Yarn Shop Hop

Today I visited 9 Seattle area yarn shops as part of the 2009 Local Yarn Shop Hop! I started out close to home in Lake Forest Park, wandered through Seattle, and then back to the Eastside for Bellevue and Issaquah. In the process I explored Phinney Ridge, Wallingford Center, and the Madison Park area; all places I'd never been! It was a challenge to read directions and try to drive at the same time, but it ended well. 

At each participating shop (there are 23!) I received a free crochet and/or knitting pattern for a one skein project. The shops had the yarn they used for their projects on sale, along with daily drawings in each shop. It was fun to see the variety of projects and familiarize myself with some new favorite stores! The free patterns I brought home include, a felted tea cozy (I always thought they were cheesy until I saw this one), several scarves, fingerless mittens, a stuffed octopus, a child's side button sweater, a market bag, and a beret. I think I'm going back to get the yarn for the tea pot cozy tomorrow, and I bought the yarn for the fingerless mittens. 

These bright yarns are for this scarf pattern. 

This is the yarn and tiny #2 sized needles for the fingerless mittens (pattern from Cultured Purls in Issaquah).

I got this yarn to make a baby hat with for an upcoming baby shower.

Here are the shops I visited and my thoughts on them:

1. Village Tea & Yarn, Shoreline - I loved this shop! It was elegant and cheery, plus they serve tea!
2. The Fiber Gallery, Phinney Ridge - This store didn't float my boat. It was a little to homespun and cold for me. 
3. Full Circle Yarn, Ballard - Probably the bottom on my list. Cluttery and old patterns. 
4. Bad Woman Yarn, Wallingford - Loved this one! It was packed full of great yarns and patterns, and the folks running the shop were very helpful and cheery. Lots of crochet patterns.
5. The Weaving Works, U District - Didn't love it or hate it. A large portion of their shop is dedicated to weaving, spinning, and dyeing. 
6. Acorn Street Shop, Ravenna - Didn't love or hate this one either. They have a lot of yarn, and quite a few patterns, but not much for crocheters. 
7. Tricoter Knitting Specialists, Madison Park - This was a nice shop, but very pricey. Most of their yarns were in the $15 - $60 range! Again, not much for someone who crochets.
8. Hilltop Yarn East, Bellevue - I still love this shop! They have a good price range in yarns, and their market bag pattern looks amazing!
9. Cultured Purls, Issaquah - This was also a nice shop, however not many crochet patterns.