We're finally back in Maine after a rather eventful two weeks on our southern trip. The plan was to head to VA, spend a night with my sister, head to Mom's, spend a night there and then all head to near Charleston, SC for a cousin's wedding. The arrival at mom's was a bit traumatic as we found her in pretty bad health. Being a stubborn southern woman, she insisted on going to the wedding anyway. Long story, very short version, is a four day hospital stay for her in SC and entry into an assisted living center on return to VA., How horrible to get ripped out of your own home setting and into a care facility so quickly On the other hand, how fortunate to have a large, extended family to care enough to get the best possible care to extend her life and healing. I'm sure there are many more trips up and down that long Route 95 corridor coming up to visit her. But for the moment we are home and she is safe and well cared for. Love your family folks, take the best care you can of them since you never know how long they will stay healthy and in their homes.

Knitting? Not a lot though I thought about it a lot. I did manage a first repeat of the pattern for the back of Spring Forward Aran over the past two weeks. I knew enough not to take the Sweaters From Camp Knit Along (SFCKAL) sweater on the trip. The pattern for the Shirt Tail Hemmed Fair Isle was a bit too complicated to try to knit in a car while travelling. I'd also finished the first sleeve on the Follow the Leader Aran Knit Along (FLAK) down to the wrist ribbing and picked up the stitches for the other sleeve before the trip. Too much going at one time probably but that's me. It's great to be back and work in the knitting during my day.

I'm looking forward to a knitting retreat end of this month through Unique One Knit shop in Camden, Maine. Will be going with friend Shirley. There will be a class in Fair Isle color choices and in cables for Arans. I've also ordered Janet Szabo's new Aran design book and will eagerly await its arrival. Hopefully I'll be posting progress photos next week. I really want to get back on track with these projects.