August 11, 2021 – Yarn Excursion of the Pacific Northwest

If it’s not Berrocco don’t fix it!!!! (Hahaha! Yarn humor – I LOVE it!)

I am working on a cool knitting pattern right now – this is one I mentioned in my earlier post from So Much Yarn. The pattern is called Concentric and makes a “necklace” of yarn. I think it’ll make a nice accessory. I chose a Berrocco yarn, Liana, colorway Orchid, which is a linen/nylon blend, cord-like construction. There is a blue running through the yarn that will look lovely with my new Wool& sleeveless dress and give it a bit of a “dress up” look (hopefully :)). The yarn is a little harder to work with than what I’m used to – I believe it’s because it is a little stiff which is probably the 81% linen. The pattern is quite easy and I’m impressed by the designer, of course I am always impressed by the designers – they have a creative way of thinking that I just don’t have – but to think of something like this is pretty amazing. I started this knit and about halfway through saw that the rings curl in on themselves, which makes sense because it’s knit in stockinette. I decided to see what it would do if I added a couple of garter ridges on each side, so I ripped it out and started over. I’m still debating but decided I’ll finish it, then give it a bath and see what it looks like!

“Finished?!?!?!?!?!?????”

So, I’ve finally finished my yellow, Wispy shrug – the one I’ve knitted twice. The first one was too small and for some reason I went up two sizes instead of one…not sure what my thinking was there but it’s done. In trying it on, the fit is now a little larger than I wanted but we’ll see what happens after it’s blocked – it’s still drying. (A couple of days later) It’s dry and definitely TOO BIG….sigh. I really love the pattern and the color looks great with my blue dress (mentioned above). I’ll probably rip it out and reknit with the correct size but I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to do that!  (Ed. Note – Oh, you meant that kind of finished!!!)

All Points Yarn!!!!

I know I said that there are probably 20 yarn shops here and I wasn’t kidding – however, they are not all technically in Seattle. I went to one today in Des Moines, Washington – yes, Des Moines. It was called All Points Yarn. The town of Des Moines is right on Puget Sound and I tell you, we’re driving in and all of a sudden it looks like a little coastal town! Crazy, right? Anyway, I went in while the hubs got some coffee across the street. The shop is in a small strip center and looked pretty tiny when I went in the door. There is a table up front for sitting and knitting of which there were 3 people doing that. I was greeted and offered help but I just wanted to browse and had no intentions of purchasing anything (I SWEAR, editor!)(Ed. Note – Yeah, right!!!!) I started looking and was surprised at all the different yarns, from Lion’s Brand to Noro and several I have never seen anywhere else – I know I’ve said that before but really – Wisdom, ICE, Stratosphere? He also had a TON of ribbon and eyelash yarn – more than I’ve ever seen at any other place. This yarn has become hard to find. I started looking for some last year after watching Offspring and admiring all of Nina’s scarfs – skinny, bulky, ribbony, and decided I’d like some of those :).

THEN, after perusing the front room, I realized there was a WHOLE other room towards the back with another table and MORE yarn. There are several shelves of coned yarn which I don’t see very often. I asked the owner what people did with those and he told me they were usually used by those who machine knit because the cone doesn’t have to be put on a bobbin but sometimes people just wanted a small amount and he could accommodate them that way. Same with the ribbon yarns, he said people would come in wanting to make a collar or small project with that type of yarn and couldn’t find it, so he just kept it out in his shop. Mr. Hicks has owned the shop for 15 years and been its sole proprietor. The shop gave him a way to connect with the community and it sounds like he’s done a great job with that being around for 15 years. He offers classes also – if you’re in town, his shop is worth a visit! And finally, I did walk out with some yarn😁 a beautiful red ribbon yarn (new scarf!) and a couple of skeins of Sugar and Cream for two bibs for a sweet little baby! (Ed. Note – I knew you couldn’t walk away!!!!)

A Little Knitty!!!!

I had forgotten to mention a yarn shop I stopped at the second week we were here. It is A Little Knitty in Auburn, Washington. Another small town outside of Seattle. It is located on a corner on Main Street – a very bright, cheery shop with lots of windows and open space inside. Jen, the owner was there and greeted me brightly as I came in. She carries Juniper Moon, Queensland, Malabrigo, Jody Long (new to me) and local yarns, such as Waifu Yarns, and Curl Up and Dye. There are many other brands to choose from as well. The shop carries cute ALK (A Little Knitty) notions, bags, stitch markers, pins – fun little items plus some other great gift items – locally made soaps, shawl pins, journals, and more. There are several tables for sitting and knitting and classes. I bought this skein of yarn by Stardust Fiber Studio. They are an indie yarn dyeing studio based out of the Pacific Northwest that sells their product online and apparently in some local shops. This yarn was one bought purely because of touch – it is so soft and fluffy! But the color is lovely also, it’s called Truly Teal :)!

I just loved that there were actually TOO MANY yarn shops in the area for me to visit them all – that means we’ll  have to come back one day to visit the others!