Something new...

for Fridays.
Going into the weekend I like having something  new to creatively stew and mull about.
So, starting today, I will be celebrating, "Free or Frugal Friday".
Not every Friday, but many Fridays, I will share with you something, well, free or frugal that has caught my eye.

Today I have dug into the Mission Falls vault and unearthed a pretty little thing to knit for the coming cold.

"Cora Jacket" (from the booklet "Spirit") is quite an easy, one size fits most, timeless silhouette.
Imagine if a cardigan and a shawl had a baby... a shawligan?
Loose fitting with no closures. Perfect to crawl into when the wind picks up and the air is brisk.
The lace repeat-- a classic and one of my all-time favourites-- is rhythmic and easy to be lulled by.

Get your pattern here!

Have a happy weekend...

Yes, it was love...

... at first sight.
The exact moment?
September 16th, 2012.
Like a bolt of lightening.
Just like in the movies.
I think I heard birds singing.
I think I felt the pierce of cupid's arrow.
A good friend captured it with her cell phone.

There I am standing.
Dumbstruck.
Silly grin.
Knees weak.
Mouth dry.
Clutching my freshly signed books-- there were two at that time.
Ugh...
Three of us road tripped to Hudson, New York to spend the day with Natalie Chanin and members of the Alabama Chanin team.
Hunting through my photos of the day I found nothing worth posting. I guess I was too awestruck or too busy keeping myself from swooning to the floor to capture anything worth while.
But that is not what this post is about, anyway.
This post is about this:

My visit to "mecca".
After two years of dreaming and hoping and wishing, last May I was finally about to visit the *ground zero* of Alabama Chanin FABulousness.
Thank goodness, the object of my affection was nowhere to be seen.
I was able to stroll, touch, smell, admire and photographically capture to my heart's content.
I could write words, but I think the photos say it best.

I left with a few purchases... a yard of cloth, a few bundles of scraps and a couple of spools of embroidery cotton.
My most cherished take away? Besides the memories and the photos? This...

AC's latest book --- the one I brought from home all wrapped and protected for the long, long car trip-- had something special added just for me.

This book has been to mecca.
:-D