Alex and I are spending a special long weekend together for his 27th birthday. As part of the celebration we went to Portland, Oregon to see one of his favorite bands in concert and to have a little fun at all of the traditional Portland locations. We went to college in Salem and lived in Eugene for a few years so we've been to Portland many a time and it's very familiar to us. It's a great city! I found some time for crochet spotting while we were there.
A Portland must-do is Powell's City of Books. I swear I could truly live inside it. No matter how many times I go there its winding layout and massive bookshelves impress and delight me. A picture doesn't do it justice. If you've never been to Powell's, drop in someday and prepare to be amazed.
Alex and I spent a long time in Powell's picking out some treasures. I got three books from the crochet section, all of them stitch dictionaries. I also got a Stephen King book to read when I'm finished with my current novel, The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.
Another Portland must-do is the Saturday Market. There were many crochet related booths present, but my favorite this time was Jim's Woodworking and his wooden crochet hooks. Wooden crochet hooks always remind me of magic wands, which is fitting since we surely do magical things with them!
Look at the gigantic crochet hook in the corner! I love it. We tried to buy it, but it was only for display.
A special dinner was spent at Mother's Bistro. It was so delightful! They had really good food, a good atmosphere, and reasonable prices. We tried to go back for brunch on a different day but they were totally packed!
While we were at the restaurant I discovered this lovely framed filet crochet doily hanging in the entryway. Crochet is everywhere :)
The band we went to see, Mogwai, played a great show. I really loved their light effects. The concert was very captivating. If you haven't heard of Mogwai you may have heard their music without realizing it. They did the soundtrack to the French television show Les Revenants (The Returned). It's on Netflix streaming if you want to check it out.
I'm so happy that Alex was able to see Mogwai for his birthday. Mogwai is a special band for us because it was the subject of our first conversation. The first thing I ever said to him as he sat concentrating in a study group with his headphones on was "What are you listening to?". It was Mogwai.
We intend to enjoy the last of our long weekend together today. What have you been up to?
Thank you for the tour around your favourite haunts. I have never seen that many crochet books in one bookshop where I live, let alone an entire shelf with its own 'crochet' section. You've started something now - I NEED to see that bookshop one day! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIf that giant crochet hook's handle was straight, it would make an amazing Tunisian hook providing it isn't too heavy!
I like the way you were cheeky enough to make an offer on the display hook ;-)
You're welcome! Powell's is certainly a wonderful place. As to the hook, I totally thought about Tunisian crochet when I saw it! The gentleman manning the booth said I'm not the first to try to buy it haha.
Delete