where the sun shines

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events, designing, lace/shawls, projects

i am SO not a football fan or even knowledgeable about the sport (i know—for shame!), but even i was impressed with the dallas cowboys stadium.

but before i get going on a whole long post about dallas, i bet you all want to know who the kollage budding apple giveaway, right?

well, my niece mary is sitting right here next to me (because she’s home “sick” from school), and i was able to interest her in “helping” me out by picking the winner while i whirled the email list of comments (it’s totally fair and random, since she’s much more interested in looking at the camera than at the list. and tina, just so you know, she’s now completely addicted to pocket frogs, which is all your fault).

anyway, she put her finger on a comment by . . . . maria h!
congratulations maria; i know you’ll enjoy this kit (maria has knit many many knitspot shawls and i missed seeing this year’s efforts at sock camp, as she was not able to make it this year).

ok, now let’s take a little tour of dallas . . .
i arrived last tuesday evening to some awesomely lovely weather—balmy, breezy, and sunny. i succumbed to a good night’s sleep and a later-than-usual wake time at the incredibly comfy hotel in which i was booked for the week. once refreshed, it was off to the shabby sheep for my first day of classes.

the shabby sheep is an incredibly cute and well-appointed yarn boutique and knitting workshop located in the heart of the charming historic district next to downtown dallas.

with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore both in the shop and in the surrounding neighboorhood, it’s the perfect destination shop for a day out with knitting friends.

owner ronda van dyk has filled the shop with a delicious range of yarns and fibers, notions, tools, patterns, and books. there is an interesting class and event schedule, as well as weekly knitting nights, attended by regulars and drops-in guests alike.

i was to spend two full days teaching lace and sweater fitness classes, as well as a lecture to go along with the trunk show one evening.

we had a lovely evening, talking about design, yarn, and shawls; everyone had a chance to look at some samples up close and personal, which is so different than seeing them in photographs.

leahe, who works at the shop, came to every class AND the trunk show AND she brought her daughter along for the evening presentation; she was so helpful too; i really enjoyed getting to know her.

and then there was maria, who i finally got to meet in person, after a couple of months of trading emails as she arranged my class schedule. maria brought her beautiful fibers along, too, which she dyes by hand with her partner ceylon to sell in her etsy shop, two if by hand. they offer a yummy assortment of fiber blends and colorways; each dyer has her own distinct “voice”.

(when mary saw this photo, she shouted, “WOW, those are REALLY pretty”. she doesn’t even spin . . . . yet. but she may have potential, whaddaya think?)

i may have succumbed to a couple of special bumps at the fiber show this weekend . . . even though i do not need more fiber.

my days and evenings in dallas were completely booked from morning to night, but i still managed to get a little knitting work done

i soaked and blocked my eliza neckwarmer before i left my room on the first day and by the time i got home that night, it was dry. the next morning i added the buttons while i drank my coffee

karolyn helped me pick them out during our visit to churchmouse yarns in seattle—we were both smitten with the adorable pleated rims to match the pleated hem of the piece. plus, they have a hint of pink in the shell, to go with the hints of pink in the yarn.

lovely! now i need to finish up the pattern so agnes can test knit the matching rectangle scarf. i’m hoping to do that tomorrow.

next on my dallas itinerary was to spend the weekend teaching at the DFW fiber fest. that’s liz, who is on the board of directors, wearing her gorgeous hypoteneuse wrap.

my classroom was right across the hall from the kollage booth, where erica spent the weekend introducing knitters to the lovely kollage offerings. rebecca here was already familiar with crochet and spinning, but learned to knit on friday, thanks to erica and a little downtime between activities—look at her go!

it was especially fortuitous that she won a skein of yarn as a door prize at the friday night keynote talk; she cast on the next day for a nice squishy cowl . . .

on saturday at lunchtime, we took a break to explore downtown grapevine for locations to shoot with a flat stanley that erica had in tow

while she took pictures of the kid, i took some of the burgeoning rose bushes i saw everywhere

aren’t they something else?? we won’t see any at home until june . . .

later that evening we were treated to a special outing at an area eatery that is truly like no other—potager cafe in arlington.

saturday’s menu had two meat entrees and a number of various vegetable dishes, served up in courses according to the diner’s whim.

this is a little hidey-hole of a restaurant that is becoming very popular with locals and with good reason—this is the best food i’ve eaten out in ages; maybe in years.

dinner ended with a strong cup of well-made espresso and a luscious dessert of fresh strawberries over short pastry.

everything was so good, we didn’t even think about taking out our knitting.
what a great way to wrap up our weekend with the DFW community

david flew in yesterday and met me at the festival, where he got to take a look around, talk to some other fiber enthusiasts, and work on his own knitting in the lounge for bit while i finished up my class.

then we piled all my stuff into the car and headed for austin, where i will be teaching next at hill country weavers—but not til the weekend. for the next few days, we’re going to relax, enjoy our family time, and catch up on a little work (but not too much!).

more later . . . we still have a pattern to release that we haven’t gotten to yet! tune in tomorrow to check it out . . .

24 thoughts on “where the sun shines

  1. Welcome to austin!!! Cant wait to meet you on friday at HCW!! Have fun the next few days. Your niece is adorable!!(even if she didnt pick my name for the drawing!!)

  2. Yes, adorable niece, Anne. She did a great job of picking the winner. Oooh, an upcoming pattern release. YAY. And your Eliza neckwarmer is so pretty. Those buttons are PERFECT!!!

    You look like you’re having a grand time. So glad David was able to join you and that you two have some time together away from home.

  3. LOVE the pictures of the shop. It looks like the weather cooperated and a good time was had by all. LOVE the roving and heading out to check out her offerings immediately. NOT loving the watermelon sign. I cringe when “their”, “there” and “they’re” are used indiscriminately and incorrectly. Sorry, it’s a teacher thing. LOVE your newest neckwarmer. Cheers!

  4. You are not going to believe this but Maria (the winner) is the daughter of another one of the Rockstars, Eunice! So I was so excited to see her win. I cannot believe I made Anne Hanson’s blog! Thanks so much for a GREAT weekend, you are awesome!! I need to go buy the Potager (po to zhey) pattern now to knit a great memory! Don’t forget Zhi Tea and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center while in Austin.

  5. I think it is hilarious that Jerry World made it onto your blog. Our old stadium was iconic, but this one is in its own little world. I imagine it is even more impressive when those glass panels are opened up.

    I had never been to Potager before, either. Liz is the restaurant expert and knows about all the great places. I am so glad you liked it there. I enjoyed getting to know you at dinner and would have been happy to sit and chat longer if we hadn’t closed the place down that night!

    Hope you’ve gotten see plenty of bluebonnets. I saw some while driving home last night and was hoping you were getting an eyeful as well on your drive.

  6. I do so love the buttons you chose for the eliza neckwarmer. They couldn’t be more perfect!

  7. I need to knit that Eliza neckwarmer…tell Agnes to knit fast!!!! LOVE it!! Enjoy your travels….

  8. So sorry that I didn’t get a chance to meet you while you were here! It was such a treat to get an inside view of Shabby Sheep! The yarns looked so delicious! Annnnd I just have to say…your Eliza neckwarmer is beautiful! You inspire me so!

  9. What an adorable little shop…so pretty!! I relally love how the Eliza neck warmer came out…..SO Eliza!!

    Have a wonderful visit with your family. :0)

  10. Two if by Hand is my absolute FAVORITE place to buy hand dyed fiber!!! Maria and Ceylan are amazing 🙂 So glad you were able to meet Maria and pick up a couple of their gorgeous braids!

  11. Anne – you really look cute in that picture with Liz. And I like your sweater! Is that a Sprossling or something else?? It looks a little Sprossling-ish. . . .

  12. We had such a great time meeting you this weekend – and glad you enjoyed Potager as much as I hoped you would!

    Have a wonderful visit with family this week – and great classes at HCW.

    Thanks again for coming to DFW Fiber Fest. It helped make 2011 a GREAT year for our Event!

  13. As usual, you’ve packed so much into a post! Your niece is super-cute, and definitely has yarn-addict potential there – just needs nurturing, who better to do that than her Auntie Anne?! The Shabby Sheep looks like a veritable treasure trove of yarny goodness. Are most US yarn shops similar, or do you have ones that only stock very run of the mill (dare I say it, acrylic) yarns? ‘Good’ yarn shops in the UK are still pretty scarce. I love the buttons you found for your Eliza cowl – the pleats are perfect. Enjoy the time with your family in that sunshine!

  14. I am SO jealous you got to go to DFW and hang with Maria and Ceylan! Two of my favorite peeps in the indie fiber world. I’m actually thinking of schlepping the 11 hours there next year to vend…… Hope you had a great trip!!

  15. Great to meet you Anne! I really enjoyed your Sweater Fitness class, and thank you so much for coming to Fiber Fest.

  16. Great post! I can’t believe that Flat Parker is famous now! Leslie will be so excited that her flat kid is traveling around the U.S.

    Potager was fab! It was the most amazing food I’ve had in a long time. I love the concept, too!

    Thanks for taking snaps of my new friend and now knitter! What a fabulous moment at DFW.

    I miss hanging out with you 🙁 Have fun in Austin!

  17. Yay! I can’t wait, then again, I say that every time I see you working on a pattern! 🙂

  18. I just got done listening to Dawn’s (of the Rockstars and Knit Naturally) and as always, she is hysterical. The part when she meets David had me rolling! Thanks Anne for another good post.

  19. it was great to meet you! i so enjoyed your sweater fitness class; it’s changed my life. I’m glad you had a great time while you were in dallas. who would have thought there were so many knitters in such a warm climate, huh?

  20. Thank you for these descriptions Anne! I am leaving imminently for Austin and DFW to visit my college son and now I know exactly where to knit and eat, and I can even see what others are wearing in Texas this time of year! It will all be a lovely change from NY. I’m wait-listed for a couple of your classes at Hill Country Weavers, but I hope to meet you anyway.

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