well there!
When I was getting ready to move here, people I was meeting online in this area warned me to not expect great things, job-wise. I didn’t realize this when I applied to EMU, but Michigan has an even higher unemployment rate than Maine – something that’s truly scary from the point of view of someone who saw most of her friends in Maine either losing their jobs, or working minimum-wage crap desperately so they don’t lose their houses.
Anyway, so I got here, and wasn’t expecting much as I started to fire off resumes. But lo, luck is on my side, apparently, because I landed a job today. Prep cook, nothing glamorous, but I have a good feeling about this job, after talking to the man who will be my manager… I think there’s potential here. I start Monday, and I’m very excited.
And how, exactly, does a knitter celebrate re-joining the work force? That’s right.
Upon the recommendation of a friend’s coworker’s wife (follow that?), I drove north to Whitmore Lake, to the Whitmore Lake Yarn Co. Very cute shop, very friendly people. It’s hard to say if I’ll make much of a habit of going there, only because I tend to buy luxury yarns – Artyarns, Habu Textiles – or, at the very least, my current addiction is lace yarn – and Whitmore Lake has very little of any of the above. But I do know that if I have need of Lamb’s Pride or something basic like that, they will definitely get my business, because they (and some of their regulars, who were sitting around crocheting when I walked in the door) were so pleasant and friendly to me. It was very… family-like. 
I did, of course, find things to buy: Cascade Yarns “Heritage” sock yarn, Universal Yarn Co. “Cotton Supreme”, and a Lantern Moon project bag (clearance! 40% off!). The Cotton Supreme is the find of the day, only because it’s the most amazing pure-cotton yarn I’ve ever touched; it seriously feels like alpaca. I was looking for a cotton yarn to make a summer shrug out of, and very nearly passed this up because I didn’t want white, but one touch and I was sold. Hey, it’s cotton – I can dye it!
If you ever want to hang out with a new group of knitters not super far away, come visit us up here in Grand Blanc. Also, whenever you want to find who has the lux yarns I can recommend several shops for you.