Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Mini A.T.L. Excursion!

I had a great time unofficially kicking-off the summer this past Memorial Day weekend because I got to meet MY GURL Adrienne!!!! :oD
She will tell you I literally poked her several times to make sure she was real! LOL Haha!

We have been blog/e-mail/IM/telephone friends for over a year now and it was really good to finally meet her IRL.

You know how there are some folks you just have to meet. Especially when your 1/2 way mark is Atlanta!!! Yah!!

AND I even got to meet her fabulous kids!
Here is the clan! They truly made the trip so much fun!

We went on a mini fabric & fiber excursion on Saturday = tons of pics (and I didn't even post all of them)

First stop was to Gail K. Fabrics as Adrienne loves to sew as well

I was game for it as I knew fiber was up next! :o) Haha!

When you walk in the store you see this

fabric e.v.e.r.y.where!!! Even I was like WOW!

Did I mention fabric was everywhere???

Stacks and rolls of them! That last pic is of a mini pathway that you walk thru! Ha! It is very overwhelming!

You could spend hours and hours and hours in there!

Adrienne was pretty much in fabric heaven! Can you tell? LOL!!

I went to ask for buttons and was directed to these!OMGoodness! Little AJ is my comparison model so you can see how many we are talking here!!

This is the section that mesmerized me while there!!

And still MORE buttons!!

I definitely will be back with 'a serious button plan' for my knitting!! ;oD Because I was not ready for all of that!! Haha!

I was also on a light hunt for belt buckles for a future fall/winter bucket hat that I already have the Noro yarn (which I have yet to blog about). The above right picture shows some of their bling bling buckles!

When I asked for more wooden/plain buckles that I didn't see, the person who helped me started pulling out boxes and boxes of them!!

If you don't see something in the store just ask because they probably have it!!

I got these two for 10% off :o)

I will more than likely use the black one, but liked the brown one so I just got both. Too bad that pretty swirl on the black one will eventually get covered up by my knitting.

Next stop was to the well known Knitch yarn shop! I had been hearing about this place forever! (It was well worth the wait!)

If you are not looking you just might miss this treasure in Virginia Highland.

It sits right next to Ten Thousand Villages, which was our landmark to spot Knitch on the street.

Here is the view of the shop from the back parking lot, which is where you enter.

Once you go thru the white picket fence (cute!), you are greeted by

Neat huh? :o)

And when you walk into the shop

It is sensory overload!!Yarn greets you right away! :o)

I actually got to meet the owner Kim, who was very nice and very helpful!

She is so creative with her needles on the pulse of the knitting community, and it shows in her shop with great ideas! **Did you check out that yarn wall behind us!!!**

While I was browsing the yarn on the lower level (yes there are two floors!) I observed and was listening to a class going on for beginners and the instructor was super patient with them! I was impressed.

We ventured upstairs where I knew I would get into some trouble ;o)

There was a quite group just sittin' & knittn' and a loft area where you could lounge and knit there too!Not to mention a fully serviced kitchen area for dyeing yarns! And other neat fiber for spinning!

But the table I knew I would not be able to walk away from and mess up my yarn fast ;op was the Habu!

I have been wanting to try this yarn for awhile now. And since the weather is warm and I want to knit with lighter yarns it is time! Kim gave us great suggestions on what projects we could start out with in Habu.

There also was this gorgeous Hand Maiden yarn too!Which is now on my wishlist! ;oD

When we got ready to check out (luv that chalkboard with great info!)

I met Karen who had some awesome h.enna art on her fingersHad to get a snap of that!! She was delightful to talk with and we have "friended" each other already! ;op

Here is the little bit of trouble I got into

And a closer look at my Habu which will become the Kusha Kusha scarf.Kim happily hand wrote a variation of the pattern for us! But I later remembered when I got home the link where the pattern is for free!

She was even more helpful in telling us where to enjoy a good lunch ($5 off)! Right behind the shop and just a few stores over

Atkins Park Tavern is the oldest restaurant in Atlanta (as we were told by the waiter).

The kids cracked me up during lunch! :oD

Y'all know I love some food shots, but all of mine came out dark :o(

You can check it out on Adrienne's post though! She had the slammin' shrimp & grits and quickly made me regret my chicken nacho selection! Haha!

But you best believe I will be trying their Fried Chicken Biscuits next time!

We did get to talk to my BeFF Patrice over the phone willing her presence there! :o)

Heeeeey Pattycake! :o)

Our last stop was to Why Knot Knit shop in Buckhead

Which used to be a house and so it has many rooms in itThat reminded me of being in a department store!They had lots of Manos yarn walls and bowls of it! And some nice Mano cotton too!And this very unique piece that I meant to inquire about, but forgot ;op

I was good and didn't get swayed with anymore fiber.

But I am sure if someone told me what I could knit up with that Manos Cotton it would have been in a bag! ;op Haha!

We really had a great fabric & fiber excursion!!

I will be back again to Atlanta, as I was also there visiting my family and friends.

There are a ton more shops to visit there, so a HOTlanta Yarnsploration #2 will definitely be planned soon!!

54 Comments:

  1. Adrienne said...
    Hey Don! LOL HAHAHAH

    It was SOOOOOO much fun! Aj is still asking about you lol. I think he has a crush! LOL
    Erica Bunker said...
    Awww... so fun! Stacey, you're a little bitty thing. If you are shorty than Adrienne, then you are a shorty!
    Shelia said...
    Looks like you both had a good time.
    Still Patrice said...
    awwww... I wish I was there. Yall look like yall had so much fun!
    Liz said...
    Wow!!! What a cool way to spend the weekend! I would have been in heaven with all those buttons, and that yarn wall is AWESOME!!!!!! I would love to try Habu too, Vanessa at coloursknits has made some beautiful things with it.
    Zonda said...
    Wow, what a fun trip! All that fiber and fabrics, and the buttons! Whoa!
    turtlegirl76 said...
    Wow! What a day trip that was! All those buttons! Wow! I love Knitch. The people there are so nice and it's so well stocked.
    Anonymous said...
    That trip looks like so much fun. I've never been to Atlanta, but seeing those photos of Knitch makes me want to go. And, oh, the buttons. Heaven.
    TURBOchic said...
    Dear Heavenly Father, when I get to Heaven will you make sure there is a fabric store like that around? Thanks & Amen.
    Carmell said...
    that looks like fun!!!!
    SissySees said...
    Whoa! What a wall of buttons... So much fibery goodness. Glad you had a great time!
    Anonymous said...
    OMG! I am speechless at the sight of those buttons! (Did I ever mention my button fetish?). Unbelievable! What a great excursion you obviously had. I love your choice of Habu as well. I can't wait to see how it knit up.
    Stacey said...
    wow, that looks like a wonderful way to spend the day! :D I'm with everyone else - I feaking love that button wall!
    urbanknitrix said...
    Sounds like you gals had fun!!!
    Anonymous said...
    You girls look like you had a fabulous time! I would have had to stay all day in that fabric store, for sure!
    QueenDBW said...
    I am so envious!!! I lived in Atl for YEARS and never knew about Knitch!!! Next time you go, ya gotta let me know!! OMG the buttons, the yarn, the food...where to begin.....
    Shameka said...
    Oh My Goodness!!! Knitch is Knitter's Heaven. I have never seen a knitting shop that big before. Plus you can dye and spin too??? That is like knitters gone wild.
    So, now I definately have a reason to want to come down to Atlanta and visit. Sheesh... I used up all of my vacation time in Trinidad. Arrgghh!!!
    The button wall in the fabric store is out if control. I want some I want some!!!!!
    Lashell said...
    It looks like yall had so much fun. It makes me wish I was a knitting lover during the time I went to Buckhead for vacay
    Anonymous said...
    Awesome trip! I've ordered from Knitch but never visited the store. I'm going to ATL this weekend, but I doubt I'll have time to go :-(

    Glad you all had such a great time!
    carlita dee said...
    What fun! I had to jump over here from Adrienne's to keep the party going!
    Sannikka said...
    What a great day, I´m maybe a little bit jealous now =)
    Scheherazaad said...
    Thanks for the tour. I didn't see any of that when I was in Atlanta. The next time I go I will be yarnsploring!
    Knitaholictoo said...
    ok, now I'm "jellis". ; )
    Sheila said...
    What a fantastic way to spend the weekend. OMG the buttons were major overwhelm, but really like the buckles you got.
    Debora said...
    Wow! It looks like you all had a great time!!
    Robin said...
    Looks like so much fun!!
    Karine said...
    Those stores look awesome, I envy your trip.
    Michelle B said...
    Wow what a fun day! You guys sound like you had a such a super time!! Hubby and I have talked about going to Atland this summer sometime...hmm I'll have to hit up all those places if we go!
    Anonymous said...
    You guys look so happy and cute, like you are having a GREAT time! Awesome.
    Anonymous said...
    Oh. my. gosh. I so want to go to Atlanta now. I've never seen a yarn shop quite that amazing...or fabric shop for that matter.
    craft-chick said...
    I was in Atlanta over the weekend too, but sadly with no knitting buddies! Next trip I will definitely have to check out your stops! Thanks for the info, I'll just follow your route, it all looked so fun!
    cici said...
    ahhhh what a great trip. I haven't been to atl in ages.. Now I can see I have a reason to go. Those were some great shops. Well done!
    cpurl17 said...
    You always have the best adventures and meet the nicest people! And always end up at some fabu restaurant!

    Those buttons!! How would you ever choose??

    Adrienne and her kids are too cute--I covet that silver purse she was carrying!
    WandaWoman said...
    Wow, it looks like a fun time. I'm going to ATL myself a little later this summer. Hey, where are you in NC? We may go from ATL to Greensboro, while we're that way. We're driving . . .
    Kamika said...
    Ooh buttons and really cute kids, and grits! LOL I'm so happy you ladies had fun. Those yarn shops look inviting.
    Anonymous said...
    Glad you had a great time!!
    k_purls2 said...
    Oh the children are cutie pa-tooties! Thanks for posting the yarn shop pictures, you're a yarn shop tourist like me! I bought some habu in NY, I want to do that scarf too, now we have 2 things to KAL together!

    Man, that wall of buttons!?!?!
    Jada said...
    I would love to meet someone I have been blogging with!That looks like so much fun!!Looks like you guys had a wonderful time!!
    I am loving that fabric store and yarn store!!!
    Deborah said...
    OH MY GAWDDDDDDD!!!! I cannot believe those stores... and the buttons. A duplex yarn store??!!! OH MY GAWDDDDD.

    Ok, so you got to meet Adrienne, how cool! That settles it, when I do the ATL college tour with #2 son, I will definitely include 2 extra days to visit those stores!
    Susan said...
    I'm officially jealous of you both! lol. You are two on my blog list that I know I'd be so excited to meet. Fab excursion, too!
    Terrie D. (StarSpry) said...
    What an awesome day! Those look like some great shops to stop at :)
    Don said...
    @ adrienne: hahahahahahaha.

    You just don't know how much I smiled when I saw the picture of you and Stacey. Man, this almost makes me want to shed a tear. Isn't blogger the greatest. From all the times I have came to Stacey's blog, and from all the conversations we've shared, I can honestly say - this is truly a heartwarming feeling. I can only imagine how wonderful it was for you and her to meet.

    What's funny is - had I'd know that she was headed to Atlanta early enough, I would have met the both of you. I love this post. No, Stacey I didn't read ALL the post but the picture is worth a thousand words.


    Adrienne's comments are first. Stacey wasn't mean to me the other day. Yep. Life is good. LOL.
    diddlinaknits said...
    Fabric, Buttons, Yarn, Food, Friends and Family-what more could a girl ask for from a weekend. It sounds like you had a wonderful time!!!
    Janet Richards said...
    I'm glad you took so many pictures - your trip looks like so much fun. I don't know how you had so much self control in those Knit shops! Gurl you are better than me!

    I can't believe I took zero pictures in Seattle. I was so stressed b/c it was basically non-stop work with just a tiny bit of knit browsing and visiting with my west coast ladies. Oh well, I'll have to follow your example this week when I get to explore San Diego :)
    Minerva Exertion said...
    Looks like you had a lot of fun. That Knitch place looks realllly fancy!! You all looked fab!
    BrownBerry said...
    WHAT FUN!

    I just love it when cyber buddies meet in real life - good for you ladies!
    Anonymous said...
    This was truly one of the worst weeks of my life. I am just now coming out of it, and looking at all your great pictures made it better. Thanks for a peek into the big corner of your world, Stacey! Blessings~Julie
    Eb the Celeb said...
    Super cute pics... I just left Hotlanta as well.
    Anonymous said...
    Girl you get around more than any one woman I know! I LOVE reading about your trips, it makes me want to hit the road. You have such a good way of writing to draw a person into your experience. :)
    The Habu yarn and scarf looks very interesting. I can't wait to see how that turns out.
    Jeanine said...
    How cool is that??? You guys look like you were having so much fun. So will you be sewing now?
    J.P. said...
    What a phenomenal trip! Thank you for sharing it with us! It makes me want to take a little road trip to Atlanta!
    Anonymous said...
    CRY You came to ATL and didn't let me come yarn browse with you and your friend. CRY. And LOL - I bought some of that Handmaiden - I've never seen it, and they just started carrying it since the last time I went. I'm so in love with their yarns. That and the Manos silky!
    Lynette said...
    what a fun weekend. i wish i could have been there too! LOL

    are you still coming to chicago?
    Orchidophile said...
    I am so late, but it looks like you all had a great time!

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