5.18.2008 Another Beautiful Day/Shop Hop Day 2

(Taking sHopping to new heights)

After a night of fevered dreams of the Fall Fiber Arts Retreat (what projects to bring on the plane? what WIPs to finish & wear? can we get them done in time? what classes to take? do you curtsy before The Harlot or does she have a ring to kiss?) our brave sHoppers brushed the (estonian lace) cobwebs from their heads and awoke to sHop another day.

So happy were they when they met again behind Cultured Purls that they were literally shocked out of their idyll by Lynn’s cell phone. Knowing the call was from home, the worst ran quickly through her mind – one of the boys was hurt, had thrown up, or clogged the toilet again with another Pez dispenser. Certain that before it had even started the day was coming to a screeching halt, she answered the phone with, “hello? What’s wrong?” Take heart, dear reader, as she was actually greeted with a chuckle rather than disaster. Her DH had received a call from Full Circle Yarn with news that she had won a prize
from a drawing on the first day of the Hop! After assuring her that all was quiet on the home front, he said a bag containing $50 worth of yarn & needles was awaiting pickup. How do you like them apples?!

So it was that our sHoppers started the day. And after a quick stop for fuel at Starbucks, the two began their adventure.

First stop was Evergreen Hospital to see Clarise. We found her on the east side of the Critical Care unit, already frazzled by a busy assignment. With a couple fast hugs & well wishes, we dropped off a bag of knitterly treats and then were back on the road. Later in her day when she got a second to take a break, Clarise was delighted to find out what was inside!

Next we headed into Seattle to catch the ferry to Bainbridge. The day was just perfect for a sailing, and we enjoyed the sun from the upper deck. After arriving on the island, we went into town to find Churchmouse Yarn & Tea. We were about to discover that this was the highlight of the weekend!

This perfectly charming shop was a veritable treasure trove. Just inside the doors was a display overflowing with Manos del Uruguay. Yes! They had the silk blend, and Yes! they had my colorway! I quickly plucked a few skeins off the shelf and hugged them to me, “Hola, el amante. Encontramos otra vez.” (I speak Spanish now to my Uruguayan beau. You monolingual needle-wielders out there will have to look it up). I also grabbed a few skeins of a luscious contrast. Now I’m going to have to meditate with a skein in each hand until they tell me what they want to become.

Manos’ next door neighbor was a large selection of Koigu, and what to my wondering eyes did appear but sock yarn of an almost identical colorway to my Manos. You have got to be kidding… They had an adorable Koigu baby sweater, available as a shop kit, and a huge selection of Socks that Rock. All this and we had barely stepped inside the door!

Manos & Koigu ~ Hola, el amante. Salude su amigo pequeño.

We perused the terrific selection of yarns, buttons, patterns, teas & wares, and I found a pair of leather purse handles. Then it happened. Jacquie found the hemp she had been searching for all weekend. For a minute there I thought she was going to start channeling a gospel choir. She started to glow in a halo of light, the store dissolved away in a swirling fog, and the shop ladies began humming the hallelujah chorus. Can I get an Amen?! Srsly, delight far understates her disposition when they checked the back stock and told her they had what she needed. Holy sheep! How could it get any better?

We were about to find out. For making the trek to their lovely shop, the Churchmouse ladies gave us a measuring tape and a copy of their one-skein fingerless glove pattern. Then they pointed us to the ice cream shop…

Better? Oh, yes. To sweeten our high-fiber diet, we indulged in the fantastic treats at Mora. Oh. My. Goodness. Fresh ice cream in such fabulous flavor concoctions it makes you want to do the happy dance. Ahh, Camelot. Friends, yarn, and insanely delicious ice cream on a sunny day in Puget Sound. Jealous?

We hopped back on the ferry and used the return trip for some knitting time, and then made the trek back to Ballard to pick up the prize bag. Inside was a selection of yarns (all without labels, hmmm) and an enormous set of hand-crafted walnut needles – beautiful, but certain to become an instant weapon in the hands of my 4-yr-old – must hide them.

Prize Bag from Full Circle Yarn

We headed up to Queen Anne to our old friend Hilltop Yarn. They’ve had a rough go of it lately after a fire wreaked havoc, and it looked like their stock hadn’t been fully replenished. Or, maybe we were just late getting there, as it was the fourth official day of the Hop. We left empty-handed. C’est la vie.

Next stop was out in West Seattle, at Seattle Yarn. They left a good impression with us the first year as all stock was on sale. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case this year. I did find some Malabrigo baby merino lace to try, though.

Malabrigo baby merino lace

Pretty weary and very hungry (a whole day on only a little coffee & ice cream!), we decided to make a quick jaunt to Renton to see The Knittery and then get some dinner. Sadly, this shop has the misfortune to share a wall with a tobacco shop. Sheesh. It would not have mattered what yarn they carried, because the minute you walked in the door, all you smelled was smoke. What a shame. While Churchmouse was the highlight, this shop, ahem, was the lowlight of the Hop. Hope the lease is up soon, because y’all need to get the heck out of Dodge.

Before heading home to hearth & family, we stopped for dinner at Coho Café. Over a leisurely glass of wine and delicious meal, we relived the fun times of the Hop, dreamed of our trip in November, and talked (inevitably as moms do) about our kids. What a truly terrific weekend! Shucks, Jacquie is just so much fun that as my Cammie would say… I want to just hug her to bones! Can’t wait for Calgary J

Okay, cue the violins & somebody get me a Kleenex. I’m getting a little misty…

5.17.2008 A Glorious Spring Day/Shop Hop Day 1

(I Spent How Much?)

Yes, the sun was out, the birds were singing, and there was a spring (hop?!) in our step. The Hop was on. We were so excited that we met at a shop that wasn’t even Hopping. How could we possibly resist Jacquie’s lovely LYS Cultured Purls, which just happened to have all yarn on sale? A good time was had by all as we purred over the Blue Heron metallic rayon, amongst other beauties. Now, with lists in hand, the quest began…

Rayon Metallic

Jacquie and Sheila

Leaving Issaquah, we consulted Sheila, our astral navigator (ok, GPS guide), and headed into Seattle to Tricoter. Famous for both their patterns and their snooty attitudes, we wanted to see for ourselves as we had never been to this shop. I must say that while they may have been naughty before, the ladies were on their best behavior today. There were a couple of particularly nice designs, and we found a selection of Socks that Rock, but the overall layout of the shop was disorienting. The yarn was all organized by color, and while it made for nice eye candy, it was too hard to settle in and contemplate the fibers. Looking for a specific weight for a specific project was a joke and would have had you zigzagging about. Not for me. Je suis désolé, mademoiselles.

Next stop was over the bridge, through the U∙District, to Acorn Street. Jacquie found the Ty Dy she was looking for (YAY!) and we spent a good deal of time with the sock yarn. Boy was it hot in there! We finished up and headed over to Wallingford. Note to shoppers: be leery of things from the basement.

Socks!

Bad Woman Yarn was a delightful little shop in Wallingford Center. They were all ready for the sHoppers, with snacks, a list of sale yarns, and a list of local eateries. We kept feeding our sock yarn appetite (Shop Hop? Maybe Sock Hop!). This is also where I started my relationship (can you stalk a yarn?) with the luscious Manos Silk Blend. I quickly snapped up every skein of a particularly lovely variegated, and made it my mission (obsession) to find more before the Hop was done. It was here that we also picked up some knitterly trinkets for Clarise – the poor girl was slaving away at work and couldn’t Hop with us. Afterwards, we poked around at a cute gift shop in the Center, and then had lunch across the street at Julia’s. Yum!

Manos Silk Blend – “Hello, Lover”

A note about Knitterly Guilt: I have such fondness for my LYS (Main Street Yarn), the lovely owner Marie, and the ladies like Teri and Tina who taught me to knit, that I often feel guilty shopping anywhere else. I rationalize by saying that most of what I’m buying isn’t carried by MSY (sometimes true). I rationalize further by saying that I try to bring back juicy bits of espionage about their competitors (usually true), and even further by reminding myself that I have sent several customers there (always true). Today there was an extra source of guilt when I felt I was cheating on another lovely entrepreneur, the yarn dying diva of Damselfly Yarns. But, I do have a skein of her Sturdy Sheep Blend in Chartreuse Mousse, earmarked for Pomatomus, and a skein of Glacier Lake that is awaiting assignment. I’m going to start saying personal affirmations in my mirror, “I am an equal-opportunity sHopper. I support many local businesses and the national economy. I am loyal and adventurous. ” – hey, do you remember that song from Girl Scouts? “Make new friends, but keep the o-old, one is silver and the oth-er gold.” See. It worked for the Girl Scouts.

The Fiber Gallery was next. Not much ambience, not much inspiration, and one singularly wrong item. Sick and wrong – a knitted thong. Enough said.

Over to Ballard, to Full Circle Yarn. This was a yarn, stitchery, and framing shop. A little scattered, but nice folks and a clever one skein purse pattern for the Hop. I picked up a little 220 for my Bird In Hand mitts.

Cascade 220 Solid & Paints

We headed north to Village Yarn and Tea and found delicious chocolate chip cookies waiting just inside the door. They were a perfect little snack to perk up afternoon sHoppers. Always fun to peruse the teas & fibers, it was a little disappointing because they didn’t have the colorway of Kauni that Jacquie wanted. And I was still on a quest for more of my Manos Silk Blend. Sigh.

We stopped off at Evergreen to drop of the goodies for Clarise. Alas, she had gone home early. Our surprise would have to wait another day. Sigh, part deux.

We wound up the first day of our tour at Hilltop East. I helped myself to a cute pink polka-dotted Lantern Moon bag and proceeded to load in some more Blue Heron metallic rayon. A beautiful black with gold Tinkerbell trail throughout. Divine!

After reaching yarn satiation for the day, we walked down to Maggiano’s for a little dinner. Mmmmmm… Yummy pasta followed by apple crostadas with ice cream and caramel sauce. Night night. Until tomorrow…

Uh, or so you thought… But, dear reader, don’t be fooled. Where there’s a will (and internet access) there’s a way. Our intrepid sHoppers would continue in their quest for all the Knittle Bits their hearts desired. Jacquie found the highly sought Kauni at Little Knits, Lynn prowled Ravelry in search of sock designs for the miles of new sock yarn, and both burned up the messaging system… Furiously they typed messages back & forth to plan a special getaway to the Fall Fiber Arts Retreat in the Canadian Rockies. So giddy were they it was like passing notes in the fifth grade about a boy you liked – and you knew the teacher would catch you any minute. Srsly, a knitting trip with a great friend to meet and learn from some of your favorite designers and knitting personalities, all while staying at a resort in Kananaskis? What more could one want?!

We’re going to have to remember that if we dance around singing “we’re going to meet The Harlot, we’re going to meet The Harlot” someone is definitely going to get the wrong idea.

Are you a Yarn Addict?

Some clues:

• Look around the house. Where is your yarn? Do you have nice little organized bins, each grouping already assigned to a project? Or has your stash spilled out of those cute little containers and invaded some fairly inappropriate places? Do you have to pick mohair out of your pantry goods? Have you ever (gasp!) had your closet shelf crash down on under the weight of your stash? (true story - happened to my friend, srsly.)
• Do you hide new purchases from your loved ones? Tired of the eyeroll, glazed look, or “you bought more?!” when you try to share your latest find?
• Do you shop online a lot, telling yourself it’s for the great deals but really just to escape the watchful eyes of the inevitable ladies shopping at your LYS? You know, the ones who assume you work there because you’re just a little too familiar with where everything is?
• Have you ever been overheard at a yarn shop murmuring, “And what is your name?” while you fondle a new little imported merino gem you’ve never come across before? (and how, ahem, is that possible?!)

If you answered Yes!  to most of the above questions, you may want to work on the:

12 6 steps for Yarn Addiction

• Step 1. Admit that you have a problem. Yes, I know, that’s the hardest part. But excusing your stash accumulation as simply the result of fabulous sales or support for your LYS is mere fodder for your therapist.
• Step 2. Rely on a power greater than yourself. Think Ravelry! Maybe you can use the online stash function to sell some of your yarn to fellow Ravelers. Start small - we don’t want you riddled with acute withdrawal. Maybe just a ball or two of the closeout angora blend you bought and has now fuzzified its surroundings.
• Step 3. Make a searching and fearless inventory of your stash. You’ll never know just how big of a problem you have if you don’t see the evidence all in one place - one huge fiber potpourri. I know you’re afraid if you list it all in your online stash you’ll crash Ravelry’s servers. But really, wouldn’t it be fun to try? If you do succeed, skip ahead to Step 5…
• Step 4. Confidentially disclose your addiction to another fiber fanatic. Join the SABLE group and confess your stash stats. Some of them are measuring their yarn ‘yardage’ in miles!
• Step 5. Make amends to those harmed by your yarn habit. Give your sincerest apologies to those whose closets (drawers, bookshelves, bathtubs) you have overtaken with your yarn fantasy or have otherwise inconvenienced with your wooly wares. Then pay your penance (literally) to your bank account. Your future retired self will thank you.
• Step 6. Be of service to others who suffer from your malady. Recognize the symptoms in fellow yarnies and help them through the steps. Beware if they try to sell their yarn to you while working on Step 2 — unless what they’re offering is too good to pass up!
• Step 7. Uh, there is no Step 7. Nor 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12… My sincere apologies (see Step 5) to those of you who wanted to complete the 12 Steps. But you could see I was already slipping in Step 6. As I was creating the steps, I saw a flyer about our upcoming LYS Annual Yarn Crawl. I already have plans with a girlfriend (yes, she of closet shelf fame) to spend two blissful days hopping from shop to shop, fondling the fine silks, purring over the pretty handpainteds, and learning the names of all my new beaus. Maybe I’ll see you along the way? Enablers, unite!