There were a lot of local knitbloggers there all weekend, but I didn’t see any familiar faces in the crowd.
Treasure Hunting
17.Oct.07 ~ 6:53 am
This past weekend was the Second Annual “Tools of the Trade Twin Cities LYS Shop Hop.” Because I didn’t go last year, I decided to go on Saturday and asked Mom to go with me.
What I really liked about the Hop is that I got to visit five new-to-me stores. The metro area is so big and sprawling, it’s a bit of a drive to go to most places. We started at Zandy’s Yarn in Burnsville, went up to Needlework Unlimited in Minneapolis/Edina, west to Coldwater Collaborative in Excelsior, then north again to Amazing Threads (but we got a bit lost trying to find this shop), east to Sheepy Yarn Shoppe, and south to The Yarnery in St. Paul, and finally 3 Kittens Needle Arts in Mendota Heights. We left the house at about 9:30 AM and got home just after 4 PM! (Christy of Purling Away made a Google map that shows the shop locations.) Of these 7 stores, I’ve visited only The Yarnery and 3 Kittens previously.
I think Needlework Unlimited was my favorite; there was a TON of patterns, and we spent about 20 minutes there browsing. Amazing Threads was smaller than I expected. Coldwater Collaborative was crowded (bad timing on our part). But overall, all the stores were very nice with a varied selection. (The most common overlap I noticed were the new Marie Mayhew felted kits. The Yarnery recently opened their online shop and have them available for anyone interested who doesn’t live in the area. NAYY; I think they’re pretty cute!)
To prepare for the Hop, I researched each store’s website to see if I could find certain brands or items that interested me and might generally not be found at the other shops. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money or buy a ton of yarn, so I made a shopping list. I managed to stick to it pretty well; I found about half the items on my list, plus a few extra patterns. I set myself a budget and didn’t go over, so in all it was a successful excursion.
events, knitting, yarn stash | 16 stitchesGrand Shop Hop
30.May.07 ~ 9:19 am
Quick note: I am testing a new photo popup plugin in this post. Go on, try it out by clicking any of the pictures below. Please let me know how it works and how you like it. Thank you!Update: To close the pop-up if the instructions don’t work or show up for you, click on the pop-up/larger photo itself and it should close. Update #2: This plugin has been deactivated, thanks!
A couple weekends ago was the “Handcrafts on Grand Shop Hop.” The stores included The Yarnery, The Bead Monkey, and Treadle Yard Goods. Mom and I decided to go, because we hadn’t been to two of the participating stores yet. I’m glad we did, even if it was cold and rainy!
events, knitting | 11 stitchesClasses @ Stitches Midwest 2006
22.Aug.06 ~ 6:16 pm
Thanks to everyone who commented on my post for Challenge #6 with Diamond Lace and the Peanuts gang. It was a lot of fun!
I took one class each day at Stitches and was pleased overall with the teachers and the techniques I learned. All the teachers in the classes I took were very positive and encouraging, which was great.
events, knitting, techniques | 4 stitchesSwap Fun and Classes
01.Jul.06 ~ 7:55 am
I’ve reverted the blog back to the default theme/skin. (July already!) If you’re registered here, you can change back to the blue theme by editing your account (the theme section is near the bottom). I’ll leave it there for a while. : )
SYAC Update
They’re finally done!
events, knitting, secret pals or swaps, site updates, socks | 1 stitchShepherd’s Harvest 2006
18.May.06 ~ 7:55 am
Saturday, my parents and I went to Shepherd’s Harvest. It was overcast and cold enough that we wished we had mittens or gloves. (There were some for sale, but we didn’t buy any.) So, no MDSW good weather mojo, but at least it wasn’t pouring rain like it did at NHSW (look at the 2nd and 3rd pictures here; and don’t forget to scroll down for an awesome family portrait!).
events, knitting, yarn stash | 3 stitches
Yarnover 2006 and More
29.Apr.06 ~ 7:18 pm
(Sigh… I had over half of this post typed out, then my mouse went bonkers and I lost the post!)
Quick Sockettes update: I have just half of a cuff to go… I aim to finish tonight and post pictures tomorrow.
Yarnover 2006: Mom and I went through all the colorful, fiber goodness this morning. I know some other local bloggers were planning to go, I think I might’ve seen Renee, maybe… There were LOTS of people. :)
events, general, knitting, yarn stash | Comments OffSock Yarn Obsession
26.Apr.06 ~ 6:07 pm
2005 wasn’t a sock year for me at all. I made a pair of Grumperina’s Jaywalker socks with 100% acrylic worsted weight. We shall never speak of it again.
I also bought two skeins of Cascade Fixation; I originally wanted Margarita 9904, but they were sold out, so I got Pansy 9464 instead. I was deeply disappointed when I saw the actual color. I wasn’t expecting something SO BOLD. I liked the fact that they were stretchy cotton… but they tired me out to knit on bamboo US 3 circulars and took me many months to complete. Grandma saw them and liked the bright colors, so I ended up knitting them to fit her. That’s all the sock-knitting I accomplished last year.
Meanwhile, I kept buying sock yarn like there was no tomorrow!
Keen Overload
14.Apr.06 ~ 9:17 am
I got myself some new shoes this week!
This is my first time with Keen shoes. I read the reviews on Zappos and ordered a half-size up for the Newports. I’m glad I did that, even though the opening can be a squeeze when I put them on. Otherwise, they fit very well. The Antiguas are, on my opinion, on the wide side (but then, I have narrow feet). Mom tried them on, and I thought they looked great on her wide feet. But the top caps (which is why I got these sandals!) were too small for her. I might break them in for her. I didn’t order a half-size up in the Antiguas, because I had an inkling they would be otherwise too big.
I looked through the Stitches Midwest class listings. There were so many (this is the overload part). My first instinct was to cram my schedule full of classes in every possible slot, but I narrowed it down to one morning or afternoon class each day. There were four full-day classes that I would’ve loved, but they were all ON THE SAME DAY! Sigh. I contacted Knitting Universe beforehand about disability accommodations and received a positive answer, so I went ahead with registration. I hope I get my first-choice classes. Nevertheless, I’m still in a state of shock about the whole thing. I’M GOING! I have only 3 months to get used to the idea! :)
I’ve been working on my Sixth Sense socks, and have completed one garter short-row heel and am nearly in the middle of the second. I tried to snap some photos but they didn’t turn out very well, but here’s a (slightly bright) close-up.
