Yarn Diet '11- The First Month

The first month of the yarn diet is complete today. Can't you believe it? I thought the first month would be something awful, craving to buy yarn and not getting anything done. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. I haven't used any of my 5 purchases, nor have I really wanted to.

I did make one purchase to Knit Picks for yarn that I will be dyeing and selling, as well as some better knitting needles so I don't have the pain that I went through with my first hat again. I figured that this doesn't count toward my 5 purchases, since I will not be keeping any of the yarn for myself, but will be selling it.

I thought it would be fun to document how many skeins were knitted/crocheted, how many FOs you had and how many purchases you made at the end of each month. In February, I hope to go through a lot more yarn, as I will be doing larger projects that will take up many skeins. We'll see how that goes.

Here are my stats:

Skeins used in the month of January: 3
Total skein count left: 241
Total FOs completed in January: 6 (wow, go me! The 6 are: a hat, a purse, 3 washcloths and fingerless gloves.)
Total yarn purchases in January: 0
Total purchase remaining: 5

How did the first month of Yarn Diet '11 shake out for you? If you post about it, be sure to link it to our ongoing Yarn Diet Mr Linky.

FO Friday 19

I thought I would have a ton of things to share with you today, but unfortunately I don't. I do have a few things almost complete, but I didn't want to rush them since I have one done to share today. Very vague, I know! Sorry! OH, and for those wondering, I ALMOST have that horrible mess of a skein untangled! WOOT!

You've heard a lot about my first knit hat. I had apprehension in doing it in the first place, and then once I did I realized that the needles I was using were best made to be chop sticks (if even that!) than knitting needles. They were very blunt and coarse, leading to some cursing in my house.

Despite a few snags at the top, where the yarn split due to the needle-suckage, I'm crazy happy with this hat. Next time I think I'll make it a little longer, as I like my ears nice and covered and this only comes about half way down. I wasn't sure how much room the crown of the hat would take, so I ended up short. No biggie, still very wearable! Also, you may remember that I screwed up on the ribbing, but I just swing that part in back! I won't win any awards with this hat, but I am very happy with it. You be the judge.

Materials used:

US 8 16" needles
Berroco Vintage (Dungaree)
Yarn needle

Share your FOs!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 25

I don't have too much to show this week, as I'm more into completing projects lately, or working on things like the Ice Cream blanket that is slow going. I finished the hat, almost finished the corgi and hope to share both Friday, as well as my current WIP I'm sharing today. Isn't it nice to change items from in progress to complete on Ravelry?



Being aware that I haven't really gotten through very much yarn so far and the first month of the yarn diet is almost over, I decided to make something with the cotton I had remaining from my mom's market bag. I didn't have much left over, which is amazing since it was a 710 yard skein, so I knew I could only make something small. Since Valentine's day is just around the corner, I decided to make a cute little heart washcloth. It looks like I'll have just enough yarn, and will be able to cross off another skein in my yarn skein count. Total win situation! What I'm most amazed about with this project, is how DIFFERENT the yarn looks knitted in a line, instead of crocheted in the round. It looks like a completely different yarn, wouldn't you agree?



Okay, this may be cheating, but I am currently in the middle of untangling this mess. It is the remaining skein of the Fisherman's wool I used for my first two dye jobs (this one and this one). Trust me, this might be one of the hardest WIPs I've taken on lately. It got into this mess because I had to un-skekin it before I had a real ball winder and swift, and then the skein was WAY too big for my crock-pot the way I un-skeined it. What a mess. I've tucked it away for awhile now, and thought I'd give it a chance again. Anyone have any tips on trying to get this back to usable faster? Yeah, I didn't think so. LOL



For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Dyeing for Fun Part 4

Have I mentioned how much FUN I am having trying different techniques with my yarn dyeing? I have improved the tools I'm using and this is the first of the new batch. I think I'm starting to get this down to a science, and I can't wait to get my new order of dye-able yarn this week! (And for you yarn dieters, I don't think that should count as part of my yarn diet purchases since I didn't purchase any yarn for myself. Just yarn to dye and then sell, plus some new needles. What do you think?) I have so many colorways I want to try out and will share with you throughout the coming weeks. Things are moving forward with working my way to selling the yarn you see in my dyeing posts. In the next few weeks I should have a logo and a website. I can't wait!





Colorway: Carrot Cake
Fiber content: 75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon
Weight: Fingering/4-ply
Yardage: 462 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine Wash/Tumble Dry Low
Dyed with: Wilton's Icing Dye

FO Friday 18

I'm excited about this weekend, but not for the normal reasons. We're straightening out our office/studio space, but more about that in a coming post. Let's just say that I will be working hard this weekend, but will be rewarded for it!

I only have one FO today, but I am happy to report I have started the decreases to my knitted hat. I'm a little nervous about that part!

The FO I have to show you is the purse that I started just this week! Shocking, I know! It's such a great pattern (once you get through a few of the issues with how it is written), and now that I have completed my 3rd (and best) one, I can make it with my eyes closed practically. This one is a late Christmas present for my sister-in-law (my husband's brother's wife). She likes stuff that looks from the 40's-60's, and loves purses, so I hope she likes this one. She also loves tiki stuff, so I wanted to use bamboo handles. I originally thought I would go with the lighter ones, instead of black, but it clashed even more with the yarn, as it was a yellow wood color. I got the fabric for the lining several months ago, finding it in the remnants bin at Joann's. I love it, and am happy I have some left over to line something else with it. You can see in the picture (sorry it's dark), but it also has tan/gold flecks in it.

I'm still debating on using a ribbon for the bow. What do you think? Do you like it plain? I would have to run to Joann's (and avoid the yarn) to get something that matched, as nothing in my ribbon stash does. You may remember how the ribbon goes into the purse, but if not, here is the one I made for my sister for Christmas that has a ribbon.

Materials used:
5.00 mm (H) hook
6.00 mm (J) hook
6.50 mm (K) hook
Red Heart Super Saver (purse- Buff)
Wooden Bamboo handles- Black
Green dragonfly (lining)
Sewing Machine
Brown and green thread
Yarn needle

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 24

Good news, I'm healthy! Bad news, I have WAY too many WIPs. As I mentioned in my post earlier this week, I keep starting projects. I think part of it is because I was sick so I kept starting new stuff since I didn't feel like working on something I already had started. Also, I want to get through some of my yarn for the yarn diet. Obviously, I realize I need to finish projects to do that, instead of starting them, but for some reason that's not hitting home. LOL

Here's a few of the WIPs (a few didn't really visually change so no point in posting them):




I am FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY getting to this purse. It is (was) for Christmas, for my sister-in-law in Chicago. I decided to use Buff, an oatmeal color, and then will be putting a darker lining in it. This is the 3rd time I've made this purse, and I will say, I think this is my best. For some reason, it's coming out a little bigger than my last one (or maybe not as big as it seems since the last one was in black). Anyway, I'll be happy when it's finished. I've only been working on it one evening, and hope to actually have the crochet part finished when you read this. I have a crochet meet up Tuesday night (or last night I guess, since you're reading this Wednesday), so I hope to finish it then.




This doesn't look like anything, I know, but I thought I would include it anyway because I'm using my first hand dyed yarn I did several months ago. It's Fisherman's wool. Since it's a partial skein I didn't want to choose a big project for it and run out of yarn, so I chose this pattern. Since I now sew, and don't have a pincushion I thought it would be perfect. I'm excited to finish this. I haven't decided if I'm going to felt it when I'm done or not. I've never felted anything before!


And the hat. Since I'm working on tons of stuff, I haven't done too much more, but since it now lays flat because it's long enough, I thought I would share. I'm really happy with how even the stitches came out, even if the ribbing is messy. It does get a little boring since it's just knit stitch though.

That's it for me this week. What are you working on?

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Dyeing for Fun Part 3

I wanted a kettle-dyed yarn with one color but some variation in it. I decided to use reds and burgundy to get a cinnamon color. The yarn took the dye much stronger than I expected it to, it just soaked the red of the Kool-aid up in no time and was crazy vibrant. This is the first time dyeing this yarn, Patons Classic Wool.




Colorway: Cinnamon Swirl
Fiber content: 100% Wool
Weight: Worsted/ 10 ply
Yardage: 223 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat
Dyed with: Strawberry Kool-aid and Burgundy Wilton's Icing Dye

Yarn Diet '11 Check In

Do you twitch just thinking of buying yarn? Does driving by the yarn store make you short of breath?

How are my fellow Yarn Dieters doing? I thought I would check in since it's been half a month. I know, not a lot of time, but if you're used to buying yarn on a daily or weekly basis you might be going through hard times right now.

As far as I'm concerned, things are going well. Last week I was sick, as many as you know. To make myself content between coughing and blowing my nose, I made a wish list on Knit Picks, but haven't purchased anything. I have yet to make a yarn purchase, so I still have 5 times still in my queue. I will need to make a purchase to Knit Picks soon, as I want to order a few needles from them, as well as needing to order a huge lot of yarn to dye. As Alea and I agreed, the yarn that I buy that I intend to dye and sell does not count toward the yarn diet. But, seriously, who makes an order to Knit Picks and not order yarn for themselves? That would be against my religion! So yes, I will be making an order soon, and I will be flashing it here to stay honest with all of you. Are you doing the same?

So far, I have only completed 2 projects this month, and only finished one skein. My problem is that I keep starting new projects, thinking that will get me through yarn faster, but in the long run, it's making me WAY slower. I need to buckle down and finish projects!

Just as a reminder, I have included the ongoing Mister Linky to this post, so you can all see everyone's stashes at the beginning of the yarn diet. If you have any new posts concerning your diet (i.e. talking about it or showing pictures of a purchase, etc) please continue to add links. Just make sure to link to the direct post, instead of your main sites URL. Thanks!

FO Friday 17

Unfortunately, I don't have a FO to share today, but I have a good excuse. Will you believe it, but I'm sick again? Luckily, this time it's just a common cold :::knock on wood::: but my body is taking it pretty hard since I was really sick less than a month ago. How is that even possible? Isn't your immune system supposed to be stronger right after being sick? Apparently not mine. :( Anyway, thank you everyone who participated in WIPW. It was our most successful to date. I was able to catch up on all the comments and posts today and can't wait to see your FOs! I promise to have a bunch to share next week!

Share your FOs!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 23

Another Wednesday, another WIP. I only have one to share today, because I've been kind of lazy. To be honest, I'm not sure why I don't have more to share! I hope to finish the corgi, as I haven't worked on it, soon and then I won't feel guilty starting something else. I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

How are the yarn dieters doing? Have you worked your way through a skein yet? I haven't, but hope to soon! You can follow my progress on the sidebar, as well as posts I will do each month of the 5 month long diet.



I took two pictures of this hat, because to be honest, I have no clue how to photograph a knitted hat that is still on the needles. This is my first knitting in the round, and I will say, I like it! The only issue is, I HATE the needles I'm using. It was the only size 8 US 16" I have. The 24" was way too big. These are Clover bamboo needles and I want to throw them out the window. My cast on was SOOOO loose because the needles suck compared to what I'm used to (Knit Picks). I am going to have to go out and buy new ones that are a little better I think, if I want to continue making hats. I hate that Knit Picks doesn't have anything smaller than a 24" cable. Sigh. Anyway, YAY for me making a hat! Unfortunately when I was doing the 1K1P ribbing, I didn't pay close enough attention as we were watching The Sting, and I screwed up a row and then corrected myself after that row. I'll just wear that part in the back, if the hat even fits in the end (it seems a little small) when I walk the dog. I just wanted to use this as my test to see if I could even knit something in the round. I'm using this pattern and Berroco Vintage. I'm proud to report, the Vintage was splitty at cast on/first row, but now I love it! It's so fun to use LYS yarn from my stash. I got this ball with my birthday money, you may recall.

Totally not part of WIPW, but I ordered HiyaHiya needles in US 6, 12" and US 2, 12" to first make worsted socks, and then finger weight socks! I got two of each, so that I can avoid using DPN. I'm not sure why the thought of those scare me, but at this point, they just do. Do any of you use these needles? I've heard good things about them!

I'd also like to report that my fingerless gloves saved my life the other day. Okay, maybe not my LIFE, but my hands from being freezing. We went out with friends on the weekend at night and they wanted to sit outside because the bar had a firepit. BRRRR. Luckily, I was smart and put them in my purse just to have at the spur of the moment. My friend said that she thought they were bought because they looked so good! YAY!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Dyeing for Fun Part 2

To continue my (hopefully) weekly post about yarn dyeing leading up to opening my company's internet doors, here is another look at a colorway that I made for Alea as a Christmas gift! She has been into socks lately (as you all know from her WIPW posts), so I thought that a fingering weight would be perfect. She promises to show pictures of how it knits up once she receives the yarn and starts on the socks (or whatever she decides to make with it). I'm going to hold you to that, Alea!







Colorway: Tutti Frutti
Fiber content: 100% Merino Wool
Weight: Fingering/4-ply
Yardage: 440 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat
Dyed with: Kool-aid, Wilton's Icing Dye and neon food coloring

FO Friday 16

It's nice to be back home and participating in FO Friday instead of scheduling it way in advance. I have a few FOs to share, and hope to have even more next week! YAY! I've decided I want to most of the project I'm working on before starting something new (except for the purse I still have to make for Christmas of course).

Here are my FOs this week! Sorry for the dark pictures, but I finished 2 of the 3 projects tonight and it's crazy dark in my house right now, and the only light I have is very yellow. I hope to take better pics today with sunlight.

Here it is! The bamboo bar cloth I made for my husband for part of his Christmas gifts. If it wasn't going to get wet and washed all the time, I probably would block it, but it seems like there is no point since it would need to be blocked every time it is washed, correct? Anyway, I love how it turned out, and so did Kurt!

Materials used:

7 US needles
Lily's Sugar'n Cream (Sage)
Yarn needle




And another dishcloth/washcloth. LOL, are you tired of them yet? I love them because they are practical (I used the dragonfly one on our trip since I can't use hotel towels due to my crazy sensitive skin and it was AWESOME), there are so many great free patterns out there, I can practice my knitting with different techniques and they are quick small projects that I can finish pretty quickly. I really love the way this one turned out. I bought the yarn, as I mentioned previously, on a whim when I was ordering cotton on Cyber Monday from Joanns. I just thought it was pretty but had NO clue what to do with it until I saw this pattern. It was perfect!

Materials used:

8 US needles
Lily's Sugar'n Cream (Painted Desert)
Yarn needle






My fingerless gloves are finished! I love the second one, but am not crazy about the first one because I did it with a smaller needle and also bound it off tightly. I have some of my hand-dyed yarn left, so I may knit a third glove with the bigger needle like I did the second. The first one fits, they're just not as comfortable. That being said, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who suggested a stretchier cast off. I used this one and it was AMAZING. It is such a great way to do it. Easy, yet very very stretchy. I'm stoked! Anyway, I'm going to call these done, and contemplate making the 3rd. I want to be happy and use them, you know? They I did use them to go out to dinner tonight, just because I wanted to try them out. :)


Materials used:

6 & 7 US needles
Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool (Hand dyed- Berry)
Yarn needle

Share your FOs with me!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 22

My life is passing me by. How is it another Wednesday? How is it 2011? Scary, isn't it? I don't have a ton of WIPs to show you (okay, I actually have 3, so that's something, right?) because I've been busy completing projects, which is a good thing I guess. I still have Christmas presents to finish and ship off. My sickness and vacation sure turned that upside down. I feel bad, but then again, we never seem to send gifts to my in-laws on time for some reason. It's so much easier when family lives close and you have the stress of having to give their gifts in person. In the end, it's the thought that counts, right? Who cares if it's a little late. Let's hope they don't. LOL

Another piece of news that I wanted to share. I got a message on Ravelry the other day, Lion Brand wanted to use my reindeer I made last year as one of the pictures on the pattern page for Ravelry! I was SOOOO excited (and still am), maybe a little more excited than that warranted, but LOOK! They used my picture as the second one, right below THEIRS! Cool, right? I always wondered how they picked the pictures for the front pages of patterns. Now I know!

Now on to WIPW 22:



First off, sorry for the crappy picture, but I worked a little on it at my crochet meetup, so I couldn't take the pic until tonight with no lighting! Yep, here's the corgi (even though it doesn't look like one yet)! I haven't done much to it, but still wanted to add it to my WIPs since I'm still working on it. It's coming along good, though not fast since I have to keep changing colors. Normally that doesn't slow me down as much, but it's so small, that it's hard to get my fingers in there to swap the yarn, etc. I hope to have this finished by the weekend so that we can package them up and send them off with the other gifts going to my in-laws in Illinois.



After I finished the first fingerless glove, I didn't work on the second right away because I had all of the Christmas gifts to worry about. Now, I still have Christmas gifts to worry about but the stress has been taken away with them, so I thought it would be nice to have a mate for the first one. I decided to go up a needle size as the first one is a little snug at the finger area where I casted off and in the squishy part of my thumb. I can already see the difference in size, so that's a good thing! I think this one will fit perfect. At least one of my hands will be happy when wearing them. I'm still in love with this yarn color. I wish I could duplicate it again exactly, but unfortunately, with hand-dyed, that's not really possible. That's the blessing and the curse of it, right?



In last week's WIPW, I said I'd hoped to have both dishcloths finished by that post. I didn't get as much knitting done as I thought or wanted to on the trip, so I didn't finish this guy (pattern here). I hope to finish it this week, but we'll see. I don't have THAT much more to go, so if I just sit and concentrate on it, I can probably finish in an afternoon or evening.


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Dyeing for Fun Part 1

Since I plan to dye a lot of yarn in the coming months and the yarn I dyed for the fingerless gloves was such a hit, I thought I would start a series of posts about my dyed yarn. Some day in the near future, I hope to open up an Etsy/Artfire shop to sell my dyed skeins. I even have a name for my company, but that's for a later post. :)

Here is one of my more recent dyes:



Colorway: Caribbean Sea
Fiber content: 100% Merino Wool
Weight: Fingering/4-ply
Yardage: 440 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat
Dyed with: Kool-aid, Hawaiian Punch sugarless packs and food coloring

Vacation- One LYS at aTime

As most of you know, I was on vacation between December 26-January 1st. I had a great time traveling up the California coast. It's one of my favorite trips, despite the long hours in the car from San Diego to San Francisco. We decided to work our way slowly up and then work our way back down until we ended up back in Los Angeles where we could pick up Milo, our Corgi, from my parents before going back home.

Heading up the coast, we didn't have much planned except for a hockey game in San Jose, where my husband's and my favorite hockey team were playing! We couldn't have planned it any better. They even won 4-0! I was lucky to not be beat up by the crowd as I celebrated wearing my LA Kings jersey.

Beyond the hockey game, we knew that we would be visiting a ton of tiki bars (my husband's interest) and a ton of yarn stores. Our trip definitely didn't disappoint. We went to all the LYS that I had planned, and even threw in a few more for good measure. Here is what I got at each stop along the way (and yes, I counted this yarn into my yarn diet)!

• San Luis Obispo, CA- Yarns at the Adobe: We got a room at the Madonna Inn, a place I had always wanted to stay. Each room is themed (we stayed in the Cabin Still room) and we had a blast. The next morning, I had a yarn shop on my list. The shop was small (it was in the old part of San Luis Obispo across the street from the missions), but had a lot of yarn crammed into it. I was so excited to see they had hand-dyed yarn, a perfect way to remember this stop on the trip. The first picture below is a hand-dyed skein of worsted yarn. I don't know what I will use it for, but I couldn't resist. Below that, I got two skeins of Mirasol Yarn, Akapana in teal. I thought I may make this with it, but I'm not 100% sure. I know I do want to make a cowl though.

• San Luis Obispo, CA- Beverly's: Surprisingly, when we were trying to find a parking spot for Yarns at the Adobe, we ran into a Beverly's. I have one close to home, but wanted to see if this one carried Red Heart's new boutique yarns, as mine does not. Beverly's website carries it, so I figured some of their box stores would. I wasn't disappointed! I was lucky enough to get three skeins of Red Heart Boutique Swirl. I can't wait to use it. I'd been wanting to try some of their boutique yarns, but didn't want to order it online. Wanting to pick a dyelot I wouldn't normally choose, I let my husband pick which colorway I bought. I normally go toward the blues, so he picked brown, which I'm very happy with. It's crazy soft. I'm not sure what I want to make with it, but I have a little over 300 yards. I was thinking something like this, the Reversible plaited scarf.
  

• Santa Clara, CA- The Bobbin's Nest: Next up, we headed to San Jose for the hockey game. It was great fun, and our hotel was crazy nice for the price and even a short walk to the arena. We couldn't have asked for a better night. The next morning, I searched for LYS in the San Jose area and found The Bobbin's Nest in Santa Clara, just a few short minutes from downtown San Jose. I wasn't sure about this shop before visiting, but it had to be my favorite of the trip and one of my favorites I've ever visited. They had a great selection, the store was roomy and the staff was awesome! I was lucky enough to hit a sale, and found a great sock yarn, Hazel Knits, that was dyed just for the shop. I bought the last skein of the colorway they had! I also bought some wood buttons there that I can't wait to use when I learn to knit socks (the buttons are in a picture further down).
  

Berkeley, CA- Stash: Originally we didn't plan to stop in Berkeley, but we had some time to kill between tiki bars. We were in Emeryville at the original Trader Vics, so I looked up yarn stores in Berkeley on Ravelry since it was a short drive from where we were. We had a hard time finding the store, parking a few blocks down and walking the rest of the way in the rain, as they had moved recently and didn't have a sign outside. I liked the selection at this store, but wasn't crazy about the store/staff themselves. They were friendly enough, but a new knitter had questions about a yarn while I was there and the lady seemed a little rude to her in my opinion. I ended up getting two skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca in sport weight. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I love these two colorways together and the yarn is crazy soft. Unfortunately, the yarn is super soft in the hank, but reading comments on Ravelry, people say it's a little itchy. Considering I have crazy sensitive skin, it can't be anything too tight/close to my skin. Any ideas are welcome.

• Berkeley, CA- Pegasus Books: Since we had time to kill, we walked around Berkeley a little bit and happened into this bookstore. They had a mix of new and used books, so of course I headed to the craft section. They had a TON of books, it was so hard to choose from. I finally ended up with The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics. The projects are a little hard for me now, but I love some of the patterns and thought they would be great for later on. Does anyone else have this book?

• Carmel, CA- Knitting by the Sea: Carmel is a funny area. It reminds me a lot of Del Mar. I wanted to go to this yarn store, but wasn't holding out much hope. Like Del Mar, Carmel is kind of ritzy and stuck up, so I expected this yarn store to fit that bill. Fortunately, it didn't. It had a GREAT selection and the lady was so amazingly nice (as was her dog!). She asked me what I was working on and what kind of yarn I liked. I felt like she saw me as a person, instead of a sale. She, too, was having a New Year sale, and I wanted something that was universal. She suggested the Plymouth Worsted Superwash and I couldn't turn it down. There were tons of colorways to choose from, and I picked these three (not in the blue family I must add). I want to make a stripped scarf from them, so if you have any suggested of patterns, I'm open. Each skein is 218 yards, so I have a lot to work with. Can these colorways be any prettier?
  

• Monterey, CA- The Twisted Stitch: We were randomly driving around Monterey where we were staying, looking for a place to park the car for a tiki restaurant that was on my husband's agenda when we drove by a shop called The Twisted Stitch, and wondered if it was a yarn store. While we were eating lunch, I quickly looked it up on Ravelry, but didn't find a thing. Then I Googled it, and found that sure enough, it was a yarn store! Luckily, we were parked close, but were running out of time (it was a 90 min parking spot) after we finished lunch. My husband said we could run there if I could shop fast. Luckily, on their site, I saw that they sold Malabrigo. Who could turn that down? As you may remember, I just recently bought Malabrigo Chunky, but didn't have any in a worsted weight. I flew into the store and went straight for it. Luckily, I instantly fell in love with a colorway. The lady was awesome (and British!) who owned it, saying that she just opened the store a few months ago. I was so happy to give her business! I bought two skeins and can't wait to use it, though I have no clue what I will make from it. Isn't it beautiful?
  

• Pacific Grove, CA- Monarch Knitting: I actually had high hopes for Monarch Knitting since their site has so much stuff. It was easy to find and had a beautiful location. I will say though, it had a much more box store feel than it did a LYS. It was big and had a great selection, but also carried lower end yarn and it was almost too big. If I lived in the area, I would probably go there over my local Joann's or Michaels, but it wouldn't replace my LYS. I figured I would go out with a bang before the yarn diet, so I purchased my most expensive skein of yarn there. That's right, I am now the proud owner of a skein of Madelinetosh Vintage. I could only buy one skein, but I'm still proud of it. I broke my blue rule on the trip for this, as I couldn't pass up this beautiful colorway. I think I may want to make , Thermis, with it, but I don't have the skills yet, so will have to wait until I get a little better at knitting.
  

• Monterey, CA- Cannery Row Antique Mall: Monterey is one of our favorite cities we've ever been to, so when we realized we had a chance to visit there this past month, we couldn't turn it down. Last time we were there, for our honeymoon, I sadly had pneumonia (crazy timing with being sick right before this trip, isn't it?) so we didn't get to do a ton, but we did find the Cannery Row Antique Mall. Last time (3 1/2 years ago), I wasn't into knitting/crocheting or even crafting, so I didn't realize the amazing items that this antique mall had to offer. This time I did! They, too, were having an and of year sale where every stall had a percentage off. I got some amazing stuff! My husband and I are really into the 1940-60's, so when I found old pattern books from the 40's-60's I knew I had to buy them. My favorite is The Men of Action from Beehive yarn. I can't wait to get good enough at knitting to make a few of these sweaters, along with a few socks/slippers and hats/scarfs from the other books. As you can see, I also found size 5 US antique needles. They are in great condition, except for the end a little rusted. The stall had a bunch of sizes, but these were my favorite, and I don't own size 5, so it worked out perfect. I also got a great collection of antique buttons (all from the antique mall except for the brown top middle row which I got at The Bobbin's Nest) that I'm sooo excited about. I can't wait to use them for cowls, hats and sweaters.

• Woodland Hills, CA- Tuesday Morning: Since we had an extra day in LA when we got back into Southern California (and I had another day left before the yarn diet kicked in) I thought I would head to the Tuesday Morning's in my parent's area. I don't have one too close, so I like to visit this one whenever I'm in town. Last time I was there, I wasn't into knitting, so I was excited to see what knitting books they had to offer. As you know, craft books are so expensive, so when you can get them on the cheap, you have to snag them. These are the two I got, along with a skein of Knitting Fever Indulgence sock yarn that got a good rating on Ravelry, though I'd never heard of it. It's super soft and I loved the colorway.

That's it for the trip! I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I had a great time documenting each spot we stopped at.