Portland: Day Two

Day two in wonderful Portland began with another class at the Knit and Crochet Show. Jenna and I were both enrolled in the class, which was all about the ways of the sock. More specifically, the ways of creating Coriolis socks, taught by the inventor of this particular method, Cat Bordhi. Needless to say the class the filled. Sock knitters are nothing if not dedicated to their craft. However, Jenna and I are more casual about knitting socks, so we absorbed all of the great tips and tricks during the morning session of the class and decided to forego the afternoon session in favor of a bit of Portland exploration.

We hopped a bus to NE Alberta street in search of some crafty wares. This turned out to be a fantabulous idea as not only did we find tons of treasures, but there happened to be a street fair going on that day as well. Icing on the cake as far as I was concerned.

First Stop, Collage! This place is filled to the rafters with paper goods, scrapbooking materials, stamps, stickers, brads and crafty tchotchkes. It's nothing short of superb. I picked up some Halloween themed items as well as some stuff to make ATCs.

Next up, Close Knit! Okay, we didn't go there to purchase anything. Jenna and I had done enough damage in the Marketplace at the Knit and Crochet Show after all. However, when in another city, it is always good to go and check out the local fuzz. Close Knit is such a great store! Lots of stock from Manos to Rowan, including some hand-painted hanks from local makers. The staff was friendly and the feel of the place was wonderfully cozy. If I lived in Portland, I'd be there all of the time!

Our final craft stop on NE Alberta Street was Bolt Fabric. Another petite brick and mortar packed with quality stuff. Find tons of quilt cottons such as Mendocino, Pop Garden and Garden Party, unusual buttons, embroidery patterns, floss and a good selection of books. Definitely worth a perusal.

Damage to our wallets sustained, we hit a local taco truck before hopping a bus and cab to the other side of town.


Jenna sits propped against our chosen lunch venue.

Across town, Jenna and I hit Knittn Kitten. This store was a find! Vintage craft materials, fabrics, yarns and books. It's quite literally a thrift store for craft junkies. Brilliant to be sure! I increased my current collection of McCall's Needlework with a few purchases from this shop.

Our afternoon spent, we girls headed back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner with a colleague from the cube farm. Jeff and his wife, Mary, picked us up from our home away from home and we drove over to the Pearl District for a evening meal at Bay 13. There we indulged in a couple of bottles of Westrey Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley to start, combined with Grilled Flatbread topped with mushrooms, carmelized onions and fontina cheese, Sweet Potato Fries with a side of horseradish aioli, Steamer clams in Thai chili, scallions and cilantro. We followed that up with seared Ahi Tuna, Maine Diver Scallops and Beef Tenderloin for our main course. Our plates looked as if they'd been autoclaved at the end of the meal. So, yeah, the food was good!

After dinner Jenna and I parted ways with our fellow cube farm inmate and spouse and hit the pavement in search of Powell's.

Oh. My. God.

If you are a bibliophile, then this is your heaven. Below is just one floor to ceiling bookcase of many in the craft book section of the store...



Amazing. I know I speak for Jenna when I say that I would move to Portland simply to be close to Powell's. Yes, it's THAT good.

Not a bad Day Two right? But wait, there's more...

How do two crafty chicks end a craftacular day in a fantastic city?

DOUGHNUTS!

Oh yeah, Voodoo Doughnuts...


Classic Buttermilk.


The ever popular Voodoo Doughnut, pierced by a pretzel.


My fave, the Maple and Bacon Doughnut. Oh yeah, two crispy strips of pork atop a rich maple glazed fried dough log...Yum!

All I can say is, thank God we had to walk 10 blocks to get to the Max...