Even though I haven’t been picking up the knitting needles often lately (definitely not as often as I would like), I always look for knitting shops whenever I visit a new city. My trip to California allowed me to visit 3 great shops, and I’ll be sharing details of each one as I photograph the stash I accidentally found joining me for my trip home.
First up — Commuknitty of San Jose, California. This was actually the second shop I visited on my trip, but I decided to talk about it first because I have actually…
… drum roll …
KNIT A SOCK! With yarn purchased at Commuknitty! GASP! Shocking!!! Ok, ok, maybe not THAT shocking, because I have actually knit socks before. However, this just might be my first finished object of 2008. Although it isn’t really finished yet, because I only have one sock. I have two feet. I need to make the second sock. So I’ll actually cast on for it right after I finish up this post.
Right after casting on – started 6/23/08 – finished 6/28/08
The internet search listed a few different shops in the San Jose area, but I picked this one because it had such a great rating on Yelp. Fortunately, it was close to where Erica and I had lunch with the most delicious sandwiches ever, so it was just a quick run to get over there. One of the main reasons I wanted to go there was so I could get one of the Flat Feet sock yarn flats. They take already knit up yarn (flat), dye it, and then you frog it as you knit it into a sock. My yarn shop carries these too, but I wanted to get one from there as a travel sock to work on.
Commuknitty is quite a charming store. Not quite as full of yarn as some of the other stores I have been to (I am a bit spoiled by Twisted Yarns after all), they greeted me as soon as I walked in the door, the shop felt comfortable from the second I walked in, and they had yarns I had not seen before in other shops. Check, check, check — all the things needed for a great yarn experience! If you’re ever in San Jose, be sure to stop in and check it out.
I also picked up Cascade sock yarn, and — most importantly — a skein of Noro Silk Garden to use in my Lizard Ridge blanket. I’ve decided that I want some of the squares to come from shops all over, hopefully in colors representing the town that I bought it at. This might not work for long, but it makes me happy to try. I picked up color #87 from San Jose, bright and colorful and hot — clear and sunny to me, just like San Jose was. It was by far the hottest place I visited in California. (Still not as hot as Houston, but hot no less.) I also picked up a lovely Trekking in dark gray. I might call them and have them send me a second one in the same die lot for a scarf I want to make instead of socks.
I’ll add photos of the San Jose stash acquisitions here soon.
Oh, how I miss California already. I’ve only been home for 24 hours, yet I miss the ability to go outside and not instantly melt. I like Houston in many ways — but the heat? Oh, how I hate the heat. I actually ate lunch outside on Sunday and felt a little bit chilled. It was fabulous.