Heartstrings Yarn Studio

On my way out of Chico on Friday I stopped by this little yarn shop that I had walked to one of my first weeks at Chico State.  It is called Heartstrings Yarn Studio.  Honestly, I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed during my first visit.  Although the selection of yarn is INCREDIBLE, there is a lack of local yarns.  I know I went in with expectations of tons of local yarns because this is an “Ag” county and therefore there has to be more local spinners and fiber suppliers.

Even though I wasn’t completely awed my first visit, Heartstrings is one of the (if not the) only yarn shop in Chico.  And I wanted some “good” yarn.  After 10 years I have grown tired of Red Heart Super Saver acrylic yarn.  I was in the mood for some sock yarn, I want to learn to knit socks two at a time on circular needles.  

I think I chose a good day, there was no one in the store (okay one other person) and the sales lady was so kind to help me.  It was awesome.  I told her I was looking for some sock yarn, she showed me the selection.  I picked out a nice merino wool and an alpaca/merino blend.  Both are delicious!  

Then I told the sales lady I was looking to make some crocheted potholders.  She showed me her selection of 100% cottons as well as the sales bins that I could dig through to find some cotton yarns.  It was great fun!  

I came away with my two sock yarns, a new set of circular needles, and some great information about the local spinning group.  I even applied for a job there!  Boy it would be great if I could work there!

On my second visit my mind was changed regarding this quaint little yarn shop.  I quite like it. The selection of yarn and needles is quite extensive and the staff is very knowledgable.  I will someday be a supplier for high quality fiber rovings and yarn to shops such as Heartstrings Yarn Studio.'

Check out there website at http://heartstringsyarn.com/ 

KnitPicks Podcast

I have recently become addicted to the Knit Picks Podcasts.  I’m not exactly sure what the appeal is, since I don’t knit very much.  It must be all the chatting about yarn, dying, spinning, and interviews with authors.  I checked out the website and they have so much amazing yarn.  The only downfall is that I can’t snuggle with it before I commit to buying.  Their prices aren’t bad either.  I really love that (at least for now) there is FREE shipping for order over $50!  And that is not a hard number to hit!  

I was listening to an old podcast from July 3, 2008, it was an interview with Gale Zucker the photographer for Shear Spirit.  I have yet to check out the book but I loved the interview!  Kelley, the podcast hostess, asked Gale if she could have any livestock in on a little farm what would she have.  Her answer to my great delight...alpacas and goats!  I was pulling some bread out of the oven and when I heard that I started laughing out loud!  I thought I was the only one on this planet that was that crazy to pick that combination of livestock.  I was happy to hear I’m not the only crazy person on the planet.  

I will eventually buy some Knit Picks’ yarn, but until I have some disposable income, I will be content with what I have and enjoy listening to the podcast.  www.knitpicks.com

Animal Invasion!

I have recently made three crocheted stuffed animals; a bunny rabbit, a manta ray and a whale. And I must say I love how they all turned out. I used the patterns out of "Super-Super Cute Crochet" by Brigitte Read.  There are 35 different animals to crochet, including:

Pomeranian, Bunny Rabbit, Kitten, Percy Pig, Siberian Hamster, Puppy, Cat, Cow, Polar Bear, Penguin, Turtle, Crocodile, Frogs and Toads, Walrus, Manta Ray, Squid, Whale, Shrimp, Platypus, Snail, Flamingo, Tortoise, Hippo, Guinea Pig, Anteater, Butterfly, Bluebird, Toucan, Owl, Panda, Koala, Silkworm, Mole, Arctic Fox, and Dragon


I plan to make many more of these little guys and market them via craigslist and local craft fairs.  The best part about these creatures is that they are much larger than I expected.  I expected little tiny animals and I got nice stuffed animals that kids can play with. 

There is one problem that I have found so far with this book.  There are some mistakes in it.  The stitch count for many of the rows is off.  In the manta ray I just did the stitch count for the body is 52 single crochet stitches, not 62 stitches.  I have no problem correcting them, crossing out the wrong number and filling in the correct.  I have learned not to worry about "ruining" books that I use. 

Personally, I do not mind going through and fixing the mistakes as I make each animal.  But I know some people don't want to take the time to do that.  I may over a period of time post the corrections, not the entire pattern, but the row counts on this blog.  But not today. 

Tomorrow, I may visit Michael's in my way home from work, use the gift card my sister got me for my birthday and buy some more yarn to make some more little animal friends.