Friday, February 25, 2005

Extravaganza Continues

Yesterday we decided to take a ride to Saranac Lake to visit the yarn shop called "The Knitting Corner."  The yarn shop was one that Arlene, a member of the Crochet Partners online list, told me about.  Saranac Lake is 11 miles from Lake Placid.  As we were driving around the town, we saw a beautiful crystal palace -- all made of ice.  (Go back to the link and check it out!)

Thankfully Arlene provided us with the phone number to the yarn shop as they had apparently moved.  When we arrived at the tiny store we were greeted by a very warm and friendly lady that apparently had been to the same 1980 Celebratory Ice Show we had been at the night before.  "Oh yes, I was there," she remarked, "...and I had on my 1980 hat with all the Olympic pins I had collected at the Olympics.  Oh, what an experience that was!"

So while we were there, I let my daughter pick out some yarn.  I got a Patons pattern book, and she picked out two skeins of yarn and the book Sunny's Mittens: Learn to Knit by Lovikka Mittens.  I must admit that this is a very cute book to encourage children to try knitting as it starts out with a story about a little girl wearing out her mittens her grandmother had lovingly knitted for her.  So now, after reading the book, my daughter has declared that just as soon as I know what I'm doing (with my knitting adventures), I'm to teach her.  Hooboy!   I'm thinking, maybe we can try knitting the mittens together.  I'll do one mitten, she can do the other and sometime in the future we'll end up with two mittens.  :)  

After returning to Lake Placid, we took a ride up to White Face Mountain.  We arrived there about 15 minutes before they officially closed.  We walked around the base lodge with the children, and ended up in the gift shop.  There we found ski hats for sale ...mostly CROCHETED ski hats for $21.  The hats were crocheted using single crochets in the "spiral method" ... all done in the back loop only (this creates a "ridge" on the work) -- the brim was knitted.  As we walked around the store, I received more compliments on my hat.  "Where'd you get that hat?"  "Can I buy that locally?"  I guess it's time to submit proposals to get the pattern published.  [[wink wink]]

We watched the news last night and saw that our home area was getting hit with a snow storm -- 3 to 6 inches of snow.  It just started snowing here, so it may make our trip home a bit longer.  That doesn't matter; as long as we're together we're a happy family.

Arlene, thank you again, for the yarn shop recommendation!!  See you all when we're back in Connecticut!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A woman named "Mittens" wrote a book about mittens???  That's funny!  As for the hats - I'm in the wrong business.  I really need to come up with my own hat pattern and sell them.  Be very careful going home.  Heard the east coast got a LOT of snow and more on its way.  Hugs, Sheila

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhh Saranac Lake!  That brings back memories!  As a SMALL child - of 3 or 4 - we spent part of the summer there!  I caught my first BIG fish - it pulled me off the dock into the water which was over my head.  My uncle reached down and pulled me back up by my hair - and I was still holding the pole, with the fish still hooked!  He told me I was just sitting there in the water, hanging on to the pole like he'd told me to! LOL