Portland Recap - short and sweet!

First the haul from the Portland weekend. Although I held my wallet close I ended up with some real gems.



The cap is from Seaplane in the NW district of Portland. I could have dropped a whole paycheck there! Flynno spotted the hat first and said if I didn't buy it for myself he would get it for me. Seriously, what's wrong with me that I flashed my cash. I should have let the hubby treat me. Next time...

The green yarn is from Knit-Knot. It is a blend of 60% wool and 40% recycled Sari Silk. 175 yards for $10. Plus Oregon has that no-sales-tax thang. Love that.

I also visited the Yarn Garden which was a little overwhelming. They did have everything, yet I came out empty handed. Finally we made it over to the Alberta Street district and visited the delightful Close Knit. I adore this little shop. The ladies there were super nice and their selection was great. I picked up the lovely red mohair there - and what a deal. 660 yards, naturally dyed with cochineal for $19. By Catherine Van Laake, Loom in Essence Atelier line. (sorry no website) I'm looking forward to winding this up and working with it. Close Knit is right next door to BOLT - a fabric store. I'd like to spend a little more time there on a weekday when it is less busy.

Oh, and the knee socks came from some Imelda's.

On the knitting front, I handily completed the fruit cap on the way down. This is my first go-gift for babies. So quick and easy and cute! The pattern suggests mini-bobbles for the pink (raspberry) cap but I didn't like them. I tried the small ones and some a bit bigger and they were just cluttery so I made it plain. Here it is blocking on some bowls I found in the cupboard of our motel room:


Pattern: Fruit Cap, Ann Norling
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8
Needle: Size 6 - a little smaller than this yarn wants however when it is wet blocked it is perfect.

A valiant effort was made on the burp rag, yet now I'm back home and I still have a few more rows to go. I'll send it down when it's done.


Pattern: Burp Cloth, Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Lily Sugar and Cream - pink and orange worsted cotton

Finally, a few shots of our motel room. We stayed at the Inn at Northrup Station. It was recommended to us by a customer at Hilltop Yarn. She even gave me her card so I could get the corporate rate with her company. It was SWEET! I love boutique hotels. I HIGHLY recommend staying here if you are headed to Portland. It is close to everything and right on the light-rail line.




Enjoy your day!

Flynno and I are heading down to Portland for a little shopping and R & R. We've been planning the trip for a couple of weeks now, yet this morning he springs some news on me.
Him: We're going to swing over to Drew and Hannah's on Sunday.
Me: YAY! I haven't seen them in forever. What are they up to?
Him: Well, you know Hannah is 7 months pregnant.
Me: Oh riiiight! (note: I did find out about this back in October...)
Him: We need to bring something for the baby. Do you think you can knit up a hat or something.
Me: Um... Um... Hell Yeah!

Nothing like a last minute challenge so into the stash I go. And while I was there I found a blank onesie. Freezer paper stencil time. The plan is to make a fruit cap hat (mostly tonight) and if I get it done quickly I'll shoot for a crazy pink/orange cotton burp cloth (in Mason/Dixon Knitting) on the ride down to Portland. Wish me luck!


Here's some other eye candy:



My hubby sat in board reviews last week to become a commissioned officer in the Coast Guard. He'll still be a reservist however this will land him a better retirement package and put his awesome leadership skills to task. Wish him luck! (I wish he wouldn't be so serious in uniform pics. Smile, dammit!)

Finally, Happy Chinese New Year. Last Sunday morning at midnight we had a great fireworks display in our neighborhood. I made some ginger cookies for our next door neighbor, who was born in China. His family fled to Vietnam when he was just a baby in the 50's and then he was a refugee to the US in the late 70's. He is such a gentle, interesting man. By far, the best neighbor I've ever had!


(PS - Did I mention I was born in the year of the boar/pig? This is so going to be my year!)

Eye (and tummy) Candy!

YUM!

A bit of knitting

From the ashes of Clapotis comes the Hiker's Waistcoat:



Pointy hat for Dulaan:



The flash really throws off how beautiful this yarn is. It's more of a russet and gold color. I'm not sure of the brand, however it is alpacalicious.

We're heading out the door to catch Jo Miller and her Burly Roughnecks. Cowboy hat? Check. Western shirt? Check. Boots? Check. You can take the girl outta the Idaho, but you can't take the Idaho outta the girl!

Happy Valentines Day!

Spring is coming. I am oh, so happy!

Now where are all of those daffodils I planted?