Month-Long Post…
Between my computer being in the shop, and the random craziness in life lately, the following post has been a w.i.p. for what seems like forever, but takes place in about a month’s time…..
Hubby has a job at the Oregon Coast right now, and we’ve been spending a couple days a week doing the beach thing. It’s April. It’s supposed to be spring. The weather is already hit-or-miss at our beaches – let’s just say we weren’t prepared for the intense coldness of last week. This week, however, we packed & dressed like the snow mountain family we are, and came out all right. April. Spring.
Yes, that’s snow in the picture. The big flakes… lots of them… I actually felt very honored to have gotten to see this. The bummer was that the beach itself was actually white for a while and I missed it. We were staying toasty and getting ready for an outing consisting of indoor activities including the “Funland” arcade. 
The Seaside Aquarium is a favorite Seaside stop of mine. It’s an old facility with a lot of history and good intentions behind it. The kids find feeding the seals a huge excitement! 
We got a few good moments in the sand.
Rolled out the sitting blanket on the snow day… incredible. See the little pink bag next to my purse on the towel? It’s a yarn gem. 
I visited a really cute yarn store in Cannon Beach – COASTAL YARNS – I highly recommend the visit. I had heard about “Socks That Rock” (Blue Moon), but not seen them in person. I have never been a sock person, but the Dixie Chick colorway called to me from the shelf – knit me, knit me, knit me. It sat at my shoppe for a week behind my computer before I mustered up the courage to figure out what terribly tiny needles a loose knitter might need to use the Knitting Pure & Simple child’s sock pattern. I can finish a pair for my 7-year old, right?
Yes, no problem. As soon as I cast on those stitches, I was enamored. Yummy colors, nice twist to the yarn, overall a very pleasant experience. Knitting on the beach is a great time….. a little cold, perhaps, but totally worth it for the smells and sounds of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
So….. do they fit alright? Do they stretch the proper amount to get them over the heel? They’re perfect! My daughter loves them, and even asked if she should just put them in the dirty clothes pile – what a good girl – can never be too careful with homemade knitted goods!
I have a cure for my Second-Sock-Syndrome – SOCKS THAT ROCK! That, and a simple and easy-to-navigate pattern. Needless to say, I ran back in to Coastal Yarns again for two more skeins – one for me and one for my son. He’s a little upset he doesn’t have any socks made of yarn…..yet! So now that I’ve enticed you… they won’t let me have any of this yarn for my shoppe, apparently they’ve saturated the market in Oregon with their three stores… BUMMER! However, I can’t let anyone reading this have the disappointment of denial – they do have a website: http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/newmoon/ - tell ‘em I sent you……
In the wake of this disappointment, I comforted myself with some yarn purchases including some new sock yarns! Well, I had to fill the hole in my heart/ shelf/ yarn stash with something, right?
First, from Mountain Colors: I have a couple new colorways, and a revival of the ever-popular Mountain Tango Colorway….. These come out so nice. Thin-ish yarn, but the colors in this buttery soft superwash Wool/ Mohair/ Nylon mix are decadent and well worth a little splurge…
from Skacel, I’ve got some Trekking, Limbo, and Life Style to try out….. I’m hopeful about the Life Style as it has the same kind of spin to it that the above-mentioned yarn has that I love so much – a fabulous colorway, too…. I’ll keep you posted on that one! 
new sock yarn called Soxx Appeal in a yummy chocolatey-berry color scheme from K1 C2 as well as a few fun colorways in cotton and wool. 100% Cotton Ty-Dy, 100% (Feltable) Wool Paint Box, Washable Wool Arabesque, and a new 2nd time cotton color! Whew! Where on earth do I start? It’s all so overwhelmingly enticing! 
Those of you who are curious as to what Knit Club is, well, essentially it’s a “Stitch & Bitch”… we meet in the basement of the restaurant next door for a little social interaction amongst fellow yarners. All are welcome to join in – pick up some sticks, hook, wheel, spindle, loom, or anything that makes you look like you belong in a room of flying fiber & bouncing yarn balls – come on down!
3rd SUNDAY of each month… 3:00pm. Zig Zag Inn- Basement. Be there.
And as a bonus, it’s seven bucks for a pattern that will fit my whole family. The lovely girlz at KnitWitz in Stockton, California turned me onto this one, and I’m so happy I walked out the door with it. After completing my first Wallaby, I called up Carol of Cottage Creations and bought a handful for the shoppe. 
This is how you can easily leave the hood off for another option… just cast off the collar stitches at this point. Sure there are ends to tie in, but the only thing left at this point is to three-needle-bind off the armpits (you might have to put in a stitch or two between this new seam and the arm of the sweater). Voila! 
Also decided to find the time to press/ “block” the scarves from a couple weeks ago. What a difference that can make. You can now actually see the lacy yarn-overs in the blue and white scarf – simple and cool. Makes me SMILE. 
And the curly stockinette edges of the basketweave fell quickly into place under a little steam treatment. 
I’ve been reading “Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair,” and she had some cute scarf patterns included… I suddenly felt inspired to knit up a couple quick neckwear items. 
I love this yarn….a color changing bulky weight with big needles - how can you go wrong? This is a great pattern for someone looking to do some lace work for a first time. Maybe I’ll actually block this one to see the pattern…. There was also a Rio De La Plata scarf with deliberately rolled edges, since I have this yarn in the shoppe, why not? 
I’ll definately be adding pom-poms to the ends like in the book… a decorative scarf. The third one is my favorite though, Vero & Vero Tweed have some great colorways that I’ve been dying to play with… 
not quite done, but it’s looking pretty good…. I’ll definately get a two-for-one deal out of the blocking task. The edges are rolling on this one too, but not on purpose. A quick fix with my steamer will take care of that! So pretty! Starting to actually become Spring ’round these parts (and none too soon I might add), not many more of these sno-fests this year…been fun though. 
Happy Stitchin’