Yarn Crawl 2010

So one word to describe the Yarn Crawl this year is--fun! It was a blast, really. My mom, Kaitlyn, Jessica and I planned it a little bit differently this year, separating up the shops into different days. Last year we did everything on one day... a little too much looking back. The first shop we went to was Nan's Needle works in Horseshoe Bay. We hadn't been to it before and I was really surprised how nice it was. The shop was located in a business center on the second floor but was worth the search. I found the most beautiful yarn that the owner, Cari Kojak, dyes herself. It is 100% silk and I don't know if I've ever been so smitten with a yarn right from the get go before. It's soft, oh so soft, and I just love the colors.

All in all I went to nine shops!

This years passport and bag were bright orange! Of course that made me very happy.

I really think this years free yarn was so great. I seemed to be drawn to the same colors though, as you can tell, greens, blues, and purples.

I got several great free patterns to accompany the yarn but somehow forgot to photograph them. Drat!

I visited Hill Country Weavers, Gauge, Nan's Needle Works, The Tinsmith's Wife, Rosewood Yarns, Yarnivore, Yarn Barn, Stonehill Spinning, and the Knitting Nest. I really treasured going by my favorite store in Comfort, The Tinsmith's Wife.

This is the second thing I bought this year: orange Silky Alpaca lace yarn from Classic Elite. I got it at Rosewood Yarns in Boerne.

I only bought four skeins this year! How's that for self-restraint?!? :)

Honestly, I almost didn't do the crawl this year, since I am making a huge effort to save more and more. So far it has been good, and I have been avoiding going to places I know will tempt me to spend, but this was the first time in a long time I have splurged a little.

I know I said this would be posted last Monday, but I spent the last week looking all over the house for a mysteriously misplaced camera cord that ended up being hidden under one of my quilts. No idea how it got there...

I just now found it last night.

So it is albeit late :)

Forgive me?

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

Yarn Crawl 2010+ Lake House Adventure

Last weekend two very joyous occasions happened. The first was a little family vacation, and the second was the Best Little Yarn Crawl in Texas. It was my second year in a row, if you recall, doing the crawl and boy this year was a blast as well!
The trip began on Friday when my mom, dad, Michael and I went on our merry way up to our families lake house.
We did some fishing, and overall just spent time together. In the cabin, I did some reading and worked on various drawings. We separated out time for the yarn crawl, all in all I went to nine shops all over the hill country.

I will tell you some more about what exactly happened on the crawl tomorrow.
Can't wait!
This lake was just so pretty.

I might have taken a 'few' photos of it. :)

We sat on the benches together and my mom scrap booked, my sister's read magazines and I knitted for a bit.

It was very pleasant.

I found several good free books at the local V.A. thrift store that I read a bit.

Here's my brother in the early morning light getting ready for the day!
Sipping some hot cocoa, of course.These are some views from the road, there are still so many wildflowers out and about. It really brightens up the roads.

All in all a splendid trip, one worth remembering.

Did you do anything fun on Columbus day Weekend?

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

Beaded Cobweb Wrap

I finished this wrap a little bit ago, but only got around to taking pictures of it last week. It is from the pattern Beaded Cobweb Wrap in the book Essential Crochet by Erica Knight, which I happened to find at Borders for only 5 dollars!

You might remember all the way back to January 29, 2010, when I showed you I showed you some of my works in progress. You might recall the blob of crochet with the sparkle? This is it, although now finished of course :).

It was left unfinished for some months just sitting. I couldn't decide whether or not to do beads. Then I decided to but couldn't find the right ones. Then one day I did at the Tinsmith's Wife, and so I finished it up...
It is actually pretty large and took really long to block it.

It is pretty warm and cozy too.

I love the drape in the fabric, and the added weight of the beads.

Also, I love the way the beads look!

All in all a great project, very easy, loved the yarn. The only complaint I might have is that it was too easy, it didn't really draw me in after going through the second ball of yarn I was bored. I really needed something to spice it up, and that's why it got curbed for so long.

In the end it was worth it though!

Happy Friday!

xoxo, Callie

the magical bean

Crochet Lace

Amazing...that is the one word to describe how I feel about this crochet lace japanese book I got while on the yarn crawl. I love every one of the patterns in it! The pictures are amazing and make all the lace go from granny to sophisticated.

The book was done by the very talented Yoko Hatta or Kazekobo, which I really admire for her stunning yet simple patterns. The diagrams seem to be easy to read and understand and I can't wait to pull out my crochet hook and begin! These are only some of the great patterns in the book.

The book's ISBN is ISBN4-529-04224-3.

I am so excited and I just can't hide it!

Yarn Crawl Fun

Last weekend my sister Kaitlyn, my mom, and I all piled into the car and drove through the Texas Hill Country for the 2009 Yarn Crawl. It was my first time going to it and I am so glad I did! It was a total blast. The company was the best anyone could wish for, and the ride was full of laughter and fun. I loved going to all the shops, and it was really interesting to see the ones I had never been to before. I got a free gift at each one of the shops we stopped at, and had my yarn crawl passport stamped. I really enjoyed this part of it because alot of the shops gave yarn and a patterns too! I love free gifts...Don't you? It was great. I got lots of yarn and goodies including two japanese craft books I have been wanting for some time, which I will show in another post. I am so excited!

The photos above were taken by my sister Kaitlyn.