{Yarn Along} Taking suggestions

I'm still reading The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and liking it but I was sad to read a spoiler on another blog! It's due back at the library tomorrow so I need to wrap it up. I leave for Philadelphia on the 18th, then head to Houston on the 21st, so I'll have plenty of time on a plane for a new book - so I'm taking suggestions.

I have two skeins of discontinued Araucana Nature Wool in this amazing duck-egg colorway. It's 220 meters per skein, bringing me to a total of about 440 meters, 4 ply, medium weight. I love it so much I've been saving it for something special, now I'm having trouble choosing a project since I have a limited amount. I am considering the Casu but I am hesitant to  have the wool right up on my neck. Again, I'm taking suggestions...

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UPDATE -  I have finished reading the book. The author had wonderful descriptive language which I enjoyed and kept my interest up throughout. I loved all the characters. It made me reflect on marriage, the secrets that are kept, communication, shared dreams, love, loss. It was very impactful in that way and the loves of each of the marriages portrayed in the book are very special.

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Linking up with GSheller and Keep Calm and Craft On.

Quilt Quest 2013

Today was a great day. I had to work for about two hours this morning and I planned to leave the office, drive to Clarksburg and meet my Grandmother and two aunts to visit one of the shops on the Mountain State Quilt Quest Shop Hop. When I stopped by the house before hitting the road, Julian suggested he go too and we'd make a day of it.

We met my family about 35 minutes south of here and had lunch at the Bob Evans. They had been shop hopping two days prior and had been to all but three of the 11 shops leaving my hometown shop, the one we planned to visit, and the one in Elkins which was too far out of the way to make it to. Each shop had its own version of a quilt made with 24 blocks and had two block patterns for sale. With each pattern, you got two fat quarters. Each block showcased a part of West Virginia Heritage.

Julian loves covered bridges and I love honeybees. Our state has many covered bridges and the state insect is the honey bee, and both were included in the quilt. BUT - the covered bridge and honeybee blocks we bonus blocks available to those who visited all the shops. I had stopped by my local shop to grab the patterns for the two blocks there, and the Aunts and Grandma had been to every other shop. Just the Elkins shop remained and the bonus blocks - an hour farther away from home.

But, because Julian had come along for the ride, he agreed that the two of us should go ahead and go. We had nothing else to do and we were together, so why not! And we did. I'm happy to report that we had a lovely time AND snagged the much coveted blocks.

Mom's Apple Cake

This is a recipe, as you can tell by the name, that my mom has used for years out of an old local cookbook she acquired in Louisville before we kiddos were born. It is baked in a glass 9x13 and gets a caramel icing.