Time Spent at the Purl

I've been having a good weekend with two sessions at the Purl already!

Last night I went to sit & knit, show everyone my finished Whistler, and help set up for the "Green Sale." This is the event where people drop off yarn, books, and tools they don't want/need anymore to sell, setting their own prices. The drop off was a couple weeks ago.

The sale itself is running this weekend (Saturday to Monday during shop hours) where you can buy lots of different yarns, books, and tools for good prices. And of course, the "thrill of the hunt" is part of the fun--you can't know what you're going to find!

Then, whatever amount the sellers bring in is not handed over in cash, but in store credit. This is the first year Amy has tried it, and it seemed to be a great success so far. (It helps that I saw that at least four of my own packages have already sold! Can't wait to spend that credit...I know exactly what I'm getting already!)

This morning I went early for the official Green Sale opening. "Bag ladies," as those of us with Red Purl bags are affectionately called, were invited in early this morning for a pre-sale look, tea and yummy refreshments. (And learning that nonpariels are not called parasols.)

I had a very nice time visiting with everyone, drinking tea, and knitting on my pooling shawl--I got the first layer done!! I also ran into the student of my last class and was able to help her get over a hurdle in her socks. I believe she's set to finish now. And yes, I did buy a few things...

In the picture above you can see some red 80/20 bamboo/wool. The bamboo is soft and drapey and the red is the most perfect colour of red. The red you're always looking for and can't find. Well, I found it, and bought it, and don't know what I'll do with it. But that will take care of itself in time.

In the middle you have a skein of Noro sock yarn. I've seen a lot of Noro online and in mags, but not in person. She (I think it's a "she" responsible for all that yarn) really focuses on colour-changing yarns and has made people love her stuff so much they don't even mind that the wool often has lots of breaks and "material" in it. (That would be bits of grass, hay, or whatever else might cling to a sheep's fleece.) I've now got about 480 yds of my own sock yarn to try it for myself. As far as I know, Noro was a huge part of the shift from commercial yarn consistent from ball to ball, to small "arty" yarns where each skein may be unique. (And she was able to sell that as a "feature," not a problem.)

On the left is some variegated cotton from Bernat. I have a cotton project in mind for this summer (more on that when I have it more thought out), and this yarn perfectly matches two of the colours I already have from raveled sweaters. See? You never know what you'll find.

All the yarn was at a good price and looks to be in great condition. It'll be fun to start working with it.

I also picked up a crazy little book:

I have no idea what "twice knit" knitting is but I'm very curious to find out. Anything that says you can cut the knitting and not have it unravel is very intriguing. Old books are just interesting anyway. I can't promise I'm going to make the bikini pattern (ha ha), but I'll see what this method looks like, and how much I enjoy doing it. Make life an adventure.

I also picked up a couple old Interweave magazines:

The accessories edition is for my sister who likes to work on small projects like hats, mitts and socks. There are a lot of nice projects in this one. And the other issue, besides having a nice article on "invisible" cast on/cast off (which I think will turn out to be the same as tubular cast on/off), also has a neat trench coat pattern:

in a basketweave pattern. I am going to investigate whether this would be a good pattern for the plarn rain- or trench-coat I committed to making this year. I didn't have much luck knitting with plarn the last time I tried (my broken needle can attest to that), but it'll be worth another go. The crochet pattern I had in mind isn't adapting too well to the project so I thought this would be worth a try. Plus I enjoy knitting more, and crochet uses 3 times the yarn. Knitting would save me a lot of bags and cutting!

All in all, a very enjoyable morning. If you're in the area, I'd recommend swinging by Red Purl to see what you can find for yourself.