Phew ~ I’m so glad to  be home (though I could totally see myself living in Seattle – who knows? Maybe someday….). I missed my Sam, my bed and, well, keeping up with all of you. And, if you can believe it,  I was  itching to get back to the dye pots. So, let’s have a little re-cap, shall we?  

Bear with me while I go in and  out of chronological order with my trip pictures. You’ll still get the feel for it, I promise.  **Warning – Picture Heavy Post**

First, there was Mt. Rainier

First full day after Bob arrives and we decide to venture to Mt. Rainier. I envision a nice drive through the park, stop and take a few pictures, lunch and coffee in the Lodge, that sort of thing. Bob envisions something all-together different. So, off we go on a six mile hike, or so he tells me (later I find out it was more like 8 miles – either way, it was long). And, of course, being that I am a flip flop sort of gal, I had the wrong shoes.  No worries though because Bob, being the uber prepared hiker that he is, had an extra pair of shoes for me – so I cinched them up tight and off we went. (I wasn’t about the have a repeat of this).

Something funny happened along the way – I fell in love with hiking. Total love. Think it was a combination of the incredible scenery, the great exercise, all the great photo opportunities and, of course, watching Bob have all sorts of fun. Those that know me well are completely scratching their heads upon reading this…. really guys, Bob and I are planning a hiking trip. Hey, Ben and Whitney – you guys up for it?

Hollowed out tree. Apparently we weren’t the only ones that liked it – it was covered with carvings and initials. We left without leaving our initials, but had to take a peek inside.

Just because I love this shot.

Next up – Olympic National Park - Hurricane Ridge area

More hiking, this time at Olympic. And, this time, Bob didn’t have to give me a hard sell – I was ready to go!

I felt like such a Von Trapp.

This just made me laugh.

We actually saw a bear – about ten feet from the front bumper of our car. Of course, the one time I don’t have the camera attached to my left eye, I miss it – MUCH to Bob’s dismay. I’ll never live it down.

After the bear photo fiasco I wouldn’t put the camera down and was able to snap a pic of this little guy – right outside my car window.

This trail was at quite and incline – but very clear, so it lent itself nicely to some on-the-go knitting.

In his defense – it was very sunny. But, that’ll teach him not to wear moisturizer with an SPF. He looks a little like Emperor Palpatine.

Perfect end to a long day of hiking. Paddy Coyones. A little out of the way (took the long way back from Olympic to Seattle) but Bob said I earned it. Soda bread alone is worth the drive. That and the Smithwicks.

But, what about all the yarn-y stuff?

My intrepid guide (and ever so gracious host and knitting teacher extraordinaire)  to all that is yarny in Seattle – the dear Naomi. But, wait, I had other guides too~

Naomi, Ellen (the fastest knitter, either side of the Mississippi, sweet Amy  and the ever so helpful Deb (Bob will be eternally grateful for the hiking advice)  at Village Yarn and Tea – Spin Night.

Trophy Cupcakes. Be sure to check out the video of her appearance on The Martha Stewart Show – I want, no MUST make the S’more Cupcakes. (Beth – I think we need to make these in November….. just putting you on notice).

I know there is more that I’m missing, but land sakes this is  a long post. I’ll be back with more,  lots more.

Anyway, long story short, we LOVE the Pacific Northwest and are already dreaming of our next trip. If you haven’t been, you should.

And came home with some Ruby Slippers  (from a kicky shoe store called Market Street Shoes).

Hi there everyone! It’s been so long – so much to catch up on and so much to share. So much that I better break it up into a few posts. And, because the re-entry from a trip is suh a bear, let’s start with an easy one. Pretty shoes and a knitted sweater.

And I finished Ingenue!

• Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca – 4 skeins
• Needles: Size 9 (5.5m)
• All together, this took about three days to knit. Granted, I did have a lot of time on the airplane. But, still, that’s some quick knitting and you just can’t beat that.
• Verdict: Go start one, you’ll  be  so glad you did! And, I love it so much I want to make another.  

Stanley Park – Vancouver, BC

Off to do laundry and get ready for a busy week of dyeing. Back soon with a recap.

I owe you more  answers, don’t I? Sorry for the delay. I got distracted by a few things, like laundry (family likes to have clean clothes on occassion, the nerve!), got my hair done (sorry, but that is a non-negotiable!), dyeing up pounds and pounds of yarn (thought you might like that) and then this showed up in the mail  late yesterday…..  really want to knit just about everything out of this book. I’ve already cast on for Ingenue.

Heather, Liesel, Jodi  and Renee want to know  -

• “Will you be making more Merino Bulky soon?”
• “When will we see the return of merino worsted?”
• “Any chance you will be at Michigan Lamb and Wool?
• “Any chance you’ll bring back the single ply merino worsted weight?”
• “Will your bulky yarns be available in bigger runs of the same colorways for use to make larger projects?”

Well ladies, yes and yes! The merino single ply worsted is, hands down, one of my (and it appears, yours too) all time favorites. And, with Fall just around the corner (it’s been in the 50’s at night) you betcha I’ll be dyeing up scads of both. In fact, I’m tracking the package for the merino single ply, obsessively. (ETA – It’s on the truck for delivery today!!!!!). And, I will be dyeing up sweater/larger quantities of the merino worsted superwash and bulky  too.

Jodi – no, I won’t be at Michigan Lamb and Wool this year, but I will be attending as a vendor (and shopper!) at YarnCon2008 – Wicker Park, Chicago – Saturday, Octboer 4. Anyone else going to be at YarnCon?

One skein I couldn’t part with. October Second  - Merino Fingering SW

Chrissy, Rosa, Cheryl and  Tracy want to know –

• “How do you sell all of your yarns, I would want to keep them all?”
• “How often do you keep a dyed-up skein for yourself because your love the color(s) so much?”
• “Who names the colors of your yarn? Do you ever keep a skein of yarn that turns out especially lovely to yourself? Do you get attached to it?”
• “I have been with you at a few retail therapy opportunities, why do you buy yarn? Why not use all the beautiful Plucky yarn sitting around the quaint cottage home?”

Had a sneaking suspicion I was going to be asked this question and a good question it is. There’s not just one simple answer – so here goes:

Yes, occassionally I do keep a skein of yarn for myself (See skein above and, I always keep a skein of Plucky Classics for myself). But, only occassionally, for several reasons. One, I love, love, love to dye yarn. To watch it go from a blank canvas to something completely unique is a total thrill. Once dried and skeined and I’ve seen what the blank canvas has become, that’s the  thrill for me. Time to move on to the next blank canvas. And, I simply adore seeing what other people have envisioned for  Plucky yarn. My vision begins and ends (most of the time) with the dyeing process.

Second, I love to  buy yarn! There are  quite a few dyers out there that I truly admire, and, well, I want  to use their yarn too.  And, I need to have room for my stash (the “quaint cottage” – that’s a nice way to phrase  ’your house is the size of a postage stamp’). Third, this  has become  my vocation (for which I am forever grateful). That, and Bob gets ansty if he sees to much Plucky yarn sitting around the house.

Suzanne asks – “Where did you learn to spin such beautiful yarn? And is your Dad ever going to sell that beautiful awesome  green truck?”

That is an awesome truck, isn’t it? I’m not sure if Elmer T is going to sell or not, but I’ll ask. As far as learning to spin such beautiful yarn…. you are much to kind. I’m such a newbie spinner that I hesitate to even call myself a spinner. But I sure do love it. Wish I had an extra pair of arms, solely dedicated to spinning.

Rae-Ann says – “I do not have any of your yarn because I can’t manage to catch update. How addicted will I become when I can actually knit with your yarn?”

Goodness Rae-Anne, I’m sorry you haven’t had a chance to knit with my yarn yet, but as far as the addiction issue – you’ll have to ask one of the Plucky Knitters in the Ravelry group, maybe they can help!

Kirsten and Indiecita  want to know – “Do you have any background in art or color theory?” And “Do you have to think about color theory much when you’re dyeing, or do you just sort of play around and go for it?”

No, I don’t. But does being passionate about color count? I have an instant like or dislike for color and color combinations. I’m on the look-out and notice color and design everywhere I look. Basically, I just know what I like and don’t like and I’m not afraid to play around with color. Does that make sense?

Helena wants to know about Plucky Classics – “How do you pick the Plucky Classics themes every three months? Do you have a million ideas and have a hard time narrowing it down to just one?”

Goodness, a million and one ideas. Yes, It can be quite daunting  to try to  narrow it down to just one theme. But, then I figure – ok, file that one away for the next three months.  Truly hope you enjoy the themes as much as I do… and, I hope you are inspired to watch or read something you wouldn’t normally. That’s the whole point. Inspiration.

Nicole asks – “Is your Plucky business so large that you are ready to take on some help and pay them in yarn?”

To say I need help is an understatement the likes of which you have never heard. One area where I really need help is in  the tagging and shipping department. The goodnews is I’ve just received help in the form of an old friend. She started yesterday and I couldn’t be more pleased. You know what that means don’t you? Speedier shipments. More time to dye and think up new and exciting things to offer you!!! And, well, let’s be real, maybe even a little  more time for me to knit.

Rachel asks – “How did you get started dyeing yarn?”

I love color. But to say I am rather finicky about it is an understatement. I’m not simply a red, blue, green and yellow girl. And, I’d always wanted to do something creative. When I began to knit, that was great. Love(d) it. But I wanted to try something more. Dyeing has become my creative outlet. Dyeing just drew me in. First I just began reading about it (Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook was a wealth of information) and then couldn’t help myself – I had to give it a whirl. Went to Target, bought a roasting pan for $19.99 and never looked back.

Nicole wants to know – “Why Plucky?”

The plucky name came from one of my dear girlfriends, Nicole. In the past, she had described me as being plucky. It stuck. When I started my blog that was the first thing that came to mind.

M. Frey says – “….My favorite moment of the summer was having a surprise visit, with Plucky standing at the county of my art shop!”

That’s been my favorite part of the summer too! The look on your face = priceless!

That’s it for today dearies. Looks like I’ll have to have a “The Answers ~ Part III” post, you guys are super curious!

Yum.

Super duper. Enormous. Gigantic. You get the idea – a big  update all about Madrona and Seattle to come….