back from vacation

K and I intended to drive the coast up to Portland, but we only made it as far as Sonoma. What a wonderful trip. Our first stop was at Village Spin and Weave in Solvang. I got 8 ounces of a wonderful blue roving to take with me for my move. I also got Poetry in Stitches and a great book about felting called Felt Making and Wool Magic. Really great pictures. I don't care for most of the projects, but the instructions alone make it worth while. Then we made our way to Berkeley where we went to Lacis. This shop alone is worth an 8 hour drive. They have everything a fiber enthusiast could want and they have reprinted all the best old how-to books from the last 150 years. I also finally got a copy of Art to Wear! Yikes, what a book.
The haul from Solvang and Berkeley:


Then we went to a shop about 2 miles east on Adeline from Lacis called Tale of the Yak. They have expensive ribbons and soaps, but we go for the amazing case of jewelry. It's really fantastic. Every time we go they always have wonderful (if expensive) eye miniatures. Amazing.
Then we went back to San Francisco where we stopped in at Britex Fabrics. 4 floors of fabric to pet. They have crapy craft fabric, and they have yarn-dyed herringbone cashmere, and everything in between. The fourth floor is all notions. I went for buttons for the Hanne Falkenberg jackets I have. It's disgustingly fun. Right down the street from Britex is a great place called Artfibers. They have a little shop up some narrow stairs, and they yarn is wonderful. They have great natural fibers that they dye. They folks who work there are friendly, and they will design a pattern there for you and put together a custom kit. I love the colors, and I love the lure of a custom cardigan, or shawl, or even a skirt. This little shop is worth the chore of finding parking in downtown on a weekday.

Yarn from Artfibers:


It all started with this ribbon on the left:


And, I made 1.5 socks from the Lorna's Laces I picked up last week.