Souvenir Skeins!

 Whenever I visit a new place, I scour the internet for local yarn shops.  During our recent trip to San Francisco, I got to visit two.  Pete even popped in for a minute before retreating to the car to listen to the SF Giants game.

We started at Bluebird Yarn & Fiber Crafts in Sausalito, CA.

 They arranged their roving in glass jars on a shelf.  I snapped this picture to remind myself to steal this amazing idea.  It was one of the first things I did once we returned home.  Expect photos soon!

 This little statue at the cash register embodied my purchase of a pattern by the owner of the shop.  It's the Golden Gate Bridge Hat by Sophie Kurnik.  To make it even more souvenir-y, I picked up some orange and black Cascade 220 superwash to knit it in.  Go Giants!

 The next stop was Oakland, CA.  I have been intrigued by A Verb for Keeping Warm since I heard about it on the Knitmore Girls podcast.  I read more about it in this post from the Knitting Kninja.  This store was the quintessential souvenir yarn store, because nearly everything is a product of California.  Not only do they grow their own organic dye garden in Oakland, they also make a point of using wool from American and Canadian farms. 

 I popped in right in the middle of two different classes, which was exciting to witness.  All those knitters in one place!  The patio out back had a drying rack strewn with drying, freshly-dyed yarn.

Unexpectedly, I walked out with two bundles of roving.  I just couldn't take my eyes (or hands) off them.  Stay tuned for some spinning attempts!