I feel as though I have been remiss, not blogging as regularly as I would like. I’d like to say I’ll get on the ball and start blogging at least twice a week, but…well, the holidays are coming so I make no promises. At least my schedule will soon ease up in a couple of ways: the teenager is done with marching band now, and will be done with the school musical after this week. Much less driving for me!

The two projects that filled most of last week can’t be written about as of yet, but I have other yarny adventures to share. My LYS recently moved from the little downtown area to a nearby warehouse space, sharing 5000+ square feet with another yarn store to become the Yarn Mercantile. They’re two separate entities under one roof, divided by a blue tape “Mason Dixon Line”, and I thoroughly explored both.

Angelika’s Yarn Store is new to this area, having moved here recently from Portland. She has aisles of yarn from lace weight to bulky, with easy-to-read signs hanging above. There’s lots of yarn I hadn’t seen before (mostly the Lorna’s Laces, which was fabulous but a higher price than I can usually afford) and lots of yarn I have (lots of Cascade, in all weights and colors. The huge wall with all the colors of 220 was impressive.). They have a wide range of needles and notions too, but I was there for yarn. I managed to restrain myself to just two skeins of Cascade Yarns Pacific Chunky. It’s a bulky yarn of 60% acrylic and 40% merino, so it’s warm and soft, and works up quickly. The two colors that ended up in my arms were a vivid turquoise and a soft gray. Of course I had to check out my old LYS, Knitcraft, while I was there. They were still in the moving process, so not everything was set up and full yet. I didn’t see anything new, but they’ve always had a great selection of yarns in all weights and price ranges, so I never walk out empty-handed. This time was no different. Despite trying to be thrifty, I still came home with a skein of Manos del Uruguay Maxima. I love their yarns; the colors are just gorgeous.When I got home, I discovered I already have a skein of this. Same colorway and everything. Oops! Well, that means I can make something even cooler. My goal is two make a couple of hats from the Cascade for my next craft fair and pay for them and the Manos. Good plan, eh?

Saturday was the husband’s birthday and we spent the afternoon exploring downtown Leavenworth. They have a three-floor antique mall that we love, as well as several other smaller antique stores. I found the coolest project bag at the antique mall, with tons of little pockets and pouches and elastic straps and zippered compartments. I think it’s going to be the best travel project bag ever. I kind of want to get duplicate notions just so I can keep it stocked at all times!

We didn’t have time for all the stores, but we hit our favorites. We love The Pot Rack with all the cool kitchen gadgets and the Queen’s Pantry with the British grocery and full range of teas and accessories. They have a yarn store now, too: Momo’s Knitting Nook. It’s a cute store with a lot of things I’d love in my own store someday! Right inside the store, facing the big front windows, are two small armchairs. That’s where my son decided to hang out, but I could definitely see myself spending some time there too.

The yarn is shelved in oversized wooden cabinetry with lovely detailing. I’m not sure how to describe it, except that they’re actual furniture pieces and not your basic, plain yarn-store shelves. There’s dark wood everywhere, including a massive rectangular table in the middle of the room that I’m sure is great for classes and groups. There are two more armchairs at the other end of the room as well as a nook with a long couch flanked by two more armchairs. Lots of seating, in other words! It was really inviting; you can tell they want you to feel comfortable hanging out and crafting with them.

Now, the yarn: lots of neat stuff, but somehow I wasn’t tempted by too much. There were brands I hadn’t seen before, as well as new yarns from familiar (to me) brands. The stuff I coveted was too expensive and the stuff in my price range didn’t call my name. It was strange. Don’t worry, I persevered and found two skeins I “needed”. One was a Cascade Yarns Magnum Paints in purples. I’ve seen, and worked with, the Magnum and love it, but I’d never seen the purple Paints before, and the price seemed comparable. The second was a Crystal Palace Yarns Gold Rush, a really lovely bulky rainbow yarn with a gold halo. If only I knew what to make with either of these!! What would be the perfect projects?

Finally, the added bonus our adventure was the knitting time during the hour-long drive to and from. I managed to get the turquoise Cascade mostly done. I used the Starving Artist pattern and am quite tickled by the twisted rib that gives it such a neat texture. That’s it for the last week! Well, except for the two secret projects. Today is a busy day but I’ve got the gray hat halfway done, so fingers crossed I can show it off tomorrow. Maybe then I’ll start on the Magnum. What projects do you love for that one skein of super bulky yarn?