Build it, they will shop

A day spent at the Mall of America.

Mall of America

(all pictures were added once home and on my own computer. (my DH has this really weird keyboard that is driving me nuts. It has no touch pad; instead one of those little red rubber things in the middle of the keyboard making navigating on the page totally insane)

But first – last evening. Arriving at the hotel, I checked us all in and was left with the problem of how to find my planned entertainment. Knitters are generous, one had offered to give me a ride to O’Shaunessy auditorium. She was felled by what ever is going around along with her entire family.

I managed to get to Summit Ave in St Paul, a nice Gold Star cab with GPS solved the problem.

The Harlot was worth the trip.

picture taking a picture

Even better there are Cathy-Cate and Deb . The first managed, in spite of the weather to make the trip from Eau Claire, bringing along lace weight Nit Picks so that I could do this round of Sock Madness. Kilos of yarn I have in the stash and nothing that is even remotely lace weight. Deb, saving me a seat and making me feel a part of her whole circle of knitting friends. And then there is the wonderful Stella (I don’t have either her Ravelry name or Url) who gave me, a total stranger, a ride back to the hotel on this windy snowing, sleeting really weather ugly night.

None of us stayed for the book signing, there was just a little bit of a line with weather getting worse by the moment.

too many people to stand in line

Which leads me to this morning – or the whole day actually. Mall of America. Building this huge, insane maze of a place and the shoppers come. Completely indoors (this is Minnesota, it is freaking cold. April and it is snowing – go figure) it sports over 450 constantly changing stores and amusement park rides. Enough eateries that anyone should be able to find food along with screaming kids.

We did the family meet up regularly. I bagged the place about 1800. IHOP was the hands down favorite since it was right next to the hotel.

Crashing was next on my list, since I had been up since rather early. Like well before 0500 early. You see, I had this pattern, and lovely, lace weight (ack) yarn for Sock Madness – round three.

0420 in the morning

Winding yarn (400 yds of one and only half the skein of the other).
Only 400 yds blue to windSomething like 800 yrds here

by 0930 I was here –

half way through the first sock

and finished the first sock today; the second half of the sock taking all afternoon due to the shopping interuptions. It is a fast pattern and I probably could have finished this one up and gotten at least of the second sock done if I could have just knit…. (But really, this is only a sock knitting contest. And it was Mall of America and the kids were interested in shopping).
and the first sock

Which reminds me – you know serendipity? It is when you go into the Ritz Camera Store on level three to replace the lens cover you lost yesterday and get waited on by a pleasant young man in his early 30s. I looked at his first name on his tag and the neurons fired. I don’t think I had seen him since his Bar Mitzvah, his parents and I knowing each other since we were all students at the U of MN. In fact, this particular young man was borrowed at age not 4 to be the ring bearer in our wedding…

Arches

{Imaging the picture – till it was uploaded}.
Marquette Hotel - hallway 13
Marquette Hotel – Hallway 13

-Holly

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2 Responses to Build it, they will shop

  1. Cathy-Cate says:

    After the book-signing, I found a stray lens cap Thursday night, caught in your chair, but you were long gone, as was everyone else I knew….
    and I was flying out Friday to Seattle.
    So I will mail it to you. Just email me your address. Hope you got back safely and had an enjoyable time despite the whirlwind of activity. It was very nice to meet you!
    (And I can’t wait to see the socks!)
    Cathy

  2. Kristin L says:

    Bat Mitzvas and family aside — YOU GOT TO SEE THE HARLOT!?! How bloggy cool is that?

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