Before I leave for Taos I leave you with this picture taken a few minutes ago.

I’m bringing my camera with me up to Taos and hope to get some good shots. I’m going to the Acupuncturist in a little bit and I hope he can make me feel better. I am still miserable. I didn’t sleep at all last night because of my nose. I also hope to check out the Yarn shops while I’m there. I told T. to bring his bike so he could go for a ride as soon as we get there and I can take off by myself for a few hours. I can’t wait.  Bye y’all.

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See you next year Balloon Fiesta.

This was one of the last balloons T. and the kids saw on Sunday.

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Have I told everyone that Village Wools has been closed all week to move into the new space. It’s unbelievable. Seriously. We have gone to a space more than twice the size of the old space. We have a whole corner of the shop for the books. There are four classrooms. The dye room has a PURPLE floor! There are 16 skylights. We open up on Monday at 10:00am. I’ve been there everyday since Sunday whenever I can to help. Yesterday I opened up the first box and put the first ball of yarn on the shelf. Pretty cool stuff. Here are the details of where the store is if you don’t know already. All of our new yarns will be on the shelves. It’s just absolutely amazing. Just wait until you see for yourselves. Maybe I’ll get some pictures today. Who’s going to be there on Monday when we open back up?

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And Flat Scout says, “See y’all at Rhinebeck! Come find me and take a picture with me!”

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Oh what a week it’s been. First of all, wish my removed mole benign vibes as it’s sent off to the lab. I had one taken off yesterday from my back and now have 4 stitches. FUN! It’s really sore but better today than it was yesterday. The good news is that it’s been the best mail week ever for kick-ass swag. First up is my girlfriend’s Pippi’s swag. Even though she doesn’t normally do custom orders, she loves me and did some coil for me. Of course it’s in my favorite color and dayum. I think both skeins are the prettiest skeins of yarn I’ve ever seen in my whole life. I’m not kidding. You be the judge. (lots of pictures to follow and click each to see bigger)

And again, because she really loves me, she sent this too.

I mean really? Unbelievably beautiful. Please go buy yarn from her. To simply put it, she rocks. Thanks sister. I don’t know if I can ever knit with it since I just like staring at it!

Now we’ll move onto the next mail love. These are made by Daria of Glamscience. Some of you in the Indie Swag Club will get some cool swag from her. (not this stuff though!) These are some of the new things she’s selling. Not only are they gorgeous, but the ring is super comfortable too. Oh and look! Purple! Purple glitter. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Oh wait, but there might just be something else purple and pretty to show you as well. Kathy of Minx Bead Jewelry asked me a little while ago what Supergirl and I might like if she were to hypothetically make us something. Holy crap. Go over and buy some swag from her everyone. Look.

She made me earrings, a necklace AND a bracelet and they are just breathtakingly beautiful. And look what she made for Supergirl.

She loves it and it fits perfectly. Thank you to all of my Indie grrls for hooking me up with ultimate swag. And jeez. You think I kind of like purple?Now readers? Go buy swag from them okay? Support the Indie peeps!

Have a great weekend everyone. Tomorrow morning I get to meet Domesticat and her guy. They are driving down from Santa Fe bright and early for Ballon Fiesta. I’m going to get some breakfast burritos that hopefully won’t destroy their vital organs. I’m now off to the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Fesitval. What a week to live in New Mexico….

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Caroline aka Fibertribe arrived late last night and awoke to this view.

Today is all about the special shapes. We saw everything from Jesus to cows. Pretty much anything you could possibly imagine, we saw it. And after breakfast at Flying Star we got to help crew a few balloons.

Once this one came down we helped get the air out of it. Supergirl thought that was just about the coolest thing she’s ever done. You have to go here to see all of the pictures. There are some really fantastic ones. The day ended with Caroline’s first trip ever to Trader Joes. She said she wants a cot so she can live there. I think a move to the West is most definitely on the horizon for her. Now we’re off to gymnastics and NAET for both kids and Caroline is headed up to Utah.

This is my favorite picture to date. As we came home from Trader Joes the balloons were literally landing all around us. Such an amazing place to live.

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This is what I saw as I dyed some Soctoberfest yarn at 8:30am this morning from my *studio*. It rained yesterday so the mass ascension was canceled. Today they did a mass ascension and a flying competition. Not a bad way to wake up in the morning huh?

It rained yesterday so the humidity is making it a bit hazy.

This one got lost I think. It’s completely east of the rest of the balloons.

Special Shapes! Look at that cute turtle!

Click to see a whole bunch more here.

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Look who I met today. KnitFit! She and her mom are in New Mexico for a vacation and came by the shop today. Not only that, but she was sporting her Beebalm socks I custom dyed for her and they got to meet my sock. And, for anyone who has never met either one of us in person? She’s wicked tall. I’m almost 5′8″ and she’s taller than me! Ohhh did she buy some pretty yarn too. I’ll let her show you though. I’ll just say Fiesta, Ironstone and Silky Wool. Yum. Oh and I invited her to come to SnB tomorrow night too.

I just left her a message and I’m hoping she and her mom take me up on my offer to cook them dinner on Wednesday. Dave? Can you hop on a plane and come join us? Cocktails, Mexican food….maybe even some knitting?

I love being able to meet my online knitty friends in person. I’m hoping to meet Caroline soon as she’s driving through on her way to Utah. And this weekend I might get to meet Domesticat. I told her she’s more than welcome to come down for Balloon Fiesta and she said, “You’d invite total strangers into your home?” Which made me laugh because it’s how I’ve met some of my best friends. I usually have a pretty good feel for a person simply based on the writing in their blog and e-mails. I have met so many amazing people online and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the internet. And Chris? Start making plans to get your heiny back out here next year okay?

Alrighty. Time to make some caramel apples and then dye some yarn.

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This morning at about 7:00am. Click the pictures to see bigger.

I organized a breakfast for about 100 people this morning at 7:00am for my neighborhood for the first morning of the Balloon Fiesta. You know, because I’m not really busy enough as it is.  /sarcasm.  It was raining when I woke up and I was worried we’d have to cancel it but it ended up clearing up just in time. The only problem was that it was too windy for the balloons to go up super high so they stayed close to the ground. At least we still had a mass ascension for the breakfast.

Now we just have 2 soccer games to go to….I’m ready for a nap already.

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I bring you both today. My eye candy is this handspun skein of misshawklet’s I bought to make a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. Isn’t it beautiful? I’m going to make a lengthwise scarf with the other handspun I have from her so it will be red with some blue. I will make it shorter and wider so either a girl or guy can wear it. A guy can have a teensy bit of nylon sparkle can’t he?

And Saturday sky at 7:45am on 9.30.06. Balloon Fiesta starts next weekend!

Taos Wool Festival is next weekend as well, which I’m going to miss again this year. I’m really bummed but there is no way I can do it. I’m organizing a neighborhood breakfast, both kids have soccer games and then I have one on Sunday. I can’t miss any of that. Maybe next year?

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

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We live directly east of the Balloon Fiesta Park so we get to just walk out our back door and watch them take off. This is what it looks like during Balloon Fiesta. We never even have to go anywhere to watch them. Just grab some coffee and look east. We can’t complain. The Sandias are the view we have when we turn the other way. This morning there were actually quite a few that took off but this was the only one I was able to capture.

Good-bye moon.

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Did any of you happen to notice that this

coincides with this?

Well Chris and I did. We thought it could be a pretty fun weekend. I know there is Rhinebeck but maybe some of you would be interested in this too? (By no means am I saying not to do Rhinebeck but some of you could drive here!)  People could fly in on October 5th or 6th and drive up to Taos and we could all meet during the day on Saturday and maybe do a big dinner? Sunday, everyone could drive back down to Albuquerque and we could wake up early and watch the Balloons take off on the 9th before going? You know? Just a thought. Anyone interested? So many of you keep telling me you miss NM and wish you could come back here …… I know my Stitch ‘n’ Bitch gang has talked about going up there. Why not make it an even bigger group!? And hey, you could even visit Village Wools while here. We’ll be in our new space by then too. Any takers?

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