I enjoyed the part of vacation I was able to experience. We were gone about two days when there was an emergency with one of my cats at home. Beau (the black cat) has been medically fragile for a couple years now but we’ve been able to go on vacation in the past and have my parents take care of both cats. It seems like the stress of us not coming home for an extended period of time just got to him. Ash struggled as well but not nearly to the extent that Beau did. We debated for a long time before finally giving in to the realization that we weren’t going to be able to relax and we needed to return home.

We did get to do the scenic Great Smoky Mountains Railroad moonshine tour before making the decision and we had a great time. We got to try seven moonshine flavors in total and had some yummy cheesecake on the way home. I didn’t knit as much as I expected to (it’s embarrassing how much yarn I brought for a four hour train ride) but I did get a couple rows in. I send postcards home to my family and friends while on vacation and we spent a good amount of time debating what we wanted to say while looking out over the river.

We did stop at Friends and Fiberworks Yarn Shop just outside Ashville, NC on our way home. I picked up some mini-skeins for the beekeeper’s quilt, an adorable ram’s head shawl pin, and some fingering yarn in a colorway exclusive to the shop. It was a huge shop and they were so kind. They let me in early after they saw us waiting outside in the pouring rain because I had neglected to check their hours. If you’re ever in the area it’s definitely a shop worth visiting but check the GPS because it took us to their old location first. The new location wasn’t far, and was beautiful in the middle of some farms, but it was an extra stop.

Now that I’m home, this weekend a crafter friend and I are doing the NC Triangle yarn crawl. We’re planning on going to six of the seven yarn shops in the area (we’re spoiled, I know) and getting lunch with some other friends. I don’t need any yarn but I’m sure I’m going to end up with some anyway. I have a project I need some needles for so that will be my primary objective but I’ll do my best to keep specific projects in mind as I shop. I’d like to provide plans but if I don’t tell anyone then no one will know when I don’t stick to them. We’re going to my local favorites then some shops I don’t go to often or at all. I’m looking forward to meeting other knitters and seeing what finished objects they’re wearing. It’s hot here but I want to represent my knitting anyway. If only I’d worked on that tank top.