Somebody stop me...

because I can't seem to be able to stop myself! I've done it again, and I blame Ravelry for it! (I really love Ravelry, I do I do I do). You see, Ravelry makes it really easy to find friends and groups and swaps of all kinds. Mix that combination with a lack of willpower to abstain, and you get me signing up for 2 new swaps! Yikes! One of them is the Ravelry Scarf Exchange, which sounds like it will be a lot of fun. The other is a Harry Potter Sock Kit Exchange (info can be found here)which ties in really well with my Harry Potter obsession. Of course,both of these exchanges will require tons of yarn shopping, etc. which is a major sacrifice on my part. NOT! I am looking forward to receiving my swap partners for both exchanges.

And speaking of shopping, we spent a couple of days on the North Shore this past weekend, and while away I managed to find 2 yarn shops from my pre-planned list. We spent Friday in Salem, MA and while there I went to Seed Stitch Fine Yarn. It is a lovely shop with some amazing knitted floral sculptures in the windows. It is open and bright with some comfy chairs for spouses to sit in while wives fondle fibers. There were some new yarns I hadn't seen, but for the life of me, I cannot recall the names.(My pace was hurried due to the sitting spouse and 2 teenagers that I had in tow, otherwise I would have spent much more time here browsing.) I did manage to make a purchase..



2 skeins of Malbrigo in "Stonechat" (a beautiful red/green combo for me that reminded me of all of the brick homes in Salem with ivy covering and green trees). It will probably become a scarf.



My 15 year old chose a Schaefer Yarns Handpainted Superwash Sock yarn called "Anne". It is a beautiful blue/purple/green combo that she wants knitted into knee socks.

The color combo was definitely her, and the fact that her middle name is also Anne helped her to make the choice too. In addition, Seed Stitch Fine Yarns is across the street from a quilt shop called Market Place Quilts. Nice shop.

The other shop found was Loom and Shuttle in Ipswich,MA. We were there on Sunday and, thankfully, the shop is open on Sundays. It is a combination quilt and yarn shop (how lucky for me with both fiber addictions in one shop). Fabric wise there were some batiks and novelty prints, some beautiful florals and juvenile fabrics. Yarn wise, there were some interesting items. There was quite a bit of Debbie Bliss and Elizabeth Lavold, some novelty fibers, baby stuff and a little bit of sock yarn. Again, I was under the gun with the entire clan waiting for me in the car, so time was of the essence. I didn't leave empty handed. I bought a fun turtle batik print to include in my DD's quilt, and 2 skeins of Regia color sock yarn in "Tansania".


It will probably become a pair of socks for me, or maybe DD, as she claimed to like it too. I also bought one skein from the clearance bin; a Handpaint Original from BrownSheep called "New England Falls".



It is a beautiful mohair/wool blend, but there is only about 88 yards, so perhaps I can make a short scarf from it. It is definitely in my colorway. That's it for now.