Will road trip for yarn!

Finally! I finished my Sea Shell Bag - It does look like the picture on the pattern, but the pattern required too much construction for me to LOVE it. It is also a bit big. I found the shells at Bead Haven. WOW! They have a lot to choose from.

Bugg has caught 'the bug'. She is metamorphosizing in front of my eyes - becoming a yarn-a-holic (like me).

It wasn't difficult to talk her into going with me during that week of driving I mentioned a few posts ago. We planned to leave early on a Friday morning - we would drive a couple of hours, get the work finished, and hit a canoe livery well before lunch. We stuck to our plan and finished in plenty of time, but it was 68 degrees! I was willing to dredge forward with the plan, but even Bugg thought it a bit cool to be getting into the water.

We fished out the Shop Finder from Knitter's and headed out on a mission! By the time the day was through, we had explored 3 1/2 yarn stores - I will explain.

Our first stop was at Apple Tree Lane in Clare, MI. The shop doesn't look like a yarn store. They offer many gift-type items and other craft materials. Tucked into a side room, we discovered a very nice selection of fiber. Bugg finally found the colors she was hunting for the felted Lucy bag.


The owner's daughter was very helpful and interactive, AND she had just finished her first sweater!

Next up, Midland, MI. We were hunting for The Granny Square (more on that in a moment), but ran into some problems with directions. After a call to work for clarification (thank you, TH and BW) we arrived at Lily Lane Knits. The shop was small, but had many brands to choose from. The Debbie Bliss Pure Silk tempted me, but we left with a link to Layla and Bugg plans to make it in the future.

Feeling adventuresome, we headed back toward The Granny Square...this is how I KNOW that Bugg is hooked:

Have you ever gone to a shop and, through the extremely rough exterior, discovered a wonderful array of offerings that you didn't know how you lived without? The Granny Square is DEFINITELY not that for me! Remember, I am a self-professed yarn snob...I didn't want to even touch anything in the shop. It was small, crowded (not with yarn), and felt dirty. The front of the store contains used stuff - maybe antiques, I wouldn't get close to it. Bugg was browsing and touching and happy just being near any fiber. When she was finished, I dashed to the car to make my getaway!

It was getting late and we had time for one more stop and honed in on Yarns & Such in Freeland-we never found the shop.

Summary:
Apple Tree Lane - Two knitted swatches
Lily Lane Knits - Could get by with swatch
The Granny Square - Don't buy the yarn to knit a swatch
Yarns & Such - N/A

Part 2: Crochet 101


My crochet lesson from Stitcher Bomb last week was a success! Many thanks to SB for the help and the company. This picture chronicles my progress (or lack thereof) after 2 hours. Not to worry, The stitch is repetitive and I have been zooming along ever since.





I quickly decided that I really wanted the RY Cashcotton for my picnic rug soooooo - this one will become a Christmas gift for a very lucky someone (I hear the bantering begin, everyone will want it). The colors are kind of masculine, don't you think (hint, hint).