Asheville Interlude

We spent the weekend in a cabin in Asheville, NC. It was my first time there, which always shocks everyone because it's full of vintage/antique shops and hippie-type people, both of which are my favorite things. The mountains were beautiful and the city seems very laid-back. I said on facebook that I felt like I cheated on Wilmington, and it's true-- I kind of want to move there now!

A friend gave us a few recommendations and we had breakfast at Early Girl Eatery, dinner at The Laughing Seed, and shopped for vintage house-things at Screen Door. At Screen Door I found a coconut purse in one of the booths (!) and a metal chair that folds out into a step stool, which is a must have for the kitchen because I'm short and can never reach anything. Sunday we picked up brownies at French Broad Chocolates.. I think I want to move there just because they have more than one fancy chocolate shop! Ahh!

It was cold so I forgot to take a proper outfit photo, but look! New coat! I found it at my favorite thrift shop-- or I should say the wonderful Ruth had it hiding it in the back-- and it was only ten bucks. It's made of sheep's wool and desperately needs to be dry cleaned because it's awfully yellowed, but its the warmest thing ever.

Coconut!

The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch

This is my current favorite pattern book-- The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch by Donna Wilson.

Well, I've never been compelled to actually buy pattern books until I saw this one, because the creatures are so weird and I realized that I need to make all of these things right away and give them to people and keep a bunch for myself and omgfun. For Christmas I got a little stack of hobby books, including a baby hat book (because I love to give those as gifts) bringing my total number of pattern books up to Two.

The style of the book is very homemade and oddball and reminds me a lot of Amy Sedaris's books (this would be right up her alley, really). Some of my favorites:

Love them. I'm in the middle of making the twins right now.

They're knitted flat on straight needles and then sewn together (or at least the twins are, I haven't tried anything else yet), and I forgot how little I knit on straights. I pretty much do everything on circulars. I would have used them for this but I don't have circs in a 4. I should really get some sort of set and just chuck all the straights out the window..