i feel like i’ve been talking only about yarn for the last week. yarn YARN yarn yarn! i wish i was knitting right now. in fact, the reason i didn’t get the summary of the last nine shops posted last night is because i was knitting.

StevenBe, 3448 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis, MN

this was my first stop around noon on saturday. it was so packed! both with people and outrageous yarn. i even saw a sweater knit up with film! anything is possible at this store.

blurry photo of signature yarn (next to stevenbe’s coffee!), but great photo of signature pattern!

complete with yarn-bombs outside of the store!

Unwind Yarn Shop, 14617 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN

i think i could’ve squeezed this yarn all day long. so luxurious!

not a very big shop, but a whole wall of patterns organized very well and plenty of beautiful yarns to daydream about.

Yarn Garage, 2980 145th St., Rosemount, MN

i didn’t know that this was the sister store (or mother store?) to stevenbe! it was also pretty packed full.

i kept seeing local (and national! and international?!) knitting celebrity, steven, around the store so before i bought some of the yarn, i worked up the nerdy courage to ask for a photo with him! he is wearing a poncho he designed and recently had published.

3 Kittens Needle Arts, 750 Main St., Mendota Heights, MN

i was pleased to find this store right across the street from a wine bar where jason’s jazz-musician friend, steve, plays. mendota heights is pretty far for us to drive, but if there is both yarn and wine to be had… hmmm!

lots of needlework available at this store, too! i would definitely consider visiting if i ever had a hankering to do another cross-stitch project.

the espresso colorway was sold out, but the remaining colors were still pretty delicious.

The Yarnery, 840 Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN

i can’t believe i’ve never been here before, but i guess i don’t venture over to st. paul very often in the last few years.

i gotta learn how to crochet.

this shop had the pattern available in both knit and crochet. in an optimistic mood, i took both patterns. maybe someday i’ll get beyond the daisy chain…

with all of the running in and out of stores, i was getting really warm. so i left my coat in my car before i got to this shop. and one of my favorite moments of the day? one of the yarn enthusiasts stopped me so she could chart out the kitty pattern from my sweater! yay to kitty love!

Darn. Knit. {Anyway}, 423 Main St., Stillwater, MN

signature pattern: “a river runs through mitt” — clever name!

since i very rarely make it out to stillwater (it has been a weekend vacation for me in the past), i did the two things i love to do most there:

(1) i took a photo of the river.

(2) i stopped at saint croix vineyards for a wine tasting.

okay, back to yarn —

Lila and Claudine’s, 86 Mahtomedi Ave., Mahtomedi, MN

this was the only store that i had a little bit of trouble finding. i also think it was getting to be dinner time. coincidence?

found this hat in the “kid knits” room — i thought it was so adorable!

two signature patterns!

A Sheepy Yarn Shoppe, 2185 3rd St., White Bear Lake, MN

this was a great, quiet shop… and the only shop where i bought yarn that wasn’t the featured yarn for the hop. oh, well!

then to my final stop, another store i’ve been to many, many times — Crafty Planet, 2833 Johnson St. NW, Minneapolis, MN

fabric and yarn!

they had completely sold out of their signature yarn earlier into the third day, but they still had a great patten book available for both the hat and mitts. i half expected to need to pay for the pattern, it was produced so nicely.

i got the pin for visiting all 16 shops in the hop. what should i do with it? i feel like i should display it on something.

this is what i added to my stash during the hop:

• green across the top (with green and silver beads) – mifun “moment of zen” – from the shepherdess
• red ball – schulana, die trendiga Masche, balico – from a sheepy yarn shoppe (not featured, but did come with a pattern)
• red in middle with silver and blue threads – Leicester DK wool – from needlework unlimited
• green/purple/red yarn on right (with pinkish beads) – Freia Sport in “Powderhorn” – from yarn garage

it was very fun to see all of the new-to-me shops! i met a lot of really happy yarn enthusiasts along the way, too. yay!

can i go knit now?