Three New Stores, Two Sleeves, One Peeve, a Visit and an FO (and knitting is still sexy)

We all know that there is a knitting explosion going on right now. Here in Seattle we have six yarn shops (Acorn Street, Full Circle, Hill Top Yarn, Seattle Yarn Gallery, Tricoter and Weaving Works). We are getting three more shops in the next few months. There is a new shop opening on Capitol Hill called Stitches which will feature fabric and fiber. It's in a young, funky area. It's next door to Toys in Babeland. The shop where I just interviewed is The Fiber Gallery and it's located in the Greenwood/Phinney Ridge neighborhood. And when I was out for an early birthday dinner with Wes on Monday I saw a shop called So Much Yarn opening in trendy Belltown. Nine yarn shops in a city with under a million people. This should be interesting.

I think I mentioned yesterday that I'm knitting both sleeves for Lottie/Hottie at the same time. So far it's been great but it's occurring to me that by the end when I have 150+ chubby little stitches crammed onto my needles and two long sleeves flapping around it won't be quite as much fun.



I had a little free time between working out this morning (45 long minutes on the elliptical trainer) and picking up my younger son from preschool. I grabbed a (hideously bitter) cup of coffee at a local coffee shop and knit a bit of the second front sides of the GE Cardi. It's just straight stockinette stitch and I can knit it without looking. I was just scanning the coffee shop and found one of my biggest spelling peeves. I am not a great speller. I don't always know the right way to spell a word. But I do know the wrong way when I see it. Chocolate Carmel Hazelnut. I have to assume that this confection does not hail from the fair city by the sea, Carmel, California. No. It was a combination of chocolate, hazelnuts and caramel. Caramel, people, not Carmel. (And, for the record, they were giving out samples of this particular treat and damn! was it good.)

After we got home from preschool I had a message from the listowner of Purlygirls. She was in my neighborhood and wanted to know if I'd like to get together and knit. Heck yeah! I finished feeding my son lunch and put a Zoboomafoo video on. I got to sit and visit, chat and knit. Very nice.

Last night I finished Sherbet Ripple. Here they are.



Rachael has changed her t-shirt design a little. Cute.

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes and good job interview vibes.