First sweater of the year completed!

Hey Everyone!

2015 has been a busy year so far for me with all the personal project I have been working on as well as the baby blankets for my cousin’s baby that is due in June (which is right around the corner). I finally got my first knit for kids sweater of the year completed.

I made a size 10 using Red Heart yarn in Light Sage, Buff and a cranberry colored yarn that I am pretty sure is a red heart year, or something similar. 

I don’t really know how long it took me to knit this one up, I want to say it took me a couple of months at least.   

Coastal Yarns

Hey Everyone!

Today was a busy day of going to the Beach. Part of the point of the trip today was to go to Coastal Yarns in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It was the last stop before going to dinner then heading home.

As many of you know, I have been getting out and going to new yarn stores that I have never been to before to seek out new yarns that I have never worked with before. Part of this desire is find new yarns to work with, so that I have some pretty awesome hand knit winter items, as moving to some place with cold winters is a goal of mine, and having warm but cute accessories is one of my priorities before I move.

Beings that I had wanted to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory to get some pumpkin butter, I figured I might as well make the trip even more worth while by driving up to Cannon Beach from Tillamook to go to Coastal Yarns. Beings that this is a long weekend, and I had today I planned on going today. It also worked out that one of my friends was able to come with me on this adventure. Unlike some, I don’t spend forever in a day in craft stores. I do like to take my time, and look around before buying something, but I don’t spend an eternity making up my mind.

 Today’s craft store visit, was interesting. The store was small and a little crowded, but had a good selection of local and imported yarns. I like buying yarn from each of the small locally owned yarn shops I visit. I enjoy finding new yarns for personal projects, and I like contributing to the local economy. Today I bought two hanks of Juniper Moon Farm Herriot pure extra – fine baby alpaca yarn, in color #1003, which is a dark teal. The color reminds me a lot of the Todd and Duncan classic 100% Cashmere in sea green that we had at the knitting studio, only a bit darker, and a little bit more blue.

Price wise it seemed more expensive than Happy Knits but about on par with close knit. I paid $44 for two hanks of the baby alpaca yarn, and as I am still new to small craft store shopping, I am still figuring out what is normal for yarn, and what is over priced. 

The one thing that disappointed me was that I was not able to have the two hanks I bought wound into a ball, which means that it is finally time for me to invest in a ball winder for myself. I know, I have been knitting for 15 years and have yet to buy a ball winder. Well it is time that I make that happen, not only for this yarn, but other yarn I have, as well as for future use. I am quickly learning that not every shop will wind hanks of yarn into balls for you. Not having my yarn wound into a ball for me, is not enough to deter me from shopping there again or from recommending it to someone else.

If you are ever in Cannon Beach, Oregon, I would highly recommend this craft store to you if you enjoy knitting or crocheting and are looking for a big city worthy craft store along the northern Oregon Coast, just be prepared to wind your own yarn.

Hats for Infants in Nepal and Uganda

Hey Everyone!

One of my Facebook Page followers shared with me a ravelry group she has. She collects infants hats that will then be sent on to University of British Columbia students who go to Nepal and Uganda, and they take the hats collected to infants in need.

I will be sharing the link below, and if any of you can help out with this cause, that would be fantastic and much appreciated.

When I find out about other people who are doing things that benefit children in need, I like to share them, and pass along the information.

Click  Here to go to the hats for infants ravelry group.

Yarn Shopping at Local Yarn Stores

Hey Everyone! 

I have started visiting local craft stores here in Portland, because Portland has a lot of amazing small locally owned yarn stores. 

I am starting to work on more amazing winter accessories, as  this past winter was such a let down for the opportunities to wear hats, gloves and scarves. 

I don’t know how much longer I will be living in Portland, so I am trying to make what time I am living here in Portland count as far as yarn shopping goes. I have no idea when I will more or where I will move to, but I know that Portland is not some place I am going to be staying. So yeah, until I find a better job and move I am taking advantage of having all the locally owned craft stores. I am trying to support my local economy, which happens to have a better selection of yarns for personally projects than The big box craft stores. 

Today I bought two hanks of Blue Face Leicester wool that is from England, as well as a hank of Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock Yarn because I am going to learn how to knit socks. I am saving the sock yarn I bought today until I have done at least one pair with the less expensive sock yarn I bought yesterday at Joann’s. 

I really got into buying yarn and knitting my own winter accessories after having spent like $12 or $13 on a thin little hat at old navy that did not do the job I needed it to. I was like this is crazy, so I starting looking around and buying better quality yarn and knitting my own hats and scarves. Why buy something when I can make something of better quality for less money. There is the time output factor, but beings that I love knitting there is no point in wasting my money on something that is of inferior quality to what I can make. 

Portland has a lot of locally owned and run yarn stores which makes it amazing for someone like me. I probably spend more money on yarn that I should, but when you have a hobby you absolutely love within reason spending the money is just worth it. I am not saying to blow your rent or utility bill money on your hobby, but not spending money someplace else and/or putting money aside for your gobbet is a different story. 

Now I am trying to reorganize my wool stash buckets to try to make more room, but really I think that I just need another couple. I like keeping my wool hats and scarves in 15 quart tubs just so I don’t have to pull everything out of a bigger tub is what I want is on the bottom. I only have to pull a few things out. It will help me keep stuff organized. I could use an extra one for just wool hats, and then one to put the socks I knit as well as fingerless gloves in. 

I love yarn shopping, and telling me to stop is the same as telling a painter to stop painting or telling Hanz Zimmer or James Horner to stop composing film scores. 

Close Knit

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Today I had run up to the part of the city I used to work in, to check on something for my mom. After I had checked on what I needed to, I went to a yarn store, called Close Knit, which is a few blocks from where I used to work. Close Knit is located at 2140 NE Alberta St in Portland, Oregon. 

I had been by like it 4 – 5 days a week when I worked at the knitting studio, but had never gone in. Beings that I am trying to work my way to different small locally owned and operated yarn stores here in Portland, and I was in the area I had to add to my personal yarn stash. 

Close knit is a super cute little yarn store located along NE Alberta St. They have a good selection of different kinds of yarns. They had a few of the same yarns as Happy Knits, and then a whole bunch more. It was awesome to walk around and feel the yarns and the knit up samples of the yarns they carry. I always love feeling samples to see what a finished product will look and feel like. 

While I was there I picked up two small hanks of Blue Faced Leicester DK Superwash in Teal as well as a Hank of Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock Yarn. I am super stocked about the Blue Faced Leicester beings that it’s from England. 

I am loving going to all these little local yarn stores. 

The yarn I bought today:    
 

Happy Knits

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Today, I stopped in at a little yarn store here in Portland, Oregon called Happy Knits, it is located at 1620 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Today’s trip in was I want to say my third trip in to the store. I had gone for a knit night, and another time where I picked up some needles and wool wash. Today I was wanting some yarn.

I started out looking at sock yarn (which didn’t last long as I had bought some less expensive sock yarn earlier in the day to use for learning to knit up socks), so I started looking around at their other yarn, and found some really pretty alpaca/merino blend yarn that would make a beautiful scarf. I am just trying to decide what pattern I am going to use when knitting it up, while finishing up a couple other projects.

The staff has always been really nice and helpful. The young woman who rang up my purchase even wound the yarn up for me from the hank of yarn.

The store itself is light, roomy, airy, it isn’t too cramped. It is totally meant to spend some time in. I would highly recommend this shop to anyone who is in the Portland area who is looking for a nice little, local yarn shop where they can get lost for an hour or so.

May Yarn Haul

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After going on a hike with a former coworker of mine, I went yarn shopping. I had 7 coupons for Joann’s so I wanted to use them. 

I went to town with what I bought beings that the yarn I use for knit for kids sweaters was also on sale. 

I bought two skeins of socks yarn, two skeins of lace yarn, as well as 7 skeins of red heart acrylic yarn. 

I also went to Happy Knots where I bought two hanks of Cascade Alpaca/Merino wool yarn. I also bought more wool wash for my woolen garments. 

   
        I don’t often go yarn shopping like I did today. Let me loose in a yarn store and I could buy the store out so to speak, so I don’t do a lot of yarn shopping. I have a yarn stash that I would like to get worked through. 

Goals for the rest of 2015

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Now that I have gifts taken care of, I figure that it is time to really figure out what I want to get done in the way of charity knitting for this year.

This year I will complete five sweaters, including the one I am currently working on. I will also use up the balls of yarn I have sitting on my floor, as well as what is left over from the sweaters I knit this year, for hats for children in India.

I am currently working on a size ten sweater. I am working to cumulatively have the same number of each size sweater made. I will need to make one more size 6 sweater, two size 8 sweaters and one more size 10 sweater (in addition to the one I am currently working on) to have fourteen of each size of sweater. From there I want to go to making sets (a sweater of each size), and keep my sweater totals the same across the board.

I have several good size balls of yarn sitting around that are really too small for sweaters, but work great for making hats, which is what I plan to use them for. I am wanting to get them used up and made into something that will be sent to children living in poverty.

Hey Everyone!

The yarn giveaway began over on the Facebook page yesterday, and runs through Friday the 8th at 3:00 pm Pacific Time (6:00 pm Eastern). 

By going over to the Facebook page, liking the page, sharing the pinned status, and commenting on the pinned status, you will be eligible to win these two skeins of fishermen’s wool.

  

Finished my Alpine Wool Hat

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I had finished knitting my alpine wool hat yesterday, and had contemplated re knitting it as it was soooooooooooo big. Then I decided to felt it, and put it in the dryer. So the fact that I had intentionally machine washed and dried wool had its desired effect. My hat felted and shrank. While it still is a little long, it fits so much better now, and I am happy with how it turned out. 

  
I am so excited for next winter to really try it out. I already know that it is really warm, and cozy.