The plan was simple.  The plan was actually kind of awesome.  A friend was doing some Christmas shopping.  She wanted to get someone on her list all of the things one might need to start knitting socks.  Well now, that’s totally the sort of thing I can help with.  I’m not usually much of a shopper.  I tend to do most of my shopping online, and I can’t remember the last time I went to the mall.  But there’s a nice big exception for yarn shopping.  That is scads of fun and is best done in person.

Plans were made.  A jaunt to my favorite local yarn store, River Colors, was in order.  Now River Colors isn’t the closest store, but it is the one I like best.  According to the all knowing google maps, it’s about a 35 minute drive.  It was snowing when we left, so it took us just under an hour to get there.  This was an entirely reasonable snow delay.  It bespeaks prudence, respect for the weather, and careful operation of the car.  Coming home was another story.  The snow got harder.  Traffic got heavier.  People more or less lost their minds.  The 35 minute drive took almost five hours.

It wasn’t even that much snow.  See?  We’ve had snow that swallowed up all but the top 8 inches of that fence.  This was only 6-8 inches over the course of the day.  That should be totally manageable.  Alas, it was not.  (And yes, we had/have every intention of hauling the patio furniture into the garage.  This storm sort of caught everyone off guard.  We’d only had little dustings until this.  We’ll lug in out of the elements just as soon as the snow melts a bit.)

The crazy thing is that it was actually sort of fun.  My friend’s two little boys were with us, and they were absolute sweethearts.  The youngest isn’t quite old enough for conversation just yet, but he was amazingly content for a little guy stuck in a car without his dinner or access to his normal hygiene routines.  The oldest is quite the little conversationalist and was still grinning even after our very long drive.  He also showed impressively good taste in yarn (he seemed especially fond of the Malabrigo).  I think this means I have a new test subject recipient for my hat experiments.  Hats for three-year-olds can be a bit more whimsical and show a bit less restraint than hats for grownups right?  I’ve seen three-year-olds pull off outfits I’d never attempt, so surely they have the personality to manage enthusiastic hats.