A Bad Ending to a Wonderful Day

Well, it started off a beautiful day! My heart was pumping and I was ready to hit the trail of the LYS Tour in Seattle! I went on this last year and enjoyed it very much. I went to shops that I had never been to before and collected all my free patterns. I didn't make it to all the shops, but last year I went to ten shops. This year I only had one day so I decided I would hit seven shops. I started at Renaissance Yarns in Kent. Nancy had designed a cute lacy washcloth pattern (on website) and I bought the matching yarn to make it. She also had miniature bite sized cupcakes so I didn't feel quilty having just one. Along with that she gave out bottled water to make sure no one got dehydrated. Thank you Nancy!
Next stop was The Knittery in Renton. They had designed a cabled bucket purse that was adorable and uses one skein of Cascade 220. How could I resist?!!! They didn't serve any treats or drinks, but I think their pattern was best on the tour of the shops I visited.
I then headed to Burien to the Yarn Stash. They had designed a lariat made from one skein of silk. It had three sliding flowers on it and it was featured as neckwear or around a hat as a band. Again, no treats but I have found the owners to be friendly and helpful.
In West Seattle I visted Seattle Yarn. Their project was a big disappointment to me. It was a stuffed baseball or dangle earrings. I was regretting that I had stopped their until I spotted the cheese, crackers and chocolate. They have one particular young girl that is always helpful and sweet, so I decided even though the baseball wasn't my thing, I was glad to have visited. I then headed about twenty miles north to Mill Creek to visit Main Street Yarn. They were my biggest surprise last year. It is a nice airy store with lots of nice yarn and great books. They get the prize for getting the most of my money. Their project was a feather and fan scarf. I did take the pattern but since I already have one in progress I bought an Alpaca scarf pattern instead with pink yarn to make it in. I had three more stores to visit but it wasn't mean to be.
As I left the last shop I entered a five lane highway and got about three miles down the road, when all of a sudden my car started to accelerate to a very fast speed. My first thought was I had accidently hit the cruise control button, so I tapped the brakes to disengage it. Nope, that didn't work and I was going faster and faster. I then firmly put on the brakes and my car wouldn't stop. I was approaching an intersection with five lanes in all directions and I saw my life flash before me. I quickly got over to the turning lane, SLAMMED the car into park and pulled out the key. I then literally shook for about five minutes before I put on my hazard lights. To make a long story short, I ended up in a tow truck, then at a repair shop and my yarn tour was over. Not a very good ending to what had been a great retail high! I waited all year for this tour! The good news is that it's a week later and I finally have my car back. The bad news is the bill was $2100! Ouch! Think of all that yarn I could have bought. :o(

Another moment of weakness

Well, here's another knitting bag, that wasn't needed, but oh, how I REALLY wanted it! I found this Lexie Barnes bag to be so unique! First of all, I love pink and black, secondly, this bag is SO functional with all the pockets! It is also big enough to carry a good sized project. The thing I was really amused by was the subtle pattern. If you look very closely you can see the design is made up of little tiny skulls! Who would have thought to combine flowers and skulls? This is one of last years fabrics so I had a hard time finding it, but finally snagged it at Knitting Sisters! What a happy retail moment!

Bagaholic

My name is Lilly. I am a bagaholic. I've finally owned up to it in hopes I can be cured. I haven't counted my bags, but I know it is at least ten times more than I need. Yet, again, I found myself walking out of Renaissance Yarns yesterday with a new bag. How could I resist? This bag is SO roomy and so beautiful and it has all the textures one could hope for. The shiny silk is beautiful and the colorful lining is SO happy! This will be my favorite bag until the next one catches my eye, or until my other new bag (Lexie Barnes) arrives from the east coast!!! Yikes did I just spill the beans that I have yet bought another bag this week? Oh, well, a girl has to look good while knitting right? Just out of curiousity, how many bags do YOU have?

PS. The little bag in front is a matching notions bag. I HAD to buy that right? Right?

The Girlfriend Scarf

This is my adaptation of the Koigu Ruffled Scarf. I loved that scarf, but I wanted one just a bit longer. Why do I call it the girlfriend scarf? Because you would be crazy to knit it without the benefit of talking with a girlfriend during the process. This project has a cast on of 696 sts and is very boring. That tells you how much I love this scarf. It's warm and very fluid. This is a no brainer project that you can knit, laugh and drink while knitting.

Here is my adaptation.

The Girlfriend Scarf ©
Size: 6"x40"
Gauge: 4-4.5 sts per inch
Materials: One skein Collinette Jitterbug sock yarn. You will use every bit of this.
My color: 159 Morello Mash 291m
Needles: 40" #6 circular needle. I used a Knit Picks Harmony Needle. This should not be knit too tight because you want it to drape nicely.
Cast on 696 stitches. (Yes, you read that right.)
Work 4 rows stockinette stitch beginning with a knit row.
Ruffle Row Decrease Repeat:
Row 1: (K1, K2tog), repeat to end of row
Row 2: Purl
Repeat these two rows four times
Work 22 rows of Stockinette Stitch ending with a purl row.
Ruffle Row Increase Repeat:
Row 1: (Knit 1, and knit and increase in the next stitch.) Repeat to the end of the row.
Row 2: Purl.
Repeat these two rows four times until original 696 stitches are on the needle. This can be approximate.
Work five rows Stockinette Stitch ending with a purl row. Bind off.
Weave in ends.