the beginning of the gray cabled hat

A few weeks ago, while going through my winter hand knits, my roommate requested a gray hat. I sent her a few different patterns that I found on some lovely knitting blogs. She picked the 3am blue cable hat from Smariek Knits. 

On Black Friday, I went to Warm N' Fuzzy and purchased a light gray skein of Quince and Co. Osprey yarn. It was the best Black Friday ever, going through a yarn shop with very obliging knitters chatting about their Christmas projects. 

Osprey is 170 yards of worsted weight, three-ply 100% American wool. It's a blend of Merino, Roulette, and Columbia wool. It's durable, soft, and squishy. Look at Quince and Co.'s website! It's beautiful! It's like a woodland walk in rows of squishy hand knits and gorgeous trees. All of their yarns are named after different birds. Their thicker yarns are named for bigger birds and their thinner yarns are named for the littlest of songbirds. Among the yarns are Owl, Puffin, and Chickadee. All of their yarns are produced entirely in the United States in a mill in New England. The story of how the company is very sweet and definitely worth reading.

Pictures of the finished hat will follow soon. Happy Knitting! I hope all of your Christmas crafting is going well. Merry Christmas!

finished baby sophisticate

I have finally finished this little Baby Sophisticate! I found a set of adorable 1940s vintage glass buttons that I found at Warm and Fuzzy. I feel like it helped make the sweater classic. It's a classic, baby boy "grandpa" sweater now, complete with shawl collar and squishy fabric. 

Happy Knitting!

Warm N' Fuzzy

I just went to the new Warm N' Fuzzy in downtown Cary. It is absolutely fabulous! Everything is artfully arranged with plenty of space to sit down and knit, a table for pattern exploration, and many windows which give great light to see the yarn.

The owner, Rebecca Hart, has refurbished an art gallery into a light-filled, community-oriented, yarn-love space. It is stunning!

These adorable, crocheted birds greet all the customers in the shop's front window.

They have a computer set up to help clients look up patterns on the internet. It even has a crocheted stool cover!

I love how each corner is arranged so beautifully; here is a basket of hand-dyed yarns with a crocheted giraffe and alpaca pair beside it.

The sitting area is complete with classy couch with pillows and a coffee table for the pastries from La Farm Bakery and patterns.

The owner, Rebecca, hosts Knit Night every Thursday evening from 7 to 9. I went yesterday evening and had a lovely time. I made great progress on my Boston whale baby hat. Rebecca also helped me find a pattern for slippers that a friend had requested.

Left to right: Mari, Rebecca Hart, and Caryn.  Mari's website with her own knitwear designs is www.mariknits.com.

I'll definitely be returning to Warm N' Fuzzy. Happy Knitting!