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

Last Minute Gifting for Crafty Folks 2013

Racking your brain because you have no idea what to get the gals in your needle arts guild? Stumped in regards to what your bff crafting pal wants? Rewarding yourself because you got all your preparing done on time? Freaking out because you didn't think, even after reading my post about gift wrapping the first week of December, that suddenly the holiday season would be upon you? Fear not!

I give you, the Last In Line Shop's official Last Minute Gifting Guide for Crafty Folks 2013. Here are my picks for lovely, crafty, Christmas gifts for the creative soul in your life. Whether it's your auntie, your uncle, your granny, your bff, your daughter or you....I think you will find inspiration in this list and be able to bring joy to the last few lovelies on your list!

Let's rock this.

Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes
This book is at the very tip top of my list of fave crocheting books of all times. The colors, the shapes, and the instructions are all fantastic. Each motif features a pattern written out and charted, so you get the best of both worlds. Woot woot! Great fro crocheters who (like me) don't always like following a huge long pattern to make something, but rather like little chunks of inspiration as a jumping off point.

Clover Knitting Needle Gauge
This nifty tool is useful to most knitters who actually check their gauge (I don't. I know, I'm bad). Affordable, shiny, useful, and shaped like a knitted hat! Darling!!

ExcelSteel 5-Piece All Purpose Scissors
Because you can never ever have enough scissors. Nuff said.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
A novel that centers around an entreprenurial knitter and her ragtag group of friends. Have Kleenex handy with this one, folks. A real feels-jerker.



SOAK WASH for Handknits (Aqua)
While I have yet to use it myself, this stuff has earned acclaim throughout the fiber arts world. Use it as a pre-blocking soak, or to wash your handmade garments. SoakWash softens, cleans, and helps your delicates stay just like new. Though it seems a bit spendy for one bottle, a little drop will go a long way!


I like big balls and I cannot lie. Knitting. Yarn. - Mugs - 11oz Magic Transforming Mug
Because wintertime means cold weather, and cold weather requires warm drinks, and warm drinks require mugs, and mugs require puns. This is such a great mug. First, it's magic. It goes from being all black to revealing the punny image when you fill it with a warm liquid. Second, yarn puns. Need I say more? This would be adorable to put in a gift basket for a yarny friend with a variety of tea, coffee, and hot cocoa.


Beautiful Sheep Postcard Book (Beautiful... Postcard Books)
This is the postcard set that goes along with the book Beautiful Sheep: Portraits of Champion Breeds. The photos are crystal clear and guaranteed to make any fiber freak start to drool. If you have a crafty, wool-loving person who likes to send mail on your list, I think this may be the ultimate gift. Because, it's totally not weird to have a collection of postcards featuring pictures of sumptuous sheeperz against silky back drops. Not weird at all. I dig it.

Well, that about concludes my list of fun, last-minute gifts that I think many crafters will appreciate. Hopefully this little round up will give you some ideas for your last minute gifty needs. I think if you order today, you will still be able to get these goods from Amazon before the big day. Depending on where you live, of course. If you are still unsure if your recipient will like any of these things...then....just...get them a giftcard to a local yarn shop. (Or Michael's, if you absolutely must. I hate Michael's.) Happy shopping!!

Yours festively,
Carolyn

On Hooks and Needles Teaser

Lots of neutrals this week! Betchya can't wait until after Christmas to see all these beauts in their full glory.
Have a blessed Sunday!!
Lots of love,
Carolyn

My Views on Custom Orders and Unicorns

I love doing custom orders.  I. Love. Custom. Orders. I feel like making things by hand is such an intimate process. You are involved in each step of the process. You pick the materials. You design the product. You make it. You pack it. You ship it.

You...get the idea.

The intimacy of making something by hand is increased at least a hundredfold when the customer is a part of the design and creation process. When the communication is good between both parties, it is a blissful experience. Now, I cannot do all customs all the time; it takes longer, because you need to talk to the buyer and finalize designs and fees and whatnot. But, doing custom orders every now and then is refreshing.

Most often, the buyer wants a color combo I had not thought to offer before. Sometimes, the buyer wants something altogether new. Something I never thought of. Something totally unique. I love that. It pushes my boundaries, increases my repertoire, and ultimately makes the customer super-duper happy. It's a glorious situation all around. I get street cred for making a crazy-odd design, and the customer gets to tell everybody that their one of a kind hat was their own idea, and it was made by a glittery fun girl who is game for most things.

Last week a lovely lady messaged me on Etsy asking if I would be willing to do a custom unicorn hat for her to give to someone for Christmas. Of course the answer was yes! She had seen my 'normal' Unicorn Hat in my shop and was unsure if the recipient of the hat would really wear such an attention-grabbing creation. The person was hip and fun and would probably think the hat was neat, but needed a more low-key chapeau for erryday thuggin'. 

Which, honestly, worked out really well that the lady wanted a custom, because less than 3 hours after she messaged me, the Unicorn Hat I had listed in the shop sold to someone else.

'Normal' Unicorn Hat. Yeah, it's pretty cray.

She decided that she wanted a shorter, white mane for the hat. I was excited, because I had some floofy FunFur on hand that worked poifectly. I think it turned out very cute! I was a little worried at first that a shorter mane would make the "unicorn aesthetic" a little less obvious, but I mean, come on. The thing has a horn coming outta it's head!! Unicorn to the max.

I love these labels so much. I cannot tell you. Well, I can. And I'll say it again: LAHVE DEM.

Another successful custom order!! Well, I think it was successful. The hat should be arriving to it's happy new home any day now, so I'll know soon enough if it was an all-over success.

Happy Saturday!!
-Carolyn

Did she say CHOCOLATE?

 

Sometimes the most interesting places are tucked right in front of you. You just have to look! On Tuesday, Mr. Sailor had the morning off. I had to drop off a hat I made for someone at a local coffee shop I have never been to. I love coffee, if you don't know, so I was excited to explore a new coffee shop. However, we discovered something way cooler than the coffee shop.

Next door to the shop, there was an unassuming place with a name that made me go, "whoa."

Wholesale Candy Outlet.

Of course, I had to twist Sailor's arm REALLY HARD to get him to go in. Just kidding, he almost beat me to the door. Just kidding, I tripped him so I could get there first. Just kidding, that's mean.

The point is, we went in. And I'm so glad we did! The place specializes in distributing fine chocolates to local sellers. The owner (who we met) travels all over the US and world to sample specialty sweets. They even make some of their own chocolates and all their fudge in house. Awesome!!


We chatted with the owner while browsing their selection. It turns out, his family is from the same small town that our families are from! What a small world.

In the end, I could not resist getting some chocolate. We got two Belgium truffles and scarfed them right away. The two chocolate bars we got actually made it home.

This milk chocolate is made in the US but tastes like the most fahahahaaaancy imported candy I've ever had. It was buttery, smooth, and had a depth of flavor I have never tasted in a milk chocolate. The label did not list any gluten-containing ingredients, but if you are really really sensitive to gluten, I would call the company.

This mini bar did not have any ingredients listed on it, but I felt fairly confidant that it would be okay. It was a dark chocolate bitter-bar with coffee flavoring. Ohmylanta guys. It was like a nice dark roast cuppa joe married cocoa. Loved it. So did Sailor!

Find the E. Guittard 38% Milk Chocolate here

Because I love Spongebob. No regrets.

Stay sweet guys!
Yours,
Carolyn