Fiber Field Trip: Crafty Planet, Minneapolis

 About a month ago, Sailor and I took a little trip to Minneapolis. There are so many crafty shops in this town, it is worth the drive to have a weekend of exploration. Plus, the streets are dotted with gluten-free friendly cafes and whatnot, which makes it super easy for me to while away some hours shopping and snacking.

On this last trip up, I had some solo adventuring time. I decided to hit up a store I've been reading about online for months: Crafty Planet. It is hard to put into words how amazing this place is. Fabric. Yarn. Buttons. Beads. Patterns. Glitter. I mean. I just. This:

"Crafty Planet is an independent retailer who prides itself on a do-it-yourself ethos, bringing you the coolest craft stuff in the galaxy!" -CraftyPlanet.com

Walking around this shop, I was overwhelmed with the selection of fabrics. I am very very easily inspired by color, and let me tell you, this place was a mecca of inspiration. I was pulling fat quarters off shelves and pairing them til I made myself dizzy. It was very enjoyable.

 While Crafty Planet does offer yarn in addition to fabric, the selection of yarn was not enormous. I read a few reviews about the lack of yarn choices, but when I visited the shop myself, I was not at all disappointed in their offerings. They had a variety of fibers and weights at good prices. Their selection of hooks and needles was quite extensive as well. By no means could it compete with a yarn-only shop, but it was impressive when you take the vast array of sewing supplies crammed into this store.

Besides the fabric, and yarn, and tools, and just the sheer inspiration of the store itself, there were a few more factors that made me want to unroll my sleeping bag and camp in this shop forever:

1. The staff: The ladies behind the counter were so cheerful and helpful, I felt like I was a member of a fun secret crafty club. Even though it was my first time in the shop and I don't even live in Minneapolis. While I was checking out, we bantered about sock monkeys (our hometown is the birthplace of the Nelson Red Heel Sock and thus the Sock Monkey), reupholstering chairs, and how easy it is to spend money when surrounded by such beautiful fabric.

2. The patterns and displays: Besides the amount of inspiration I already felt from the colors of the fabric alone, the shop was full of funky project patterns displayed with the finished projects made by workers of the shop. Plus little piles of fabric that would look oh so great together conveniently placed right by the patterns that they would work on. Sales ploy? Oh yes. Did it work? -hides pile of fabric sheepishly-

3. The classes: Again, I know I don't live in Minneapolis, but the list of classes offered at Crafty Planet made me wish I did. Knitting. Embroidery. Quilting. Crocheting. And then some. Come on. You cannot say that taking a fun class in an inspiring shop would be pointless. So much fun. I wish Crafty Planet was in my town!!

So yes. If you are even in the Twin Cities and have a hankering to be inspired, head to Crafty Planet. Guh. I love shopping. I'll have to take some pictures of the fabrics I scored on my adventure so you can drool and jump in your car and drive to this store and get your own. Oh wait. You don't have to drive all the way to Minneapolis. Because you can shop CraftyPlanet online.

I'm sorry for telling you.

Fiber Field Trip: Ewetopia Fiber Shop in Viroqua, WI

Photo (c) Ewetopia Fiber Shop

 Finally!! A fiber field trip to one of the shops a bit closer to home!! I am pleased to introduce you to Ewetopia Fiber Shop. This place is one of my most favorite local yarn shops in the driftless region of Wisconsin. Nestled in the historic streets of Viroqua, this shop has a lot to offer: local wool, classes, spinning supplies, dying supplies, and of course, more yarn than you can shake a needle at. Ready to learn more? Well, wipe the drool off your face and read on, fiber freak.

 When Sailor and I first moved to this area almost a year ago, I cracked opened my outdated-even-then Fiber Field Guide from 2010 to scope out the yarn scene. I did some google checks to make sure the shops were still opened and got ready to hit dem up. Ewetopia was one of the latter ones on that list, but let me tell you, it is one of my favorites.

I have made many trips out to this shop and have loved every one. Ewetopia has been opened since 2007 and is run by three generations of women from one family. I love that! It was opened by Kathryn during her senior year of college. Her mother and grandmother help out in the shop. Ewetopia even has a farm in the area where they raise their own cattle, horses, and (you guessed it) sheep. They produce wool and roving to be sold in the shop and even dye and spin some of it to make the most delicious local yarns. Too cool right? Right.

 Because stocking high class yarns, producing their own yarn, running a store and a farm isn't enough, Kathryn also designs and writes stunning knitting patterns. You can find the patterns online as well as in the shop. Her creations are stunning and inspiring. Perfection.

 Ewetopia even offers a large selection of spinning supplies. I bought my spinning wheel here! They were so nice and helpful. I was even allowed to play around with the wheel for almost an hour in the store before I decided to buy it! Amazing.

They always have the cutest displays in their windows

So there you have it. If you are even in the area, I recommend checking out his bea-ewe-tiful shop. You will not be let down, I promise.

Happy field-tripping!!
-Carolyn

Linkin' up at these fine sites!

Fiber Field Trip: Hank and Purl's in Rochester

 The weekend before our Christmas travels, Sailor and I went in to Rochester, MN to do some looking around. I already told you loves about the other fun yarn shop we went to and I was planning on writing Hank and Purl's up that same week. Then...we found out some exciting news and everything kind of went nuts. So....here is the slightly belated, but still fun, review of Hank and Purl's Creative Nook and Knittery.

We almost blew right by this little shop. It was tucked back in a little strip mall and our gps was being a royal pain. It told us to get back on the freeway in order to exit on the street we were already on and go to this shop. What the heyhey, Garmin?? Despite the technical difficulties, we found Hank and Purl's.

The shop was tiny, but sooooo well-kept. Everything was organized, all the shelves were labeled, and the place was clean. All important things for me!! Despite the lack of floor space, the shop did not feel cramped. There were a couple chairs for crafting in, and waayyyyy more inventory than I imagined when we walked in. It was all so well organized, they could fit tons of stuff without it feeling crowded. A+ in my book.

We (aka, I) shopped around for quite some time there. Sailor is a very patient man, I tell you. Maybe it was because we just had gotten done shopping at a farm-toy-store that we accidentally found that he was on such good behavior.

 Hank and Purl are the shop's mascots. The owner told me that they dress them up for different seasons. Too fun! Here they are all Christmas'd out. Too cute, right?

Hank, sacrificing some wool so Purl can knit.

Purl, knitting away!

 The owner told us a hilarious story about a small boy who was quite curious about Hank and Purl over the summer. Purl was dressed in a bikini in the front window, and while his mom shopped, the lil fellow decided to take a peek down Purl's bottoms to see what was under them when he thought nobody was looking. But the owner caught him. She said that it was all she could do not to burst out laughing. I don't think I would have not been able to control myself.

On to my haul!!

 While we were in the store, the lady who makes these buttons stopped by. I heard her talking about them and was so excited. Local artist! Woot. Double bonus points for that. So, now I need to make a project to go with the button. Haha.

 Some gift tags by KnitBaaPurl. I still have a few gifts to wrap and these little tags were sooo stinkin' cute, I could not pass them up. I mean, come on! I want a tree like that in real life!! Yarnornaments!! Yornaments? Yarnaments? Yarn.

I have three left still. Gotta stow them away for next year!!

So, yeah. Cool store. It is basically the only yarn store I could find in Rochester itself, so if you are ever in that region, stop by and say hullo to Hank and Purl.

Alright. Time. To. Knit. All. The. Baby. Things. And get ready to make lobster tails for the first time. Happy New Year's Eve!!
Yours enthusiastically,
Carolyn

Fiber Field Trip: Yarnology in Winona

 If you are following me on Facebook you know that I had an exciting Saturday out-and-about with Sailor. My diet leaves us incredibly limited as to grocery store options I have in town. We decided to make a day of excursions and hit up two potential gluten free hot spots as well as some yarneries.

Yarnology in Winona, MN was our first stop.

I love their logo! That snaggy ball of yarn? So cute. They even have a 3d version of it on the outside of the building. So fun.

The inside of the store is so well organized that it hurts. Their displays, their stock, everything. Everything was laid out in a pleasing-to-the-eye manner. It just made me want to knit everything!! They had a lot of small-label yarns that I have never seen before!

They had kits for Christmas stockings from Sweden, ultra mega bulky yarn for the plushiest of blankets, roving, a spinning wheel, and a shopping cart at the front of the store for stash busting. Drop off your unwanted yarn, or pick some up for free! Such a good idea.

Alright. Let's get down to the good stuff. My haul!

I got smart and decided to buy a pattern and the yarn specifically to make it. In fact, I got a hank of yarn with enough yardage to make the pattern almost twice. The pattern is a hat/cowl combo from Stephen West of westknits. I love indie designers, and the fact that I could support a local yarn shop and an indie designer all at once? Booyah, mozzarella sticks!!

The yarn is Cascade 220 in Penguin. Lahve it!! Can't wait to use it, but it'll have to wait until after Christmas.

Great shop! I wish I lived even closer to Yarnology so I could be there everyday. It was so cozy. And just yes. All the yes.

Happy, happy Tuesday!!
-Carolyn

Fiber Field Trip: Unwind Yarn Shop

The last lil bit of info about my trip to Minneapolis last weekend is another fiber field trip!! This time, it's to a local yarn shop (lys) in one of the suburbs of Minneapolis. I did a little research (as is my tendency) on yarn shops in the area, and found one that looked intriguing to me. It was called Unwind Yarn Shop.

Located in Burnsville, Unwind was not too long of a trek for me. I went out there on Sunday after having successfully found my way to Bittersweet Gluten Free Bakery on Saturday. I was feeling pretty confidant. I wrote down the google.maps directions and the address, hopped into the ridiculously enormous van, and rolled out.

For some odd reason, the directions went uber wack-o just a block before I arrived at the shop. I was all, "Hmm...this seems odd, but I trust you, Google" and merrily followed the directions. Which landed me in....a subdivision. Uhm. No. So, I fired up the Garmin (Aka, Carmin the Garmin) and crossed my fingers that it would know where I was.

Sailor and I have had this recurring trouble with Carmin: she stops working in Minneapolis. Not like, "oops, plug it in the battery is low" stops working, but rather all out, total failure, "hope you brought a real map cuz you is LOST, yo" stops working. Last time we were in the Twin Cities, Carmin told us we were 14 hours away from our destination, and that we needed to exit Wisconsin and head to Canada.

Lucky for me, Carmin pulled through. Maybe it was because we were in a suburb. Or maybe it was because the GPS knew I would break it if it didn't get me to a yarn shop. Regardless, I arrived unscathed and ready to shop. I was full of inspiration from the Textile Center.

Photo (c) Unwind Yarn Shop

Photo (c) Unwind Yarn Shop

I found the shop to be a clean, festive place with a veryvery large array of yarns. They yarns were all very well organized and displayed in white cubby shelves (which I like, because colors pop better on white blahblahblah color theory). They offered lots of bulkies and sock yarns. I did not notice many local yarns, but then again, I was totally distracted by the large bin of clearance items towards the register.

I had the place to myself (probably because it was a Sunday morning) and chatted pleasantly with the nice lady who was working. We discussed our confusion regarding the "ruffle yarn" fad, wood versus metal needles, and other yarny whatnot. Very nice. In the end, I came away with one skein of yarn and a set of needles with which to do magic loop socks (aka two at a time socks). Very successful shopping trip, if I do say so myself!

Lovely superwash wool for a scarf I'm planning.

Dat greeeeeennnn.

Stick 'em with the pointy end.

So, Minneapolis was a lovely trip! Got to hang out with a friend, hang out with my hubby, get some gluten-free nomnoms, and get my fiber-nerd on. Funfun. Do you visit any lys when you go a-roaming? Have you ever been to Unwind Yarn Shop?

Alrighty. Gotta get packin'!! We leave tonight for our MY BIRTHDAY Thanksgiving festivities!! I do not think you will be hearing mucho from me in the next few days. I'll be gettin' mah turkey on with the fam. And wearing my birthday tiara. Because my birthday is tomorrow. Were you aware? You are now. Happy Birthday to MEEEEEE!!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!
Yours in celebration,
Carolyn Michelle

Fiber Field Trip: Minneapolis Textile Center

This past weekend I journeyed to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Not only is this sprawling metropolis home to the Mall of America, but it also boasts (according to knitmap.com) no less than fourteen local yarn shops. Fourteen!! Being the fiber nerd that I am, I make a point to visit some spifftacular yarneries in every city I visit. So naturally, before arriving in Minneapolis, I fired up the google machine and plotted an adventure. This adventure centered around the Textile Center.

The Textile Center is an all-encompassing fiber arts facility. It is home to the Minnesota Weavers Guild, has gallery space, offers classes, and hosts guest artist lectures. The Textile Center is located in the heart of the University of Minnesota's campus, this little gem is a great stop for anybody even remotely crafty.

You can see the library off to the left, and some of the art on the walls.

The building may have looked small, but it was jam-packed full of wonderful fiber art. There normally is a large gallery in the front of the building when you first walk in, but they are using it currently to house their Holiday Gift Shop. The gift shop features work from the Textile Center's members as well as kits, books, and supplies for various fiber-y arts. When I got there, one of their members was doing a spinning demo. Too cool!

Every available wall space is used to display beautiful works of art. Last weekend, a variety of wool works were hanging. There was a beautiful red and black wool coat (super haute couture), a couple rugs, and three stunning blankets. The blankets featured depictions of traditional Nordic mythological symbols. Odin's ravens, Thor's hammer, and runestones. Beautiful. I just wanted to bundle up in the art. (I couldn't get a decent picture of Odin's ravens; it was very high on the wall.) The blankets were designed by Laurie Jacobi, and made by Pendleton.

Runestone Blanket. Love those greens.

Thor's Hammer. Note the lightning bolts in the red border.

Close up of the detailed woolwork.

Yummy wooly goodness.

There are several classrooms and lecture halls at the Textile Center as well. The weavers guild was working in the weaving lab on Saturday when I was there, and there was a kids fieldtrip learning about basket making. A group of adult basket weavers were practicing their craft in another classroom. My personal favorite room was the Dye Lab.

That's right, Dye Lab.

Those glorious colors!!

Big table, lots of sinks....do want.

I wanted to go get some raw wool and make all the colors. It looked so gloriously inspiring.


If you are feeling more studious, there is even a library of all things fiber. They have everything from modern patterns to magazines to historical documents to academic analyses of the cultural importance of fiber arts. I. Was. In. Heaven. I wish I could have had more time to peruse/take notes/cry tears of joy!!

They were selling used books and magazines, so of course I forced my adventuring buddy to suffer through my perusing of every book for sale. (She is not a fiber artist herself, but was veryvery patient. She wins all the "putting up with Carolyn's nerdiness" awards for Saturday). The magazines were $0.10 a piece!!! So, naturally, I had to buy some.

I've already started putting post-its on the patterns I want t try!

Got some reading ahead of me!

And at the check out, there were some adorable nerdy buttons I could not resist. Come on! Nerdy, crafty, puns? I'm all about nerdy crafty puns. It's a lifestyle I choose. Or...did it choose me?

Knit Long and Prosper

It's funny because I like wool and I have dietary issues. Heh. Funny. Yis.

I left a few dollars poorer (really breaking the bank with my $3.15 purchase) but so much more happy! One happy fiber nerd I am. I definitely recommend visiting Textile Center if you are ever near enough to Minneapolis. I promise, it's awesome!!

Later Taters! I've got a fair amount of Christmas crafting to work on...and Arlo needs to be snuggled.

Yours faithfully,

Carolyn Michelle

Gratuitous Arlo picture