Kathy Wins Big in Washington

From Kathy D., May 18, 2013:

I would love to have dragged our whole knit group along these past few days. I visited 9 yarn shops and barely scratched the surface. I had broken my self-imposed budget by the second shop... This was the annual Local Yarn Shop tour ("Destination Yarn") of 24 shops from the Canadian border to south Seattle. 

Next year my friend, Nylah, who came to the knit group with me, and I have planned to hit the Seattle shops. Her daughter is now living there so she has an excuse to come up from Oregon. Each shop has a free pattern for a one skein project and gives a 10% discount on the yarn they are featuring for that pattern. Most of the places I went had both a crochet and knit version, or two different patterns. Shawl patterns were a big thing this year in the places I went and a couple had mittens or fingerless gloves. If one visited 8, 16 or all 24 shops, you could get in on a drawing at the end of the four day event. Wouldn't that be fun to win? (I don't even know what the prize is but it is YARN.) 

Once again I was struck by how different the ambiance is in each shop, how friendly knitters are, and how many different yarns are out there. That should be some comfort to those who buy yarn in case one day there is a shortage! Whew! all this and I get to hear the Skagit Valley Symphony tonight. 

On another subject, I found, among the tall grass, 3 more little hollyhocks looking for sun, so I transplanted them out of the vegetable garden before Mike rototilled and they look quite happy. Not blooming but leafy. I have gorgeous iris this year and some years there are very few. Who knows why?

*****

May 19, 2013:

P.S.: I had a call this morning from a shop in Bellingham called Apple Yarns to say I won yesterday's raffle! Me, who never wins anything! She told me it is a knitting bag with a set of sock needles (several sizes), some special Crafters Cream, and something else I've forgotten. 

I am taking pictures of some of my flowers. I haven't taken the iris yet because the weather has been so overcast and/or rainy since they started blooming.