No, not that kind of accident… I’ve been in a bit of funk lately given Jellybean’s erratic sleep schedule and the never ending sickness in this house. So I let the siren call of yarn boost my spirits. I accidentally purchased the following at my LYS this week:
Instagram is dangerous territory…it’s a minefield of beautiful yarn and projects. And I was enabled last week. Mintrain put out a coupon for a snow day discount on their Instagram feed. Before I knew it I was in their Etsy shop and this hopped in my basket…
It’s a sport weight sock yarn in 80/20 merino nylon blend. It’s sooooo pretty and it arrived in my mailbox already!
I definitely didn’t need more sock yarn. And I’ve splurged on a t-shirt and project bags lately. But I’m not sorry. When Jellybean was tiny we didn’t have the funds nor did I have the time to do fun projects. So now that our budget has room and I have the time I’m going to do what I want/can. Because a time will come when my belt will tighten and I will be glad for a well curated stash!
Happy Knitting!!
Today rounds out the last stop of my yarn hop. But first I had to share a photo of my oldest and dearest friend who joined me for the Salina and Abilene leg even thought she’s not a knitter. She sure is a good friend!
This last stop was the The Shivering Sheep in Abilene KS.
This shop was teeny tiny but had basement space. It was really quaint but a little hard to maneuver in with all the hop traffic. I’m not sure this shop will be on my regular rotation but was very nice to visit. I still managed to find somethings I couldn’t live without.
First up I picked a Hiya Hiya sheep-y needle sizer. I’ve needed one lately as the markings have become faded on my favorite needles and I’m garbage at guessing. Next up was some purple Regia Garden Effects for some hardy wearing wool socks. And lastly some Berroco Comfort in a nice brown for a sweater for Jellybean to round out his winter wardrobe.
Tomorrow I promise I’ll have some actual knitting to show you and not just pretty yarn. Until then, happy knitting!!
Okay, stop number four is up today. It was Yarns Sold and Told in Salina, KS.
I have been to this store a number of times and loved them all. The staff is so friendly and helpful. The yarn selection is good and I kinda fell down hard again at this store, lol. It was also at this point that I got kind of tired and forgot to keep taking photos. Below is a lovely snapchat grab from my friend who joined me at this stop.
Now for the yarn p0rn….
I was definitely in a sock place this yarn hop. I picked up some sport weight Regia for socks for the hubby. I’m hoping the thicker yarn makes the socks go faster for his huge feet. Next up was some more Regia but this time in Flourmania. And to round out the sock collection as some Tapping Tootsies by Dove Roving Company. And I was still on the hunt for some yarn for Jellybean so I picked up some Cherub Aran in Navy by Cascade Yarns.
Tomorrow due up is my last stop, so until then….Happy Knitting!
This was my third stop, Unwind in Manhattan, KS. This store was beyond amazing. And I fell down HARD on my yarn purchases in this store.
This the lovely shop owner who kindly took a photo for me. And just look at that beautiful selection of yarn!
They wrapped my purchases so neatly and gave me a project bag. I think the bag I earned because of how much I dropped at this store, lol.
Now for the good stuff, yarn! I picked up two skeins of Uptown worsted in Navy destined to be a Jellybean sweater. Next up was a set of Hiya Hiya sharps in US 3 9″ circulars for some preemie hats and sport weight socks. But the ultimate was some Dream in Color Smooshy with cashmere. That’s 60/30/10 merino, cashmere, and nylon. I’ve read about other bloggers and heard pod-casters rave about this stuff and I just had to have some. It is SO UNBELIEVABLY SOFT. These two skeins were my favorite purchases of the entire hop!
This store was so clean, so friendly, and so well stocked it will not be my last trip there. The parking and traffic weren’t the best but for cashmere I’ll learn to deal!!
Part three is due up tomorrow and until then…happy knitting!
I completed my first yarn/shop hop. Boy howdy was it exhausting! I made five stops out of 10. I made a plan and a budget going in and (mostly) stuck to it. I had an absolute blast. There were newborn puppies, lovely people, snacks, and all the glorious yarn a girl could want. I think I’m going to break up my trip into several posts this week so as to spread out the yarn p0rn.
First up was Yak N Yarn of Topeka, KS. This is technically my LYS. And I freely admit I don’t get there much. The store has weird hours that aren’t friendly to a working momma and the yarn selection just isn’t that good. I still try to buy from there whenever I can but it’s hard sometimes. I did pick up something interesting there from the sale bin that was new to me: t-shirt yarn!
(Me in my “Knittaz 4 Life” t-shirt”) 
It’s Sullivans Noodles (Cotton) in the Butterfly colorway. I think I’m going to knit this up into a nice smooshy cowl. The greens will go nicely with my eyes I think.
My next stop was Alpacas of Wildcat Hollow. Now this is not a store but an actual working alpaca farm. I had to drive WAY into the country to get to this one and it was worth a stop!
I got to see alpaca, chickens, and herding dogs. One of the momma’s had just had pups a few days before. She was a very good momma and very protective of her pups. I did a little tour and then perused their little shop. And in the interest of full disclosure…I’m not a huge alpaca fan. It has amazing qualities and this particular yarn was out of sight. It’s just that it doesn’t fit my current project frame of mind. Nonetheless I still picked up a skein that will destined for soft as air cowl for my gift pile. See the yarn p0rn below.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my next stop!
Happy Knitting!!
It’s almost July and summer is in full swing. But I can’t help but think towards fall. I really want jellybean to have some hand knits. I have the itch for a couple of hats and at least one sweater. I also have at least two baby showers coming up. This has led to a bout of start-itis this past weekend.
I cast on a Knit Tutu from Smashlee. It’s a pink number for a baby girl due I’m September.
Next up is a Dino Cap by Kris Hanson jellybean. I’m knitting the two year old size in some Caron Simply Soft from my stash in hunter green and chocolate brown. I’ve already messed up the pattern but I’m soldiering on.
Last up is Double Rib Toddler hat by Torunn Espe. I pulled some Berroco Comfort DK Solids from my stash in blue and minty blue-ish?
Now I have more projects than I have hands and time. So this should end well, lol!
Happy Knitting!
I’ve never been a shawl knitter. I don’t enjoy charts as they don’t make sense in my brain. And honestly I’m a bit sporty in my attire and shawls just didn’t fit my esthetic. But I’ve recently changed employment. It was a good career move and got me out of an unhealthy emotional environment. But I’ll leave that part at that. My new building is an ice box with A/C and I hear the heat is wimpy on the flip side. I’m going to need some business casual options for keeping warm (and possibly a space heater)!
I have a pretty skein of Cascade Heritage Silk in a lovely blue. It’s a merino silk blend and just gorgeous. Here is a terribly lit picture of my skein after Jellybean went to bed.
I’ve decided to to knit a Clapo-Ktus by Loredana Gianferri. It’s a cross between a clapotis and a baktus. It’s a free download and designed to use every bit of your skein. The pattern is written and it should be easy to memorize.
I’ve printed and read the pattern 15 times. It took me a bit to wrap my head around how it worked but I think I have it now. And I’ve hand wound my yarn and pulled needles. This is worked on size 6s. I’m not going to swatch per se, I’m just going to go with the flow as “fit” isn’t a huge thing with a scarf/shawl. Those could be famous last words….
Wish me luck!
My husband surprised me with a lovely lunch with friends last Saturday! We had yummy Asian food in Lawrence and both jellybean and his friend were fairly well behaved. Jellybean was still in a good mood after lunch so I batted my eye lashes and convinced him to let me wander into Yarn Barn which was just a block away. I mean how could you not visit a LYS when you are that close!
Not much damage but still three new to me sock yarn! A very nice Mother’s Day to me indeed!
First up, Saki Bamboo in Crayon box.
This is 50% merino, 25% nylon, and 25% bamboo. It feels just so soft! And the yardage is very generous at 462 yards. These will probably be socks for the husband and maybe a matching set for jellybean!
Next up, Flouromania Color by Regia
This was so wild I couldn’t resist. And again very generous with 460 yards.
Lastly, Heritage Silk by Cascade. This is 85% superwash and 15% mulberry silk. This feels divine and just might yarn for petting. At least for a little while 😀.
Happy Knitting!
It’s no secret I’ve been on a sock binge lately. And I’ve been trolling my sock yarn drawer and petting all the lovelies. It came to my attention that I have some single skein of Knit Picks Felici hanging out in there. How did I do that? You can’t make socks from one measly skein!
So I did what any good knitter would do and took to Ravelry. I hit up other Ravelers with single skeins in their stashes and pleaded my case for a swap or sale. And oh boy did they ever come through! I found willing matches for all my colors. Be still my knitting heart!
One of my swaps showed up today:
A gorgeous skein and a thoughtful handwritten note! They took the time to wish me and the yarn good luck. I firmly believe that knitters are the best kind of people in the world!!
Happy Knitting
Michele plays with yarn, food, and music in Portland
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