The Girl with the Cute Handknit Socks

Hey Everyone!

Today, I needed to run to the grocery store. While I was out, I went and looked at roses and went yarn shopping. The roses and yarn shopping were a spur of the moment thing.

I ended up going over to the West Side of the metro area. At first I thought I would go see how busy the test gardens in Washington Park were, they were too busy, so I googled yarn stores on that side of the river and found one. So I went there.

It was a nice store with a really good selection of yarn that I hadn’t seen in other stores. I had been looking for Hedgehog Fibres yarn in store for a while. I had made one of my very first pairs of socks, before I really knew what I was doing out of Hedgehog Fibres yarn, but those socks didn’t turn out. I had purchased that yarn from a yarn store that is now closed, so I couldn’t go back and get more, and I have been wanting to work with it again. Hedgehog Fibres is an Irish brand of yarn from Cork.

Like I mentioned previously, it was a nice store, with a good selection. Though IDK if I will go back. It was in a strip mall, and just didn’t have the same character as the ones I have been to here on the East Side. Not to mention the traffic on the West Side. I do hate coming back highway 26. The traffic coming into Portland from the west side is always a nightmare.

Before I had gone over to the West Side of the Metro area, I had stopped by one of the Rose Gardens in Ladd’s Addition, since it was one of the first real warm summer days we have had, and see the roses.

Portland is known as the City of Roses, since roses do grow really well in the climate we have here. With all the rain we have had this past winter and spring, it just feels like all the colors are so much more vibrant this year. Even the leaves on the trees seem more vibrant.

I am not one so much for putting patterns in my socks (yet), I definitely gravitate towards colors and colorways that pop, and some that are more utilitarian. I like a mix of both. I wouldn’t mind being known as the Girl with the cute hand knit Socks.

Unicorn Night Mares

Hey Everyone!

This evening, I finished up the pair of “Unicorn Night Mares” socks that I started right before I interviewed for my new job. This pair of socks has taken me about three weeks to knit up, since life has happened.

The colorway is: Unicorn Night Mares, the yarn base is: Fingering, and it’s from KnittedWit.

My first week of the new job went well. I am definitely looking forward to life after my first paycheck. This fall and winter, I am definitely going to be checking out some yarn stores and tea shops. This is going to be an awesome fall and winter

I am also waiting for my knit picks orders to arrive this week.

Goals and Dreams Change

Hey Everyone!

To my American readers and followers, I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th. To our neighbors to the North, I hope you all had a good Canada Day!

I had the 4th off which was nice, though I worked Friday, Saturday and today. With the truck being delayed until Saturday and then showing three hours late on Saturday, stock crew was asked to come out for am extra shift this week, as our availability allowed. I was able to go in today and got a bit done.

For so long I have been anti TikTok, but with a little convincing from one of my coworkers (she uses it to share her art), I finally created one to share my knitting. While most of my first few videos aren’t knitting related (only 3 of them are), I have been kind of getting a feel for the platform. IDK how far I will go with it, but I am still testing it out.

I keep hearing on the news, that employers in my current industry (retail) as well as others similar to mine (grocery/restaurants/ manual labor) keep complaining about being short staffed. Some people not wanting to work is just a fraction of the problem. I have been back at work post furlough for about a year now, and looking for another job in my industry or a similar industry closer to home for said year (and many years pre-COVID). My own experience this past year, has been one of Cricket’s (aka silence). I have applied to many jobs that I can reasonably do with minimal training (ie how that specific company does things), yet I have only had three phone calls, and two interviews in the past year, and all of them were in the past 2 months. Yes, I was only at Home Depot for a short time, for various reasons that all boil down to it not being a good for for me. So I don’t totally buy the “we can’t fill all our open positions”. From my own experience, they aren’t calling everyone who applies and are choosing to not fill said positions. It is definitely frustrating for someone like me, yet, I feel like the past two months have made me rethink some things.

One of those things is possibly starting my own business one day. If I were to start my own business, I am strongly leaning towards a yarn dying business. I have also thought a yarn making business would be cool, where my company would buy raw wool and processing it into wool. Or doing the whole thing, from processing the wool, spinning it and dying it. If any of it works out, it’s still a ways out.

Not counting my KnitPicks socks, all my other socks were at least dyed here in the USA.

One of the things I definitely want to do more of it test out the different bases I have knit socks out of, while hiking and really see how they hold up / last with a bit rougher wear and washing after each wear. I want to know which bases hold up the best boot socks for hiking.

A few of the places I want to go hiking and test the ruggedness of my socks include: Mt Saint Helens, Sun River, anywhere really in Alaska, in Banff / Lake Louise as well as Jasper Alberta.

When Local Yarn Stores Close

Hey Everyone!

Over the past three or four years, there have been at least three yarn stores that have closed up shop here in Portland. The most recent one being, KnitPurl, which is the biggest one I knew of in the city. My favorite yarn store closed about a year ago.

I hate seeing yarn stores close, as I love being able to go yarn shopping in person, where I can physically see and touch the yarn.

When I had heard that KnitPurl was closing, while I had never shopped there, I was disheartened. It is the largest yarn store I knew of in the city, and when stores like that close, it’s never a good sign for the knitting and crochet industry in a city. While there are other craft store that sell yarn (like Joann’s and Michael’s), they don’t carry the same quality (or local brands) that these other yarn stores do.

Birthday Yarn and Pattern

Hey Everyone!

My birthday was this past weekend, and it has become tradition to go get treats and tea then go to my favorite Yarn store here in town to look at (and ultimately purchase) Yarn and the patterns they have in stock. 

This year I wanted more of a chunky Yarn to make a warm scarf out of and see if they had any cool patterns for sale in which to use for my birthday Yarn. What I ended up with below is my birthday pattern and birthday Yarn. 

The Yarn is 100% Peruvian wool and is a really pretty blue – green. The past couple of years I have really been into the darker shades of blue, green, cranberry, grey etc. When I was younger I loved the lighter and brighter colors, as I have gotten older I have fallen in love with the more subdued shades. 

Yarn Shopping at the Beach

Hey Everyone! 

Earlier in the week (Sunday and Monday) I was at the beach, crashing my Best Friend’s family vacay for the night. Well I didn’t exactly crash it, as I was invited and I have become a part of the family (what’s one more girl when my friend’s mom has 5, not to mention I am friends with most of them anyway). 

Monday, after spending a little time on the beach, having breakfast, playing with babies, and putting one down for a nap, my best friend and I drive from Rockaway Beach to Cannon Beach to go to the yarn store (coastal knits) there, so I could buy some yarn. 

There I bought four hanks of Folio yarn. Two in the Charcoal and two in the pink, which I am planning on using for a shawl. 

As some of you know by now, I like visiting yarn stores in towns I visit. I like seeing what other brands they carry, and bring home souvenirs. 

Christmas and Birthday Yarn Haul

Hi Everyone!

There is only about a week between Christmas and My Birthday, I had the opportunity to do some yarn shopping for more expensive yarn to use in projects for myself.

For Christmas I bought myself two skeins of Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool in Natural. For my birthday I bought myself 4 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Forest Green Heather. I also bought two hanks of Sweet Georgia Yarns super wash DK in Salt Water. While at my favorite yarn store my mom bought me two hanks of The Fibre Company Canopy Fingering Yarn in Dragon Fruit.  

This past year I have been seriously stocking up on yarns to use on projects for myself. Beings that it has been Christmas and my birthday I have been spoiling myself. While there is still a huge part of me that is very much outdoorsy, go for a hike, needing functional cold weather knits, there is also a part of me that is wanting more delicate pretty (while still functional) lady like knits. I alway love being able to tell people that I made what I was wearing. Part of that pride is also having quality yarns to work with. 

   
    
 I love yarn shopping,  getting creative and finding inspiration for new projects. Beings that I am hoping to move somewhere that at least has colder winters, if not a cooler climate. With that, everything I make for myself will come in extremely useful. 

A knitter’s Weekend

Hey Everyone!

This weekend was a productive weekend. I got errands ran on Friday, which included some yarn shopping. 

I spent most the rest of my weekend cooking, baking, and knitting. Besides going on Adventures, I like balancing my weekends between adventure weekends and knitting weekends. I am now due for another adventure weekend soon, as I have had two amazing knitting weekends in a row. 

While knitting weekends often include errands, cooking and baking, I am able to fit in a fair amount of knitting amid the other tasks in the three days I have off. 

This weekend I made progress on the falling leaves wrap I am working on as well as the knit for kids sweater I am working on. Tonight I got the front sleeves finished and cast off. Now I just need to tuck in ends and then do the back sleeves. I am making good progress on both projects. 

It’s About Time…

…That I invested in a yarn ball winder. Every serious knitter should have one. I have been knitting for seventeen years, and only this past weekend invested in purchasing one for myself. We had them at the knitting studio I worked at about 15 months ago, and that was the first time I had ever actually used one.

I had spend a fair amount of time this weekend winding up yarn into balls that will be easier to knit from and use up. The whole reason I bought it in the first place was because I had bought a couple hanks of yarn, and did not have the option to have it wound up for me, so I needed to wind it for myself, hence I needed the yarn winder. That was the first yarn I got wound up, and then wound up some other yarn I have had sitting around so that it will be easier to use in future projects.

I know that now that I have a yarn ball winder, I will be using it a lot more in the future when I use enough of a skein of yarn that it becomes too loose that it will just be a mess if I don’t do anything with it. having a ball winder will help keep my yarn from being a rats nest that is next to unusable without a lot of time spent to getting knots out.

I had gone to a craft store that has some yarn but is primarily a sewer’s paradise and that is what it stocks, all kinds of fabric and notions and everything related to sewing. I was just thinking that they may have something do to the volume of stuff that they carry. Though I noticed that their yarn and knitting selection was noticeably smaller this time than it was the last time I was there.

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.