Yarniverse ~ Memphis, Tennessee

When I was planning a trip to visit family this past summer, I immediately put a stop in at Yarniverse on my list of things I absolutely had to do. I first heard about this fun two-story yarn shop when I became interested in the Lizard Ridge Afghan. {Click on the name or the picture for a link to the pattern. Click on the name of the store. for a link to their website where you can hunt for "free patterns." Only some are listed under "free patterns." Part of the fun is the hunt.}

The pattern to this beautiful afghan can be found on

and right above the pattern is an advertisement for Yarniverse's Kureyon Club:

Clicking on their link above the Knitty pattern, I discovered Brenda and her always-helpful crew are in Memphis, Tennessee ~ now that caught my attention! Wish I lived closer so I could go in and knit with them. Knitters are always welcome at their table.

If you are a fan of Koigu, they also have a Koigu Collector's Club for you:

Their aim is to have in stock all of the colors from Knits from a Painter's Palette:

That is probably no easy feat with the ever-increasing popularity of Koigu.

While I was at Yarniverse my DB, DSIL and DGN {Dear Brother, Dear Sister-in-Law and Dear Grand-Nephew} were with me. My creative brother wrote the following poem about his first experience in this wonderful yarn shop:

The Magic of Knitting
by KZ's Brother

Traveling from Galaxy to Galaxy in the Yarniverse
Watching shooting beads: red, yellow, blue and brown
Dodging falling meteor buttons as they spin by
Then up ahead an exploding wool star
Thousands of brightly colored wool blast off in every direction
As we continue to sail through the magic Yarniverse.

I went there early on my trip so I could take advantage of an in-store sale they were having on Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton.

My plan for these colors is to knit a blanket. I need to add some more colors to have a full complement, but I have a start.

Looking at these pictures taken this summer at DB and DSIL's pool brings back wonderful memories of my trip to Mississippi.

Soon after I got to my parents' home, I wound the cotton into yarn cakes. I owe a special thanks to DM {Dear Mom} who visited with me thru most of the winding and a very big Thank-You-So-Much to DD {Dear Dad} who sat with me tirelessly helping to get the knots out when a couple of skeins proved to be extra challenging. I am sure many of you can relate with your own experiences of yarn that did not wind willingly {I know that is quite an understatement ~ In fact many of you have your own names for just such yarn and just such an occasion!}.

{Special thanks also go to KZ's Brother for the poem and for "going out on a ledge" to help me show off some new yarn stash.}

Carpe Knitting,
KZ

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I could not resist showing a few pictures of some houses in my area. A number of homes were decked out this season. The owner of this one tells me they currently have 40,000 lights. They start before Halloween and spend 3 months putting up the lights.

He went on to tell me that it will take them 3 more years to collect all of the lights they want. At that time, they will have 75,000 lights! Whew! Wonder when they will have to start putting their lights up then?!

Here's another home for those who prefer all white lights.

Are you a fan of Knitty ? For those not familiar with it, this online 'zine has knitting patterns for a variety of tastes.

Looking back at the Fall06 issue of Knitty, a pattern caught my attention that I had missed when this issue first came out. The Lizard Ridge afghan by Laura Aylor jumped out at me as I looked at those beautiful colorways of Noro Kureyon. {A friend with Japanese heritage tells me the English translation for the Japanese word "kureyon" is "crayon."}

Right above the pattern is an advertisement for Yarniverse's Kureyon Club. I contacted Yarniverse in Memphis, Tennessee and signed up. They have sent out 2 shipiments so far, so I asked for both shipments in the same envelope. They were very quick to send the beautiful Kureyon and patterns. Every 5 to 6 weeks you receive a different colorway of Kureyon, along with a suggested pattern.

Next I came across the Leapin' Lizards knitalong for this fun afghan. This is my first knitalong {KAL} to join. I am enjoying reading the posts and seeing pictures of everyone's progress. I have definitely found inspiration for a great project for the new year. My plans are for version 1 with the variety of colorways.

Carpe knitting,
KZ