Vacation

How to knit in the woods...

(at our campsite at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, between Grand Haven and Muskegon on Lake Michigan)

How to knit at the beach...

(on the beach in Grand Haven, lighthouse and pier in background)

How to knit at an amusement park??

(at the waterpark portion of Michigan's Adventure)

Well, we're back, and with all the knitting time I carved out I finished an entire short sleeve cardigan in SWTC/Vickie Howell Collection Vegas, based on a pattern I was reverse-engineering for Vickie (from the one she knit for herself) before I left (it was so cute, I had to have one!) Granted, I was lazy and didn't bother with the lace panels and only did a top button (again, laziness-- I guess that's the effect of knitting at the beach too much) but it's nice to have made myself something for a change. If you're wondering what it looks like, Vickie is wearing hers here.

We decided to do a little half-assed camping this year (meaning we got most of our meals out, though Hubbo busted out the camp stove and made pancakes every morning) and where else to go but the delightful sandy shores of Lake Michigan? It's got it all-- knitting time (and yarn shopping) for me, frolicking in the lake for Emma, and volleyball for the Hubbo.

We arrived on Wednesday, and not one hour after we arrived a series of terrible storms blew up, with hours and hours of torrential rain, huge hailstones, crazy wind, flooded streets, you name it. After a while we gave up on camping for the night and drove into town to find a hotel room. Being 4th of July week, this was very difficult, but we lucked out and found a place that just got a cancellation. After a dry and pleasant night, we headed back to the campground in the morning to finish unloading the car and set up. At this point (and for the rest of our trip) the weather was totally sunny and gorgeous, though a bit cool that first day (didn't stop Emma from swimming though!)

We beached at the campground, in Grand Haven (about 4 miles away or so) and up in Ludington (about an hour north) for yarn shopping and grandparent-visiting. The crowds in Ludington were the most insane-- we waited in a huge line at House of Flavors for ice cream cones but of course it was worth it-- their ice cream is the best (why wouldn't it be, when the factory is right out back?)

The last day we went to Michigan's Adventure, since our kidlet is a total fearless maniac when it comes to rides. She had a great time, and it was perfect-- close by, cheaper than Cedar Point, and though it's smaller it still had plenty of stuff to do, including a really nice waterpark (that didn't cost extra, what a treat!) Here's a few more pictures...

Now to decide what we're going to do next year (and to get back to work-- 2 more boxes of yarn came today for upcoming design deadlines!!)