My great-niece came last Monday and stayed through Thursday. It was great to have a chance to spend time with her. You all might remember that my niece Jody who I was close to passed away from breast cancer almost 4 years ago. Dawn is Jody’s daughter. She’s part of the oldest set of triplets in the family. She’s a joy to be around and it was wonderful to have someone I could share memories of Jody with.
Dawn is crafty so we make a good pair. Most nights when she was here, Dawn knitted and I cross-stitched. It was great.
On Tuesday I didn’t have grandkids here so we were able to sneak away. I took her out for sushi, her favorite, and we went to the yarn shop.
Dawn is 20 and just graduated from community college. She took the summer off and will soon be looking for a job. She’s hoping somewhere out there she could find a job as an illustrator and work remotely. If anyone out there is looking for an illustrator, feel free to send some info my way and I’ll pass it along to her.
Dawn had never been to a yarn shop so imagine her delight when we stepped into The Blue Heron in Decorah, IA.
It’s full of yarn and full of samples which we both appreciated. I looked for a bit but then sat down and cross-stitched for a while so Dawn could browse to her heart’s content.
Right now, Dawn’s favorite is knitting hats. She makes a lot and sells them for a little extra money. We looked more at the hat samples than anything else.
I gave her a budget and treated her to some yarn. She hasn’t had access to specialty yarns so she was really enjoying the treat. Imagine if you’d only been to Joann’s or Hobby Lobby for yarn and then came here!
When Dawn came on Monday she settled in and was doing a needle felting project. I had never done that before. In fact, I had never seen anyone make a project. We had fun checking these projects out.
Dawn was so excited that the gals at the shop even wound her yarn into cakes for her. Me, I was kicking myself. I have seen these at the thrift store before and I’ve never bought one. You can bet I’ll be keeping my eyes open for yarn and for a winder as I’m out and about thrifting.
I told Dawn that I’m not someone who wears a hat otherwise I might buy a hat from her. I told her instead I’d buy her some yarn. She was excited about that.
If you’re interested in seeing some of the great hats Dawn has knit, you’ll have to check out her Facebook page. She’s Dawnie Doodle Designs. You can find it HERE. She’d love it if you gave her a follow. If Instagram is more your thing, you can find her on Instagram at Dawnie Doodle Designs.
We hit up the thrift store. We were able to find a bag of yarn. Later we stopped at Goodwill and found three bags, or maybe four, that were all half-price. She was so excited.
We went to Walmart too. I had meds to pick up and we needed indoor potting soil. We were on a mission to take some cuttings from a few of my plants and pot up some starts for her to take home.
Dawn ended up coming to my house and had two hats knitted before she went home. That girl’s needles were on FIRE!! Sadly I forgot to take some pictures of them. She was so smart with her yarn. She combined some thrifted yarn with the yarn we bought at the quilt shop so she could make the expensive yarn last just a little bit long and will likely get two hats out of the skein.
As we were leaving the yarn shop we heard them mention that they were putting together an online store. They don’t have it up yet but soon. You can find the shop information HERE. Keep checking back as the online store opening sounded like it would be happening soon.
That had Dawn excited. She went back and took pictures of some of the yarn she wanted and is going to put that on her Christmas and birthday lists. Her excitement was so fun and definitely contagious.
It was a lovely few days. I had so much fun. It was honestly a bit of balm to my soul.
Dawn sounds lovely. It’s nice that you got to spend time together.
Dawn needs to open an ETSY shop to see her creations.
Yes! I am not on Facebook or Instagram ! I would love to see Dawn’s hats.
Such a wonderful day for you and Dawn. So happy you were able to get together. I
Love and prayers
That sounds as if both of you had a wonderful time! isn’t it great to encourage younger craftsfolk
So much for both of you! I am sure Dawn enjoyed being with you especially since you were so close to her mother. Such a special relationship. It has been several years since I went to a yarn shop. We had a beautiful one in the town I lived in Colorado. The yarns are totally amazing in them. So glad you were able to spend time together. I have done some needle felting and really enjoy it.
What a wonderful time you had with Dawn and the yarn shops like a real treat for both of you. I will check out her site and see what she has for hats. We recently moved back to Wisconsin and winter is coming so I will need a hat for sure.
I’m going to do a yarn check. Could I send some to you for her. I’ve never bought yarn any where but a yarn shop, so it’s a better grade, & only wool or natural fibers. If this works I’ll get to the ‘sorting’. Have a good day.
Feel free to send anything by way. I’ll pass it on to her. It’s a great excuse to visit!! HA~
Dawn sounds like a lovely talented young woman. An illustrator as well? That has me wishing I knew more about how publishing works. I’ve always liked to write, and one thing I wrote was a children’s book. But alas it never got any bites from publishers. I’ve often wondered if submitting it with illustrations would have made a difference. Anyways, I’m glad you had such a restorative visit!
So glad you had a great visit with your great niece. Oh my I remember the first time I stepped across the threshold of apple yarns my local yarn shop aka LYS back in 2007 and seeing ALL the amazing yarns they have! Having previously been a JoAnn’s and Michael’s customer I was amazed and astounded at the difference. I signed up for my first professionally taught knitting class (a sock class) and I’ve been a customer of theirs ever since! Oh I just thought of something just now as I write this…they’re having their Annual Stashbuster Sale where you can get excellent quality yarn we take on for Sale there from our stash! Books and notions are also included in the sale, she may want to call them and see what higher end yarns are in the Sale beginning August 1. I know I put 52 bags of yarn (most from deep deep stash) in the sale and 4 or 5 of that total are higher quality yarns with excellent prices on them. I also saw a set of interchangeable needles (an essential tool in any serious knitters toolbox) for a really good price! She can call apple yarns at 360-756-9992 and ask and purchase over the phone, they ship worldwide! I’ll keep your niece in mind when I shop for yarn or decide to clear more stash out after the end of this month. Is it okay to send to you, Jo, for her? I love sharing in the yarnie world as I call it!
I’ll look her up on IG and give her a Follow for support, too.
You can send anything my way if you are destashing. I’ll get it to her. It will be a great excuse to visit!!
I love that you had several days with her! That’s awesome! I’m going to look at her hats .. I crochet a little but never made a hat ..maybe that will inspire me to try one ? thank you for sharing your week !