The Cooper Hewitt

The biggest discovery in the New York part of this trip was the Cooper Hewitt Museum (thank you Dorothy).

The museum is in Carnegie's house on the Upper East Side (which was not the usual fashionable spot at the time):

Here's a video of a super cool clock they have:

Clip6 from sajorenna on Vimeo.

It's a delightfully fun design museum.

There's a coffee shop and seating too; perfect for an after visit break.

I love New York ... there's always something to see that I've never been to in previous visits.

The Train

I took the train to New York when I was done in D.C.  I figure what with security and getting from LaGuardia to the city it took about the same amount of time as a flight would have.

The station is nice.   Well, was once nice.  It's pretty chopped up now but there were some old style grand station bits still visible.

There was good people watching too.  I'm not sure how these stockings work, but they were impressive.

There was tagging along the way :)

More than anything else I was impressed by the number of states you cross on such a short train ride.  

D.C. (Kind of)

I was in Alexandria, Virginia for work last week.

Old Town is an interesting place.  I found this along King Street.  Non-sequitur does not even begin to describe it, I think:

I got to see Boy-child and meet his girlfriend.  (Yes, I like her very much!):

It was peak cherry blossom time but since I wasn't actually in D.C. and I was working, I had to make do with the available blossoms:

One thing I did discover that I want to go back to check out (I found it 1/2 hour before closing) is the Torpedo Factory:

The work part went well and I was glad I got to explore a bit.  Also, need I mention I went to my favorite Alexandria yarn shop?  They didn't have the Miss Babs I was looking for but I managed to find a few thinks I liked:

Colorful Stop

Spotted this while driving down the parkway yesterday :)

Throwback Thursday

My big plan for Saturday was to go see Suburbia at the Minnesota History Center.

Then, would you believe? The Girls texted and asked if I wanted to go to the History Center. Family outing on a Saturday morning - perfect!

There was a great station wagon from the 1950s or 60s.  Little Boy had a blast driving.

I remember living rooms like this.  And what was the deal with those paintings back in the day?

This bench cracked me up.

Turns out the Flying Dutchman has a more varied history than I realized.  The farm implement part of the history is why he ended up at the MN History Center.

The Children continue to be difficult to photograph.

Although on occasion they are still enough to get a crisp shot.

Baby-girl was really having fun revving up the Model T.

The day was beautiful.

I'm still adjusting to the fact that my childhood is in history museums :-D

I had my first walk around the lake for the season.  The contrasts in springtime are interesting.

Hammocks appear to be very popular this year.

It was a good weekend.  I got a lot done.  I am exhausted.  Time to go back to work tomorrow for some rest.

On Color and Addictions and Color Addiction

The blankie continues to progress.  I have added to my scraps through a scrap-swap at the Knitters' Guild February Tea.  I took in some worsted leftovers and picked up sock yarn leftovers.  Some of my Friday night knitting pals have also contributed to the project.  (It's ok, Rosemary, because it's a net zero).

It's a labor of love and addiction.  Over 70 squares now so 10% there ... starting to look like a blankie too.

I finished a sock for DIL.  She got short-changed at Christmas last year so my goal is to have two pair that fit her for next winter.

I also continue to work on tidying up estate issues.  As I prepare to close on the sale of Auntie's house I have picked up other loose ends, such as this afghan.   It was made by my paternal grandmother in the 1950s or 60s.  It needs repair.  Turned out it needed a bath too.

It's crochet so DIL will be in charge of the repairs.  I found materials and once it's dry I'll take it over to The Girls so that it can be fixed up and ready for someone to use.  The colors match better than it would seem from the photos.

It took me to the halfway point to realize that the yarn I chose for the Sister Syster was not good for the pattern.  For the record, if you're planning on making one, look for a yarn with drape.  I was focused on the color.  I am easily distracted by color.  When I saw this purple yarn I decided I wanted a Sister Syster made out of it without thinking it wasn't a good match as far as fabric ...  so now it's been washed and can be made into something else.

Speaking of color ... I try not to buy stuff (much).  My goal is to acquire only things that make my everyday better.  When I saw this polka-dotted mug it made me smile, so I bought it.  When I got it home, washed it and put it on the towel to dry it made me laugh.  I have no regrets.

I guess I have some color addiction issues :D

If you're looking for a sheepy movie I would highly recommend Rams.  We went for a Friday Knit Night Orphans field trip.  I'm not sure everyone else liked it but I thought it was terrific!