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Actually, it was a weekend in Bucks County, PA., with our friends L— & D—, who for some reason choose to live miles from civilization, and their son H—, who is four—need I say more.

Actually, he’s extraordinarily well-behaved and bright, despite not being of voting age.

He does, however, have a slight prejudice against bald people, which is a point against him.

D— & J were working on an Irving Berlin exhibition at the Mitchener Museum in Doylestown, which is one reason we went down (over, across, whatever), and I just happened to check YarnHarlot’s tour schedule last week, where it stated that she would be at the Doylestown Bookshop on Saturday. I couldn’t help myself and had to go, despite having looked outside at the near freezing rain and thinking, “It’s a bookstore. There will be no yarn nearby. And it’s raining.” Then D— checked and found, lo and behold, a yarn store around the corner and I had to go.

Superb yarn store.

**drool**

**drool**

**spending money**

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was, of course, brilliant and funny and on everyone’s level, despite being a knitting goddess. And she signed my book. Which I’m oddly thrilled about, and had to show J and L— & D—.

Ah, but I arrived too early and had time (and credit cards) to kill and found this:

On the left is Malabrigo Rain Forest. Teddy Bear soft and so much more visually interesting. Much more so than the web site. At the top is Fleece Artist merino, the cost of which I cannot tell you, but it’s an astounding 750m, which should last a while. To the right of that is some Noro, which is probably Blossom or Blossom might be the color (#7). The tag is confusing. I thought it would be a good hat for my red-headed niece. Below is four balls of RY Natural Silk Aran, which is 73% viscose, 15% silk and 12% linen. Since nature doesn’t produce viscose naturally, the label is dubious, but it is soft and should make a nice scarf. And those, are Brittany needles in American #7 and #8. Birch awaits.

The owner and staff at Forever Yarn were very friendly and helpful, as were the customers. It was a superb shop.

So what was I knitting when I went to Doylestown? A top-down sock. Inspired by the description of how to knit a sock in Knitting Rules! and following Stephanie’s instructions sort-of exactly, I was trying the Lorna’s Laces Camouflage sock again. I turned the heel this morning, despite the help of a four-year-old, and this is what I have:

Top-down socks are so much better than toe-up. One gets over that horrible ribbed part at the start and you miss all the anxiety of the short-row heel. The foot is clean-sailing stockinette.