twist, yarns of intrigue

Good morning, everyone. Yikes, I slept in really late today and therefore woke up really late. Isn't it crazy that it's june already? It feels like christmas was just last week but we're already heading into the second half of the year. I am not usually a hug fan of the hot southern california weather but i do love that it stays light out for so long. I feel like a vampire sometimes when i don't get to see sunlight during the day. only without all the good things like supernatural strength and special powers.

This week i had a hankering to fondle some yarn (knitters will understand) but none of the local stores in my area were appealing to me. so on saturday, I wrangled my friend to trek down with me to manhattan beach to go to Twist, Yarns of Intrigue. the owner, Cathy, is fabulous and they have recently moved to a much larger location down the street. they also carry the most fabulous selection of Malabrigo, one of my favorite yarns, as well as their own yarn and other treats. A trip to twist never fails to inspire me to create and i knew it was the thing to get my creative mojo flowing.

We walked in to see the wonderfully large new space. If you have never been to the old store it's hard to compare but the new space is easily 3-4x larger than the old one. It's so open now with a large couch and an area to hang out and look at pattern. There is also a great yarn bar where you can learn about some of the yarns in the shop and actually knit a swatch with them. you can see how the yarn knits up and what it feels like first hand,  which is a great way to try out a new yarn.

yarn bar

books and pattern galore

The malabrigo is always what interests me the most and they really do have the best selection of it that i've ever seen. Mal is notoriously hard to keep in stock in large quantities with a good selection of colors but cathy manages her orders so well and has such a good relationship with them that she always has lots of colors in all their bases.

seriously swoon at the mal sock yarn

Cathy also dyes her own yarn in wonderful colors. There wasn't much in stock unfortunately for me. I think the locals are snatching all of her yarn up before I can get there. I did find some wonderfully soft and beautiful cotton yarn that Cathy dyes. I am not usually a fan of cotton. Ironic since it's perfect for Southern California weather. But I just find it unyielding and hard on the hands. However, this cotton was dyed up vibrant jewel tones that caught my eye straight away. And the swatches showed and amazingly soft and cushy fabric. I wanted to buy it all! But that wasn't possible so I settled on 3 skeins of a beautiful green with blue undertones to try out. I am seriously going to order more for a sweater though and maybe a blanket. If you you visit Twist, you must feel this cotton.

the cotton of my dreams

I was also looking for inspiration for a wedding shawl I am going to make next year. My friend (who was with me) is getting married next year and requested a shawl for the big day. We looked at some books and narrowed down some ideas but none of the patterns was calling to her. Right when we were about to leave we saw a lovely red lace shawl in the corner made from Malabrigo Silky Merino, a really beautiful silk/wool DK blend. Peggy tried on the shawl and it was love.

So we picked up 3 skeins of the Silky Merino in a really pretty lavender/grey colorway called Madre Pearl. It's a gorgeous color and I am really excited about starting the shawl now. 

That was our big day and yarn trip. It was just the pick me up I needed and got me excited about knitting again. If you're ever in the area, you really should stop by and visit the shop. It has something for everyone. I'll leave you with our yarn purchases for the day. Have a wonderful afternoon!

twist cotton in jade

mal silky merino in madre pearl