On the Road
May 22, 2009 | By
I recently had to take an impromptu road trip to visit my grandmother who lives about 200 miles away from my home base of Las Vegas, NV. Normally I love any excuse to get on the open road, but unfortunately this trip was because my grandmother was in the hospital.
Here’s the great thing about my family though; even though this normally would have been a somber or upsetting trip, I spent the afternoon giggling with my grandma and aunt in Grandmas hospital room.
Since I try not to go anywhere without searching out the local craft shops, I took the opportunity to visit a yarn shop up the road from the hospital where my Grandma is staying. It reminded me of two things that make for great creative fodder: taking the time to look for something good in any circumstance and seeking out creative ‘shelter’ in even the strangest of towns. I spent most of the afternoon joking with my aunt and grandma, but since this is the grandmother who taught me to knit we also compared current projects and I shared the yarn I bought at the local shop.
My trip to Apple Valley, California may have been short (just a day trip over and back) and for unfortunate reasons but it did have its merits. I was able to find several hanks of very nice sock yarn from companies that I don’t have access to at the yarn shops in my town, I picked up some pattern books from one of my favorite knit wear designers and I had a nice chat with the owner of the shop I was visiting. I learned about a new tool for picking up dropped stitches and a new yarn company I hadn’t heard of before. I was also able to help my grandma decipher a tricky bit part of a knitting pattern.
The possibility for creative expansion and discovery lay everywhere; even in hospital rooms with loved ones and by the light of a battery powered laptop on the drive home. It’s an old and clichéd adage but always remember to stop and smell the roses.
Photo -Courtesy of SWS Photography (Artfire)
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