Knit and Plenty

Alpaca 'Nother Skein

Following my extravaganza yarn crawl to Cape Cod back in June, and 28 days in Fiber Rehab, I did, in fact, break down and buy  yarn at the Knit and Crochet Show. Being stuck in my booth was a good thing, since it didn't give me much time to shop.

I did come away with this really wonderful Baby Alpaca Chunky from Catalina Yarn. I happen to love Baby Alpaca because it feels incredible and is easy to wind, easy to knit and easy to wear. A knitting TRIFECTA.

Did you know that Alpaca's are only sheared once a year, and Baby Alpaca comes from the very first time the animal is shorn?

Catalina has only been around for about a year, but it's a company who seems to be doing a lot of the right stuff. Their yarn comes from Peru, and they are mindful of how the animals and workers are treated; respect the environment and have a great eye for color. They also carry alpaca blends (60% alpaca/40% with pima, 70/30 with silk, and 60/40 with merino) Be on the look out for more great yarn from this up-and-comer.

From untangling the nightmare to weaving dreams...

Oh oh, Dreamweaver, I believe you can get me through the ni-ight...

Yes, I'm singing because I am so thrilled to link you up with Dreamweaveryarns.com

I met the owners (Ann and Natalie) at the trade show and it was apparent from their booth that their online store carries some amazing yarn, accessories, great patterns, kits, gifts, books and more.

And guess what? They're selling Gettin' Knit Together!

I hope you'll give them a CLICK - and check out their stuff. You can even leave a review about the GKT Kit (hint, wink) and while you're at it, find something nice for yourself. I picked up one of their Lexie Barnes bags.

It's style is Called Little Miss Perfect. Ain't that me all over???

Give me the SAK!

Did I save the best for last? I didn't think that it was possible. Walking into this out-of-the-way shop in Tiverton, Rhode Island called Sakonnet Purls, I thought I'd had my fill of fiber. Wow. Was I wrong! This shop is not to be believed. First. there's the novelty yarn and ribbon which I went nuts for like a Squirrel in October. I picked up a trio of Tartelette from Knit One, Crochet Two; some Jolliet Multi, and a combo to make a triangle scarf of EROS and La Luz.

Next, it was on to another room that was just for chunky and bulky yarns where I chose Malabrio in my favorite color (yes, I made something similar, don't remind me.)

And if all THAT wasn't enough, I finished the day, the week and hopefully the summer with a GGH Sombrero, viscose ribbon and a Trendsetter Flora to run along with it.

So, that concludes the lower New England yarn tour extravaganza.
I bet you're as tired as I am poor!

Rest up. See you Monday.

Beautiful Blue Heron

Blue Heron Yarn Studio in the heart of Cape Cod not only has some of the nicest yarn, but truly some of the nicest people. We met Phyllis, the owner, who was happy to share patterns and tips - and Adelaide, a sage knitter who is happy to pass down her knitting wisdom. Hurry in because we hear she's moving to Montana.

This is where I came upon the much-coveted Lantern Moon Black Sheep - and the beautiful Fiesta pictured above with the Schaeffer. Obviously, there is some magic in this place.

I will be posting tomorrow to finish out our week-long knitting tour. Can you believe I'm not DONE yet??!?

Adventures in Knitting

Forget whale watching in Provincetown. In Harwich Port, Mass.  you'll find Adventures in Knitting, the oldest yarn shop on Cape Cod. We didn't get to meet Cathie, the owner, but she sure knows how to pick yarn.  I went crazy for some Schaeffer Yarn called Sandra for another cardigan. (You can never have too many.) I am going to pichot a little Fiesta around the edges.

I also snagged a bag of Frog Tree in cranberry (after all, it is the Cape)  that is going to make a wonderful ballet wrap sweater.

Pictured: [The Adventurers with our Loot: Me (far left in the sunglasses) Linz, Susan and Regina.]

I can't wait to go back!

Mystic Pizzazz

Next stop - Mystic River Yarns. Housed in an old turn- of-the-century maritime factory, this shop is a gem. It's a big store with high ceilings and just about every brand and type of yarn you can imagine. The owner, Hansina "Sina" was amazingly knowledgeable and there are lots of knit-up samples to get your creative juices flowing. She has a great selection of Ellyn Cooper yarns which are high-end, high quality multi-strand skeins of what I would call "fiber art." 

I didn't treat myself to one of those, but instead try to create my own trio using  a spun silk Tilli Tomas, a Gerifil nylon and a ColorLash. The plan is to make a shawl. I have a new found appreciation for Ellyn Cooper!

Plan a a half hour trip to the Mystic Aquarium and spend the rest of the day here fishing for yarn.

There's Nothing Old about SayBrook

The first stop on our road trip was Saybrook Yarn in Old Saybrook, CT. Glenda, the owner, welcomed us with open "yarns". I had vowed to only buy stuff that was special, but there was so much that was special in this store, it was hard to choose.

I landed on an amazing 1450 yard skein of Mountain Colors. Its wool crepe. I'm not sure exactly what I'll make. Maybe a car cover? Actually, I hear it makes a stunning shawl. Although it will take forever to finish - so perhaps a coffin drape?

Just to balance the gi-normousness of the BIG BLUE, and at the other end of the spectrum, I picked up a liitle blue ball of Cascade Fixation, a cotton and elastic sock yarn perfect for those little sandal cuffs.

I have a scary feeling that I may never make either.

The rest of the girls did a lot more damage here. I was trying to pace myself.

It's a great little shop in a great little town. Stop by on your way to the shore.

The Lost Weekend

I woke up in my own bed this morning - but honestly, I am not sure how I got there! Barely able to sit up, I realized that I was buried under a mound of yarn. Where did it come from? Whose was it? Wait. Wait. I seem to remember leaving the house on Friday. Ok. Right. Regina and Lindsey were there, and Susan was driving. It's fuzzy. We're driving. Laughing. Stopping. Stopping. OH MY GOD.
It ws the YARN TRIP!!! Six yarn shops in 3 days. Somewhere between Old Saybrook Yarns and Sakonnett Purls I managed to amass a stockpile of wool, cotton and nylon almost at FOUR FIGURES.

As I regain my senses this week, I'll try to be brave enough to share with you tales of this last weekend, and all the projects I have planned for the future (enough for forever.)

It was a great trip, and I am sure I'll recover from the buyer's remorse I am feeling right about now. Vowing, once again, that I'll be staying clear of yarn stores. Atleast for awhile. One day at a time.

To top of the trip, guess what was waiting for me at Blue Heron Yarn in Barbstable???

More road trip tales to follow...

[If you're reading this - next time you visit you might be going to my new website. Just hit the button labeled PURL'S BLOG and you'll be directed here, where you might want to bookmark. Thanks.

Road trip!

Are you planning your summer vacation?? Well, move over MapQuest. See ya later Triple A. Here's the best vacation guide I could image. It's an incredible tool that helps you map yarn shops all across the country.  I call it The Ultimate Trip Planner but it's actually a site called MapMuse. I'm ready to jump in a VW Bus and head west! Of course, with the price of gas and the amount of yarn purchased, it would be a financial disaster. I wouldn't make it to Pittsburgh. Talk about Lost in America! As Albert Brooks would say, "Don't even think of using the word NEST or EGG ever again."  or in this case "KNIT" and "YARN".

A few of my close knit friends are planning a trip to Cape Cod and from what I can see on the map, we may never get there. Maybe its time to buy a motorcycle and become Easy Rider. Hey, I found just the thing: a knitted motorcycle!

Sweet thoughts of summer.

Gee, you'll never guess where I ended up yesterday. A lovely little shop in Greenwich, CT called The Knitting Niche, neatly tucked away on Mason Street. Hey, it wasn't my idea. I only went because Regina wanted to go. But since I was there anyway...well, you know how it goes.

So,  I started thinking about summer knitting, and the beach and ice cream and the hot sun and the big blue sky and wahla - I came upon this scrumptious BIG SKY cotton. Couldn't ya just eat it up?

Several of my Close Knit Friends are working on the little ribbon-tied cardigan from last Spring's Vogue's Knit.1 and I'm going to knit one in this wonderful pistachio and spearmint.

I can't wait to grab my sweater on a hot summer night and head on over to Mr. Chubby's (I'm not making that up) for a cookie-dough cone.  Of course, I can see it now -- the blob of sprinkles that I'll manage to drop square down the front of it.

But it will be summer. And there will be lots of ice cream. I better make the large.

PS: Thanks to all who helped unravel yesterday's query on the ins and outs of yarn endage. I have a few more critical surveys coming up - a rather tricky one on...(dare I say it)...gauge.