My Return to Blogging

It's been a very long time since I blogged!

So much has happened since my last post.....a few steps backward, a few steps forward and a lot of time spent running in circles.

In September 2012, Comair, the airline that I flew for for 15 years, clipped my wings, closed their doors and left me and thousands of other folks trying to figure out how to update our resumes and file for unemployment benefits.

In early October 2012, Janet broke her foot in a freaky walnut incident.
In late October 2012, Norm Wilhelmi, Janet's charismatic father, passed away in his sleep. Norm was the Knitwits' biggest cheerleader. He shared our little weekly E-News with anyone who would read it.

In February 2013, Sheryl, the sane Miss Congeniality of the shop, sold her home in the 41017 and moved to Northern South Carolina.

In a "nutshell", the last few months have been physically and emotionally upsetting, full of loss and change. Now that we've now had time to heal, to digest everything and brace for the impacts, we find ourselves feeling blessed for what we do have, ashamed for taking things for granted and empowered to be better.

Without Knitwits and the "Knitwits" who frequent the shop, Janet and I would be lost.
Because of Knitwits, we find purpose, strength and comfort.

It is our hope that Knitwits be a place of comfort, support and friendship when bad news is delivered as well as a place to share and celebrate life's joys.

Thanks for reading.

It's been 9 years......

Knitwits Back in the High Rent District (2005?)

It's been 9 years but I think we're getting the hang of it! Many people think that working at a yarn shop must be a lot of fun. It is...but it's also a lot of work! If it were easy and all fun, there would be a Knitwits on every corner!

Yarn shops are like fingerprints, there are no two alike--nor should there be! Every shop has its own personality, merchandise mix, strengths and weaknesses and NONE are perfect! If they look perfect...they must not be very busy. And, if they're busy it doesn't always mean they're making money. Trust me on that one.

People will seek out a Local Yarn Shop (LYS), so location is important but it isn't everything. Rent is a biggee! It is what you pay in rent AND happens within the doors that makes a yarn shop successful...or not.

Yarn shops are the quintessential "Mom and Pop" operations or in the case of Knitwits, "Mom, BFF and Best Employees" operation. Unless you're willing to spend a lot of money, everyone involved in the operation has to wear many hats to keep the doors open. A LYS has to sell a lot of yarn and needles to pay the rent. It is the marketing of the shop, customer service, selling the classes, clubs, events and creating positive experiences that will get people coming back. Building a loyal customer base takes time (lots and lots of it), creativity (lots of crazy ideas), resourcefulness (lots, again) and money (way too much). After nine years, we're finally getting our expenses in line with our sales---but we're working harder than ever!

Turn back the hands of time by 9 years. 
Janet knew how to knit but she wasn't a knitter. She thought it would be "fun" to have a little yarn shop and she wrote some of her thoughts down on a cocktail napkin. Soon after, Knitwits Contemporary Yarn Shop was opened as a birthday present from Janet's late husband, George.

An amazing series of events has occurred since then.
We've laughed and we've cried.
George's gift of Knitwits continues to touch and change many lives in too many ways to count!
It has been the gift that keeps giving!

Happy Birthday Janet!
(Jay too, Janet's twin brother)

Back in the 41017

It's been a week since we returned from the wonderful birthday trip. I still have a few days off before I go back to flying...so it truly has been a fabulous vacation. I have been able to ease back into a routine of time at the shop, knitting/crocheting, napping and spring cleaning. 50 ain't so bad!

50 Ain't SO Bad!

It has been a few weeks since I started a new project. At first, it was a little bit like going through withdrawl. But, I have some great projects on the needles and I like them all enough to keep plugging away at them. I think the key for me is to stay off Ravelry!

I'm am thrilled that so many people followed our journey via the Prog Blog and Facebook. Social media is amazing. Everyone asks, "What was the best part of the trip?" or "What was your favorite place?"  These are really tough questions to answer.

Prague (or if John were writing this- Prog in the Check Republic) was everything that people told us it would be. It was beautiful and full of history. We loved our comfortable yet small hotel that was tucked in the top of the hillside across from Prague Castle. It was weird that Prague was so busy during the day and practically deserted after sunset. We figure that the bus tours and cruise ships pack tons of visitors to Prague for the day. The best part of Prague was our car trip to Cesky Krumlov, a charming, little walled city about an hour and a half drive from Prague. Jill suggested we go and I'm glad we did!

Cesky Krumlov

We took a train from Prague to Budapest and I enjoyed the 8 hours of knitting time.
I thought Prague was amazing (and still do) but Budapest was even better! It is a mix of modern and ancient with the most beautiful architecture and public spaces I have ever seen. Everything was done with a flair for aesthetics. Thanks to Capt'n John, I don't think we missed a single pastry shop. Budapest is definitely someplace I hope to return to soon where I think three days in Prague was sufficient.

Parliament in Budapest

From Budapest we flew to Paris. Paris was the perfect ending. We did not have enough time to explore everything and I don't think you could ever see everything Paris has to offer. We stayed at the Hilton Arc de Triumph, a gorgeous art deco hotel.

Now that I'm back...I think the best part of the trip was being able to explore the sights, sounds and flavors of the world but realizing that home is the very best place of all.

Home!

End of Prog Blog-Jet Lag

What a fabulous trip! This trek was my 5oth birthday present from Captain John and we couldn't have had a better time--it was a homerun. We got First or business class on ALL of our flights and miraculously had wonderful weather everywhere we went. Prague was great, Budapest was an unexpected delight and Paris was the icing on the cake.

Paris

We got back Monday afternoon and I'm afraid my body is still in vacation mode. The 8 hour plane ride back has me all confused about when to sleep and eat and my mind is still not ready to tackle my stack of mail, piles of laundry and the other responsibilities of the real world.

Tomorrow (Tuesday), I head back to Knitwits with one finished sock for Capt'n John, 18" of entrelac scarf and a still unfinished Color Affection shawl. I didn't get much knitting done and I didn't see any yarn shops in Europe. In fact, I didn't even see anyone knitting the whole trip.

It was my intention to blog everyday and document the sights, sounds and flavors of the journey. My intentions were good but the execution was terrible. Most of my photos included fingers or other unintended objects and the food was always halfway eaten when I remembered that I wanted to photograph it. Internet connections were the other glitch--I'm just not IT savvy enough to download, transfer and connect yet.

Ed and Regina Fort

For those of you that are thinking about a European vacation, DO IT!...but here is some advice.

1. Take one carry one suitcase per person and make sure that you check the acceptable size and weight restrictions on all of the carriers. We flew from Budapest to Paris on EasyJet and my suitcase was the only one that didn't need to be checked. They charge an additional 30 Euros for a checked bag and they aren't very lenient--purses and laptops must fit in the ONE bag.
2. Keep small change in your pockets. Most WC's will charge you to use the facilities.
3. We ended up buying an International Data Plan for John's iPhone after a few days so we could use the map functions and google stuff. The plans are fairly inexpensive and are prorated by days and not by how much data you use. 
4. Our travel companions, Ed and Regina Fort, researched hotels on the internet and got great deals on 4 and 5 star accommodations. They read all of the customer reviews looking for comments on noise, convenience, cleanliness, etc.
5. Late April is a great time to go to Europe. Spring Break is over and peak travel season rates seem to start on May 1st.
6. We downloaded Zuti apps on our phones, high quality mapping apps for Apple iPhones, iPod touch, iPad & Android. Clear scrollable detailed maps of the worlds transport systems that show you the routes to take from one destination to another.
7. With the exception on one skirt, I wore everything in my suitcase and I was not "that person" struggling with the suitcase the whole time. The must have items were KU fleece Jacket, raincoat/windbreaker, Cuddl duds, big colorful scarf that Sarah Haney gave me for birthday and gloves. I was never without the gorgeous, oversized scarf--it was perfect for taking the chill off and looked great.
8. Take the "hop on, hop off" guided tours and get a great overview of the city before you head out on your own. In Budapest, our tickets were good for two days and we used it as transportation for most of our stay.
9. Don't stress out over blogging, taking pictures and knitting! You're on VACATION!

Budapest

It did not take me long to get into vacation mode. In fact, my face hurts from smiling so much.
I've been sleeping well, eating very well and not looking at my watch at all...in fact, I still have my watch set for Eastern Standard Time so I know what time it is at Knitwits. I hope the journey through my "50's" and beyond continue to be as fabulous as this 50th Birthday celebration. Thank you Captain John!

Yesterday, we took a seven hour train ride from Prague to Budapest. I knit the entire way, stopping only twice for potty breaks. I had not knit much since arriving in Prague so I eagerly got to work on my Alchemy Silken Straw Color Affection project. With increases at the beginning of each row, I quickly had upwards of 300 stitches per row by the time we got to Budapest.

View of "Pest" from the "Buda" side of the Danube River

Captain John and I instantly feel in love with Budapest.
The architecture is breathtaking, the people are lively and friendly, the streets are safe and easy to navigate, restaurants are plentiful with impeccable service....desserts have been perfected!

Lunch with the Countess of Castle Garden

We are staying at The Castle Garden Hotel, a great little hotel, across the street from Budapest Castle on the "Buda" side of Budapest. The "Pest" side is across the Danube River. It seems that in Europe it is not that uncommon to give yourself a title, so I have dubbed myself "The Countess of Castle Garden."


Today, we took the "Hop On, Hop Off" Tour of Budapest and we only hopped off once...in search of the Gerbaud Cafe that John read about in the Wall Street Journal. The article described the 153 year old cafe that specializes in "Pastry Kremes", a tri-layered, super flaky, cream filled pastry. They must be very good because they were all sold out of the pastry kremes when we arrived at lunchtime.

I think I know where I'm having breakfast tomorrow........

Hello from Prague!

Cesky Krumlov  :D

 

Prague Castle

Astronomical Clock

Off to Budapest!

Today, we leave Prague from an eight hour train ride to Budapest. I'm looking forward to some quality knitting time and giving my legs a day off. I have enjoyed every minute and every meal in Prague.

Prague Update (Tuesday)

We are staying at a lovely little boutique hotel near the Prague Castle called Dominus Henrici. We love everything about the hotel...except the wi-fi doesn't work in our little suite. I'm using the hotel computer and I am unable to download the pictures from our iphones for you.

Yesterday, we toured Prague Castle.
Today, we are driving to Cesky Krumlov, a little walled town about 3 hours south of Prague. It is supposed to be one of the most picturesque places in the world.