Mini yarn crawl ... and those little green balls of death

One minute there's Deb underneath
one of the Pike Place Market signs ...

A Ravelry acquaintance, Deb, recently traveled to the PNW, mainly to conduct a class at the Crochet Liberation Front's crochet retreat on Camano Island. However, the visit provided a nifty excuse to go yarn crawling and sightseeing. Love that!

So, on a beautifully sunny fall day, we met up - by recognizing our hand-made crocheted wear. (Ok – so we’re just a little hand-made geeky.) I started the tour at Bad Woman Yarn. This small-ish, just-north-of-downtown shop has been very crochet friendly – and continued to be so during our visit. The shop even had a lovely crocheted scarf on display right in the front of the store – always a good sign.

After petting the yarn, and Deb’s purchase of some locally-made buttons, we hopped on a Metro bus (yeah!) and made our way downtown to So Much Yarn. While Deb was looking for local fiber, she wound up purchasing a ball of Noro Kirameki - it’s a colorful wool blend laceweight yarn that I’m certain will become a lovely shawl. I found buttons that will be perfect for my next shawl (which, as I write this, is about 80% complete).



... and then the next
minute she's been swallowed
up by the crowd.



 Everyone was out at Pike Place Market (as you can see from the photo to the right) – which was our next destination. The Market is all about eyeing the great local flowers, produce and other crafts, as well checking out the flying fishmonger – which we, of course, did. In between traversing the market, we sat down for a much-needed and enjoyable lunch at Lowell's Restaurant and Bar. Man, there is nothing like a good tuna melt, and it’s even better watching the boats come and go from Seattle’s very busy port, all visible from Lowell's strategic market location.



I need to digress for a moment to comment on a certain stall’s brussels sprouts. When did they become something to fear? A little olive oil, crispy bacon, and seasonings are all that’s needed to tame these round bundles of ruffy-goodness. I should note they were right beside the “cute little eggplants.” Really. The stall needs a new copy writer.

After lunch, and a stop at Market Spice Tea (oh, love the smell of cinnamon, orange and clove), we made a quick swing to Fran's to sample the cadillac of chocolates. Don’t get me started on the dark chocolate caramels with sea salt. Just one person’s opinion.

Finally, we made our way up to the Elliott Bay Book Company – in their new location. Of course, we eventually made it to the crafty book section to check out their crochet book selection (not too bad, and a few that I hadn’t yet seen). We ended in the café for a final cappuccino while Deb waited for her chariot to whisk her away for dinner (being made by her husband – excellent).

A sightseeing and yarny good time! 

More fresh Market flowers - what color