Knit Wits Go North
(Right now I can't get Blogger to title my posts properly. Sorry for any confusion this may cause.)

On Friday night the Knit Wits visited Ewetopia in Troy OH. (Well, most of the Knit Wits went. Holly and Molly couldn't make it. We missed you guys!) When we walked in the door Deb Matthews, the owner, said "The Knit Wits are here!" What a nice welcome! Ellenmarie organized this trip. Either our reputation preceded us, or Ellenmarie told Deb we were coming.

Deb graciously agreed to let me take photos for the blog. This is the view from the front door.





On two Friday nights a month Ewetopia stays open until 10:00 p.m. They order pizza, and knitters come just to hang out and knit. Someone said they've had as many as 30 knitters on those nights. When we got there around 6:00 p.m., a group had already gathered at the table.






Below, a knitter consults with Deb. (She's the one standing, on the right.)





Ewetopia's selection includes Mountain Colors (there are several hanks on the display, below), Jamieson's, Dale of Norway, and Rowan yarns.



They also have a nice selection of Chris Bylsma patterns. This is the Crayon Box cardi.





While we were there, a knitter arrived with home-made brownies to add to the array of goodies.



Below is a pic of Teresa checking out the needles at the back of the store.




From left to right: Teresa, Molinda, Vicky, and Ellenmarie.





After our shopping spree, we walked around the town square then went to a restaurant for dinner. We made good use of our time while we waited for a table.

Molinda and T checked out an issue of Interweave Knits.





Ellenmarie worked on a tank top.




Vicky laughed when I asked her to pose for the blog, and Molinda was amused.

Dave was off beginning on Friday. Last weekend we rode our bikes along the Great Miami River from West Carrollton to Miamisburg. On Friday morning we explored the new extension of the trail from Miamisburg south to the northern edge of Middletown. Along the way, we rode past some historic mansions in Franklin. It was a pleasant ride.

Bicycling in the Miami Valley can be deceptive. There are 3 rivers in the area: the Great Miami, the Stillwater, and the Mad River. They all flow south into the Ohio River. When one rides a bike from north to south, one is traveling downhill - however gradually. This may not be apparent until one turns around to go back to the car. Such was the case on Friday morning. The ride back was more strenuous than the ride out. The total mileage was 11.7 miles.

On Saturday we rode from the west side of Springfield to Urbana. Urbana is within 10 miles of the highest point in Ohio. It was uphill all of the way out, and we felt it. This was the first time we've ever ridden that trail, and it was fun. There were some challenges though. There are a number of points where the trail crosses railroad tracks. At each of these crossings, there are signs that say: Stop, Look, and Listen. The plant growth is such, that this is good advice. However, when crossing railroad tracks on a bicycle it's important to cross at as close to a 90 degree angle as possible and to cross with a bit of momentum. If a bicycle fails to cross the tracks properly, the front wheel can get caught in the tracks. You can taco a wheel that way. Then it's a long walk back to the car.

There were also a few road crossings that required some caution. The corn is now high enough that we couldn't see over it from our bikes. When we got to road crossings, we had to stop and peer around the corner of the corn fields to see if it was safe to cross.

The ride back was fast and pleasant, as it was downhill most of the way.

Saturday night Dave and I drove back up to Urbana to watch fireworks. His program has a base at the airport, where the fireworks were set off. The public was restricted to the side of the airport buildings that faced the road, but we sat on the helicopter landing pad facing the runway. The helicopter crew was paged out on a flight 10 minutes before the fireworks began, so Dave and I were left to watch the display by ourselves. The fireworks were set off from far back on the runway. The fireworks were fabulous, and it felt like we were watching them from the privacy of our own backyard. It was a magical evening.

It has been a wonderful week of vacation. I spent time with friends, visited 3 yarn shops, sailed and rode bikes with Dave, and had plenty of time to knit. Now it's back to the real world.