Stephen & Penelope Yarn Shop: Amsterdam

I have dreamed about going to Amsterdam for so many years and my wish finally came true.  I was so happy to visit this amazing city.  First on my list was a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens to see the tulips.  I was not disappointed as  the beauty of this place far surpassed what I had imagined.

Second on my Amsterdam list was a visit to Stephen & Penelope, a cozy yarn store situated in the heart of the city, owned partly by the infamous designer Stephen West. This store had an impressive variety of brightly coloured yarn from Europe and North America.  Of course I wore my orange Lumpy Space shawl designed by Stephen West which I had knit for this trip. 

Even though Stephen West was not in the store I enjoyed every minute of my visit, admiring the many gorgeous skeins of yarn.  Here are a few of my favourite photos:

West Wool:  Tandem

Stephen & Penelope St. Magnus DK Orkney Angora

La Bien Aimeé: Westknits Goes to Paris

Fru Valborg

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Qing Fibre

Qing Fibre

Qing Fibre

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Garn Stories

Bilum

A huge wall of Hedgehog Yarn

Lingarn Yarn

I really enjoyed seeing all the Stephen West design samples.  Here are a few of my favourites:

Mohairino Medley:  this shawl is definitely going into my queue

It was very hard to just pick a few skeins to take home as there were just so many lovely choices.  I picked some skeins that would be hard to find in Canada.  This is what ended up coming home with me:

Walk Collection Kid Mohair Lace

Undercover Otter:  Otter Pup

Qing Fibre Melted Baby Suri

Walk Collection Kid Mohair Lace

I am looking forward to knitting with these skeins as whatever I knit will always remind me of this special place.  Amsterdam was truly a wonderful city and I enjoyed every minute of my holiday there.  Now what should I knit with this yarn?

F.O. Miromesnil by Cléonis

Pattern:  Miromesnil

Designer:  Cléonis

Yarn:  Shibui Silk Cloud (60%% Mohair, 40% silk) 2 skeins

Colourway:  Shore

Yarn:  Tanis Fiber Arts Pink Label Lace Weight (100% Merino) 2 skeins

Colourway: OOAK (it was super close to the colourway Midnight)

Needles: 4.5mm and 5mm
Size:   M1

Ravelry:  see notes

Added Notes:  
1.  This is the second time I have made Miromensil, and once again I enjoyed every minute of knitting it.  I dug deep in my stash for the two skeins of TFA Pink Label Lace Weight yarn, pairing two strands of the lace weight yarn with one strand of Shibui Silk Cloud.  I am a big fan of both yarns and the combination is heavenly. Silk Cloud is super soft, feels so luxurious, and is not itchy at all.  The skeins of lace weight contained 914 m which was was not enough yarn for long sleeves.  I decided to make a short sleeve version and it's perfect for spring weather. 

Love the halo

2. The designer gives you many options to choose from when knitting this top down sweater.  Here is the first Miromesnil I made with a front pleat and long sleeves. 

Miromesnil #1

This time I chose to make the the cropped version and knit until the body was 12.5 inches, finishing with a flat ribbing for 12 rounds.  I feel like you really get your money's worth because of how many pattern options the designer gives you.

As you can tell I am super pleased with this sweater and I know it will get a lot of wear.  I am currently knitting another sweater paired with Shibui Silk Cloud.  I can't seem to get enough of this yarn.  Anyone else obsessed with Shibui Silk Cloud?