San Francisco

Downtown

Redwoods at Muir Woods

Bread Pudding at Tartine
S.F. was terrif. Really fun. Not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but my little brother lives there. Being a sister never gets old...it was so nice to see him every day during our visit. The trip was full of great food, time with close friends, yarn, baseball, wine tasting, etc. etc. You can cram a lot into four days - it was busy but still relaxing.

Artfibers was a blast. It was totally overwhelming to have so many choices in fiber, texture, and design. They will create a custom pattern for a very reasonable price, based on the yarn you choose, your gauge (or a standard one), and your exact measurements. I went there thinking, "I need a cardigan"; I should have gone in thinking, "If I could design the perfect cardigan, what would it look/feel like?" I think I made a good choice, but you could create a whole wardrobe using their yarns and a series of custom designs. I chose a yarn called Shizen - a 75% silk, 25% mohair blend with a sorta scrunchy texture. Here's a closeup where you can (hopefully) see the colors/shading. I believe this is color 12.


Artfibers Shizen
I was so lucky to get a chance to visit Artfibers. If you go, give yourself a good chunk of time to really take it all in.

Anyway, I should go. We've got houseguests! But I really wanted to tell you about my trip. I'll be more chatty later - promise!

New LYS

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful comments and well wishes. I accept them gratefully and I trust that everything will be fine.

Just a brief post today, partly because I didn't want the surgery post to be the only thing up here for the next two weeks! I wanted to mention an AWESOME new knit shop here in Chicago. It's called Knitwerks, and it's run by Cherrl Harmon. She is just the kind of person you imagine should have her own knitting store. She's competent and creative, welcoming and funny...and the store is a reflection of that.

I wish I'd taken my camera the first time I visited Knitwerks, but her website's got some pics. And, my stash enhancement will give you some idea of the selection:



Top right is a basket from Lantern Moon. Beautiful silk lining and a drawstring closure. I thought this would be great for knitting while prone - so I don't have to worry about runaway balls of yarn. Bottom right: Noro Kureyon. She's got Kureyon! I'm planning a multidirectional scarf with Karen Baumer's free pattern. Left hand side: this yarn is new to me. It's called Dream in Color, and it comes from Aurora, IL. It's springy and soft, with subtle mottled color effects. I'm going to make a Forest Canopy shoulder shawl with the berry color, and socks with the blue color.

So, what didn't I buy?! Cherrl's also got Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Fiesta, Interlacements, Blue Heron, and more! Plenty for you if you visit.

Later, y'all. See you soon...

UPDATED TO ADD: In case you've been wondering whether to pick up one of the two new novels about knitting, here's a review of both from the Christian Science Monitor.