"Lucille" Goes Camping

Enjoying a lovely sunny time out by the Cooper River... Our resident chipmunk who lived inside our campsite stone fireplace. (photo taken by my Dad)

Evening Grosbeak, also photographed by my Dad.

Our peaceful hammock by the river.

"Lucille" had a great view of all this!

Actually, the next two pics I think show it flipped wrong side up, but you get the idea so far of the yoke:

I think "Lucille" really enjoyed camping this week at Salmon La Sac. It was so peaceful and relaxing by the Cooper River. I am done now with the easy part of the yoke and ready to begin the more complicated lace pattern. Too bad we had to come back home to reality! Vacations are like that though, aren't they?

Drops Garter Stitch Baby Jacket Goes Camping

Part 2: The Drops Baby Jacket gets to go camping in the RV this week in search of sun! It got to ride many miles east to get to our campground...It got to see lovely views, a deer and wildflowers... And these pretty pink tipped leaves...

I got lots of knitting time out in front of the RV... while intermittently swatting at huge ants! And then I moved into the RV away from them, though some found their way inside. EW.

Taking a break for a walk over the creek...

Knit sideways and finished one sleeve, now on to knitting the back. (Which is unseen because it is under the front of course!) Sleeve is "folded" for picture, and will have a seam from armpit to wrist.

Yes, the b16-3 Drops Jacket (which should be called something more exciting than that, seriously. We need to rename this thing) has seen all these things and more. And I have seen miles and miles of garter stitch that never ends. But it is turning out very cute! And I will excuse the big ants from crawling on my arm while knitting just this once.

Part 1: Beginning the jacket. Once, twice....

Shown here with no flash. Top of the jacket is tapered,while body flares out. Side of the body is on a stitch holder while I work the first sleeve (out to the left) Once left sleeve is knit, then I will continue on knitting the body and across the back. Actually this is the left front and right sleeve, I found out later. After reading the pattern again.

Using a fingering weight Santa Fe merino wool/polyamide blend, on size 2 needles. This baby jacket is knit in garter stitch sideways all the way around, making vertical stripes as it goes. It uses "short rows" both on the body and the sleeves to make it flare out. I "oopsed" a few times on the short rows. Ripped out once. It's really a very easy pattern. You just have to watch the short row sequence carefully. I apparently wasn't. Easy, really!

A free pattern found on Ravelry, the "b16-3 Drops Jacket", is a cute one (with a rather boring name) Though the garter stitch goes on and on forever. And one bonus of this yarn, it is machine washable in cold water. So maybe I won't feel so badly handing it to a new mother and saying "hand wash, dry flat". Maybe I can say, "Machine wash cold, gently, dry flat". Sounds a bit easier, eh?

Valentine's Trip to Langley

But first, a report on the progress on the Ninebark Cowl. Continuing on knitting as the third repeat unfolds. Which mean it is almost through. Then will weave in some ends. Though soft, the Lustra can be slippery and likes to jump off your needles. It is very lustrous. The brown vest I will do in Cascade 220 in a Heathers Brown. In order to make sure I have enough in my stash, I will hunt for it on today's trip to Langley on Whidbey Island. It is where I got my original brown last year onValentine's weekend. We decided to do the same trip over again this year for Valentine's. On the Mulkilteo ferry ride and in Valentine mall "traffic" on the way home, I began these for my Dad; a simple version of the fingerless gloves I made in December, sans cables. Using Rowan Cocoon (merino/mohair).

After arriving on Whidbey Island we made our way to the town of Langley, and went to one of the many great spots there for our first latte...We parted ways for a bit and I went to Knitty Purls.
This shop is small, but as you can see has many offerings of wool and hand painted yarns. Much in the way of sock yarn also, for you "sockies". I did find my Cascade 220 Heathers and they still had my colorway, one year later! I got a skein so I don't risk the chance of running out of it making my Ninebark cowl and vest.

Another shop in Langley we walked through had alot of embellished imported yarn from Africa. It had ribbon and various fibers built into the yarn and was pricey, but very pretty and unique when knitted up. I got a kick out of their sign. It was a fun place to browse. I couldn't tell the name of the store as was the case in many of the shops in town!

After a great lunch of grilled chicken with caramelized onion/aioli sandwich at the fantastic Prima Bistro and yet another latte from Useless Bay Coffee Company, we were set to get back on the ferry.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Poulsbo and Bainbridge -Grand Day Out

Leaving on the Edmonds to Kingston ferry on our way over to do the "tour de Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island." Our mission: To find the Wild and Wooly Yarn Shop, Amanda's Art and Yarns shop in Poulsbo, then head to Bainbridge to visit Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. And find coffee on the way and get some good nature shots. Our ferry, the Walla Walla had a nice escort across the water by the Coast Guard gunner boats, which we've never had before. They said it was just routine, but it was a bit odd.

Apparently leaving what sun we had behind, we arrived in the fog at Poulsbo. Still decked out in Christmas decor, it felt a bit like Leavenworth and is very Nordic.

First stop was the Amanda's Art and Yarns shop, upstairs in this building.

They weren't open right at 10:00 so I thought maybe I had the time wrong, but they opened soon after. Very friendly people and alot of very nice wools (my favorite). Lots of pretty hand painted yarns and plenty to look at, touch and ponder over, however we had to move the car and move on...so no yarn purchased this time here. Too bad! Will have to come back again.

We stopped at a great local bakery: Sluys Bakery,the home of the famous "Poulsbo Bread", also on Front Street. And I had one of these amazing cinnamon rolls you see in the window with the cream cheese frosting. Not many calories, I'm sure of it....

They have a slogan in the store that is: "Giv os idag vort daglige brod." (Give us Lord our daily bread) AMEN to that! This was the best cinnamon roll I've had in my life!

We were amazed at the quantity and quality of the baked items. Gorgeous bear claws, cookies and anything you could imagine. HUGE doughnuts and of course bread.

If you ever get over to Poulsbo, you have to stop there!

Taking a little walk down to the waterfront. The fog was definitely affecting the view a bit. But pretty just the same.

The Nordic heritage was fairly evident all around us, as seen in this street sign:

As for the Wild and Wooly Yarns, the website is still up online, however the owner retired and the shop is no longer in existence on Front St. This we found out at a local bookstore.

We moved on to Bainbridge in order to find Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. I felt like I was entering a charming, sophisticated and beautiful store right away. And I was!

I knew this place was special when a kind gentleman offered me some tea. How completely lovely! Enjoying my tea while shopping for my Noro Silk garden...

The yarn selection was beautiful. I loved every offering there. Well layed out and the samples were gorgeous. They had such friendly staff and I was treated so nicely. I wish I lived closer to this shop!

I did end up with the Noro silk garden to do the famous striped Noro scarf and some nice Rowan Cocoon for some manly mitts for my Dad.

Included in my bag, they slipped in a free pattern for the Noro striped scarf!

Well worth the trip. I felt like I had a "Yarn Spa" experience! I want to go back!
We had lunch by the waterfront where we could see the Bainbridge ferry and downtown Seattle in the distance. One last stop for coffee at Pegasus Coffee. The service was not the best here. We waited a long time before being noticed, and others ordered and were served who came in after us!

While I wouldn't recommend it for that reason, my latte still tasted pretty good for the ferry ride home.

Oh, but one last stop before we go...and a funny sign written in the bathroom on the hand blower I couldn't resist:

While I did not get any bacon, I got a great laugh...great yarn and a fun day out with my husband!

Fetching Fingerless Gloves-Fall in Bend, OR

We rented a lovely home in Bend, OR and spent 5 days discovering the local food, coffee, mountains, sights and of course, the yarn! The home had beautiful furnishings, including a perfect corner for knitting. I am working on my first Fetching (free pattern on Ravelry)Fingerless Glove here, and using Dpn's my first time also.Knitting on Dpn's (Double pointed needles) allows you to knit in a smaller circumference with greater ease. Normally I use circular needles for this, but thought I'd try dpns and was glad to use them on this project.

Especially when I got to the thumb making portion. Shown below at the point where waste yarn is knitted in to hold the thumb stitches. Later on, you remove the waste yarn and pick up the live stitches there for the thumb.That was the hardest part for me.

Shown here after doing the picot bind off-I wasn't exactly thrilled with the look I got, somehow on the bind off. But one glove is done. On to knit the second glove. This pattern is supposed to use only one skein of yarn to do two gloves, but I am finding it hard to believe there will be enough since I am using the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and I think the yardage is less than her DK weight. Hope I won't have to buy another skein just to complete the other glove!

Voila! One glove complete! The second one I began on the car ride home!

Our house that we rented was so beautifully remodeled and close by Drake Park and downtown Bend.

We took advantage of the great weather to do the loop drive viewing the mountains, including Mt. Bachelor, and South Sister Mountain, and Broken Top Mtn. We are at Sparks Lake here below on a perfect, crisp fall morning with nobody else in sight!

Me here, enjoying South Sister Mountain views reflected in the lake.

Shown with hubby on our scenic drive down to Bend, OR:

Our house was a block away from Drake Park. It was a lovely time of year to be there and the fall colors were really showing.

That's the Deschutes River behind us running through the park. Gorgeous!

My first yarn shop stop at the Old Mill Marketplace was Gossamer-The Knitting Place, on 550 SW Industrial Wy.

It had some yarn art tied outside to the tree branch! This was a small and quaint shop with some pretty yarn offerings. Though I didn't happen to purchase anything here, it was a friendly and fun stop!

The second stop was at the Juniper Fiberworks on NE Greenwood Ave.

Inside, the yarn was arranged primarily by color. I had to get used to this at first, but it was a fairly large shop with quite a selection. I found many familiar yarns and took alot of time here to browse. Also, alot of sock yarn available here. I found some unscented yarn wash liquid here as well.

I picked up some Mirasol wool in a new colorway for a second Baby Surprise Jacket! I could've picked out so much more...but I restrained myself.

Later on in our trip, we made our way up to Sisters, OR and stopped at the Stichin' Post on 311 W. Cascade Ave. It is predominantly a quilting shop, however....

I had looked online and discovered that it also carried YARN!

So I had to go in and peek. They had some really beautiful yarn offerings here.
I ran out of time, but tried to gaze at a few quilts on behalf of my quilting friends!

Connected to the Stitchin' Post is Twigs, a cute gift shop. They had my favorite brand of kitchen towel so I snagged one for the road!

Not far, I found Desert Charm on 123 E. Hood Ave.

This store specializes in naturally dyed and spun fibers. Many from local Oregon farms.

The women in the store were expert weavers and spinners, working on their craft in between assisting customers.

In the same building on the corner of Hood and Elm, I found Out West Designs -Jewelry and Design Studio & Bead Gallery. This store was a beautiful bead and jewelry place.

I met the owners who were so friendly and welcoming. I stumbled upon some pretty things.

Shown here is the Bead Bar with lots to choose from. Another hobby that could get very addicting!

I came away with lovely poppy jasper and unikite "doughnuts" strung on silk ribbon for my keepsake for the trip!

Of course our trip was filled with great food (and I could do a whole separate food blog on the places we ate in Bend,OR: Blacksmith, Stacatto, Alpenglow...to name just a few!)

But it was also about the coffee! And at Sisters, OR is the original Sisters Coffee Company. So we had to go in to their beautiful building and get ourselves one of our favorite lattes and a pound of Sisters Blend!

They had a spectacular stone fireplace seating area and it was very cozy.

Aah...Nothing like it!

I was very excited to be here!! :)

Another fantastic coffee we enjoyed in Bend was Thump coffee, roasted by Stumptown. I was happy to discover there is also a Thump Coffee near us in Seattle,WA on Capitol Hill. It is very good, smooth and rich!

We payed them several visits this trip and also enjoyed their pumpkin bread slabs! (big slices) and their very friendly atmosphere.

If I posted all the "foodie" pictures this would take forever...but I must say that Bend, OR is a scenic, friendly and foodie place to visit. And we hope to go back soon!