Tuesday, September 24, 2013

california yarn crawl

our bags were packed, yarn crawl passport printed, maps ready...

welcome to the central coast's first annual yarn crawl! 

When: Saturday September 21 and Sunday September 22 from 10AM to 5PM
Where: The 5 yarn shops in SLO County
Why: To have fun, and get to know your fiber neighbors!
what is a yarn crawl? click here to find out


we started up the coast early saturday morning


look! sheep! the two photos above are the only two i took with my camera, the rest that make up this post were taken with a cell phone. rain was falling when i stopped to say hello to the sheep. can you imagine the earthy smell? the dry grasses and leafy shrubs, the sheep, and the rain falling through
partially foggy, partly sunny skies...heavenly


first stop of the weekend, 
yarns...at the adobe in san luis obispo


enter here, LOVE!


refreshments for yarn revivement 



yarns...at the adobe featured several trunk shows, valkyrie yarn & fibres was my favorite.
this shop is just ninety minutes from home, i am so glad, i can't wait to return.
thank you yarns...at the adobe! love it here so much, the wool, the gardens, the adobe!



next stop: nordic mart
this is the only drops superstore in north america, we wondered how we did not
know this! nordic mart is also in san luis obispo, and we will definitely return.
i've haven't yet tried drops, but now have a bag full for a sweater. i received a free pattern 
book with purchase too. SO excited to have discovered this shop!


scandinavian delight!



further up the coast and a bit inland,




ranch dog knitting is in atascadero. audrey knight was there signing her new book
reversible scarves and never not knitting was having a trunk show. 
i wish ranch dog were closer to home!
time to head back to the coast now and our hotel...


the bluebird inn, in cambria!

the rain followed us to the coast so we watched this first day of fall storm from our room,
while enjoying a lovely picnic dinner my friend karen brought along!
(thank you pat!) ((her husband packed it for us!))

next morning and day two of yarn crawling. we were greeted by central coast sunshine. steam rose from the rooftops as the warmth of the day dried yesterdays rain



breakfast at the redwood cafe sunday morning



and shop number four,


gina wilde of alchemy yarns and manos del uruguay were featured


rowan yarns was one of the many sponsors


hand dyed silks by alchemy and wrap, love!

the happy yarn crawlers!
(wearing my knit cafe lace skirt, so comfy!)


some of my yarn crawl treasures, new manos wool silk, drops alpaca (and cotton for trim), 
lotus mink (did you know they made mink yarn?!)
i bought new needles also, lantern moon straights and a pair of drops to try and of all 
things, a pair of square circulars (funny) by kollage. but am really loving them! 
will try to remember to review them later


and books.  kinfolk, fair isle style and tiny owl knits arrived the day before we left.
i brought them along for reading and inspiration. and because i cannot put them down!


passport on the right, map of slo yarn crawl on the left


thank you so much my sweet friend for coming along with me, you made it one hundred times more fun!
and thank you 
and 
eileen's treasures (in pismo beach. didn't get photos)

we had the most wonderful weekend. everyone we met, at each shop, went out of their way to make us feel welcome and so glad to be there. and even if we didn't take advantage of all the cookies and cake, treats in each shop...we appreciated it (my friend is on atkins and i tried to support her by doing it with her, good for me too!). 
thank you for such wonderful giveaways and raffles, shops and sponsors!
i hope this yarn crawl is the first of many many more.


thank you too sheep!

xxxxx lori

27 comments:

  1. what a great weekend trip. how fun. :)

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  2. Awwww, makes me nostalgic, I went to university in SLO, back before I ever thought of knitting. Beautiful post!

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  3. Oh how lovely!
    Wish they had something like that here:)
    As I will explore the yarn shops of Copenhagen on friday I do not feel too jealous though;)

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  4. Wow...what a great, wonderful weekend. We had a yarn crawl ere in Portland, or and I believe I completely forgot to blog about it. That is such a great way to register and share your memories. Thanks for the tour Lori! D)

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  5. I bought Kollage circulars at Stitches West earlier this year and just love them. I did find them to actually knit a size smaller (something worth knowing, but it could just be me...). Yarn outings are the best, and with a good friend, the BEST! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure. :)
    ~Lisa

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  6. What a perfect weekend, and what lovely shops! I spent the weekend on a Greek island, which was nice too - but otherwise I would have loved to come along!

    I will, however, just as Karin-Ida above, soon be exploring the yarn shops of Copenhagen, so I will have to be content with that.

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  7. What fun Lori! And how fortunate you are to have so many gorgeous yarn shops all in the one area. Thanks for sharing your weekend adventures! Mel xxx

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  8. How lovely, what a great idea. Knitting seems so much more en vogue in the US than it is here in France!

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  9. You just had what seems to me the best weekend ever! I hope SC will have a yarn crawl, I'm there.

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  10. I enjoy reading about all of your adventures, Lori. It seems like you are always on one!

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  11. lovely outing and you know when you add yarn stores then you are in heaven :)

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  12. This post makes me weak in the knees! :) Glad you had so much fun.

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  13. Oh how I wish they would have something like that here! Thank you for taking us along to so many wonderful stores! :-)

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  14. What fun! Thanks for taking us along :)

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  15. Lori, you are so right to say a thank you to those lovely sheep! Visiting them is a perfect way to begin and conclude a yarn crawl.

    It seems as if we are not having a NYC yarn crawl this fall. (Or could it be that it's escaped my attention...no, that could not possibly be true!)

    In prior years' crawls, I've enjoyed visiting some shops beyond my usual regular stops. It's so much fun to see how each shop does have its own particular atmosphere, with the owners personalities shining through and the selection of yarns and do-dads on display very different.

    Your weekend tour looks like great fun, even with the rain. Your purchases are intriguing. Knowing how quickly you knit, I would imagine that you've already put at least one or two skeins to use already!

    xo

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  16. No kidding...thank you sheep- for making life so wonderful for us knitters!! Lori what a fun post- looks like such a great day. Thank you for sharing this- feeling inspired.

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  17. oh, Sheepy!!!!.....I'm hyperventilating!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a fun fun FUN weekend!!!

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  18. wonderful girlfriends weekend ♥
    I see you have Stephanie's new book ~ she is so talented! love the whimsical hat on the front cover ;-]

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  19. Oh Lori, Wish I could have joined you! All those shops and that beautiful yarn!!!! Looking forward to see what you will be making with the yarn you bought :-)

    Have a lovely day!

    Madelief x

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  20. I want to go on the yarn crawl too! That looks like so much fun. Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip I am so jealous. What a wonderful way to explore new yarn shops.

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  21. That looks like an amazing weekend! I'm a little jealous! :-)

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  22. Hooray for that yarn crawl, Lori! I wish i could have come along!
    What a great idea, and I can just imagine how relaxing and inspiring the experience was.
    I adore your lace skirt, I bet you got a million comments!
    Wish I lived near the Nordic mart!
    and how perfect to begin and end with the glorious field of lovely sheep, the reason yarn is such a delicious treat in the first place!
    All hail the humble sheep!

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  23. Never heard of a yarn crawl before, but what a fun idea. I could see it catching on here :)

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  24. I love Yarns at the Adobe...but NEVER knew about that Nordic mart!! woohoo something new to try when I go back. it looks like a lovely weekend, wish I had been there with you!!

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  25. What an absolutely fantastic weekend! Thanks for sharing! Best wishes, Tammy

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  26. If this is still going on three years from now, I'm coming along!!! I'm drooling.

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  27. What lovely yarn shops, I think I'd want more than a weekend to get round all that yarn...and sheep. Julia x

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xoxo lori