Last Minute Slouchy Hat

 Holiday Knitting

Four days to go 'till Christmas and I am knitting as fast as I can.  How about you?

One of my favorite last minute gift ideas this year is Bernat's Slouchy Hat.  I love knitting this hat for girls in college but I think this hat is great for ladies of all ages.  I even want to knit this

hat for me!

 Quick Knit

 

The Slouchy Hat can be knit in a night or two.  It's knit flat and then seamed up.  You only need basic skills and should know how to do cables.  If you don't know how to do cables this is a pretty good pattern to learn how to do front and back cables.  It's just may take you a little longer to knit.

I've knit several of these hats in Debbie Bliss SoHo bulky yarn.  It's discontinued now but you can check your favorite yarn shop for a similar bulky yarn or use the Alpaca yarn that Bernat recommends.

Slouchy Hat

I love this Slouchy Hat. 

 Hand knits are so much nicer than all the acrylic machine knits out in the stores for Christmas.  This hat really looks cute on and looks like it came from a fashionable boutique.  Love that!

Merry Christmas

and

Happy Last Minute Knitting!

Sparkle!

 Snowflake Sparkle

It's not just the Christmas tree that needs a little "sparkle" during the holidays...scarves need some "sparkle", too!

I love my Fair Isle scarf that I bought at Nordstrom a few months ago.  It reminds me of the fabulous Fair Isle scarf currently on the cover of Rowan magazine #48.  It's just about cold enough in California now that I can start wearing it.  I thought a snowflake pin would be the perfect "sparkle" for it!

Monet Snowflake Pin

My secret source for my snowflake pin is Macy's.  I found it this week while Christmas shopping.   It's a very nice piece of costume jewelry by Monet.  It retails for $25.00 but if you're a savvy shopper like me...you won't pay near that! 

Will you be dashing off to Macy's or Monet to get one?

Holiday Bling

Holiday Bling!

I think all scarves deserve a little holiday "bling"!

I had so much fun visiting little vintage boutique shops yesterday "on the hunt" for some holiday "bling" for my hand-knit scarves.  Look what I found!

You can read all about some of my favorite boutiques on my other blog Tete-a-Tete.  These pins were found yesterday in Old Fair Oaks Village.  The top pin is a vintage Albert Weiss rhinestone pin that I snagged at Wink and the wire flower pins are from Bungalow. 

I love the unique wire and beaded floral pins.  Kim the owner of Bungalow doesn't think the artist is making them anymore.  I can see why...the wire crochet work is so delicate it must be quite hard on one's hand to create them.  Sorry ladies...I snagged Bungalow's last two pins so there are no more of these to be found. 

Now I'm off to peak at my Mom's and Grandma's jewelry boxes for more holiday "bling" for my knits.  I bet if you look inside your family's jewelry boxes you can find some holiday "bling", too! 

Holiday Cheer

Cards for Knitters

If you're a knitter you've got to snag some of these adorable Knit note cards!

I think they're perfect for stamping and sending some holiday cheer.

The cards are even color printed on both sides.  With that in mind, I was thinking you could even cut up the cards  into tag shapes and make adorable gift tags for your holiday knit gifts.

Knittin' Note Cards

It pays to be a shopper...that's how I often find cute stuff.  I found these cards at Michaels.

If you want some knittin' note cards you better hurry down to your nearest Michaels.  You can find these cards in the Michaels bargain bins.  A pack of 8 cards is only $1.00.  Yes, you read that right! 

At that price,  I'm sure they'll be gone in no time!

All I Want for Christmas...is a Sophie Digard Scarf!

 Piccolo

A Collection of Curiosities & Indulgences

Dear Santa Baby,

All I want for Christmas is a Sophie Digard scarf. 

(Preferably a blue one...hint hint!)

 Sophie Digard Scarf

I am in love with Parisian designer Sophie Digard's needle work.

On a recent visit to charming Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, I stumbled upon an adorable boutique called Piccolo.  Piccolo is filled with all sorts of curiosities and indulgences.  (That's even printed on their business card!)

Being a knitter, I was immediately drawn to the beautiful crochet and knit accessories on display in Piccolo.  The moment I saw the beautiful crochet scarf, I knew it had to be a Sophie Digard.  I was right.

I had admired Sophie's stunning scarves on the Internet.  I must report that they are even more lovely in person.  They are also very pricey...but if you're a needle worker you can certainly appreciate the amount of time and workmanship that goes into a scarf like Sophie's.  Her designs are beautiful floral crochet motifs crocheted in wispy and delicate yarns. 

Sophie Digard Purse

Sophie even has stunning purses!

Sophie's Work

I'm in awe of Sophie's work.

If Santa doesn't bring me a Sophie scarf, I guess I will have to become a more proficient crocheter!

Habu Textiles

Habu Textiles

I had the unexpected pleasure in August of dropping in on a Habu Textiles Trunk Show at Websters in Ashland, Oregon.

On my way back home from meeting Debbie Bliss in Portland, I stopped in at Websters.  Websters is always a must stop for me anytime we are travelling Interstate 5 between California and Oregon.  I generally stop  in for a Louisa Harding fix but this time it was all about Habu!

Habu Trunk Show

It was definitely a Habu weekend at Websters.   

Too bad I missed the party the night before my visit.  There was a sushi party and book signing for

 Ori Ami Knits. 

Takako Ueki

The best part of the Habu Trunk Show was meeting Habu Textiles owner, Takako Ueki.  I had the pleasure of chatting with her and her friend Darlene Hayes of Nature's Palette for quite a while.

Takako was born in Japan.  She originally opened her Habu Textiles Showroom in New York City in 2000 for showcasing her beautiful hand woven textiles.  Today she imports very unique yarns, like fine silk stainless steel yarns,  from Japan. 

Curious me, I asked Takako what Habu translated to.   She told me that it can be translated like this:  ""ha" means the number 8 for lucky and the word "bu" means fabric.

Lucky me for meeting her!

Knitting with Stainless Steel?

Kusha Kusha Scarf

As a knitter, I had heard about Habu yarns for quite some time and "that" scarf you knit with stainless steel!  It wasn't until I saw the Kusha Kusha scarf in person that I instantly became a Habu convert.  That's the beauty of going to Trunk Shows.  You get to see and touch the garments and yarns.

Since I am not a big garment knitter I decided to start with the popular Kusha Kusha scarf designed by Setsuko Torii.  I chose a tea leaf colored green merino to knit with the silk stainless in black.  I named my scarf Sencha because it looks just like the color of my favorite Japaneses green tea. 

I started my scarf and it's an easy project.  You combine and knit the two yarns together.  The yarns are very fine and slippery so it takes a while to get in the "zen" to knit this scarf.  I am on my way now and can't wait to finish the knitting so I can felt it. 

Once it is completed you gently felt in a sink of warm water and then it transforms into a beautiful work of Japanese art.  I can't wait!

Felted Shawl Kit -73

I was so enamored with Habu Textiles that I ordered  Kit -73 to knit a Habu Felted Shawl.  My kit finally arrived yesterday. 

Takako helped me select the colors for my shawl.  Of course, it is a blue merino combined with black silk stainless steel. This pattern  is the same process as Setsuko's Kusha Kusha scarf only on a larger scale. 

 My Habu Felted Shawl is going to be a stunner...so I better get to knitting! 

PS:  I'm not the only fan of Habu Textiles, Martha Stewart is,too.  You can read more about the Habu Textiles Showroom on Martha Stewart.com. 

Falling for Fair Isle!

Fair Isle Scarves

I fell for Fair Isle a long time ago. In fact it was back in the 1970's when I was just a teenager. I still even have my vintage Esprit Fair Isle vest to prove it!

I'm still falling for Fair Isle today and love it even more. Now that I'm a knitter, I love the history and the tradition of Fair Isle knitting.

Did you know that it was Edward, The Prince of Wales back in 1921 that made Fair Isle fashionable? He wore a Shetlands hand knit Fair Isle sweater on the links at St. Andrews, Scotland for just one hour and started a fashion revolution.

Thanks to fashion designers like, Ralph Lauren Fair, Isle continues to be a classic.

Knitting designers are keeping the Fair Isle craft alive,too. Just check out the fall Debbie Bliss Magazine to see Fair Isle updated with her Scottish Eccentrics collection.

Book of Fair Isle Knitting

by Alice Starmore

I've wanted a Fair Isle scarf for a few years now. Every fall I start shopping online to see if I can find a Fair Isle scarf that is wool and well made. There are a few Scottish fashion houses that have them but I have never really fallen in love with one online yet.

I've even thought about knitting a Fair Isle scarf. This could be quite a task since I'm a newer Fair Isle knitter, an English thrower and knit Fair Isle with only my right hand. I think it would take me a long time to knit a traditional Fair Isle Scarf.

When Alice Starmore's The Book of Fair Isle Knitting was reprinted, I purchased it immediately for the day when I really want to master Fair Isle and maybe attempt that scarf. Serious knitters know, it is the reference book for Fair Isle.

Fiona Ellis Fair Isle Workshop

To help my Fair Isle scarf quest, I not only bought the right books I also started taking classes. Earlier this year, I took a fabulous workshop Experiment With Color & Fair Isle from Designer Fiona Ellis at Stitches West.

After the workshop, I had more confidence and did start dabbling a bit at Fair Isle knitting with my Katie beret. As much as I love Fair Isle though, I often wonder if I have the patience and desire to knit a traditional Fair Isle scarf?

Jane by Louisa Harding

Now Louisa Harding's Jane scarf is a Fair Isle scarf that I do plan on knitting one day. Louisa designed just enough Fair Isle in the border to challenge a knitter like me. I know this is a scarf that I will enjoy knitting because it won't take me forever to knit.

I still do want that classic Fair Isle scarf though. I always thought I'd have to go back to Scotland to get one. Well, that was until yesterday.

Fair Isle Scarves by Tarnish

Yesterday I stumbled upon some fantastic Fair Isle scarves at Nordstrom.

For all you knitters, yes, the scarves are machine made, 90% wool and Made in Italy. I think their quality is very good. Good enough for Nordstrom and good enough for me.

So, now I am asking myself when is it okay not to knit? I think in the case of this type of Fair Isle design it is perfectly okay to buy a ready made scarf. So I succumbed yesterday and bought Fair Isle scarves at Nordstrom. Lucky for me, they had just arrived so I had my choice of colors. There are at least seven color choices ranging from classic to fab and bright.


I love Fair Isle!

So if you're like me and have fallen for Fair Isle, check out these scarves at Nordstrom.
They are currently only in stores and not online.

Pure Bliss!

Debbie Bliss Fall/Winter 2010 Magazine

I've been counting the days for the new Debbie Bliss magazine to arrive. Lucky for me and other knitters the magazine has arrived early at many local yarn stores.

The moment I arrived home today to enjoy my new magazine, I put the kettle on for some PG Tips tea...Debbie's favorite "cuppa"!

As my British Emma Bridgewater mug says above:

"Happiness Is A Cup of Tea & A New Magazine!

Scottish Eccentrics

I've been eagerly anticipating this issue ever since I saw it's preview on the Debbie Bliss Face Book fan page. I couldn't wait to see the Scottish Eccentrics collection that was photographed in Scotland.

For the record, I'm not Scottish (perhaps a "wee" bit) but I love Scotland. My husband and I were married in the Scottish Borders at Duns Castle in Duns, Scotland. I love Fair Isle, Tartan, Argyle, Shortbread and Scottie Dogs so I just knew I would adore this issue!

Mad for Plaid
Debbie's Editor's letter says it all:

"What better way to greet the new season than with a burst of color!This issue is certainly filled with color along with a modern spin on traditional Fair Isle. The colorful Fair Isle designs are refreshing and, to me, look like they just came off the catwalk.

I was so fortunate to meet Debbie Bliss in person earlier this month at a Trunk Show in Portland, Oregon. Debbie brought quite a few of the Scottish Eccentric garments with her. One of my favorites was the Tweed Jacket above. I just love it's Tartan pockets and elbow patches along with it's eclectic mix of buttons. It's moss stitch body is knit in Luxury Tweed and it's plaid pieces are knit in Rialto DK.

Tartan WrapI love this Tartan Wrap. It has such a British look to it. It reminds me of London High Street fashion brands like Burberry!

The Tartan Wrap is knit in three colors of Luxury Tweed Aran.

According to the magazine:

"Lovely lasses of any age can pull off these looks...
so cast on and join the clan!"

Fair Isle BeretThis adorable Tam-O- Shanter (or Beret) is going to be my first project from the magazine. I was brave today and selected six shades of Rialto 4-ply in playful bright colors like the Fair Isle sweater on the magazine cover. That colorful cover sweater really grabbed me. Since I'm not a big sweater knitter, I thought I could get that look in my wardrobe by taking a cue from it's colors. I think Debbie would approve!

Glen
Debbie's magazine is filled with so many fantastic patterns (34 in all). Besides the Scottish Eccentrics collection there are other pattern themes too: Casbah Chic, Nursery Knits, Nordic Christmas and Rural Retreat.

The photo above features a Snood and a Cabled Scarf both in Debbie's new yarn Glen. I am currently knitting with the Glen yarn and can tell you, it's a dream to knit with.

Not only do I love all 34 patterns in the magazine, I really enjoy the section in the magazine called "the blissful life". "The blissful life" gives us a glimpse into Debbie's personal interests and favorite things.

Lastly, it's always a treat to find a "tried & true" British recipe in the magazine, too. This issue features her daughter Nell's boyfriend's Granny's Fruitcake. Love that!


Looking Ahead....

Since I had the pleasure of meeting Debbie this month, I couldn't help but tell her how much I enjoy her magazine. ( Yes, I have every issue.)

I also asked Debbie, what can we look forward to with the next issue for Spring/Summer 2011? Debbie said it's theme will be "about lace and flowers". Ooh lovely, I love lace and flowers! She also said "the baby and home section of the magazine will have lots of color"!

Now I'm counting the days until it comes out!

I Met Debbie Bliss!

Designer Debbie Bliss

Debbie Bliss is one of the biggest names and brands in the knitting industry. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely lady and British designer behind the brand...Debbie Bliss!

I met Debbie at a Trunk Show & Talk August 4, 2010 at the Yarn Garden in Portland, Oregon. Debbie and her adorable daughter Nell flew out from London for several Northwest events. Debbie went on to Seattle the next day and threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners Stitch N Pitch. Since I live on the west coast in California...I knew I couldn't miss this opportunity to meet Debbie in person.

My timing couldn't have been better entering the Yarn Garden for the event. Debbie and her daughter Nell were nearby when I arrived. I told Debbie that my husband drove me all the way from California to meet her. To help her understand the distance I told her that would be like driving from London to Edinburgh. Debbie in her lovely British accent said " Oh, I better be good, then!" I said "I know you will!"

And so began my evening with Debbie Bliss. The moment I met her I knew it was going to be a special night!

Presentation & Talk

First off, I just have to say that Debbie looked just like a top fashion designer. She looked so smart in her "little black dress", Ralph Lauren glasses, silver cuff and animal print "pointy" flats. Hard to believe she had just arrived from London with no signs of jet lag!

She began the evening with a slide show presentation and talk. She immediately told us the Debbie Bliss Brand is "incredibly still a hands on operation". She still does all the creative work and designs 90% of the brand.

Knit Flower for Liberty

She told us about how she started in the knitting industry back in the 1970's. I had no idea that her first work was knitting flowers and soft sculpture knits for Liberty of London. I am a huge fan of Liberty of London so I loved this story!

She next walked us through her design process. She visits the Pitti Filati show in Florence twice a year to select her yarns. 80% of her Debbie Bliss yarn line is from Italy. Her preference being smooth and classic yarns.

She says "the yarn has to speak to me". She doesn't follow fashion trends however when she adds new colors to an existing yarn line, she does follow fashion trend colors. One of her favorite colors is Burnt Orange which really makes other colors "pop".

One of the highlights for me was hearing how her Designer vision comes to life. After she selects her yarns, she swatches the yarns into knitted fabrics. This is where she sees the drape and nature of the knit fabric. Next are the garment sketches, yarn selections and then off to the test knitters.

Next her design vision comes to life in her pattern books. She herself determines the theme and photo shoot locations for her pattern books. She is involved in every detail including the photo styling to see her patterns and vision come to life!


Now Let's Meet Her Daughter Nell!

Nell Bliss
Scottish Eccentrics Sweater
Featured on the cover of the Fall/Winter 2011 Magazine

The moment I saw Nell, I couldn't wait to ask her about Fairy Cakes. In her Mum's Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine Fall/Winter 2009 there is an adorable photo of Nell with her Fairy Cake recipe. Being an American I had to know...are Fairy Cakes the same thing as Cup Cakes? Nell cleared it up for me...yes, Fairy Cakes are what the British call Cup Cakes.

Nell was a delight to meet. (You'll probably recognize her since she's been a model in her Mum's books since she was a young girl.) She is currently on a break from her University in London. Nell and I chatted for quite a bit. We chatted about London, vintage shopping, Anthropologie (yep, they're in London now) and, of course, her Mum.

Thanks to my chat with Nell, I now know Debbie's favorite cuppa... PG Tips. I could have guessed that though...it's a favorite with most Brits.

Nell was such a trooper when I asked for a photo with her Mum's sweater from the Scottish Eccentrics collection. Yep, it's the fabulous Fair Isle sweater on the cover of the upcoming Fall/Winter 2010 Debbie Bliss Magazine. Wow... I got to see it in person! According to Debbie she just finished editing this issue two weeks ago. It will hit the stands in America on September 5th.

Now for the Trunk Show

Annie from the
Yarn Garden

Next came the fun of the Trunk Show because who wouldn't love trying on a Debbie Bliss garment? Debbie brought two very large suitcases filled to the brim with garments from her new Fall/Winter 2010 Collections.

It's no secret that I love everything British. Since I was also married in Scotland, I have a love for Tartan! I absolutely adore the cardigan that Annie from the Yarn Garden modeled (photo above).

I just love this tweedy cardigan with it's Tartan pockets and the cool mix of buttons. Sorry though...due to all the excitement of the evening, I do not know the name of this cardigan. Perhaps it is also from the Scottish Eccentrics collection in the Fall/Winter magazine?

Yes, I Met Debbie Bliss!

Lisette & Debbie

Debbie was so gracious and so personable. I told Debbie that I have never knit a sweater before. Before I knew it, she was personally assisting me trying on sweaters from her new collections. We both liked the Long Line Gilet sweater the best (photo above). It is from her new yarn and book Glen.

Debbie said the A-line shape is figure flattering for all shapes. Her fashion advice "feature the waist...skim over the hips"! So I purchased the Glen book and yarn to knit my first sweater. I plan on casting on this week..hey I can't let Debbie down now, can I?

By the end of the night I felt as though I was chatting with a school girl chum! I told Debbie how much I love her magazine. I mentioned how much I enjoy seeing the personal side of her (the designer) when she shares with us (the reader) her hobbies, interests and recipes. She said she struggles with that part of the magazine, being ever so humble.

I told her how much fun my knitting pen pal Ruth and I have comparing notes when each issue comes out. Oh, and how we both loved her Scone recipe in her Premier Issue. I told her that we, the readers, love those special bits in the magazine. Please keep doing them for us Debbie!

Several times throughout the evening Debbie said "what a privilege it is to be doing what I love".

All I can say is.... what a privilege for me to meet her, Debbie Bliss!

Art in Progress...

Let's Make Art

They say there’s an artist hidden in all of us and this scarf certainly proves it!

I've been wanting to dabble at this scarf technique for over a year now. Well, I finally had my chance to get "artsy" with silk and fiber tonight at Knitique's Needle Felted Scarf class. I've never had so much fun on a Friday night with fiber!

Needle Felted Silk Scarf

Danielle the owner of Knitique (and my knitting teacher) taught the class. She gave us fabulous tips and ideas on how to bring out our creativity from the artist within. Sorry but I can't give these tips away...you'll just have to take the class!

This scarf is one of those projects that is really more fun done in a class environment or with a group of fiber friends. It was so neat to see each person's creativity and how unique everyone’s scarves turned out. All the scarves looked like they came from “high end” boutique stores!

The inspiration for my scarf came from all the scarves I love at Anthropologie.

For now, my scarf is art in progress....

The Perfect Button!

Louisa Harding Aurora Flower

Button, Button, Who's got the Button...

Britex Fabrics in San Francisco has buttons. In fact, their 3rd floor has an entire wall devoted to buttons. For me, Britex is the place to go button shopping when you need to find that

"perfect button"!

The Perfect Button!

Last month I finished my Louisa Harding Aurora beret and it's adorable knit flower embellishment. I wanted to give my beret some vintage flair so I had planned on using a vintage earring for my flower's center. It looked pretty nice but somehow I knew I could do better.

I love my Louisa Harding projects so much I am often a fussbudget about their finishing details. I've learned as a knitter that the right details and embellishments really can elevate your knitting to more "boutique looking" results.

Britex Buttons

In one of my favorite books Knitting Little Luxuries , Louisa Harding writes about memories of her Grandmother's button box. Louisa encourages knitters to use found objects, buttons, flowers and ribbons to make their knitting projects unique. I took Louisa's advice and went searching for buttons.

Of course, I ended up button shopping at Britex Fabrics. Button shopping there can be overwhelming...there are so many buttons to choose from. Thank goodness, I brought my knit flower with me to help me make the right button choice. After about ten attempts at trying buttons, I finally found the "perfect button".

My "perfect button" is a lovely lavender glass Czeck button with vintage flair. It certainly looks as though it could have come right out of my very own Grandmother's button box!

I think Louisa Harding would approve!

Let's Go To A Trunk Show!

Let's Play Dress-Up!

Who doesn't love playing dress-up?

As a young girl (that's me on the far right) I loved to play dress-up!

Growing up my sister and I played dress-up with an old Army trunk filled with my Mom's childhood dance costumes and my Grandma's goodies.

Coco Knits Trunk Show

Well, today I am still playing dress-up only now it's at a different type of Trunk Show. I now love going to Designer Trunk Shows hosted by my favorite yarn stores.

Going to a Designer Trunk Show is really just like playing dress-up. Did you know you actually get to try on the designer's garments and determine if the garment design is right for you before you buy the pattern or knit it up? How fabulous is that?!

So, let's go to a Trunk Show....

Coco Knits Trunk Show

Designer Julie Weisenberger

of Coco Knits

Last night I attended a fabulous trunk show with Designer, Julie Weisenberger of Coco Knits.

I met Julie earlier in the year at Stitches West. Her booth was one of the busiest booths at Stitches. I fell in love with her patterns from her line Coco Knits.

Since Julie resides in the Bay Area, I decided to watch for events with her around the Bay. Well, last night was my chance to finally see her again with a Talk and Trunk Show hosted at Knitterly in Petaluma.

Liesl

"I design stuff I would wear"

The evening began with a great introduction by Julie with her talk called What Not To Knit followed by her Trunk Show.

Julie has a fabulous fashion background and gave us all wonderful tips on how to knit for our body types and make our garments more flattering. With all her years of designing, she has wonderful knitting and fashion tips and was very generous to share them!

Coco Knits Patterns

The best part of a Trunk Show is not only do you get a chance to meet the Designer but you also get a chance to chat with them.

I couldn't wait to ask Julie if her company name had anything to do with Coco Chanel? Well to my surprise...it does not! Julie said that when naming her company since all the typical knitting names/titles were already taken, she named her company Coco Knits for her love of chocolate.

How about that! I thought for sure it had a connection to Coco Chanel because I think her line is quite couture!

Knitterly

Knitterly in Petaluma is one of my favorite yarn stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's housed in a really cool historic brick building in the charming town of Petaluma. I love how the owner Shelli uses vintage props in her displays. Since I love vintage you know I love that.

This trip I noticed a really cool old French Baker's rack filled with lovely ribbons, trim, and buttons to embellish your knits. Shelly has a great selection of yarns and the largest selection of Habu Yarns that I have ever seen!

According to the Habu website, Coco Knits has at least six patterns to knit in Habu Yarns and Shelli does mail order!

If I lived in the North Bay this is the store I would hang out in!

Julie & Shelli

Thank you Shelli at Knitterly for hosting the Coco Knits event.

Thank you Julie for your advice and inspiration. I came home with four sweater patterns...for when the day comes that I finally do start knitting sweaters!

Happy Knits!

Jessa at Happy Knits

I recently returned from a trip to Portland, so you know what that means...I did some yarn shopping! I've written before what a great city Portland is for knitters. On this trip, I discovered a new yarn store to tell you about. It's called Happy Knits.

Happy Knits is my new favorite yarn store in Portland!

New Louisa Harding Yarn Range

I ventured in to Happy Knits and was greeted by the adorable Jessa (photo above). She was super friendly and gave me a fabulous tour of the shop.

I must say that Happy Knits is the most state-of-the-art yarn shop I have ever seen. They have a room just for hanging out and knitting set up with a computer for customers to use for Ravlery, etc.. There's even a wood burning stove for those cooler Portland temps. There's also a playroom for the kiddies and a separate (sound-proof) classroom.

Jessa told me that the shop just opened in February. There are so many yarn shops in Portland I was wondering how another one would survive. Happy Knits will survive for sure and probably give some of the older (out of date) shops a run for their money! I loved it's modern yet warm interior and friendly vibe. It's a well organized store and easy to shop.

Loads of Louisa Harding Yarn!
Well, another obvious reason why I loved Happy Knits is that they carry Louisa Harding yarns! The shop is well stocked with an array of Louisa's newer yarns.

I even got a raving yarn review while I was there. Jessa showed me a shop sample of her recently knit pretty summer top called Buttercup. She knit her version in Louisa's new Aimee yarn. Jessa told me that she really liked knitting with this yarn! Good to know since I haven't had a chance to try this yarn yet.

Louisa Harding Yarns at
Close Knit
I can't do a Portland review without mentioning my other two favorite stores in Portland:

Close Knit in the Alberta Arts District
and
Knit Purl in the Pearl District.

I always manage to snag a few great finds at both stores and love the friendly, expert service at both stores.

If you get a chance to visit Portland, I hope you visit my favorite shops and
be sure to tell them that Lisette in California sent you!