Last week, I spent five days visiting my mom and brothers in the Twin Cities. A visit with family always fills me with mixed feelings of happiness and anger. Why is that my family can annoy me so much?! I'm not just talking mild annoyances. I'm talking about shut-up-now-before-I-strangle-you-type-feelings. Nonetheless, these feelings fade quickly and it was a good trip. Do you ever feel this way about your family or should I feel really guilty for even admitting that to you?
On Saturday we drove out to Aberdeen, South Dakota to celebrate my grandpa's 80th birthday. My grandparents are fantastic. They are still as in love as they were the day they married. I think the key is the fact that they maintain good senses of humor. My grandma always has a sharp zinger lined up when my grandpa needles her.
On the way to Aberdeen, we stopped in New London, Minnesota. My mom likes to stop in at their gift store. Right next door is a store called Uniquely Knit. It's a rather small store but the owner was very friendly and had a good selection. I had forgotten the pattern for the project I brought with me so I picked up three skeins of ______ (insert name of yarn if I can ever remember it b/c I'm too lazy to walk upstairs to look at it) and a pair of needles just to keep me busy on the drive. I started a scarf, which I now hate, but I think the yarn will make a cute hat for the fall/winter.
Uniquely Knit The day after Grandpa's party we held a baby shower for my brother, whose first baby is due September 1st. Mom-to-be couldn't travel because she's so close to her due date. I gave most of the knitted gifts I planned, which included the
Debbie Bliss sweater in Cashmerino Aran,
baby kimono from MDK, baby bib from MDK, and a hat to match the DB sweater. The hat was a last minute knit and I didn't even get a picture of it. Darnit! But I'm hoping I'll get one later, hopefully while it's on the baby's head. I made the
Miss Dashwood hat from Knitty with a skein of leftover Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. It was absolutely adorable. I didn't sew buttons inside the hat because I thought they might be bothersome to the baby and it's so cold in MN in the winter they won't likely want to fold the ear flaps up anyway. I also subbed in some satin ribbon for ties instead of knitting i-cord. (Now I really hope someone takes a pic of this hat so I can show it to you eventually.) Finally, I gave a pair of booties that look like Uggs. I got the pattern from the
DiY website. My knitted wares received many oohs and ahhs so I was pleased.
Ugg Booties- Pattern: "Suede" Booties
- Yarn: 1 ball Berroco Suede in "Wild Bill" (sole color), 1 ball Berroco Suede in pink (boot color), and 1 ball of Berroco Plush in Crema (fluffiness)
- Needles: Boye Needlemaster Sizes 4 and 5
- Mods: None. The pattern was very well written and easy to follow.
Once we returned to MN on Sunday, I was able to visit some yarn stores there. We went to
Amazing Threads. This store was larger than average but doesn't carry nearly enough cotton yarns. You see, my mom saw me wearing my Green Gable and decided she wanted one for herself. Being the kind and giving person I am, I agreed to make her one if she purchased the yarn. Amazing Threads didn't have very many colors of Cotton Fleece so we didn't get anything there. My mom lives just across the street from the
Yarn Cafe in Maple Grove. I really like this store because they serve food and wine. I wish my LYS served wine. Their selection is also pretty good, although they could use more high end sock yarns. I wanted to start a pair of socks while I was there, but they didn't have anything that jumped out at me so I passed. On my last day in town, we stopped in at
The Yarnery on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. This store was by far my favorite. All of their cotton yarns were 20% off and my mom scored some Cascade Sierra in a tangerine color. I picked up a skein Euroflax to make a handtowel from MDK. I also bought a pattern for the cutest baby hat I have ever seen. The hat is made with two skeins of Koigu and has a lovely slip stitch pattern that looks like little scallops. In addition to their fantastic selection and very friendly service,
The Yarnery has the advantage of being located next to one of my all-time favorite places to eat,
Cafe Latte. This cafeteria style dining location has great salads, soups (must have Chicken Salsa Chili), and deserts (Turtle Chocolate Cake). Good food and good yarn on the same block, what more could a girl need?! How about a good bar too? Try Billy's across the street for that, k?
