Last year was my first experience with the LYS tour and I was a new knitter. I had no stash and didn't really know what stash was. Now after 1.5 years of knitting, the stash has gotten a little crazy. Last year I went to every shop on the tour and bought at least one skein of yarn at almost every single store. One might ask, how much of that yarn do you have left after a year? Yeah... it's embarrassing, most of it lays un-knit in one of my two storage containers. I know, compared to some of you, my stash is weak, but I do currently have 40 skeins of sock yarn. *sigh* So between my stash issues and also the fact that elections for Sakura-Con are tomorrow (and I'm up for re-election) I couldn't do the whole tour this year. I did manage to do 13 yarn shops today though. I went to all the shops in Seattle and south of Seattle. I was pretty proud of myself for doing it in 7 hours. It made for a busy, but fun day.

The next shop on my trek was The Knittery. Their pattern was a scarf done in Stacy Charles Luna. It was pretty and ruffly and reminded me a bit of Churchmouse's pattern from last year. It is called Flower Garden Scarf by Win Fisher. I apologize for the poor picture, but they didn't really have the pattern out where you could look at it or photograph it easily.
From there I went up to the Quah and Cultured Purls. I was hoping to replace my recently belated size 1 circulars (RIP) that had snapped mid toe increases while working on some anklets. However, they didn't have any 40 or 47in Knit Picks circulars. Oh well, that's what I get for being picky. Their pattern was one of the three neckwarmers I saw today. It is called Cable Mesh Cowl and has some nice cables with lace in-between them. Done is Cascade Pure Alpaca, I am sure it would be quite warm. Cultured Purls is always a lovely shop and even has quiviut now in stock. It's kept in a glass case so it doesn't accidentally fall into anyone's knitting bag. At $80 a skein, I don't blame them!




Tea Cozy Yarns was another new addition for the tour. Out in Ballard, it's a bit of a haul. Just getting through the crush of bodies and finding a parking spot was an adventure. I was excited to see that their pattern was indeed a Tea Cozy! Aptly named the Tea Cozy Tea Cozy by Patricia McHugh. They used Cascade 220 Superwash Paints and had some fantastic colors in stock. Including a lovely mauve one. I was happy to see a more economical yarn getting some love here. Sadly, I was so focused on the prospect of lunch, I completely forgot to get a picture. The tea cozy, looked very cozy however.

Going to So Much Yarn always reminds me of some secret spy mission. You have to find it, and then be buzzed in. It's like a private yarn club or something. This was my first time there since the recent change in ownership. The new crew was lovely and polite. There was gentleman on staff who was even knitting! Their Starry Shawlette by Lauren Lindeman was done with Dream in Color Starry. The original pattern has square ends, but the lady talking about the pattern had come up with a modification to give it the more common tapered ends. Done mostly in stockinette, it has a lovely eyelet border. I forgot to photo this one as well. Sorry guys!
Next up was Seattle Yarn. I loved their 2010 pattern and was excited about checking out their button collection again. Upon walking in I was greeted by something new. They had mink yarn! I mean 100% mink!! It was so soft and feathery and under $30 a skein. 1 skein made a nicely sized scarf which they had on display. This however, was not the tour yarn or pattern, sadly. Their knitted pattern was Wristlet Whimsy by Virginia Bowen. I think if I had a little girl, this could be something she'd enjoy. A Chenille wristlet made in Muench Touch me Due, isn't my thing though. Their crochet pattern by Shannon Mullet-Bowlsby called La Vigne was done in Manos Wool Classica. It's a pretty series of crocheted leaves , but again not my thing. Yes, I'm a bad blogger and forgot to get photos here either. I was distracted by the mink yarn again.
The Yarn Stash's The Question Bag, was fantastic! It redeemed the bag overkill from the 2010 tour by coming up with something totally unique and easy. It's a mock cable and moss stitch pattern worked in the round using Cascade Yarn's Ultra Cotton Pima. The yarn is silky and fantastic and bags are super cute! The lady at the shop recommended making the i-cord drawstring first so that you can knit the bag until you run out of yarn. The ladies there were really nice to me. I had been on the lookout for a binder all day and asked there as I had gotten one there in 2010. They said they didn't do them this year. However, they printed out the cover sheet for me while I browsed the wide selection of colors the Cotton Pima came in, so I could make my own binder! They also complimented my Norwegian selbu slap bracelet. I can't say enough nice things about the staff there. Also, the fantastic sub $10 1 skein offering!
So, my last stop for today is a shop that is actually not far from my house. For some reason, I've never gone there. I pulled into Unraveled Yarn & Artful Gifts at 5:40. With 20 minutes to spare I realaxed and enjoyed browsing. Their Your mother Says to Button Up, neck warmer by Mary Triplett does not list the yarn on the pattern. Sadly, I've forgotten what they used. It's a very cute pattern and they had a version done in a Malabrigo variegated yarn as well that looked nice. The shop had a nice selection of yarns including some cool brushed mohair, multi yarn type skeins and other assortments. I picked up a Creative Couture yarn caddy while I was there. It'll look great clipped onto my Latern Moon Sapa bag this summer.
In the end, I came out with 3 skeins of yarn and the yarn caddy. Much better than my $400 haul last year. I wish I could finish the tour though. It was fun seeing all of the different shops last year. It was also a blast taking my husband yarn shopping with me. With 25 stores on the tour, it is a bit daunting. The only way I did it in 2010 was by taking a day off of work. I know it can be done in 2 days (or one if you are suicidal), but you can't enjoy it in that period of time. I wish more yarn shops would feature the lovely local artisans yarns we have in the area. I would be much more inclined to pay $20 for locally sourced alpaca than for something sparkly and mass produced. My thanks to all the hard working yarn shop owners and staff for keeping this thing going though. See you all in 2012, (or likely before hand given my yarn addiction)!
Awesome review! I am so glad you keep doing this for all of us who are curious and/or can't make the tour. Sounds like you had lots of fun, and thanks for the kind words!!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I'm kinda bummed now that I didn't give in to my inner yarn whore & go to more stores. The yarn from Unraveled was Cascade's Lana D'Oro.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Sorry I didn't see you at the Fiber Gallery - I love to meet podcast listeners! That's a lot of yarn shop hopping for one weekend.
ReplyDelete