Last night, we were honored to have Evelyn Clark with us. She is such a dynamic person, and even if you don't really like to knit lace, she shares so much of her learning experiences, that the whole meeting is just FUN! 
   Evelyn shared with us her newest book, "Icelandic Lace Collection" and her personal history with knitting Icelandic lace. The Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, asked her, if she could teach a class for their Nordic Heritage Knitting Conference, about Icelandic knitting, as they were missing anyone to represent that country during their conference, many years ago. She began delving into the history and heritage of this rich culture and craft. She once thought that she could duplicate patterns from existing shawls that she saw, only to learn that most of the shawls are already patterns, so Evelyn took what she had learned and started designing her own Icelandic lace items, based on the stitch patterns used by the Icelandic knitters and now has some of the most gorgeous shawls I've ever seen. Her patterns are exquisite and I can't wait to work some of them.

   Evelyn then shared with us some of the culture of Iceland and some extremely enchanting stories of her visits there and the people she met while there. It was so much fun to listen to her talk and share her experiences. She has definitely inspired many of us to head off to Iceland, as quickly as we can.
   We were also treated to a show and tell of many of the items which are included in the e-book and my, oh, my, were they absolutely stunning and amazing to see.

Here is a guest post from Maureen (Mo) Galbreath, our valiant Yarn Train coordinator,
who recently spent some time in Portland previewing the shops and other
features of Portland, that you won't want to miss while you're there. 

  I just spent two lovely days in Portland visiting the seven shops that will be on the Seattle to Portland Yarn Train Crawl. The Crawl is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, with the Amtrak train leaving the station at 7:30 am.

  This year, we’ve added four new shops to the Crawl. All are accessible via Portland’s TriMet bus system. We will have printed information on which bus to take to get to each of the outlying shops.   
Yarnia
  Be sure to check out their website. Especially the video of how the yarn is wound on their machine.

Twisted
  Next stop on our Portland (PDX) trip was Twisted. So many wonderful samples to look at and a big library of patterns as well. This shop is definitely set up for browsing with places to sit down and their own tea bar. Be sure to check out the “About” option on their website to learn about the yarns they carry and their clubs. The Shawlette Club looks soo inviting.

Dublin Bay
  Dublin Bay was next on the list. A sweet shop with so much to look at and a very comfortable place to sit and knit, complete with fireplace and TV. Visit their website to check out their yarns. And be sure “to take a virtual tour of our shop” to familiarize yourself with what they carry. The battery on my phone was depleted and I was unable to take any pictures here. You’ll have to visit in person to see for yourself how lovely it is.

Urban Fiber Arts
  Our last stop for the day was Urban Fiber Arts.  We always get such a warm welcome from Cindy whenever we visit.  This shop features many local hand dyers and some of the color ways are so pretty.  It was their evening knit/spin night so we had an opportunity to watch one of the gals spinning.  Be sure to check them out on Facebook or on their website to see some of the yarns and learn more about the activities going on at the shop.


    ~"Mo", Yarn Train Coordinator

Watch for Part 2 of her trip, coming in a few days!