Monday, April 27, 2015

Not much crafting but....

This week was crazy busy with handyman repairs of various sorts to make the house and us happier.  I've also been trying to get off my duff more and get some walking in, which is good for me, but not good for crafting.  But I did make more hexipuffs.


They're all piled on top of each other, but I have Jamieson's Shetland Sprindrift and Koigu PPPM.

I didn't stitch much at all on Yellow Sub.  Instead, I got distracted,  again.   I kept seeing other people on Instagram working on GigiR's Red Deer Sampler and finally decided to pull mine out and start stitching on her again.  I haven't stitched much so far on her since I picked her up again, but she is so close to being done, comparatively.


Well, sort of.  I'm using the called for linen and fibers.

Sunday, I set up some new shoe organizers.  I bought them on sale, and immediately thought of a different purpose for them other than shoe organizing.


Yup, you guessed it.  Stash organizing!


The cubbies are small, shoe sized, but they work well for my yarns anyway.  I'm pleased with the arrangement.

Saturday, the Father type and I trekked out to Brooklyn.  We were on a mission.  Well, two missions.  The first was to stop at Gauge and Tension, which is in the Brooklyn Craft Company.   Gauge and Tension is a yarn shop owned by the talented designer Michele Wang.  She designs amazing sweaters and other knitwear, for Brooklyn Tweed among others.  I'm a huge fan of hers!

I neglected to take pictures of the shop or the craft areas, but guess who I got to meet?  Michele Wang!


She was sooooo nice!  It was amazing!  I bought this pattern by Michele.


And two skeins of Jones & Vandermeer Clever Camel in the color shown.

I also got to try on the Bellows cardigan, which was amazing!  Michele has all her models there -- I was drooling just looking at them all.  But Bellows is the one I think I want to try to knit.  I figure I'll start small and tackle the hat first.  Work on my cabling skills.  :D

After that fantastic experience, the Father type and I walked down to the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn to go here.


Mast Brothers Chocolate!   Again, amazing!  You walk in and all you smell is CHOCOLATE!!





These pics are from the factory -- that back area in the last pic is where they make the chocolate.  They also have a store where you can try various chocolate beverages, along with chocolate spread on sourdough bread.  Yum!


I had the non-alcoholic chocolate beer.  Very interesting.


And we came home with these chocolate bars.


We had dinner at La Goulette.  I had Joe's Plate, which was Chicken Shawarma over Cauliflower and Hummus with Pita.


And the Father type and I shared some Baklava for dessert.


It was a fun day with lots of walking and sight seeing along the way.  I was glad to have my Father type there to show me where to go on the subways!

Mia was happy to have us home that evening.


Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.


28 comments:

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Wow, what a fun day! How fun you got to meet the designer and visit that wonderful store. It's just so fun that you live close enough to visit the city for a day. Oh and the chocolate, heaven! I can only imagine how wonderful it smelled in there. Have a great week!

Laura said...

Great post Margaret!!!! I love Red Deer!!! You are getting closer!!!! I love the name of that yarn shop!!! How clever. Glad you had such a perfecto day!

Vickie said...

ooOoo! The top hexi puff is way cool.
Come on now Margaret! RED DEER! RED DEER! It is soooooooooo pretty.
But how will you organize your shoes now?! ;)
I feel weak at the knees just viewing your sourdough bread with chocolate spread.

And of course.... HI MIA!!

Mary Ann said...

I love your Red Deer Sampler! And, what a fun-filled day you had-- YUM...chocolate!! : )

Cari said...

Stitch, knit, Brooklyn, chocolate, walking, food, Mia…can't get any better than that !! Hugs

Vera said...

Oh Margaret - what a wonderful weekend you had! Sounds perfect. Love seeing all your yarn (envious), and love that cardigan you will (yes, you will - lol) be making. And chocolate? And your dinner looks like it was wonderful. This coming Saturday I'll be at Maryland Sheep & Wool!! Yay! Can't wait. I have Red Deer in my stash if my mojo ever comes back....

Jackie's Stitches said...

It looks like a delightful weekend! I've never seen hummus used like mashed potatoes but it sure does look good!


Laurie in Iowa said...

I'm using my iPad to leave you this message and so far so good! Love your Red Deer sampler!

Annie said...

Your hexi puffs look so cute! I didn't realize you had these sampler WIP's going on. I thought you were a one at a time stitcher.

Seems like crafty types are always eyeing every storage device as a way to store crafty supplies! Great idea for the rack.

What a great NYC excursion! So much fun to meet a favorite designer. What a great chocolate shop too. Plus topping it off with fabulous dinner. You guys know how to have a good time!

Melissa said...

Oh I had a lot of fun sharing that post with you. I can almost smell the chocolate though to tell the truth my husband is making coffee and the two just go together you know!

What a fantastic day. I am jealous you know!

Red Deer is looking great. The shoe organizer is a great idea for your knitting stash!

Linda said...

Your red deer sampler is gorgeous Margaret. It looks like you had a fun day out.

Linda

Patricia Lessell said...

WOW what a great post. I loved reading all of it especially at the eating part as I'm on a massive diet. Anyway Thursday I'm going to eat real food and I can wait until then. Love the Reindeer Sampler - it's gorgeous and also what you bought to knit.

Anonymous said...

Red Deer Sampler looks great. Sweet picture of Mia ♥

Brigitte said...

Ahhhh, your Red Deer sampler has come out again, how great. And all these new knitted hexies.
What a great day you spent in Brooklyn. A chocolate shop, how cool. Such a slice of bread with chocolate spread would make my day. And this shoe/wool organizing thing is so versatile.

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Incredibly fun day--always nice to have good guide. The red deer is looking great and your idea to store your stash is a great one.

Esmeralda said...

Beautiful red deer sampler and nicely organiced yarn
Find your blog thru the award from love 2 stitch

Mary said...

Love what you've done with the shoe organizers Margaret! It makes me miss my recently departed local yarn shop. Are they a temptation for Miss Mia?

Good for you for putting yourself out there to walk more often. You'll notice the benefits very soon. I've found that it actually helps with my stitching because I am more alert and focused when I do sit down to it,

Thanks for sharing a glimpse of your fun day in the city!

Ann at Beadlework. said...

A fun post to read Margaret, so many things to enjoy. Does Mia not get tempted when your wool is available to naughty little paws - I know that our two would haul it out in an instant.
I'm doing very basic cable at the moment, it's a new doll pattern that I'm working on using magic loop - not my usual comfort zone at all.

woolwoman said...

wow WHAT A FAN-tastic experience getting to meet Ms Wang herself and get a photo - too cool and I am impressed. I'll have to look up that that cardi you are lusting over - Love the hat! yarn and chocolate stash what could be better! Love that Red Deer sampler - you did have a lot done when you put it away. Hope you are having a great week so far - mel

Kaisievic said...

Wow! Two more places on my To Do list next time I visit New York - I cannot wait! Thank you so much for sharing.

Beth said...

The hexipuffs are so bright and cheery! What a great day in the city - crafting, good food, and chocolate! Perfect!

Dawn said...

Thanks for sharing your NYC outing, looks very fun. Oh my, the red deer sampler is so very, very tempting! Beautiful.

Carol said...

How fun to have all that NYC has to offer right on your doorstep, so to speak! Your day looks perfect and meeting Michelle must have felt like the icing on the cake :)

Your deer sampler is so impressive--I do look forward to seeing your finish!

Annette-California said...

Fantastic outing you had - shopping, chocolate & food! lol! Perfect!
Love seeing your progress on Red Deer - wow, stunning. What a great idea for using the shoe organizer for yarn storage. I can smell chocolate all the way over here in California - lol!
love Annette

Rugs and Pugs said...

Sounds like a fun trip to Brooklyn!
LOVE Red Deer.
Hugs :)
Lauren

Mugwump Woolies said...

Great pic of you and Michele! You are so lucky to live close to NYC. I miss being close to a big city. Your Red Deer is gorgeous...he is, after all, red!
Robyn

Melody said...

What a great adventure! I'm happy you got to meet someone you admire in the craft world. Very cool. Thanks for sharing it with us. Your red deer sampler is so pretty. Also cool that you used the shoe organizer for yarn organizing. Much more fun in my opinion... :)

Sally said...

Wow looks like you had a great day. All that chocolate! Yum!