with Rowan Summer Tweed and enjoying the heavenly aroma of Peppermint Tea and an Orange Peel Chocolate Bar. Yummy!

I came bearing some pretty snazzy gifts, too. Beads that coordinate with the Rowan Summer Tweed, lovely beaded stitch markers in a hand-made gift box, and a black sheep tape measure were the knitterly items. Also included was a souvenir deck of cards from D.C., an exquisite hand-painted pin and a sweet die-cut notebook.

I am constantly amazed at how excited my hostesses get when I arrive. Before I was even liberated from my travel accommodations, I could hear the squeals of happiness. Lorraine was beside herself with joy as she dove into the pile of gifts that accompanied me. It seems that she was just telling a friend how she wished I would arrive before her upcoming yarn shop hop, so she could show me off on her spending spree. First stop tomorrow morning is the Sidewalk Sale at Coldwater Collaborative.

Honestly, I felt like a genie instead of a gnome, making such wishes come true. More pictures to come!

Gnorm is En Route

Gnorm is on his way to his next destination. I mistakenly sealed the package without the card introducing myself, but, it's Gnorm, so he'll introduce himself. He was a great guest.

Gnorm - More Adventures

Next Gnorm and I swung by the National Building Museum for a look.

And then it was on to the Verizon Center, which, as with most sports centers, used to be called other things.

These are the teams that play there.

As it turned out, just a few blocks away, there was an event for the WNBA All-Stars going on, so we checked that out.

It was getting a bit toasty, so we ducked into a shop where Gnorm found some friends.

We stopped by the Friendship Archway in Chinatown.

After that we were both tired, so we headed back to my place.