the snowflake sweater is nearly done. just need to finish up the neck ribbing, sew up the armpits, weave in the ends and figure out how to do the crochet edging. and while at this point it should probably be considered a gift, it’s not. we’re still going ahead with mittens for all.

which has resumed. I met up with Kelly at the gallery for some knitting (I also met both her dogs who attempted to help me knit on occasion.) She lured me with temptations like Scouts Swag and some Pirate yarn. Pretty colors. If I’d had money with me I would have bought some. That means I’ll have to go back. but back to the mitten knitting. since the sweater was to the point of needing a shorter needle, I pulled out mittens. I almost finished the first of Amelia’s mittens (it still needs a thumb), and then I started the ribbing for the BIL’s pair. since the sweater is nearly finished, I foresee much more mitten knitting in my future. and I’m feeling confident that they’ll all be done by the New Year (which is when we do the holiday visiting).

in other news, I’ve joined Socktopia - a sock KAL. one of my goals for next year is to turn the sock yarn stash into wearable socks. for me (and dh). hmmm. I should start thinking about the rest of my ‘knit year’ resolutions for 2007. (and what I’ll do for gifts next year, since almost everyone has a hat/scarf/mitten set now. and I don’t want to save kid sweaters for the holiday, due to fears of outgrowing.) hmmm…. much to think about while mitten knitting.

Saturday I got a late start - I needed to go to the library and do some internet stuff. I decided to start off with the farthest shop - Zandy’s. I saw Meleah, who happened to win a doorprize while there. Some red chenille was calling me (I have visions of pairing it with the black I already have for another flower washcloth), but the siren song of koigu was calling, so I resisted.

Then it was off to Needleworks Unlimited. I had filled my punchcard a few weeks ago when buying another Barbara Walker treasury, so I was really looking forward to using that. I had thought I’d get another one, but, the Koigu was quite persisitent. I ran into Stephania while digging thru the ‘taste of Koigu’ bin (bits and ends that are less than a full 50g skein for 25c/gram), where she took a pic of me. Stephania and I wandered a bit, in search of the clue and chatting a bit about her Lizard Ridge project and various other things. Wandered the store some more and thought I’d try to find 5 skeins of Koigu to go together for the Charlotte’s Web shawl. It took a bit, but I put some together that I think (hope!) I’ll like. I bought three of them and jotted down the color numbers for the other two.

By the time I left, there wasn’t much time left, so I hopped on the road and pondered which shop would be quicker to get to - I ended up choosing Amazing Threads, since it’s close to home and I know how to get there quickly. They were kind enough to let me poke around a bit after they closed. I couldn’t decide if I wanted anything though, so thought I’d stop back the next day (since it’s on my way and all).

I also poked into JoAnn’s in search of the current issue of Vogue (with the gorgeous white sweater on the cover and lots of sock info), but alas, it seems to be off the shelves. I did leave with the circ in the size I need for the ribbing of the lion hat, so all was not lost.

Sunday morning (and Saturday evening) was spent feverishly knitting in hopes to get the Mother Bear finished so I could drop it off this weekend. Alas, it was not meant to be - I finished her skirt, but she still needs an arm, her scarf, and her face. (minor details, no?)

So, off to the final yarn shop, with a small detour - I got my hair chopped off. (and I’m enjoying it’s shortness). Unfortunately, traffic was worse than expected, so it took longer to get down to the shop than expected. (stupid construction by Maple Grove).

I love Coldwater Collaborative. If it wasn’t so far from me I’d go there a lot more often. Turns out, they had Alchemy on sale for 50% off! I snagged a gorgeous wool/silk blend in a blue/grey/black sort of colorway.

Then it was off to dance class, so I didn’t get a chance to poke back into AT. Ah, well, I get there often enough, won’t be a problem going back. Also meant I didn’t get to check out the Guild’s knitting event at Brookdale. (I did drive past Ridgedale - had it been there, I would have stopped.)

btw, my 12″ Size 8 Addi seems to have run off. which puzzles me greatly cuz I don’t think I’ve ever used it or have a project pegged for it (other than my HP scarf which isn’t started yet, so it’s not in there, nor is it cavorting with the yarn for it - I looked.) so if you see it, could you give it a gentle prod and send it back. or at least have it write home so I know where it is and that it’s safe (and then I’ll be able to find it so I can use it). thanks.

This weekend is the Treasure Hunt/Shop Hop at 7 Twin Cities Yarn Shops.

Here’s my adventures so far…
I started off at Sheepy Yarn Shop in White Bear Lake. I found a yummy luvly yarn in the clearance bin that’ll be gifted, and a ball of black tweed sock yarn also jumped into my bag.

I then proceeded to The Yarnery in St Paul. Lots of yarn called to me, but nothing called strong enough to be taken home. (The impossibility of finding parking didn’t help either. I love this shop, I don’t love parking on Grand Ave.)

Then I raced down to Three Kittens, also in St Paul. I saw the cutest hat, so I had to buy it’s pattern and yarn. I tried to cast on for it this morning, but don’t have the right size needles for the ribbing. *sigh* add that to the list for today’s shopping.

ok, that’s it for now - the library’s about to close, and I’ve got 4 more shops to hit today!
(sorry for the crap lighting - the sun was a bit too bright for the camera’s liking)

Friday night I poked into a new yarn shop that I learned about from Shelly: Yarn Garden, 300 East Main Street, Anoka, MN 55303. They’ve been open for about two weeks - Friday was their opening with the ribbon cutting and all. (They’re open til 6pm on Fridays. I forgot the little card with the rest of their info at home, so I’ll post that later). It’s a small shop in a building that used to be a post office (I think) with lots of other cute shops (that were closed when I got there). Plenty of parking behind the building. They have a nice selection of yarn - I don’t remember seeing an over-abundance of the frou-frou yarns (the fun furs, etc). Lots of wool, mohair blends, etc. Anywho, if you’re in the area, go check it out. (If you’re on Main St by Riverdale in Coon Rapids, it’s about a 5-10 min drive from the Target/Michael’s/etc.)

onto the WIPs…
Eli’s sweater still has one sleeve. I finally started working on sleeve #2 on the bus ride this morning.
The socks-in-progress are giving me fits. I’ve finished the cuff on the first one and attempted the provisional cast-on (the crochet variety) late Friday night (when I should have been sleeping pre-feis). It was a big pain in the butt. I gave up after two attempts and went to bed. I also moved the stitches not being used onto some spare yarn in the hopes that getting the unused needle out of the way would make things easier on the next attempt. We’ll see how that goes.

and the new project:
Pumpkins! I decided to make it in the round, cuz well, knitting up 7 little pieces and sewing them together didn’t seem like too much fun. so in the round we go. I’m using some stitch markers from the swap I did ages ago (wow, those come in handy!). I started it last night and attempted to work on it while watching The Village. (ok, so I’m a bit behind on movies) Lesson learned: don’t try to count rows while watching a movie you’ve never seen before. at any rate, I rescued myself (aka stopped knitting til I could sort it out properly) before I missed an increase round. I’m about halfway thru the body of the pumpkin.

oh, and I also got my KnitPicks order this weekend: Bare Superwash, Bare Merino Sock, Size 8 Options tips and a 40″ cord. The Superwash is getting dyed for mittens, the Merino Sock is going to be self-stiped dyeing attempt #2 (let’s hope I’ve learned how to not tangle the giant skein this time), and I decided I wanted to test the needles before buying the whole set. so I chose size 8. the problem: nothing I’m knitting right now is on size 8s. I’m going nuts. I’m thinking I might start a new project just so I can use them.

in non-knitting news, the feis (dance competition) this weekend went well. until I was heading to my car. and I fell down a couple stairs between the skyway and parking ramp. ouch. I have bruises. it hurts when I move. thankfully, the bruise on my left ring finger is going away - my needle rests right there and knitting was a bit painful at times last night.

ETA: for Nancy and others who are curious, the pumpkin is being made from this, because there were a few weak spots (moths? in mothproof thrift shop wool? I dunno. but I don’t trust it on it’s own so think hope felting will make it more secure) with Paton’s Wool in Leaf Green that I bought from Michael’s after visiting the new shop, cuz it was on sale (and I’m feeling too lazy to dye the light green thrift shop yarn a more leafy shade).

went to the library on the way out last night to grab a few books I had reserved (Beyond Stitch & Bitch, which is some essays that I read completely on the bus ride this morning and the Itty Bitty Hats book which has a couple that I want to knit). poked into the bookstore and beelined it to the crafty shelves. most times there’s not much, but I’ve found a few treasures. Yesterday, I found Nicky Epstein’s Knit Hats book (an old library edition for $1. in my haste to get back to the bus stop I didn’t preview it til on the bus - it’s missing quite a few pages. stupid people.) and Alice Starmore’s The Celtic Collection (hardcover and in seemingly excellent condition. not a library copy either, so no marks) for a mere $5. well, I’ve borrowed it from the library before, and wasn’t really thrilled with more than 1 or 2 patterns, but hey, who can pass that up for $5?

so, $6+tax later, I’m back on the bus, happily flipping thru the Hat book when I discover the missing pages. but I did find one pattern that I REALLY want to make - I think it’s called St Pat’s Blarney. so not a complete loss there.

survived dance class (feis coming up in less than 10 days, so lots of drilling on our steps) and headed back to Minneapolis to search out some “OMG Pink” dye. I don’t think I found one of OMG intensity, but I think it’ll go well with the blue & purple I have at home that I’ll be pairing it with. also ordered the Knit Picks superwash worsted for this little dying adventure. hopefully all goes well so I can resume holiday knitting.