Churchmouse Yarn and Teas, Seattle

I never fail to visit Churchmouse Yarn and Teas, on Bainbridge Island, whenever I'm in Seattle.  Visiting yarn shops is particularly soothing, as we knitting types, know, but it was particularly so this time.  As I said in my previous post, the professional part of the trip was not a breeze, so being met at the door of Churchmouse with a glass of champagne brought an instant smile to my face!  The occasion was the celebration of the annual Puget Sound Yarn Crawl.  Had I done my research before hand, I would have found time to visit the other shops, and there are many in the area.  Each customer received a "passport" which each store stamped, and a free pattern.  

The store is beautiful.  The white paint and installations really bring out the beauty of the yarn they sell, as you can see below.  The photos are a combination of those taken on this trip and from a few years ago.  I particularly appreciate their collection of Habu, Socks that Rock, Koigu, Malabrigo, and Marianne Isager, which I've never seen anywhere else.  I'm sure you know her books, Knitting Out of Africa, Classic Knits, and Japanese Inspired Knits.

The vestiges of  Olga's trunk show were also there, making the shop seem even more familiar.

Next time I'll take photos of their button selection, needlepoint and tea sections.

I bought Churchmouse "Classics" Mohair Bias Loop for my travel project home, which one of the staff was wearing across her shoulders as in the picture at the top of the pattern below.

The pattern requires two skeins of Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but she had made hers by knitting the Kidsilk Haze with strand of Charles "Crystal."  The sequins are subtle, making the shawl particularly beautiful.

It requires a provisional cast on. One of the staff thoughtfully started it for me since she knew I was traveling and put it into my shopping bag. Nice, nice, nice!

And I couldn't resist these purple beauties:

The champagne, ambiance, and warm, welcoming staff humored me out of my snarly mood. I had a peaceful ferry ride back to the main land.  With interesting company I might add.  As at Nordstrom (see previous post), a perfect stranger sat down next to me to chat about my knitting project, and life in general.

Hair Adventures in Seattle

I took a quick business trip to Seattle last week and after some contentious meetings, spent Saturday shopping.  I went to Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore; got my hair washed and blown out at Vain, a salon worthy of Lady Gaga; then took the ferry to Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island.  Oh, and Nordstrom's flagship store.  Funny thing, whenever I'm in Seattle perfect strangers seem to feel comfortable striking up conversations with me. I don't mind, it's just that it happens more frequently in Seattle than anywhere else.  A woman, originally from Washington, DC, complemented me on my hair as I was trying on shoes at Nordstrom, then sat down next to me to chat about life in Washington, then gave me some fashion advice.  (I took it!)  You'd think we were old friends!  She lives in Florida now, but has a studio in Seattle. 

My stylist at Vain was also originally from the DC Metro area.   Vain is located in downtown Seattle within walking distance of the hotels we stay in.  It first caught my attention a few years ago when they had rollers hanging in their window. 

They sell Nouba, an Italian cosmetics line that I like a lot, and cannot find anywhere else.  I always pick up a lipstick or shadow whenever I'm there.  It's great for many complexions, but because it is a highly pigmented line, it's perfect for women of color, i.e. the colors don't go ashy when applied.  Unfortunately, Vain is discontinuing the line because it's hard to get, takes forever for shipments to arrive, so it's hard to stay fully stocked.  I've found a few pieces on eBay and Amazon, but I've never seen it anywhere else.  Some of the online cosmetic sites used to carry it, as evidenced by the cached sites, but no longer do.  If you see it, please let me know.

This time a young woman was getting her hair and makeup done for homecoming. 

Her hair is held up with glue.  It's hard to see in this photo, but her eye make up was spectacular - the ultimate in winged eyeliner.  Her nails were painted in black and white stripes.  I wondered what they'd do with my hair, so I booked an appointment.  I didn't get a "do" like this, but a sleek  60's style, with the top back-combed for height, and a part on the side that accentuated unruly, spikey, gray bangs in the front.  I loved it!  The only thing I would have done differently before blow-drying my hair,  after applying the heat-styling protective agent, was to add some oil.  That's a priceless little trick I learned from a stylist in Tucson.  I use Kerastase Nectar Thermique, a heat protective product; and Oleo-Relax, an oil and anti-frizz product.  These products are pricey but just right for my hair - they don't weigh my hair down or look greasy.  My hair feels silky soft.  If you can't find Kerastase in your local, you can order it online.  You can earn 5% on your purchases if you go to Kerastase's site through Mr. Rebates.  (The link is a referral from me if you don't already belong, or you can go directly to the site yourself.)  Once you're at Kerastase, they will e-mail sale notifications to you.  I stock up whenever they have one.

Kinokuniya, Seattle

I actually made it to Seattle despite my employer's every bureaucratic effort to prevent it. That's a bit of an exaggeration, maybe, but it seemed so at the time! I went there for work, but stayed on my own dime over Memorial Day weekend. Seattle is one of my favorite cities for many reasons, not least of which are all the wonderful yarn stores. As soon as my delegation returned to Europe, I rented a Zipcar Saturday morning (thanks for turning me on to Zipcar, Deb!) and, with my friend GPS, headed to Kinokuniya Bookstore, Little Knits, and Hilltop Yarn in the Queen Anne district. I spent Sunday on Bainbridge Island at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas.

Kinokuniya is cool Japanese bookstore in Seattle's International District. It appears to have every book and magazine published in Japan including a healthy selection of knitting and other craft books.

I picked up Vivian Hoxbro's Advanced Domino-Knitting and Three Crochet Plants by Knot.
I haven't been able to find an English-language version of Advanced Domino-Knitting, but it has enough English in it to decipher the patterns, and like other Japanese craft books, it has excellent charts. I've posted photos of a few projects I haven't seen on Ravelry.

From Three Crochet Plants:






Kinokuniya is attached to Uwajimaya, a very large Japanese grocery store.

I bought lots of green tea,

then headed for Little Knits in West Seattle.

Can't believe an entire month has gone by since I last posted. I've been to Denver since then and I just returned from Seattle last night. I've been there three times in the last twelve months. It's rapidly becoming my favorite American city. There 's so much to say about it that I don't know where to start. I know that I have a narrow view of it: I stay at one of the hotels downtown a few blocks from Pike Place Market, I never have to endure the apparently horrific traffic, and it's usually sunny when I'm there with only occasional showers. But given that there is a coffee shop on every corner, some of the best food I've ever eaten (I'm a salmon and steel head trout fiend!), great boutiques, lively cultural life, great yarn shops, great museums, and a Jimi Hendrix exhibit at the Experience Music Project, I sometimes wonder why I'm still in DC...

This time I visited Kinokuniya Bookstore in the International District. They have a large craft section containing lots of interesting quilting, crochet, embroidery, sewing, and of course, knitting books. I picked up these pictured below.

I went to Kinokuniya specifically to look for Aran Knit
(ISBN978-4-277-11401-1) after seeing this sweater on Tricot Methode Frankenstein:

Cable Sweater

Love these too:

Bolero

Room Shoes

Aran Knit has no English text, but like other Japanese knitting books it is full of helpful charts. The other books are Crochet Accessories (ISBN978-4-277-43080-7), Tokyo Style Beads Collection (ISBN4-05-402717-2). The fourth book has no English title but it's been blogged a lot and I'm sure you recognize it. The ISBN number is ISBN978-4-529-04140-9. I'll post photos from these later.

Oh, and be sure to check out the stationary supplies! They lots of notebooks, plastic sleeves, and loads of colored gel pens, for which I have a weakness.

I know some of you plan to visit Seattle soon, so don't hesitate to go to the International District though on a map it looks like it's a long way from the city center. It's a short cab ride away and an interesting long walk if you're up for it. Be sure to visit the huge Asian grocery store next door, Uwajimaya. I picked up some interesting looking tea, they had some tasty looking candy treats and a large selection of bento boxes.

Seattle Art Museum