SS09 Update: Class and more shopping!

So I had my argyle class was today. I kind of took it because well I always wanted to make argyle socks. Never have. I didn't think it would be too hard, but I really had issues with "trying" an intarsia type of technique. For instance I'm not used to NOT stranding color work as I've done quite a bit of fair isle/stranded stuff. Anyway... Anne Berk was our instructor and she is ALL kinds of fabulous. She's super cute, has the best phrases, so funny and so knowledgeable about the Argyle. She's working on book she hopes to release in Januray. So, anyway it was a great class and while I took it as sort of a last resort... I must say, I'm SOOO glad I did! Anyway. I don't feel like pulling my proj photo in right now but it was a good project, but I'm going to frog back a bit because my neighbor, Jean and I got a little chatty and slap happy this afternoon and well, I made some booboos. SO I'll fix, so I'll have nice (perfect) class sample. Then I'll go on to make the real thing.

Well, another thing about Anne... she is a freaking enabler! Yes people...she brought all this fabulous yarn and was talking price points, etc... so guess what I did at lunch... went and bought a whole bunches more yarn!! I was REALLY done, like yesterday... but oh no. And I went over my budget, boo! But, its ok, just had to take a little out of the backup savings. :)

But here's the why. She was talking about a great yarn that WEBS sells and it was $4.29 a skein... comes in REALLY great perfect argyle colors... and people... $4.29! And guess what... NO SALES TAX here! So I bought a whole bunch of colors!! And at webs, I also bought a bag of plymouth happy feet natural, that I can hand dye myself. I really like happy feet, so this will be lots o'fun. I'm def thinking of trying a kettle process... but we'll see.

Next I went BACK to Hazel Knits. She's got an etsy shop and let me just tell you I love this girl. Her name is Wendy and she's just fabulous. She's super sweet and everyone should go buy yarn from her. It's gorgeous and I'm so serious! I will bring to knit knite and you will see... and I will give you her web address!

So anyway... it was a terrific day thus far (even though I shopped too much, lol).

Back at the hotel now, grabbed a pizza and just about to get ready for the Rav party tonight for which I'm quite excited about. Am heading there with an OHIO gal I met yesterday. Her name is Lauren and she works where... LIMITED BRANDS. haha.

I leave tomorrow morning... not looking forward to the long flight, but it will be good to get home. Hopefully I'll not be too overwound and I can get some good sleep. I SOOOOOO don't want to go back to work Monday morning. :( BOO!

SS09 Update: Class projects and YARN pRon

WOW! What a whirlwind it's been. From my long flight here, to all that has happened... this post could go on for days... but I'm kinda tired for a change and just feel like treating you to the good stuff. I will honestly try to blog ALL the details about the trip later. There has been so much and I keep going GUSH in my head. I need to write and get it out. Words CAN NOT do it justice though.

Ok, I'm going to stop or I'll get all gushy again. This has been one incredible experience! And to think, I ALMOST changed my mind about coming! Good grief, thank goodness I didn't let those voices get to me.

Ok, onwards.

Today was my Traditional Cast-On Class with Nancy Bush as the instructor. It was really wonderful. I learned 2 REALLY great cast ons and the 3rd, I actually already knew (thanks to Mystery Sock Queen Michelle from Temptations). Not only was Nancy the most fabulous, but I was fortunate enough to sit next to Mary-Heather and Jess of RAVELRY! And of course they are super nice and adorable--more so in person, seriously!

So, it was a fun class and here's what I made.



What you see above (top half/2-color) is the first cast on we did, and the name escapes me right now and am too lazy to get up and look (sorry). It was a bit tricky to get the hang of, but it's so freaking awesome and cute! It's also very durable and still has some stretch. The braid effect is just so cool.

Below that is what she called a "Double Cast On" (I think). And it basically uses continental long tail cast on. You basically set the yarn on your thumb differently for every other stitch. It gives a pretty edge. It almost has a picot look to it, but not exactly. And... Super easy and quick to do! There's also a variation that she showed us where you double the yarn and it really plumps the edging up. I don't have an example here, though. So that was my class today.

After class was over, Nancy very sweetly signed my book, Knitted Lace of Estonia. Then I booked off to the Ballroom for the Guiness World Record attempt. They were hoping to have around 1600 knitters present. I'm not sure if they were able to get that many, but there were alot, it had to be somewhat close because it looked as if most seats were filled. Anyway, we had to knit for 15 minutes. The last record set was around 250 people, so we definitely CRUSHED the australians that set it. Hopefully all the ppwk and "stuff" gets posted proper and we actually get the record. Not sure how long the whole process takes. Anyway it was cool to be part of it. That's my 15 minutes of fame! :)

So my friends you all know how much I love to buy yarn... and I would not disappoint you in the slightest... so



Enjoy!

Knitting: At knit camp.... HA!

So let's start by talking about what I didn't do at knit camp this weekend. KNIT.

Seriously... it felt like everything I touched turned bad. I worked a little on xxx and messed something up... switched projects and well something went awry there too, so all in all sort of a frustrating knitting sort of weekend.

However..... there were SOOOO many wonderful and amazing things to talk about here. Unfortunately, I'm totally teasing you and not posting it all right now.

Ok... a little more of a teaser for the week to come... plus my thoughts so I don't forget everything! :)

There was some shopping (ok, LOTS of shopping), Pretty Boy Floyd the Alpaca (real sweeatheart!), new friends, an auction, projects, camp goodies, IKEA... and oh the stories. I met some of the most wonderful knitters this weekend. It was a great trip and I even did an impromptu class on how to make crochet granny squares?!

Anyway... I should get to bed... so pictures and stories of Knit Camp to come.

Knitting: It's a bloggy world

So there for a bit, I was doing well at updating progress on "things" etc. And lately, I DO have a strong desire to blog/post about this stuff, albeit mundane... but then I think about actually DOING it and I really have no desire to do so. And then I think that is odd because I feel like I have so much to talk about. I'm just lazy I guess. And it is weird considering I do like to write, although I do so infrequently.

But I do like reading blogs... it's most of my FIRL (friends in real life) that I read although, I've been trying to read the yarn harlot and knitting daily stuff, too. There really is so much out there I'd like to read/listen to podcasts etc. But since I'm so visually oriented, I would rather watch TV and knit together. I like listening in the car, but I don't have an ipod hook up to my car stereo. Someday perhaps, but right now... not a big thing... there's always more yarn to buy. :)

I'd much rather be consumed with KNITTING. I'm in a socky mood right now. And here's my BIG problemo with the socks... the effing HEEL flap. Like, I LIKE heel flaps and everything, but OMG they take so much time with the back and forth, back and forth... the monotony KILLS me. Makes me lose interest, etc.

That being said... onto my brand new schooner sock:


I am at a point where I could STOP knitting and start the heel flap, or I could keep going. I have PLENTY of yarn left, so am not worried about running out, or anything like that... but that's just it, when do I stop? AND... if I do stop, what heel do I use? For instance, most socks I've completed (again the singlets, not whole pairs people), I've used the Eye of Partridge heel. Why? Because I like it. It has a nice LOOK to it, it feels great, it's not difficult, the list goes on. I did attempt my frist short row heel on the fade away sock and while I don't like the LOOK of it on a flat sock just laying about... it doesn't feel bad on the foot and works rather nicely. So, I'm considering a short row heel for the Schooner sock (seen above).

Now about the Schooner sock (I like to say Schooner), I was REALLY not going to cast on until the Friendship sock was done. I did so say this the other day... however, then I had a couple of "bad" days where I wasn't feeling up to par so to speak, not physically, mostly emotionally, just feeling kind of worn out. SO, I needed MINDLESS knitting... just rounds and rounds of stockinette... so the Schooner sock was born. The colorway is actually called Schooner, it was SOOO last season (ha!) from knit picks and in fact you couldn't get it a couple of months ago because they didn't have any left. I believe it's because they packaged a bunch with the BEACHES sock sampler, so I ordered the whole darn sampler to get that color, that is how much I love it. And I do love it. I really enjoy these colors. And again it's quite a plain sock, no pattern or anything, but the stripes are nice and we don't want to mess with them. And speaking of stripes, I'm really enjoying all of the new KP Felici sock colors and I may end up with many stripey socks someday.

So, I am making a vow... this is going to be another full on knitting weekend for me. By the end of it, I predict I will have something done... it may be the Schooner sock, or the friendship sock or my sleeves for the Verena cable sweater... but yes friends... SOMETHING will get done!

Knitting: Project 365 and more sock talk

So, yeah, I've been doing it this year. I think so far I've only missed one day... and maybe not really any, I just have to double check both cameras and the phone. I may surprise myself and really have a photo a day. Now... most of these photos are the suck... but really I don't care. When I have time to be creative, I will... but until then, you get what you get, really. And when I get off my lazy butt to get them all loaded up, I'll update my 365 set.

I've been pouring most of my creative outlet energy into knitting. Yes I have been doing a little bit every day. I'm really trying to get a pair of socks done... not just one, but BOTH. I am working the heel flap and it is slow going, but... of all things, I have now learned to knit BACKWARDS. Yes people, I thought it would be an arduous process, but not so much. The first step is doing. And once you do it and see it, it's like, DUH, why didn't I think of that before. I'm not quite too quick with it yet. I'm still changing how I hold the yarn and "throw" it. It's a small adjustment, but I have noticed, I'm getting through the row faster than I can purl a row, but I have also noticed my stitches are much tighter and not as loose as my knit.

My normal knit stitch isn't too loose, it's typically JUST right, but this backwards knit is definitely tighter, so I'll have to figure out the best method to loosen that up. On my eye of partridge heel, it's not that big of a deal, you won't notice a "row-out" but if I attempt this on something larger, say a sweater, it might be visible. But I'm also wondering with a larger weight yarn if it won't be as tight because right now, I'm on this fingering weight and giving it the death grip, where if it was worsted, I might not be so inclined to do so.

This backwards thing is something I will definitely continue to be doing. Especially for entrelac. I've been working this bag for like 2 years (maybe longer?) and it's been on the sidelines for awhile because there are so many more things that need done (i.e. the socks). But now that I have this new technique, maybe I'll pick it up and get through it faster. Of course this will definitely be after the sweater and socks that I'm currently doing. Again, it's the finishing year people! And this bag is something I've wanted for a long, long time. But already I'm in my head thinking of the NEXT sock project I want to work on.

I have this wonderful stripey yarn, it's the Knit Picks Schooner color and great for a spring-summer sock, so I'm considering maybe just a straight up knit around and around kind of sock. I'm dying to use that yarn up.

Speaking of yarns... I was a little less than pleased with the Knit Picks Imagination, Gingerbread House colorway. It's this tan with these bright red, blue and yellow streaks in it. For some reason it BOTHERS me. So I was considering giftin it to someone. BUT this morning, I had an epiphany. My friend just found out she's having a girl (yesterday) and I thought I could make the EZ Baby Surprise Jacket for her. And I should have enough yarn left over for some booties as well. Using the fingering/dk weight yarn (not sure what it's considered) and smaller needles will result in a smaller jacket for a newish born babe, depending on how big le baby is. So I'm excited once again and this yarn will no longer make ugly socks for me, but a cute jacket for baby. YAY!

And this really pays off well too because I've seen Ash's nursery colors and this jacket will definitely be in the same scheme. So it's doubly cool.

Knitting: The Husband sock progresses

Due in large part to lunchtime knitting yesterday, I had a good start done on the heel flap. I then worked on it with the Wednesday gals at Choc Cafe. I would have gotten into the heel turn last night, but ended up leaving early due to problems with my eye ball. It felt as if there was something there, on the surface or under my lid that was causing severe discomfort. So I left knitting early and headed over to CVS for eye drops... which by the way didn't entirely work. By the time I got home, my eye was REALLY red, itchy and ouchy. I took some benedryl to take down the swelling. And after trying to flush whatever it was out, I went to bed early.

This morning, the irritation is back. I'm wondering if I maybe have a bump or something on my eye lid which is causing the annoyance. I'm considering calling the doc and maybe heading over there today to have it checked.

Anyway, off of that tangeant and back to socks. The heel flap is now down, so today at lunch or this evening at knitting I will be turning the heel. Then I'll be down the home stretch and dare I say I might get done with this sock by the weekend, or sometime during the weekend?! Won't that be marvelous?! And if I can do that... then I can cast on and start the 2nd sock. This is the most pull I've ever had to do a 2nd sock. Usually by the time I'm done with the first I just don't want to look at the pattern anymore. This is why 2 socks at a time has such appeal, but darnit I cannot make it work in my favor cause I hate the magic loop. But I think I just really need to get over that annoyance and do it. Cause let me just tell you I have enough sock yarn for ... well, for a lot of damn socks, so I need to do something to get them done.

And speaking of sock yarn... what the H is knit picks trying to do? Bankrupt me?! Seriously has anyone seen the new Felici stripes? OMG... I like practically ALL of them and I really want them. Oh and after seeing Liz's Patina striped socks... you can see the gorgeousness here. I'm seriously craving that color as well and it's on clearance. So ya seeeee.. when the H am I going to do all these socks?

I do have one advantage though... a wonderful book, More Sensational Knitted Socks(also on sale now at knit picks 40%), basically it lets you create your own patterned socks, so that is definitely incentive to make stuff. It allows you to put stuff together and create your own design, which for me makes knitting fun and interesting. Now... to master that 2 at a time thing....

So much knitting, so little time.

Stash: More sock yarn

So, in doing a favor for a friend yesterday, I was tempted by the gooey sock goodness at the merc and bought another skein of Tuscan Grove yarn! :) I heart it, so many pretty colors.

And when I got back to my car, I realized I had a couple more skeins I bought recently and hadn't posted about.... So I brought them all back in to work with me and photo'd them. Please see below.

Beautiful purple Wildfoote


Pretty purplish Tuscan Grover


And lastly the newest Tuscan Grove...


Interestingly enough, the two purples look very close to true color on screen, but that last one is much brighter in person. Anyway... I keep buying all this darn sock yarn and I'm working on sweaters... what the heck!

Maybe I should add to my 2009 resolutions to make and FINISH more socks, too!

Bringing up the resolutions... good pal Lindsey pointed out the other day that since I was resolving to finish things in 2009, that maybe have a resolution to learn cast on's might be counter productive cause then I might be tempted to start MORE stuff. And I whole-heartedly concur with that statement, however I had decided with learning new cast-ons, I was just going to make swatches of them. Probably in a cheap ol' acrylic or some "waste" yarn. I just really want to do them, so I can understand the method as well as the different feels of the cast ons and why they might be useful for different projects.

And just so you know... I'm a big fan of doing my crochet cast on lately. This is where you make a crochet chain over the knitting needle to cast on. It goes so quickly and when you are casting on for like 200+ stitches... makes things go much faster and you don't have to worry about not having a long enough or too long tail. The downside of this cast on is it leaves kind of a chunky edge. I'll pic-post that later as I don't have it with me right now. But for ease and speed, I'll take it.

In real knitting news... I cast on the sleeves for the Green Verena Cable sweater the other day. I decided to do them at the same time on one cable needle. They are back and forth and it's pretty easy. Plus, now I don't have to worry about them being sized differently and I don't have to be as concerned that my row count is off and I'm cabling in the wrong place. So bonuses all around. Of course with the good, now the bad... it's taking for effing ever! Seriously! Each sleeve is a 54 stitch cast on and so in theory it's 108 back and forth and it seems forever to get through a row. But.... I have a long weekend and hopefully I can get some good knitting done, dependent on the eyes and how they are feeling after surgery.

I might start a mindless sock that I don't need to "see" this weekend. that I could probably do by feel. LOL!

Happy New Year all! Brian and I will be out tonight and I'll update for project 365 tomorrow! Be safe!

The Central Park Hoodie

The CPH is a pretty popular sweater. I know many have made it and many want to. Knitscene magazine calls it the pattern that made them "famous." Not sure if I've posted about it much or not, but a little over a week ago, I finally c/o the CPH I'm making pretty good progress on it and would probably be close to finished with the back had I actually DONE some knitting this week. As it was I only got 2 rows done at lunch one day, then a couple of inches done on Thursday evening.

I had more time planned, but this was definitely a weird week. Anyway, I'm happy with the progress and OMG... the yarn is YUM squared! It is so super soft while knitting, it's hard not to stop and pet it along the way! :) I think it is the major force behind getting it done... I really want to wear it! Plus, so far, the pattern is super easy to do. I've been to that point where it's become fairly mindless, I don't have to look at every stitch. That is probably why over 1600 people on Ravelry have made it. Besides the fact, it's totally cute.

I am using the Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed. It is a blend of Wool and Alpaca and looks like THIS:


It's not the cheapest yarn in the bin, but I fell in love when I saw it. And funny thing, the Merc had literally JUST put it on the shelf that day. Two days prior (maybe 3), I had stopped in there and chatted with Meagan. I picked up the Universal Tweed (I think) it was in a purple color and was really nice. I had her hold it for me because I wasn't sure on yardage. So that day I went in because I wondered if universal had anything in GREEN (my fave color) and they didn't. So I was going to stick with the purple, it was nice enough. But then... MAGIC... I went down like 2 more bins and there it was. It was fate, I reached out and grabbed it... and like I said, it was a bit of a higher price point, but there is also a more yardage PER skein than the universal. So I grabbed every skein on that shelf (8) and it was mine! I had some wound and off I went.

When I think about this sweater, I am reminded of something. There is more to this sweater than the price of yarn, the time and joy of making it... this yarn is a representation. I am reminded of a friend going through a tough time, she's making a comfort sweater and at first she worried it would remind her of some of the "bad" stuff, but she likened the sweater to a hug... and I get that, makes total sense. The CPH for me though is a different comfort. It will be a success story. My success story.

I have been working hard (on most days) to get fit and healthy. I've been working out and trying to make better food choices. I've established some goals and I've told my friends about these goals... so NOW, I really have to make these goals a reality. I am a little behind on the weight number goal for pounds lost so far, but I have also had some "lazy" days in the past 2 weeks. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, but I AM going to try harder this week!

That being said, let's get back to the sweater. I am making it 2 sizes too small, well smaller than I currently am. By the time it is finished, I hope to be two sizes smaller. I've already lost some inches because of my workouts. My arms are getting more toned. I can see and feel it. It's an exciting time and this sweater will REPRESENT! I hope to be done by Thanksgiving. I would love to take it on vacation with me. I think it will be the perfect, walk on the beach at night sweater! It also dawned on me, when I get to my goal size of being smaller than I am right now... I won't need as much yarn to make stuff for myself... so I can buy MORE yarn of differing varieties and sweaters won't cost nearly as much to make for myself. Now if that isn't another reason to lose weight and be fit... well, I don't know what is!

Shopping spree

Good lord, what is wrong with me. Didn't I say something about NOT buying any more yarn?

Yeah, well in theory, I have no willpower. I am SO good if I just DON'T go to the stores... but if I go...sunk! That being said, I am making amends that after my knitpicks order this week (9/5), I REALLY am not going to the LYS's or doing any shopping. I have far too many projects and a ridiculous stash to knit from. SO, yes, that is the PLAN!

The Imagination sock yarn that I want is back in stock on 9/5 which is the reason for the order. Oh and speaking of socks, I signed up for the Mystery Sock night at Temptations in Dublin. It's a free get-together and obviously the sock is a MYSTERY, more to come on that as it happens. While at Temptations and the reason for going is because they finally got in my Malabrigo that I had ordered forever ago. Took several months, 6 maybe to come in. So while there I picked up 2 more skeins of trekking bare sock yarn for dying. LOVE that stuff. I also picked up the fall issue of Knitscene. AND a fabulous book on Bags (can't recall the title at the moment).

Next I headed over to the Merc. I wanted to check and see if they had a Green color I'd like in the Rustic Tweed. I bought Blue the other day, but decided I might like green better. AND, the did have 2 greens, but I wasn't ga-ga for either, so I'll stick with the blue. While there I lucked out and Barb was in, so we chatted for a few. She told me about a new book out by Jane Ellison for the Queensland Collection. It's all Men's sweaters and accessories and is FABULOUS! I love almost all the patterns in it. SO I grabbed that. Will be knitting a sweater for dad (hopefully for christmas) as well as one for Brian and maybe John. Of course John's might wait until a b-day present which gives me until April.

So then I came home and just finished watching the bucks WIN a shutout 43-0!

NO MORE SHOPPING! I'm done! Seriously, I swear!

Yarns and swaps

So... I've been interested in swapping. I've joined a couple of swaps on Ravelry. 2 of them were already in progress so I have to wait until March. However one is current, and I'm still really looking for stuff for my swap partner. I was really excited about some ideas, but am having troubles finding the right pattern for the yarn, or the right yarn for the pattern. It'll work out, but I went from super excited to bummed because what I want to be RIGHT isn't. So I'm rethinking the plan.

In other swap news, I signed up on Swap-bot. It sounds like a fun place to hang out and there are alll kinds of swaps going on all the time. I signed up for a couple easy ones, one is for pens, and the other is for postcards. Those should be fairly inexpensive and lastly, I signed up for a yarn swap. It's a color of the month and the 1st swap is red. There is a $20 limit. So I'll have to keep my eyes open on this one for something unique and interesting. I'm thinking I might be able to get something when we go to p-burgh. Of course we don't have partners assigned yet, so am not sure if I'll know what I need to buy by the time we go.

I hit up both the Yarn Shop and Knitter's Merc today looking for particular items, of which neither of them carry. :( I've done some hunting online and I can buy direct from the mfr, but I'd rather just get here, so I can get one skein to try and do a swap rather than spending $100 on several skeins and not liking it.

I guess if I'm patient, I will find the yarn I want eventually. Lord knows I don't NEED anymore right now. It's just stuff I have in mind for future projects.

What's in a name anyway?

So when trying to devise a name for something, I often run up short. I try to think of clever things or something that will add interest. Something that makes people want to check it out. As I was sitting here, pondering the name of this blog, Fiber Funktastic... I was wondering if that is the right name. It's as good a name as any. I kept coming back to SOUL names, like Fiber is good for the soul type. And then I think SOUL isn't the right message, well it is because I think knitting is spiritual and soulful, but what I mean is that SOUL is misleading. It's commonly used in conjunction with music. And I'm not into SOUL music. But thinking along the musical lines I took soul into FUNK which is what inspired Funktastic.

Prince titled one of his albums, "Rave un2 the Joy Fantistic" and one of my earlier thoughts was Rave Unto the Fiber Fantastic. Cause that is how I feel.

But, back to Fiber Funk... I do like it and Audra does too, so we have group buy in. But I kind of laughed to myself because I feel like we should be called Fiber Junkies! I'm sure that is a name used elsewhere in the world, probably multiple times.

But here is where the junkie part comes in. I love yarn and fibers and material. I love textures and different feelings of different things. I love soft things (don't we all). I dislike scratchy things. Years ago I purchased this oh so soft soy yarn. I wanted to experiement. Well... half a sock later, I realized the softness was just in the skein, but not in the finished piece. I've since read, people with similar experiences, so I know it isn't just me.

Onward with the junkie vibe... I love to shop. I, like many yarn afficionados, love to buy it. I find stuff all the time! Every LYS I go to. I find a million things I like and it perpetuates a million new projects... and I want to start them ALL right now! I'm extremely impatient, too. So I get tired or frustrated easily.

Project time for me is mostly on the weekends when I sit around doing nothing but knitting. Audra on the other hand will pick up her projects basically anytime she is home during the week/weekend. My problem is when I go back to the "real" world and the work place on Monday morning... the only thing I can think about is knitting and my projects and how I just wish I was at home. We continually talk about different businesses we'd like to do. Book stores, yarn stores, craft stores, etc. And while I lay in bed at a ridiculously early hour this morning, I thought, "Why NOT?!" We could SO do this. I mean, we just need capital and to get capital you have to have a business plan. We are women and we are both of a "minority" race which could lead to our advantage to find funding. What's to stop up, but our own lack of committment?

I'm an idea person. I come up with great ideas all the time. My brain constantly runs, chugging along spilling stuff all over the place. What I do fail at though is OVER committing. I think I can do all these things and then I end up overwhelmed. I'm also forgetful and things get backburnered all the time. Hopefully, maybe we can commit to a business in the near future and make it work for us. And maybe it won't happen until we are well into our 40's. But I guess it is something we can work toward together.

So it's a perfect Sunday morning at home and what am I doing? Blogging, surfing yarn sites and project sites and pattern sites and revelry discussion boards. Good grief, I certainly know how to dig a hole.

I am putting off the inevitable and I KNOW I shouldn't go, buy I am REALLY craving a trip to Knitter's Mercantile today. I love that they are open on Sunday, most places aren't. And what will I do there? Probably buy MORE yarn that I don't need right now, or get more ideas of stuff I don't possibly have the time to work on right now.

I'm so bad!

Places to check out in PA

My sister Sarah, BFF Audra and I are going to see Bon Jovi, March 15th in Pittsburgh. Since Audra and I will be road-tripping to get there and staying with Sarah, we've decided to make a weekend of it! Of course I NEED to go to Ikea (yeah, like I need a hole in the head, but whatev), but I've done MUCH Ravelry searching and have found some shops to check out.

For anyone else interested in the PA area, I found a site for Pittsburgh Knitting that lists local events and shops and such. I'll have to see if there is such a site for Columbus... if not, note to self, get that in the works.

Anyway from reviews and other comments, I'm thinking these are the places I'd like to check out. OF course this is all time and MONEY permitting, how much we get to. But it will be fun anyway.

Sarah is slightly SW of PIttsb in McDonald. So one place is Bloomin' Yarns which looks to be about 12 mi SE of her. They don't have a website, but from everything I've read, seems like a nice place to stop and it's close, bonus points for that.

Then, Yarns Unlimited looks to be about 17 mi North. From the reviews the store sounds interesting, but I can't say that I like their website.. at ALL!

Knit one, which has great photos online and makes me really want to check it out is 22 mi E and has Sunday hours so that is good. Gives us more time if we can't make it on Sat.

Natural Stitches is E about 25 miles, but I think they have Sunday hours which will make it do-able as well and we might be able to hit both stores.

All these places sound fantastic, I hope we can do it all! And there are a few others as well, so maybe we'll hit more than these?!