Holland Yarn Store Roundup

Hopefully yesterday's post wasn't so cheesy that you have unsub'd. I get sentimental when cocktails are involved! Also, this will be the last post of my trip home. I wish they hadn't been dragged out so long but work is really getting in the way of my blogging time! (But the pay is much better!!!)

OK- The closest medium sized city to where I grew up is Holland, MI. And, as far as I can tell, there are only 2 yarn stores. The first is downtown on 8th street- Lizzie Ann's Wool Shop.



You can't see very well but they have a bunch of mini sweater ornaments in the front window. They are so cute!



It's a spacious shop with lots of higher end yarns. The ladies here were nice and let me browse without interruption.



Plenty of space to sit and knit. And LOTS of samples. After the Lansing/Grand Rapids yarn fest, I reeled in the purchases a little.



They have a great selection of buttons. I was still checking out options for the February Lady Sweater.



Once I'm done knitting, I'll have to figure out which ones to use.



They also sell kits for the cute sweater ornaments in the front window. I snagged a couple. I'm thinking they make good gift tags for Christmas presents. And once I have the pattern, I can make lots of versions of them.

Then I headed over to Washington Square to my mom's LYS- Friends of Wool.



I LOVE this yarn store. Not because it's got the best high end yarns, although it does. I love it because I really feel like you could just come in, plop down, and knit as if you were there every day. Plus, the owners (Ruby and Rose) go to the church I grew up in. And they are very sweet.



The shop is smaller than Lizzie Ann's but it's absolutely stuffed with yarn. From Cascade to Philosopher's Wool to Noro. They have everything you need without being flashy or fancy or pricey.



There are lots of samples around the shop.



Check out the mittens!

Of course, I couldn't leave without a purchase.



Black Cascade 220- Can you believe there's none of this in my stash?!?!?



Grey Cascade 220. Not the most exciting purchases. But they are destined to be something really cute...



I'm thinking a flock of sheep will someday emerge from my knitting leftovers. I also bought a small bottle of Gloves in a Bottle. That lotion is AMAZING! It's really helping my hands deal with the amount of washing that takes place in the hospital. If you have trouble with chapped hands, try it.

When I went to pay, Ruby looked at the name on my credit cards and said, "I thought you were one of Jo's girls!" I almost started crying when she came around the counter to give me a hug. She looked me square in the eye and told me how much she misses my mom. It was an incredibly sweet thing to say. Then they told me stories of how my mom once tangled a skein so badly that they had spread it all over the store try to work out the knots. She said the store looked like it was covered in spiderwebs but that was OK since it had been close to Halloween. We all laughed and I held back my tears until I was outside. Sometimes I really miss living in a small town.

Grand Rapids Yarn Store Roundup

From Lansing, I went to Grand Rapids. I figured... it's on my way home. From East to West, I hit three yarn shops.

First stop... Clever Ewe in Ada.



Isn't the front door cute?!?!?!? Check out the great fixtures they have in this store.



Cool, huh? Totally antique. And what could be better than antiques filled with yarn!



There's even a "wall of Manos" This was another shop where the ladies were nice and the yarn was plentiful. I picked up (you guessed it!) sock yarn. At least it's one that I haven't tried before.



Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in Steel. It's surprisingly soft!



And some buttons for my February Lady Sweater. (Which by the way, I'm only one sleeve away from finishing...)

Then, I'm off to City Knitting in Grand Rapids proper.



Another great shop with a not so intriguing front. The owner, Lorilee, greeted me and promptly invited me to their knit night. Unfortunately, I already had plans that night. But how welcoming can you be?!?!?!



This is the room for sock and lace yarn. A whole room!!!! Heaven I tell you!!!



And, there's a perfect place to sit and knit.



They even have a washing machine for felting class. GENIUS!!! I really, really loved with shop. One of the ladies there had just finished the Hemlock blanket and was proudly showing it off. They chatted eagerly with me without once making me feel like I should buy more. Love that. Of course, I did buy...



Alpaca with a Twist Fino in Black. I'm entering lace weight territory...



A green "Know your cuts of Lamb" shirt.(trust me, it's green.) Yes, I already have a brown one. So?

Since I'd been to Lansing and GR all in one day, my zest for yarn stores was starting to wane. I know. I never thought I'd be getting sick of yarn shopping either. Probably I was just tired. But I pushed through the fatigue for one more shop. This is one that my mom frequented when we were kids, before there were yarn stores in Holland- Threadbender in Wyoming.



Nestled in a nondescript strip mall, Threadbender is focused on yarn, spinning, and weaving.



Yarn is crammed into every nook and cranny in this store.



When I pulled into the parking lot, I was thinking... it's going to take some really special yarn to get me to buy more on this day of yarn debauchery. Good thing they had some really special skeins.



Claudia Handpaint- Begonia. Can you believe I didn't have any of this???



Araucania Ranco. So gorgeous, I had to have this one too...



That's it for Grand Rapids. I promptly went home and took a nap. There was a serious yarn hangover the next day!

Lansing Yarn Store Round Up

Wow. The first week of work really took it out of me. Kind of weird because it was really only orientation paperwork and going over general policies of the hospital. Frankly, it was the early mornings that made it so tough. I'm just not used to that! Good thing I'll be working PM shift once things really get rolling. I'm training on AM's though. So I'll have to get used to being up bright and early.

Anyway, I have more to show from my trip. And thank goodness, there isn't much excitement around here at the moment.

One day I drove the hour and a half to Lansing to hit a couple of their yarn stores. Especially the very famous, Threadbear.



If you just looked at the outside, you might drive right by. But then you would be missing one of the best yarn stores I've ever been to. It's seriously yarn MECCA!



Seriously, this place is HUGE. There were at least 4 different places to sit down and knit or flip through a couple of books. It was amazing. Everyone here was very nice. However, there were quite a few regulars in at the same time as me. The staff seemed happy to let this stranger browse on her own. Or maybe they just couldn't see me for all the mountains of yarn!



The "Wall of Cascade."

Of course, some of the yarn made the trip home with me...



Pagewood Farms Chugiak Sock Yarn- They are a California company and I've never even heard of them.



In the continuing spirit of trying to buy only things I don't already have, I picked up a Lantern Moon tape measure that looks like a Christmas candy and a felted bracelet kit from Pick Up Sticks.

Next up was Rae's Yarn Boutique. The shop is closer to East Lansing but again, you might have driven right by if you weren't paying attention.



Rae herself was there spinning away in the front room.



There's a green sample sweater on the wall. Another woman came in and asked how much it was. Rae simply said, I can't sell that one but I can teach you to make it. Now, usually the response is "I don't have time for that!" But this lady started to mull it over. I think a new knitter may have been born that day.



Of course, I love the red wall. And more things jumped into my handbag.



FibraNatura Yummy sock yarn.



I finally bought a pattern tamer- just couldn't resist the cute little bees!

Apparently I was in the mood for blue that day. I didn't really notice at the time but it's pretty obvious when I look at everything together. Of course, I always love blues and greens!

In other news, Weezalana will be getting a little package from me in the mail since she identified the hay rake so quickly. (Damn you, google!!!) I just thought it would take longer!

That's it for this entry, now on to Grand Rapids!!!

Chicago Yarn Store Roundup

While my sister worked, I shopped. Thanks to Franklin, I had a good lead on a couple of yarn shops.

First stop, Loopy Yarns on South State Street.



I showed up here sweaty and disheveled since I walked from the North Side. The ladies were so nice! They sat me down in front of a fan and handed me books to look through.



Meanwhile, I was distracted by the wall of Lorna's Laces! I didn't know they dyed their yarn in Chicago, did you? In fact, some of the colorways are named after Chicago neighborhoods.



Edgewater



And Pilsen- for example. They also helped me replace the dpn's I broke at the Farmer's Market. Thank goodness, I was making serious headway on the Tesserae socks. Really, the ladies there were so nice and we chatted for a good hour about ravelry, knitting, and jello pudding. If I lived closer, I would go there everyday just to hang out!

I also went to We'll Keep You in Stitches. While this wasn't on Franklin's list, it was on my way back to my sister's house from downtown. This shop is on the 4th floor above Oak Street. It was a pretty fancy address for my sweatiness but I was a tourist, so who cares???? This shop is teeny. And really seemed more focused on needlepoint than knitting. While the ladies here weren't super warm and friendly, they weren't rude either. I didn't seem to be their top priority but that was OK with me. I was getting a little worn out after all the walking I did. Also, most of the yarn was still in plastic bags, so finding the great yarn that's there was a little tricky. But I perservered...



Noro Kureyon in S233. It's the perfect blue.



ONline Supersocke 100. More of a purple than in this picture.

But the main attraction for me...



Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn S252.

At this rate, I decided that any more yarn I bought on this trip would have to be yarn I didn't have already. I need to stretch my horizons and not go completely broke in one week!

Those were the only 2 I made it to in Chicago. Although Nina and Knitting Workshop were also recommended. So you'll have to check those out on your own.

In other news, I start work tomorrow. It's just orientation and computer training the first week. But it's still exciting. (as is the upcoming paycheck!)

My Hometown

As I mentioned before, I grew up on a farm in Hamilton, Michigan. Well, what do you do when you go home? (besides sweat through all your clothes due to humidity that you aren't used to???) You go to the Ag Expo with your Dad.



On the campus of Michigan State in East Lansing.



My Dad (blue shirt) wanted to look at a portable sawmill. No kidding. Apparently this one cuts really straight boards. There were lots of tractors and a few things I couldn't identify.



Seriously, what is this thing? (A prize to anyone who knows!)

My personal favorite is the giant cow.



What's going on with her udder???

My Dad had to work while I was home. So I pretty much puttered around the surrounding areas. These pictures are from Holland, Michigan. It's about 1 town over from where I was raised.



Yes, Dutch culture is well represented here. This is the windmill at Dutch Village- a Dutch theme park. (yes, you read that correctly.) The highlight for me as a kid was the giant swing. And funnel cake- yummmmm!



In case you can't find the bathroom, just follow the little Dutch girl.



The barn at Veldheer Farms. They grow flowers and bison. There's even a Tulip Festival in May every year. They line the streets with tulips that somehow all bloom at the perfect time. It's really beautiful. (Almost makes up for the crowds!)



The view from the top of my Dad's barn. They mowed the straw the day before I took this.



On this day, they started to bale.



This is a pickle plant. The sandy soil in my town is perfect for pickle growing. (NOT the same as a cucumber!)



Soybean plant. Another good crop in our area. Of course, there's lots of corn too. But I figured you know what that one looks like!

Of course, all of this is pretty close to the shores of Lake Michigan.



Can't complain about that one bit.