So…let me tell you a bit more about owning a yarn shop!

Number One thing to know about owning a yarn shop? It doesn’t allow for much blogging time!! I know, I know…a year ago I said (right here) that I was going to try share my knitting adventures with all of you more regularly. Well, I guess we can make it an annual thing that I am going to (once again) try to keep up with this blog on some kind of regular schedule. Fair warning though…you all know what happens when humans make plans.

My plan of action here is to start out with my most current knitting projects. When that schedule idea of mine actually pans out, I will attempt to take the opportunity to fill in the blanks with my knitting over the past year. We’ll see how it goes…

Debbie Bliss Eco Aran Cably-Bobbly Madness Sweater

It’s actually called the “Curved Edge Jacket” from the Debbie Bliss Eco Fairtrade Collection book, but I think my name is more accurate. This pattern has A LOT going on!! You have the shaping of the curved edge, which starts right from the cast-on. Then there is the 12-row Pattern Panel repeat, which includes open cables, closed cables, and bobbles with cables zig-zagging in between. Fun stuff for sure, but not for the faint of heart! This one is definitely meant for a knitter with an organized mind. (Not quite sure I fit that description in any other part of my life, but it applies when it comes to knitting!)

Have I mentioned that I’ve started this sweater three times? Yes, I said three. It began in a lovely shade of green…a color I often go with. I was about 4 or 5 inches into it. Then we got in the purple…Kings purple. I just couldn’t help myself.

So I happily began again. I worked on it sporadically because I had to stay focused on many sample items for the store, butI stayed with it. I was working my way on the back through the armhole when I held it up to admire my work. It was at this moment that I realized that I started this sweater 22 pounds ago. When you’re only five feet tall, that much weight makes a big difference in the sizes that you should choose when knitting a sweater. Needless to say, I started yet again. (I didn’t even bother to rip and rewind the yarn…how do you spell “impatient”??)

I have to tell you, even with all the craziness…I love working on this one. A challenge, once in a while, is not a terrible thing!

...Because the Voices Tell Me To

Many knitters say they have so much yarn, they could open a store. I took that statement very seriously...I bought a yarn store. In July 2008, I became the proud owner of Stitch Cafe in Valley Village, California.

It has become an adorable place, with gorgeous yarns and amazing people. It's so much more than just a store...it's a caring community.

Learn more about it by following the link at the right to our website.

I've always said that knitting is cheaper than therapy. It has brought me comfort, kept my hands busy, opened my mind for creative thought, brought me many dear friends, given me something for my mother and I to share, and has generally been a big part of who I am.

I knit all the time. And I do mean, ALL the time. Don't get me wrong...I'm not rude about it. I do know when to put it away...but I carry some knitting with me all the time, just in case I find the opportunity to take it out. Whenever I have to wait for anything or anyone, I take out my knitting. (The service writer at my car dealership asked if I would make him socks. No kidding.)

I usually have many, many projects going at one time. I tend to like variety in my life. Generally speaking, I have at least one project that's challenging,

one that's mind-numbingly simple,

one that uses some yarn that I've fallen in love with,

and several others...just because...

...the voices tell me to.