The new fall knitting magazines are out and very exciting. Lots of great cabley sweaters. I think my favorite new magazine was Rowan 44. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Amazing classic styles with a 40s glamour, as well as plenty of amazing colorwork for which Rowan is known.

Besides these print magazines, the new online magazines Twist Collective and Knotions are out. There's so much out there, an abundance of talent, making choosing what to knit a little more difficult.

We just got back from our trip to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival. This was a much needed vacation after a busy month of tons of extra work.

We started on the right foot with a great B&B. Dean at Blue Moon is a great host, and the breakfasts were above and beyond fantastic. The bed was excellent, too, as a matter of fact.

Our schedule was full, 5 plays in 4 days. We saw The Clay Cart, A Midsummer Night Dream, Our Town, A Comedy of Errors, and Othello. I really enjoyed the Shakespeare plays, especially Othello, but I tend to enjoy intense drama.

I decided before our trip that I ought to visit The Web-sters yarn store, for souvenir yarn, of course. The problem with this theory is that I'm not exactly starved for yarn selection in Portland. Nevertheless, we stopped by after lunch, in the hour before our matinee show.

I was excited by all the yarn, lots of different stuff and a lot of luxury yarns. I had almost convinced myself that I was going to get some raspberry-colored angora (#4 color) for a fluffy scarf. We realized eventually that we needed to be going to the theater, so I headed to the register. Just then, another woman came in and started asking for help fixing her knitting. She was trying to pick up the collar, and she was having a tough time.

Well, normally I would be happy to continue wandering around the store until the clerk was free, but I had to go! I was so angry at the clerk for not helping me and for this woman for be so needy and pushy. I decided that both of them were idiots and that the sweater in question was ugly. I put the angora back, and headed off. After the show, and some cooler thinking, I returned to the yarn store.

First thing, the clerk started apologizing for the delay. What could I say? I knew in my heart that she hadn't meant to ignore me, she was just trying to deal with what was in front of her. I let her know it was okay, we just had a show to see. I changed my mind about the angora, though. I went with a small amount of habu silk instead. I spent half what I would have, and I'm happier than I think I would have been.