Parenting 101: Knit, Purl, Frog?

When I knit for children I compare the process of creating a knit garment with the trials and joys of  parenting.

It’s an easy comparison.  Handknit items are riddled with mistakes, love, and warmth.  You do your best, you try to follow a guide, and in the end it is a unique creation that will never again be repeated. And if you totally screw up beyond belief, you can just frog it and start all over.  Well, maybe you can’t start over with new kids, but if a specific technique is not working you can look to a new “pattern.”

Here is a little hooded sweater for my dear friend Nancy who is expecting her first child any minute.  The yarn was spun from local llama fiber of Evergreen Ponds Llamas in Monticello, MN.  The pattern for this sweater can be found online for free at Knitting Pure & Simple.

Of course, like all free advice I altered this to fit my own wants and needs.

Free advice?  Parenting?  Oh yeah those two definitely go together.

Cuba Has Good Relations With Scotland

In the doggie world anyway.

Posh and I had a great morning playdate with Colleen and her two Scottie dogs.

The bigger boy is Danny who recently added a little brother to his pack.

Danny’s mommy is a volunteer for MN Scottie Rescue and was fostering this new baby sibling.  Well, Colleen decided to fail Fostering 101. For any of you who don’t get my little “dog joke,” failing Fostering 101 means you end up keeping the puppy.  :)

Looks like Scottie dogs know how to fly too!

Seems to me, these brothers are a perfect pair and keeping him was a fabulous decision.

Feeling Black & Blue All Over-St. Paul, MN

Good friend, and fellow St. Olaf College graduate Steve Kang has opened a grand boutique in St. Paul, MN.

Curiously named BlackBlue, the mostly men’s wear (but there are ladies shoes I’ve noticed that several women can’t keep their paws off of) store is located near the corner of Selby and Dale, two doors from the fabulous destination restaurant Mango Thai.  Kang is hocking classic wears from solid folks (some made here in MN) like Original Penguin, Woolrich, Pendleton, Minnetonka Moccasin, and Redwing Shoes and mixing them with hip new designers out of New York like Hyden Yoo.

Steve and I had a fun day hanging out and shooting some images of  the store.  Photographing a store, its proprietor, and its contents was a fun way for me to “mix it up.”

Steve has added some really creative elements to the store.  Old articles find new lives as an antique door becomes a mirror, out of print books become display shelves, and a vintage bicycle proudly dangles from its handlebars a great pair of shoes.

Mr. Kang has also shirked the usual “what you see is what you get” storefront window display for a more modern/artistic/abstract window shopping experience.  This month the window features small clay houses, made by a local MN artist and friend of Steve’s on wooden “fence” posts, and above the houses soar delicate origami birds.

So, check this place out.  Buy all the men on your list something from BlackBlue.  If you’re anything like me the men in your life are impossible to buy for, and you haven’t even attempted to shop for them yet…

Meanwhile, there are two Pendleton shirts I’ve been seriously scoping.  And if they’re gone before I get to them, I know Steve will have something else even more perfect.

Here are what some “yelpers” are saying about their BlackBlue experience.

I love this store!!!

They have the coolest selection of men’s clothes that you won’t find anywhere else.

Upon walking in, the store is definitely cool and has a minimalist look, but don’t let that fool you, there is lots to choose from.

It’s not just for men, they have women’s shoes as well as bags and clothes that can go either way. Definitely worth a visit ladies!

Highly recommended.

BlackBlue is fantastic little boutique minimally filled with stylish clothing for men who like their attire to be understated, timeless, and comfortable.

We lingered in this store twice as long as I expected to (especially for a shopping-hater like my boyfriend) due to the really interesting selection and the suuuuuuuuuuper friendly sales person.  Whoever she is, she’s awesome and I am glad to hear that she has recently moved to the neighborhood so that I might run into her more often.

If my boyfriend wasn’t so (delightfully) lanky, BlackBlue would get every dime of his wardrobe budget dollars.  Although, everything he tried on was clearly meant for someone shorter and stouter than he.  I know he’ll be back to browse regularly.

I am so over the moon happy with Black Blue, and the folks I met there today, and the Yoo* “sweatshirt” I purchased.

To say that I was stalking this place is an understatement.  You know how I am (cheeky monkey anybody).  But I knew this was going to be special, so I didn’t obsess too much.  Caveat:  Two nights ago I slipped a note under the door asking them to call or email me when they open, and they did.

Ok.  I will let you off the tenter hooks and tell you now that this is a Men’s Boutique.

Let me rephrase that.  This is a boutique the likes of which you will find in New York or San Francisco.

Bare bulbs hang from the ceiling, tennis rackets cross themselves restfully on the wall, and an old wood ironing board sits open next to a pair of long ski’s. In the center is a wood table with sweaters, and one entire wall is a cool display of shoes (Generic Surplus now, Tretorn soon).

And the best part?  There isn’t a single bird or tree embroidered on any of the shirts!  Can you imagine that?  I knew there wouldn’t be, just from driving and walking by and pressing my face to the glass (sorry about the smudge marks) at two in the morning…

I don’t want to give it all away, but you have to go and check it out.

*what, you don’t know the designer Hyden Yoo?  Me either.  That is the beauty of Black Blue.  You don’t know them now, but you certainly may in the future!