One of the absolute highlights of my trip to Portland, OR for the Knit & Crochet Show was swinging by a little tucked-away shop called Yarnia. I had first learned of Yarnia when a certain crochet dude (aka The Crochet Dude) told me that it was a must-see while I was there.

The basic concept…ok, the ONLY concept of Yarnia is that you are able to pick fibers of your choice and then have them brought together to create your own custom yarn.

When you walk in you feel like you are in a fiber wonderland. Even though it’s a small space, you are overwhelmed by the choices. Cotton, hemp, wool, silk, acrylic…it just keeps going. I felt like a kid in a candy shop.

I knew the only way I was going to get through this was to enlist the help of the store owner. Having guided many an over-excited hand, she was more than happy to explain the layout of the fibers, hints and suggestions for getting exactly what I wanted. No I just needed to figure out exactly what I wanted.

After, what seemed like days, of matching, re-matching, miss-matching, over-matching and de-matching, the choice was finally made, which should result in a one-of-a-kind, double knit weight yarn that was destined to be something as yet unknown.

Then the fun begins. Your choices are threaded into this little beast of a machine (we were so trying to come up with a nickname for it based on Narnia, but failed miserably when we realized we couldn’t remember any of the characters from the movie).

With a flip of a switch, the little beast goes into action and you stand mesmerized as your choices become your creation.

If you ever find yourself in Portland (and who wouldn’t want to find themselves in Portland), hop across the river and spend a cappuccino or two over at Yarna (bring your own cappuccino…but you’ll thank me, the store begs to have you sit in the rocking chair, sipping a cappuccino while your yarn is made). If you can’t make it to Portland, at least grab a cup of coffee and go to their online store.

Free Photo Gallery by Picturesurf

My favorite city is Portland, Oregon. My favorite crochet designer is The Crochet Dude (Drew Emborsky). When my favorite designer told me of an amazing yarn store in my favorite city, I wanted to go through the wardrobe real bad.

Yarnia, nestled in Southeast Portland, is a whole new concept in a yarn store. YOU get to design your own custom blends of yarn from the extensive selection of fibers and colors they stock. But the best part is you get to watch it being made right in front of you.

From wool, cotton and silk, to bamboo and hemp, they have a huge selection of fibers that you can combine to make any weight yarn you need. The yarn is sold by the pound, so there is little chance of purchasing more than you need, but there is a distinct possibility of buying all that you want.

With the Spring Knit and Crochet Show coming up in Portland, I know one of the first places I’m going to visit while I’m there…Yarnia!

Check them out at their website:  yarnpdx.com, or keep tabs on all their events via their blog.

I’m pretty jazzed about the opportunity to go to The Knit & Crochet Show in Portland, Oregon this year (love that town), and was even more excited about the pattern design content they are running.

Hmmmm. March 11 is the deadline. Do I have time?

The Show is The Knitting Guild Association’s National Conference and the Crochet Guild of America’s Regional Conference.

TKGA Pattern Design Contest 2009 Sponsored by Yarnmarket.com

Submit your design for a chance at some GREAT prizes. Winners will be announced at the Spring Knit & Crochet Show in Portland.

ELIGIBILITY: Submissions for pre-judging are open to all knitters.
Finalists must be TKGA members. (Information about membership can be found at www.TKGA.com.)

NUMBER OF ENTRIES: A maximum of three entries will be accepted per entrant.

KNIT CATEGORIES:
1. Women’s Fashion Classic
2. Women’s Fashion Forward
3. Men’s Wear
4. Children’s Fashion
5. Baby’s Fashion (6-12 month size)
6. Accessories (hats, scarves, purses, etc.)

Read the rest of this entry »