Tag Archive | yarn stores

Stop: Knitting Time!

I finished the proofreading job last night, and while I enjoyed it, and enjoyed doing something different, I’m ready to get back to my yarn. Do you want to see my new yarns? Of course you do! Remember I was taking the mother to my LYS the other day to pick out yarn for a scarf? We had a lovely time browsing. I should take some photos of this store; it’s HUGE. SO MUCH YARN. We quickly found the yarn for her scarf, but she also wants an afghan, so we started looking for yarn for that, and that was a lot harder. Finally, she picked out a variegated peach/teal acrylic, but they didn’t have enough, and she didn’t want to add a solid color. Thankfully, with some help, we found a different brand of variegated that will go really well. I’ll hold one strand of each, and once it’s done, we’ll go back to the yarn store to pick out a solid for a border.

Nope, no photo of that yarn yet. I forgot to take one and right now I’m outside with the puppies and it’s upstairs and I’m just too plain lazy to go do that. You’ll see it another time, I promise.

Of course we also had to admire and pet and drool over the other pretty yarns, and she even bought me a present! Look at my gorgeous Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Bulky in Rainbow! I know it will be a cowl for me but I haven’t picked out a pattern yet. Right now it just decorates my desk.

With all the yarn admired, we paid and packed up, and you’ll be AMAZED to know that I bought NO YARN. That’s right: I spent no money! It helped that I was getting a skein as a little gift, but still, I was quite impressed with myself! So we headed off to lunch and errands, and then I got a call: the yarn store had forgotten to put her scarf yarn in the bag. I would have to pick it up on the way home. No problem, it was convenient.

Except. I remembered they’d had a coupon on Facebook. I hadn’t printed it out but thought they might honor it.

And darn it all, she said they would. So my admirable restraint was diminished, and I bought yarn. Still, I only bought one skein, and it was on sale. And it’s gorgeous. I’m thinking this might become a Be Simple Shawl, or maybe the Be Simple Variations. Or who knows, I might stick with tried and true and make another Hitchhiker. I’ve got time to figure it out, since I’ve got one small and three bigger projects I need to focus on first.

First up is the scarf for the mother. She picked out Bamboo Pop in turquoise. The scarf is halfway done and might even be done today. It’s a lovely yarn, a bit slippery with the large hook I’m using (size N/P, 10mm) but it feels silky in my fingers and it will drape beautifully.

Then there’s the mermaid blanket of course, and my mother’s afghan, but at least I have until cooler weather before I need to worry about finishing that. So once the scarf is done, I’ll be casting on a project for my sister. I saw the new Marcelle Wrap pattern by Little Church Knits, and I think it’s gorgeous. I shared it on my Facebook page, and my sister saw it and has to have one for herself! Hooray, a reason to knit one! She picked out the colors and the yarn arrived yesterday. It’s hard to see it well, but the top one is called Forest Heather, I think. It’s a dark green with slight reddish/purple hints. I’m looking forward to starting this one soon.

So there you have it, all my yarn updates. That’s plenty, right? I certainly have enough to keep my needles and hooks busy for a while. Until next time, here’s a photo of Jack, our resident branch manager. I have no idea how he got this stick up the narrow deck stairs, but he’s pretty happy with himself.

I’m a good girl

May10

You’ll be pleased to know that I stayed focused and got a lot of “must haves” done yesterday! (Or maybe you won’t, but let’s pretend, just for fun.) I made my list of chores for the week and half are already crossed off. Sure, they’re the easier ones, but it’s a start. When I can do that, get a workout in, AND get some work done, that’s a good day. I finished the first pass through the sci-fi book I’m proofreading (it’s the sequel to Mostly Human by Antoinette Houston. I’m not a sci-fi person but I have fun reading these.) and I got a few rows done on the mermaid blanket during Jeopardy! and I even managed to do some fun knitting before bed, starting another set of fingerless gloves. I needed another travel project, and these are perfect.

Now, I need you guys to send me some willpower: I’m going to the yarn store with the mother today. She wants a scarf to go with a certain dress, so we’re going together to pick out a color. I really really need to be good and not come home with extra yarn, so please send good mojo, or juju, or whatever. And tomorrow, I’ll be sure to show what I come with anyway. Sigh.

Here, have a couple of pupdates: Jack follows me around all day long. This is what I have whenever I’m working in my craft room.

And this is why my couches are a wreck. Both of them are in front of big windows, and the puppies have to keep watch whenever possible. I guess I’d rather have happy puppies than pristine couches. (Not sure the husband agrees.)

We had big storms yesterday and last night and this morning everything is bright and shiny and sparkling. Even the power lines have little rainbow droplets. Hope your day is bright too!

Yarn Store Trickery

Mar13

Funny story: so you know I went to my LYS recently, twice in two days actually. The first time, I noticed a gorgeous gradient wrap. They had two samples knit up in different colors. The second time, I asked about it, wanting the pattern. The owner said oh yes, it’s a free pattern with the purchase of the yarn…four colors at $30 a skein! Um, wow. I said that was out of my price range for now and thanked her, and she said, “Sure, and you know it’s here later.” Sure, okay. I almost asked if she’d sell me just the pattern, but figured she would have offered if it was an option.

I’m glad I didn’t, too: I went home and out of curiosity did a search on Ravelry. I found the exact same pattern…AND IT’S FREE. It’s a FREE PATTERN. I’m a little irritated. I understand kits, I understand paid patterns, and I’ve even bought yarn to get the pattern and be able to replicate a shop’s sample. (In that instance, the pattern was written by one of the shop’s employee and isn’t even available on Ravelry.) But when it’s distributed for free on Ravelry, it irks me that they’d want me to shell out $120 for it. And for the record, I spent $30 the first day and $50 the second, so it’s not like she wasn’t getting any money out of me.

So if you’re interested, check out the Pradera Wrap by Jocelyn Tunney. It’s stunning, and she’s got so many other equally beautiful patterns on her page on Ravelry. I’ve made her Picholine Hat and Springtime Picholine Hat, and I’ve got several others in mind.

In related news, yes, I did get to do some knitting yesterday. Here’s the start of my Moonstone Wrap. I started with size 17 needles and it was too loose, so I frogged and cast on 175 stitches on size 15s. I love it already. Can’t wait until it’s done, and I don’t think it’ll take too long. The party went well, though I did keep Jack on the leash for the first hour or so until he adjusted to having so many strangers around. He did keep my baby nephew happy: the baby laughed every time Jack barked, which was a lot. Once I let him off the leash, he did really well. He and Grace both followed me around, settling in wherever I did. My mom noticed and asked if they loved anyone else as much as they love me. Don’t tell my kids, but I don’t think so. They’re both my babies, even if I do have a favorite!

Now, I’m off to knit my quiet Sunday away. I must take advantage of the time I have, since I lost an hour today!

Getting Out of the House

Nov25

Bored. So bored of TV and movies and reading and even (gasp!) knitting. Bored of my couch and my living room and my rolling desk chair. Today marks three weeks since I broke my foot, and the novelty of having so much lazy time has definitely worn off. Thankfully, I have a marvelous husband who understands completely and was willing to help me have an outing yesterday. We didn’t go far; just down the street to the bead store and yarn store. But I was clean, I wore something other than pajamas, spoke out loud to people other than my family, and looked at pretty things that I could take home with me. And I did. Isn’t that little Santa hat so cute?? That was my favorite bead, but I got several others. These red are done, obviously, but I’ve got several silver hearts to play with, plus two strands of smaller beads, for when I need to switch hobbies.Of course I’m not so tired of knitting that I couldn’t find yarn I wanted. I got six skeins of Berroco Maya, a lightweight blend of cotton and alpaca, plus three more skeins of Berroco Vintage. One is that bright Christmas red that really needs to become a holiday hat for me! I’ve already cast on the Maya. It’s going to be the Color Tipped Scarf by Purl Soho. Who doesn’t adore their patterns, right? Clearly, I wasn’t tired of knitting. I was tired of knitting the same old things. I needed something new. I’ve got one more finished Yoda hat, and this might be the last for a while, except special orders. As much as I love him, Yoda might have worn out his welcome here. Now it’s time for me and the puppies to chill out while everyone else cooks all the food for tomorrow’s big dinner. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

My New Local Yarn Store

Sep23

People, yesterday was a big day for me. You remember I recently moved to a new city, and the only crafty store I could find was Michaels? And that the yarn selection at Michaels is, well, it’s kind of crap? I mean, there’s some okay stuff, but it’s just a really small selection, and…it’s not GOOD yarn. Well! I have found salvation.

I had lunch with two long-time friends yesterday. They came to see my new house and then we went to Rock & Run Brewery, a locally owned pub. Great drinks, great food, great atmosphere. I loved it. Then one of my friends asked if I’d been to Corbin Mill yet. (It’s an old mill with several crafty shops in there; I thought there was quilting and beading and antiques.) I said no, not yet, hadn’t had the time. “Did you know there’s yarn there?” she asked me casually. Nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. Are you kidding me?? Six weeks I’ve lived here and had no idea I was two minutes away from a yarn store?? It was decided: after lunch we were going to the mill.

So we did and it was marvelous! It’s called the Old Mill Stitchery (see, that doesn’t scream yarn. No wonder I was confused.) The yarn section wasn’t huge but it was fantastic. Lots of Classic Elite Yarns, Berroco, some Shibui, and more that were new to me. Even the Berroco, which you can find in most LYSs, was really well-represented, with yarns I hadn’t seen before. There were samples hanging up everywhere, gorgeous complicated knits. As I wandered through petting the yarns, I chatted with the lady working there. Apparently the store has been there for 20 years or so, though I’m not sure if it’s always had the yarn. She was the needlepoint lady; the knitting lady would be in the next day, as would a knitting group. Oh, and get this: I had JUST missed a yarn tasting by a day or so. And the next one won’t be until spring. Argh. You can bet I signed up for their mailing list immediately.

The hard part was that my friends are not knitters. One is a rug hooker, so she appreciated the large section of dyed wool. The other is not crafty. As she said, we can make it and she can buy it. So I didn’t want to torture them too long. We browsed through the yarn, the wool, the little antique store section, and saved the bead store for last. Lots and lots of pretties! I can’t wait to go back and look for materials for some new stitch markers. I didn’t wait long for the yarn. As soon as my friends dropped me off, I let the puppies outside for a few minutes, then drove right back up to the yarn store. I even had some birthday money to spend! An hour later, it was gone, but my arms were full of these luscious treasures. Araucania Ruca Solid. This is 100% Sugar Cane. What?? I didn’t know such a thing existed. I don’t usually buy much brown yarn, but this one reminded me of milk chocolate. It’s also extremely soft but what made me buy it was the drape. It feels very elegant, and I think this will become a gorgeous shawl. Bonus: it was 50% off!Classic Elite Yarns Chateau. I’ve played with this yarn before and it’s heavenly. It’s so lightweight and soft, it’s cloud-like. It’s mostly baby alpaca with a bit of bamboo, so of course I love it. Alpaca is my favorite. This is going to become some kind of striped scarf for me. I’m a fan of sparkle so this Ava by CEY caught my eye, and I snagged the last two skeins of silver. I haven’t decided if this will become a project by itself, or if I’ll use it as an accent on other projects.More sale yarn! This is Kodiak by Berroco, another new yarn for me. Another bulky, super-soft alpaca blend; this is obviously the type of yarn that speaks to me more than any others. It was all 50% off, I loved all the colors and I couldn’t decide which one to get. I also couldn’t afford to buy as much as I wanted, so I got a pink, a cream and two dark grey, and I’m pretty sure they’ll play together to become some kind of cowl/scarf thing.

It was such a fun day, and it pleased me so much to find such a wonderful creative haven so close to me. I’m not normally a very out-going, social person, but I do think I’ll go up there one day and check out the knitting group. It might be neat to have some new yarny buddies.

Here’s the downside: I came home and started putting my new yarns away, and looking at my gorgeous gorgeous stash actually made me sad! I have so much beautiful yarn, and I’m afraid now that I’ve got SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) and that’s not okay, because I want to have time to use all these fantastic yarns I’ve collected. Does anyone else ever feel like that? I either need to knit more often and faster, or I need to stop buying yarn, and not buying yarn isn’t going to happen, so I better stop typing now and start knitting.

Except I’m tired of all my WIPs. Time to cast on for something new?

All the Colors of the Yarn

May12

I’m all about bright colors right now. I had a bit of mad money to spend (well, Mother’s Day money. Same difference, right?) so yesterday I went to my LYS to ponder all the things. I went in thinking I would buy more needles, because of course I have plenty of yarn. (bwahahahaha!) The nice woman greeted me, then asked me if I’d been in before. Seriously? I turned around so she could see my face and kind of jokingly said, “Once or twice.” (Yeah, once or twice a month maybe, for the last two years.) She just smiled and said ok. It wasn’t a big deal, mostly I thought it was funny. I know they see lots of people and just because I remember faces doesn’t mean everyone else does. Clearly I don’t go in there often enough, right?

Anyway. Yarn. I mean, needles. I picked up some Malabrigo yarn right way, then I found the needles I’d gone in wanting. They were a bit cheaper than I expected so I chose three lovely pairs. Aren’t they pretty?? I don’t use straights too often but I’m desperate to cast on something for these right now. I’m trying very hard to wait until I finish a couple of my WIPs, though. (And I was wrong yesterday. I don’t have six WIPs. I have eight. Oops.) Once I decided on these, I thought I’d pick up a couple of 12″ circular needles. But somehow I got distracted by the luxury yarns. I put back the Malabrigo and instead I bought my first skeins of Lorna’s Laces and Done Roving Frolicking Feet. This is going to be my very first Hitchhiker!! I can’t wait! I’ve been on this kick lately of wanting to make shawls, but little ones. Baby shawls. Shawlettes. This is going to be…something lovely. I don’t know what. Until I do know, it will be decoration in the yarn bowl in my living room so I can gaze upon it and pet it once in a while.

While I was there, I decided to pick up a set of shorter DPNs for the hat I’m currently knitting. I do enjoy having the shorter needles when it’s time to decrease for the crown. But I learned something VERY important: once should check her needle inventory BEFORE purchasing new needles. Yep, I already had a set of 6″ DPNs in that size. Sighhh. And my LYS doesn’t allow returns or exchanges on needles. Of course. Fortunately, I think my wonderful Knitting SIL is interested in buying them from me, and I’ll give her a bit of a discount since she’s doing me a favor too.

Speaking of that hat, it had to go in time-out last night. I worked on it a lot yesterday and got almost halfway done, and was apparently getting too cocky about not messing up the 18-row lace pattern. Because of course then I MESSED UP. I have an extra stitch and cannot for the life of me figure out where it came from. I’d like to just knit two together and move on, but because it’s a custom order, I’m going to tink back two rows and see how that works. And then I might actually put in a stupid lifeline. Stupid lace knitting. Don’t the puppies look all sweet and innocent? Yeah, they’re NOT. The last two mornings they’ve decided to wake us up before 5 a.m. and that’s not a lot of fun. But at least they haven’t destroyed anything lately (knock knock knock knock on wood).

One last thing: I know I’m always sharing good news about my talented girl musician, but for once I get to share about my talented BOY musician! He’s in sixth grade, playing the trombone for the first year, and he had his first solo contest over the weekend. And he got the highest rating, a 1! These kids boggle my mind. I have no idea how I got so lucky.

Yarn Shop Day

May3

First, let me say this: sadly, I do not live in the UK. Here in the states, or at least in my neck of the woods, we don’t celebrate May 2nd as Yarn Shop Day. That’s a darn shame in my book. Around here, May 2nd is Free Comic Book Day. But the comic book store my husband and son wanted to go to just happens to be near two LYS, so I decided I would celebrate all by myself. As you will see, I should not be allowed to go yarn shopping alone. Restraint is not my strong suit. Here’s what I got at the first shop. This yummy purple Simpliworsted will be something for me, a cowl I think. I love this yarn, this is the only local store that carries it, and it was the only skein in this color. Fate!The white is for a slouchy hat for the girl, the gray is for….I don’t know. Something. I love gray. I love gray enough that I bought a pale silvery gray of this yarn and immediately wound it so it could go the baseball game with me last night. This will grow up to become a mesh scarf for me. I need something to wear when I do craft shows, and since I don’t wear hats, this neutral scarf should come in handy.

That first store didn’t take long. The yarn selection is a bit limited and I was the only customer, so I was out of that store within 20 minutes. The second yarn store was much better, and much busier. Lots, lots more yarn. More brands, more variety, and just more yarn! Shelves lining the store, reaching up above my head. Mmmm. Heavenly. I browsed for a quite a while, petting skeins here and there and pondering. I picked up three, then I found the winners and the first three went back on the shelf. Here’s what I couldn’t resist.
I have a bit of a Malabrigo obsession. This color is called Lettuce. Don’t you just want to eat it up? Yum! This will be a hat. I think Barley.

But that’s not the best thing. I splurged a bit. This might be my Mother’s Day present. I kept picking up these skeins that were so gorgeously rich and vivid, and each time I did, they were this brand called Baah, which makes hand-painted yarn. Yes, they’re as beautiful as you can imagine. But they’re also as pricey as you can imagine. I could resist, with a soft, wistful sigh…until I found this. You can’t really tell from this photo, but the colors are a bit darker, a true red with darker variations. It’s called Chocolate Cherries. My dad absolutely loved chocolate covered cherries, so of course this makes me think of him. I will have a scarf made from this, hopefully with a pretty lace pattern, maybe something with circles that evoke cherries? This will probably be the most expensive scarf I ever make but I will love it.

So that was Yarn Shop Day for me. I can’t wait to see what all my UK people got to do. Maybe when I grow up and open a yarn store, I’ll start a US Yarn Shop Day too!

The puppies are still being much like toddlers. They’re great one minute and monsters the next. This is what I got up to the other morning. Yep. Banana bowl bit the dust. And they got a nice snack of three bananas. All that was left was one slimy brown stem. This is why I can’t have nice things. But then they go and do something like this and I remember why I think they’re cute. Somehow Jack ended up on the wrong side of the gate. “Hey, uh, Grace, can you help me out here?” He tried to jump over and of course that didn’t work. So he just gave me his charming little puppy grin until I took pity on him. Silly dogs!

Today I’m going to try making my own batch of bitter apple spray to deter the monsters from completely destroying my kitchen chairs. Here’s hoping. And maybe some knitting? If I’m lucky!

Knitted Boot Cuffs: Part II

Jan10

I’ve got boot cuffs on the brain right now. I haven’t made it to the store to buy the yarn for the unfinished teal pair yet, so yesterday I pulled out the HOT HOT pink yarn. They’re going to get a button accessory that I’ll show later, but they’re still pretty cute as is.I used Rebekah’s Boot Cuffs pattern but modified it for a much smaller size by using size 7 needles instead of 10. I also added an inch of ribbing at the top and bottom, and decreased three stitches in the last row before binding off. I’d seen someone else recommend it, and I like how it keeps both ends the same size. But the cast off is a bit tighter, so I need to make sure it’s the bottom of the cuff on the smaller portion of the calf.

The same pattern made this dark blue pair, but I followed the pattern. Since they were for a skinny minnie, I used size 9 needles, and they came out perfectly.Now I get to try something new. I’m going to make some long legwarmers, and I needed some mint green yarn, so of course a trip to my LYS was in order. I found three different shades of mint green but ended up with some Plymouth Encore in what they call Light Colonial Green. I think I only need one skein but bought two just in case. And then I remembered why I shouldn’t go to yarn stores. I find yarn. And I buy it. Not because I need it, but because I like it and it’s on sale. See? That Andes wool called my name because the colors went so well with the mint green I was already holding. And that pretty peach shade? Yum! Perfect Spring colors.Then I found this. It’s Classic Elite Inca Alpaca and it was 50% off. I *love* this yarn. I’ve already got several colors in my stash, including one skein of red. But I had to get the last two reds they had. They also had twenty skeins of black, but I restrained myself and only bought 5. These will make great hats and fingerless gloves for my craft show inventory.

We’ve got sunshine and the possibility of ever-so-slightly-above freezing temperatures today, so I’m going to walk the dog while the walking’s good. His walk yesterday was cut short by a paw that was bothering him. I washed it out and couldn’t find anything, and didn’t walk him last night to let it rest. So I’ll be on alert this morning, and hoping it was a temporary irritation. Hope the sun’s shining in your neck of the woods too!

Last Yarn of 2014

Dec31

We spent yesterday out in Lawrence, Kansas, braving the wind to wander around Massachusetts Street. Of course we visited the Dusty Bookshelf and Brits (where the kids drooled over all the Doctor Who stuff for ages) but for me the highlight was the Yarn Barn. I found a few skeins to help me end the year on a high note.

I found a big selection of Malabrigo Worsted and fell in love. The colors are gorgeous, rich and deep, and they make such fabulous combinations. I restrained myself to just two skeins, Intenso and Wales Road. Aren’t they stunning? I also found the Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. Now, I can get this yarn at my LYS, but I’ve never seen this lovely pink before. And I like it.In the sale section, I found some Classic Elite Inca Alpaca, which is one of my favorite yarns, and there were two shades of green. Alpaca on sale? Who can resist? When I got home, I put them together with these two skeins of purple and my oh my, I think this is beautiful. I have no idea what to make with them, though I’d like it to be something for me. Maybe a shawl? A loose, lacy scarf? Not sure yet, so they’re going on the shelf while I ponder.Tonight I will be knitting up some boot cuffs while I ring in the new year at home with my family. I’m looking ahead to 2015 with great optimism, and I wish you all the same. Happy New Year!

Manic Monday: Finished Objects and More Yarn

Nov3

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?