Sedona Knit Wits

One of our day trips while in the Phoenix area was a 150 mile drive to Sedona for some hiking, and to see a former coworker. It is beautiful in Sedona with it’s dramatic landscapes and famous red rock formations. We arrived there around noon, pulling into a commercial center to get some lunch. While sitting in the car eating my sandwich I happened to notice “Sedona Kit Wits”, a yarn shop across the way. Naturally I had to go and check it out.

This first thing I noticed in the yarn shop was a large triangular loom set up vertically in the front of the store. Someone else had just been telling me about her daughter-in-law’s triangular loom, so I was intrigued. This one was seven feet wide across the top, but the woman at the shop told me it can be disassembled and reassembled into various sizes as small as three feet across. The weaving is done with one continuous strand of yarn, without any warping process. The edges are completely finished when you are done with the weaving, although you can choose to add fringe, or a knitted or crocheted border. You can connect two triangles together to make a larger fabric.

There are many options for purchasing a “triangular loom” in various sizes online. It is just a triangular wooden frame with nails in it, so there are also instructions for making one yourself.

The following shawl woven with the triangular loom and with a knitted border was on display in the store window.

Some other displays in the knitting shop that caught my attention are in the following photos.

I don’t need any more yarn, and I did not have a project in mind when I went in there, but it is hard to go in a yarn shop without buying something. I want to support the owner, and also it is soooo tempting. After one pass around the store I found something that called out to me. I bought a skein of Coboo cotton and bamboo blend yarn. Being very soft, breathable, and comfortable for wearing against the skin, this yarn is approved for “Knitted Knockers”, knitted prosthetics for women who have had a mastectomy. I had heard of these, and in the past had thought about making some for donation, but at the time I didn’t have the right yarn and then moved on to other projects.

I don’t need two photos of the yarn, but the setting was so beautiful.

We had a nice visit with my friend Deb and her husband outside on their patio, which backed up to an undeveloped area, had mountains in the background, and was about three blocks from a hiking trail. Deb is also knitter and crafter, so it was fun to compare projects as well as catch up on news from our lives and families.

After the social visit, we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon hike.

It was a full day but worth the driving time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, see my friend, and have a bonus visit to a yarn shop. Later I completed a pair of knitted knockers, using a pattern on the website for the organization that collects and distributes them, free to the recipient (www.knittedknockers.org). There is enough yarn left in the skein for at least one more set, maybe two.