fifteen

I do love a good road trip.

Especially when it means I get to knit... a bunch.

We went to the other side of the state this past weekend to visit my husband's family. James is from a teeny little hamlet of a town called Tower City, PA. The population (I'm pretty sure) is still less than 2000 folks, and there isn't a traffic signal in sight. He grew up with his entire family within walking distance of his house, and most of them have remained there. I've been to Tower City many times before, and we've always had a great time.

The drive is about 5 hours each way and I checked out the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows audio book to keep things magical. I love Harry Potter. Probably too much. I wish I was a wizard. At the very least, I'd like to be able to knit like Molly Weasley. She's fierce.

The jewel of Tower City, the gem of Tower City, the apple of Tower City's eye is a little restaurant that we always visit... Nino's. Now, I've had my share of pizza growing up. To be quite plain, I've probably had your share of pizza as well. Ahem. Like Joey Tribbiani, I LOVE pizza and sandwiches. My appetite is probably my most masculine feature (he sheepishly admits with a mouthful of cheese). Well, Nino's has the best pizza I've ever had outside of New York. It's not fancy, it's not expensive, and it's the best pizza (and sandwich) I've ever had. James introduced me to the Chicken Finger Sub many years ago, and I'm certain I haven't thanked him enough. Such a simple concept (chicken, lettuce, tomato), but at Nino's it's all in the execution. The bread and pizza dough are made fresh in-house daily, as is the sauce and everything else there. If you ever find yourself in Schuylkill County, PA you would do well to remember Nino's New York Style Pizza.

As if by divine intervention, we arrived home today right after I knit the last stitch of the last row of my 22.5 Degrees shawl. All that was left was the bind-off. After a wishy-washy exchange with myself (inside my head, for the most part) I decided to bind-off tonight and be done with it. This was the first time that I've ever use Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off and it was fantastic. Usually on a shawl bind off, I go up a needle size or two, but I didn't have to with this technique. That was convenient, as I didn't really feel like digging through my needles. I washed and blocked it, and now all I have to do is wait for it to dry. Ungh. I love the shape of this piece, and I can't wait to wear it. Hurry up and dry already!

In other news, I have a little stash enhancement to share... I know I've been making proclamations about not buying any yarn until a certain west coast fiber extravaganza, and you'll be happy to know that I'm still a man of my word. Leslie and Laura, the hosts of a fabulous knitting video cast, The Knit Girllls, were having a contest in December 2012 (Deep Stash Dive December) and my entry was the Fitful Head hat. When the prizes were drawn, my name came up!! Hooray!! I won a skein of Friday Studios Self Striping Sock Yarn (all the way from Sweden, y'all!) in the Monday Base (75% Wool/25% Nylon) in the colorway "Under the Sea." Have I mentioned that my favorite Disney movie of all time is The Little Mermaid?? It was fate. Kismet, really. Here's a quick pic so you can see the blues, teals, purples and pinks of this amazing yarn.

That's really all I have for now. Well, I did watch the Golden Globes (LOVED IT!) and was not surprised at all when Anne Hathaway took home the award for Actress in a Supporting Role for Les Miserables. Not. Surprised. At. All.