Where to begin...

With the FO of course.


Pattern: Gaia Shoulder Hug by Ann Carroll Gilmour.
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden sock, Colorway S252, 1.78 balls.
Needles: Size *, Knit Picks Options

Comments: I did the picot bind off. This was the perfect project for my trip. The pattern is very easy to follow and the knitting was conducive to car knitting, and conversation.

In addition, since I was forced to look for a second ball of yarn, it enabled me to search out yarn shops on my trip. I found it at The Acorn Street Shop in Seattle. This was quite a cute little shop and well supplied. I was tempted by the Zephyr...but resisted!

Which leads me to the shops. My non-knitting friends lovingly enabled me to enhance my stash.

In Anacortes, I stumbled across Ana Cross Stitch as mentioned in a previous post. The ladies in the shop were all so nice and friendly. I got a cute cardigan pattern for a toddler. I'm thinking pink for Chris's Think Pink KAL.

While staying in downtown Seattle at the very convenient (to Pike's Market) Warwick Hotel, I was able to walk to So Much Yarn.. This was a small shop with a very welcoming classroom and staff, and a nice button stash. I found a couple more Toddler pattern booklets in the 50% off bin. I also enjoyed the view going up and down the stairs.

I wanted to visit Little Knits, but will have to save this for the next trip. I definitely wanted to go to Weaving Works again.
I love their sock yarn selection and came away with some Lorna's Laces.

I wish I had taken a picture of the coat I saw at Coupeville Yarns. It was knit of Samoyed dog hair. No doubt she saw me smell it, heh, no dog smell. It was a full 3/4 length entrelac or perhaps modular coat for a statuesque women who assured me that it did not shed. Someone else had spun and died all the hair. It was quite an inspiring piece of work. She also had the cutes gnomes around the shop which she said her knitting group had shared.

There was cute little shop in LaConner, that I was pressed for time to see. I did manage to pick up some cutest sheep and strawberry buttons.

I am so lucky to have friends who enabled me to see so many lovely yarn shops. Each of the ones I visited was a little unique and the people I met were so friendly and helpful...such pleasant memories!

Flowers in Seattle

(click to make the mosaic larger)

I was just flabbergasted by all the beautiful flowers on my trip. They were everywhere! Giant dahlias in peoples yards, colorful weeds along the way, lovely bouquets in restaurants and hotel lobbies. Both Pike's Market and University District Farmer's Market had incredible, large baskets of flowers I don't know the names of. Simply amazing!

Home from the Pacific Northwest

Chibi Totoro traveled with me to Seattle and places around. One of the things I did was the Anacortes Arts Festival. I only found the town's yarn store after bumping into a dye your own sock yarn exhibit put on by Ana-Cross Stitch.



I always wanted to try this and I got to do it without the potential mess at home. It was a lovely festival with lots of yummy food, music and craftspeople.

It was a wonderful two weeks of visiting friends, tasting and picking the incredible fresh fruit, enjoying the fun and color of Pikes Market and University District Farmer's Market, checking out new yarn stores and shopping. And yes, there was stash enhancement and shopping!

I am grateful to be sleeping in my own bed. I am even more grateful to find that the Lancaster had taken it upon himself to rid the house of roaches by plugging up the holes in the kitchen left by the druggie cabinetmaker. It's gross, I know, but anyone who lives in Hawaii knows it is a constant war and summer is the worse time. I was pleasantly surprised to find some major housecleaning had taken place while I was gone!

Once I get the pictures organized, I will not doubt saturate the blog with the travelogue 'til the cease and desist order come down.

Getting Ready for a Trip

I'm leaving for Seattle Wednesday night for a retreat with my Saturday walking group, and visit to my blogless friends, Margaret, Betty and Ebony, and I'm starting to get excited! I signed up to work a 10 hour day tomorrow in some fit of notbeingabletosayno-ness. At least I have today and Wednesday off. Today is for a massage, stocking the 'fridge for the Landcaster, and tidying up the bed and craft rooms. Tomorrow is work, wrestling with the archaic electronic medical record and trying to deduce processes in a cryptic work environment. Good thing medicine is still challenging and interesting! I'm also looking forward to a nice sit down dinner with some high school classmates. Yup, we make 40 years this year! Dang I'm old! Wednesday is for packing.

The most important thing, is what to bring to knit. Must be portable, something small, something needles won't drop off to easily...sounds like a sock or two.
Montego Bay definitely gets to come. Seasilk is very squishy and it's on circs.



So that leaves several likely suspects.I'm leaning toward the Gaia Shoulder Hug, by Anne Caroll Gilmour in Noro silk Garden sock, Col No. S252. While socks are the sensible choice for travel, my sock mojo has been missing for quite some time now.

I decided not to bring February Lady as it has >200 stitches and is starting to weigh a ton.
The plan is to dye this cotton in a natural dye of some sort, as it is organic cotton. Some possibilities are indigo or kakishibu as I understand that can both dye cotton without mordants. I like the idea of a little indigo dye pot. The easy way out is to use that cherry Dylon I have had in my cupboard forever and it would allow me to destash that.

I'm happy to hear the Knitted Brow has been reunited with Mr. Pat and the Fabulous Ella and Rascal Cricket. I miss her already, sigh.

Happy Knitting! A hui ho!