Today John, Chuck, Kenny, Dewey (the Boston Terrier) and I headed off to a fun day-long adventure with full intention of hitting as many yarn shops as possible.  Given our nature of being easily distracted by beautiful yarn, that number ended up being 3 different yarn shops and one farm.

The first shop we went to was Princeton Yarns.  We arrived shortly after they opened and were intrigued by not only the beautiful photographs and yarn but also by the vintage magazines, including Knitting Traditions (a periodic offering by Piece Work magazine).  This place is tucked away in an indoor mall in the Shops at Harbor Village in a cute little fishing community.

The place also offers some sort of large format photo printing and fills its "beyond yarn height" walls with gorgeous photographs framed and ready to be purchased.  Nowhere to sit and knit in this place... but it's a great spot to shop and find some unique treasures.

Princeton Yarns
270 Capistrano Road #20
Princeton by the Sea, CA 94018
Phone: (650) 712-1440
http://www.princetonyarns.com/

Our next stop was a hop, skip and a jump to Half Moon Bay and the home of Fengari Fiber Arts.  Chocked FULL (to the rafters), this shop was buzzing with activity.  The folks working here were busy answering questions and making suggestions to the customers about yarns, needle sizes, and project ideas.  It's a bit of a tight squeeze in this place, with an overflow of boxes full of yarn being stored on top of the shelves.  If you want it, they probably have it!  Where did the name come from?  The owner, Ann, says her husband (who is Greek) came up with the name, which translates to "Moon" in English. 

My only critique of this shop?  There was nowhere to sit and knit.  Not that I was intending to sit and knit today at a shop but it's still part of the ambiance I love to see when visiting a shop.  Perhaps their yarn inventory pushed the seating out of this shop.... there is a cute bench outside waiting for someone to sit, knit, and enjoy people watching in this little town.

Fengari Fiber Arts
415 Main St
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Phone: (650) 726-2550
http://www.fengari.net/

From there we headed to Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero.  Restored in 1910, this functioning dairy farm has over 200 alpine goats on nine acres.  They offer a variety of dairy products, including framage blanc, feta and ricotta cheeses, as well as local honey and other indulgent items such as hand crafted soaps and lotions.  We got some cheese from this beautiful place after visitng with the goats and llamas. 

Dewey (the dog) was enamored with the llamas... or was it the other way around?  There's a cute photo in here of these two saying "howdy" to each other!

Harley Farms Goat Dairy
205 North Street, Pescadero, CA 94060
Phone: (650) 879-0480
http://www.harleyfarms.com/

Here's a photo of me with Kenny Chua during our visit to the farm.  He's with us for the holidays; from Christmas to New Years!  We are lucky to have him visitng us and it's fun to get to hang out and spend a few days knitting with my good friend.

Our last stop on this day-long crawl was at Nine Rubies in San Mateo, CA.  THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is an AMAZING shop.  Located on a cute street (not quite as quaint as Main Street in Half Moon Bay where Fengari is) and owned by some really fun ladies, this place is bright and has a gorgeous chandelier hanging in the center of the shop.  It was well organized, with what seemed to be "sweater's worth" yarn quantites on it shelves.  We were welcomed in (as we were at all the shops) but this time, something was different.  They asked if they could point out just one new item in their shop.... of course, we were happy to hear what was new... It was a nice way to learn what the folks working there are finding as their latest obsession.

I also noticed something I loved: - a box of "free" yarn - with some "rules" attached... one free ball of yarn to any child under 12... one ball of yarn to anyone else who wants to exchange a ball for one in their stash... the yarns can be from stash, purchased at Nine Rubies or elsewhere... and it's all on the honor system.  I found this idea of sharing yarn and stash refreshing - especially in a yarn shop like this.  One of the other things I liked about that little box was that it was not hidden in a back corner... it was given prime real estate right by the front door (next to some knittig magazines free for the taking).  Nine Rubies is the winner in today's crawl.  Bright, cheery, organized, welcoming, beautiful and inspiring, with lots of books, snacks, and smiling faces.

Nine Rubies Knitting
28 E. 3rd Ave #100
San Mateo, CA 94401
Phone: (650) 685-6205
http://www.ninerubies.com/

It was a beautiful day spent with people I adore.  We finished it off with some local Indian food and then I spent a few minutes looking at the photos from the day.  What a lucky person I am to have people in my world who are interested in going from yarn shop to yarn shop... indulging me in my need to talk with the owners... to find out a bit about them and to document bits of the visit for myself and those who read the blog.  Now it's time to get to knitting on some projects that are calling my name from the other room... asking me to give them some much needed attention.

Things get hectic this time of year and I feel as though I have been neglecting my duty to report on finished objects.  This post is an attempt at catching up on some of that reporting.  First, a one row scarf I started in 2010 using Rowan Felted Tweed DK - YUMMY yarn - in the best color ever: Pickle!  Ravelry Link HERE.

I don't know why it took me so long but this scarf was a battle to complete.  I *almost* ripped it out 5 or 6 times... thinking I didn't WANT to knit it.  However, this is leftover yarn from a Guernsey finished in 2008 and I only had a few balls of the yarn left... so what else would I do with it.  Fighting the urge, it's finally a respectable length and finished, blocked, and beautiful.  I'm happy with it although it was a bit boring to knit. 

Crafty Andy and I got together back in November to weave a fun project using a pattern from Schacht Spindle's newsletter (find the newlsetter HERE).  We had a great time making scarves together before he left on his trip out of the country for Thanksgiving.  Here's the second scarf I have to show you today (known as "Gratitude" on my Ravelry page).  Woven and lovely!

After this scarf, I wanted to make a looooong version so I pulled out my sock yarn stash and found some other goodies to play with.  A day later, I came up with this second version... (my 3rd scarf to share)... super lengthy, flowy, and really really soft!

In other news, of course I'm knitting like crazy.  Most knitters are knitting like crazy this time of year, as crocheters are crocheting, and crafters are crafting.  Lots of projects to complete before the holiday deadlines... and while I'd like to talk about those I can't (or shouldn't) so I will do my best to keep quiet.  [for now].  I guess that's it until I can find time to take photos of some of the other projects that are completed... I'll leave you with a sweet photo of Willow (my 3-legged kitty):

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December 1st is World AIDS Day.  It comes and goes each year and I remember how good it felt years ago to be involved in HIV/AIDS education and outreach.  Today, I am proud to be certified as an HIV test counselor and to be working with UCSF AIDS Health Project.  One of the reasons I moved to San Francisco in 2010 was to make a difference and work in HIV/AIDS outreach. 

This morning I met with my coworkers in downtown San Francisco.  We gave away around 500 little red ribbons with our cards outlining the hours for our free HIV testing.  It felt really good to do this outreach - and one stranger actually came up and gave each of us a hug; telling us he was on his way to the Grove to spend some time remembering those he had lost to AIDS. 

Years ago I did outreach like this; participating in AIDS walks, passing out condoms and participating in performances focused on HIV education.  Today connected that past with the present and it feels really good.  I found this newspaper clipping from 1991 from when I participated in the 4th annual Walk For Life in downtown Phoenix.  If you look at the clipping date (1991) and follow the building in the photo down to the participants, you'll see a young Kyle (with a head full of dark hair!) carrying the end of a banner!

During my high school years, I was involved in the Positive Force Players; a teen peer education theater troupe sponsored by Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona.  We spent the summer learning about around 20 different issues affecting teens: drinking and driving, suicide, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, date rape and prejudice to name a few.  After we learned from experts in each field as well as from those who had first-hand experience of whatever topic we were studying, we got in groups and, using our own stories, began to develop skits. 

Those skits were revised and developed into scenes that we performed for schools, youth groups, community organizations and conferences.  We performed all over Arizona and, in my senior year, I believe I was in over 100 different shows.  We worked to make a difference as kids; doing our best to share education and be available to those who might have questions. 

We created a longer show called "It's About Time" focusing on HIV/AIDS - and featuring the stories of three different characters.  The photo above is from one of the performances of that show, and shows our version of the NAMES Project quilt.  The performances allowed us to work as a group to make a difference, and many of the friendships we cultivated during those years are going strong all these years later.

Back then, I knew that helping to raise awareness about social issues was important to me.  I did my best to learn what I could and took advantage of each opportunity that came my way, including the chance to receive a panel into the Names Project AIDS Quilt when it was on display in Phoenix, AZ.  These memories are what led me to the work I do today and are what seeded my love of HIV/AIDS outreach and education.

I ran the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program and, with the help of my friends and family (and YOU), raised over $4,500.00 for AIDS Project Los Angeles.  That took about 6 months of training and a lot of mental effort to accomplish but once I crossed that finish line I realized we really CAN do anything we want if we want it bad enough!  OK - time to talk a little about knitting...

In preparation for World AIDS Day, I knit my CAUSE hat in red and dark gray to wear during our outreach.  People asked to have/purchase/comission one of these hats so I decided to raffle this hat to raise money for AIDS Health Project.  Those who work there have the opportunity to make a donation and from those donations we will draw a name.  That person will win the hat while we gather some money for a worthy cause.

As you probably know, I have 2 knitting patterns that are connected to HIV/AIDS awareness.  CURE is a hat featuring a "virus" on it and one red ribbon - and the proceeds from that hat go to Project Open Hand.  They are an amazing group that helps to feed folks living with HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer and the elderly.  CAUSE is a hat encirled with ribbons and was designed to raise awareness about Breast Cancer.  Changing the color of the ribbons changes the focus of the project.  Proceeds from this pattern benefit Living Beyond Breast Cancer; a nonprofit based out of Pennsylvania.  The pattern is featured on their Shop to Support page. 

Want to make a difference?  Even something as simple as purchasing one of these patterns and knitting a hat could have an incredible impact on someone.  It's just a hat... just a knitting pattern... but sometimes the smallest actions have the greatest rewards. 

Interested in purchasing the CURE or CAUSE pattern?  Visit the SHOP.  For all you do to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and the other issues that are important to you, today is a day to reflect on how much impact even one person can have.  YOU have the ability to make a difference in this world; one tiny step at a time.

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