Moving to Phoenix

[BeppyCat]

Hi all!
My husband and I are moving to Phoenix in about four weeks.  In fact, we're flying there tomorrow and staying for two weeks while he starts orientation for his new position (that's the reason we're moving, he got a promotion), and we're going to do some house hunting too while we're there.  Wish us luck, I need a place to actually live when we get there or the cats will be upset at me. 

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has any general advice about great yarn stores or craft stores.  Also what the best neighborhoods are good to live in.  I'm hoping to study fashion design at Phoenix college, does anyone go there or know what it's like?  So yeah, I guess I'm just looking for reccomendations and reassurance about this moving thing.
Thanks everyone!

[tinafish]

yay! i'm in phoenix...ahwatukee to be exact. it's a great neighborhood...very family oriented. chandler is a great place as well. feel free to PM me if you'd like to know more or have any questions..or need reassurance. there are some great hole in the wall places around here for crafts and things. i'm sure the rest of the people in this Arizona thread will be of great help to you!

my boyfriend can relate.. he moved out here just last fall from the east coast.

good luck on your move. 

[BeppyCat]

Tinafish, thanks for the reply.  Right now, we're in Scottsdale, that's where my husband's new office is.  We'll be looking for a house in Chandler or Gilbert I think.  I hope we find one, we have two weeks here, then it's back to MI for a week to pack and move back here.  It seems pretty sudden, but I hope I'll get used to it. 

Dude, it's super hot here!  I think I fried myself walking around shopping.  Note to self, sun block is a must for even ten minutes!

I went to a nice needlepoint/cross stitch store called Old Town Needlework today.  It was nice, even though I'm not into needlepoint.  I was hoping it'd be a yarn store.  I don't have a car, I'm not much of a driver, so I'm looking for stuff in walking distance.  I did pick up a mystery by Earlene Fowler, I haven't read any of hers yet.  I love the ones by Monica Ferris, and the lady in the shop said this one is really good too.

So, I guess I'm feeling a bit more secure about moving.  I'll get my own room to use as a studio, yay!  Now if I can just get used to this evil sun and the mean looking cacti!   

[tinafish]

i don't knit...i really want to learn, but here's a link of a few yarn places in town. i dont know if they will be of help.

http://www.woolworks.org/stores/az.html

it IS hot here.  i'm originally from california and have only been in arizona for about 4 years. so i'm still getting used to my 2nd summer here. ( i usually went home to my parents' in cali for summer) my bf and i have just purchased a home a few months ago and are still settling down.

i truly hope your moving experience out here will be great. please feel free to email/pm..when you want. i know how it feels to come to a new town and not know where to start!!

[aeroplane]

i'm definatly not a knitter (i've tried, but that first knot step is beyond me).  there are a lot of michaels, joanns and a few other fabric stores that all sell yarn dotting the valley.  the biggest most beautiful joanns is in scottsdale, in the pavilions shopping center (which is great btw, if you want to go major shopping but want to avoid the mall scene- they have EVERYTHING there).  i'm not too educated in the gilbert/chandler area as i'm in tempe/mesa, but feel free to ask me questions too

[BeppyCat]

Actually, I'm not much of a knitter myself, but I crochet, and I've just started designing patterns, so I'm looking for a good source for great yarns, and even though they don't really seem to respect crocheting much, that means knitting stores.    Well, I suppose they're not mean to crocheters, I probably just have a chip on my shoulder.

Anyway, we've been looking at houses, there are some pretty nice ones.  The neighborhood is an important part of the decision, since I don't drive, I sort of want an accessible kind of neighborhood.  There's one we saw that's not too far from a Wal-mart and there's a place called CraftMart too.  I didn't get to go in, does anyone shop at that chain?  Is it a good store for supplies?  I'd love to have a part time job there... if only for the discount, hehe.

I like it here so far, but I got sunburned today even through my spf 45.  I guess my lily white skin will just have to toughen up.  We're looking at houses with pools, so it's possible that this might be the first time in my life that I'll be tan.  The architecture and scenery are so different from Michigan, it'll really take some time to get used to it.  But I'll bet my family will be coming to stay so much I won't get a chance to miss them.  They'll think they're coming to some kind of resort.

I do have one question: do I really have to shake out my shoes before I put them on, or was my older brother making fun of me?  Do scorpians and lizards get into the houses?  Is there anything poisonous that could hurt my cats?  Okay, so more than one question, but thanks for being so nice and helpful you guys!

[tinafish]

let's see...that scorpion thing..that is kinda true. i would make sure to keep an eye on your cats. my puppy stepped on one about a month ago. my bf and i freaked out, but i guess most common scorpion stings are the equivilent of a honey bee sting. still not the greatest feeling, but better than thinking that your dog only has 7 hours to live (which is what we thought). they won't get into the house if you're careful. you should be just fine.

craftmart is similar to joanns' i dont have as much experience with that store. i've purchased a couple quilt fabrics, but that's it. a part time job would be very cool.

if youre talking about the craftmart on alma school..that area seems nice for homes! i'm on the opposite end..way far west from there. furthur east of alma school...towards chandler has great neighborhoods. i have a pool at my house. it's almost a must to have a pool near by..it's definitely worth it in the summer ...or almost year round!

have you had a chance to go down to mill avenue? that's quite an old/artsy area...althought it now has much more college town/mainstream stores...it's still a nice street to visit.

anyway, glad you're adapting so well! 

[aeroplane]

my reply to scorpions!

it really depends on where you live.  i've lived in 9 different homes, and only one had a scorpion problem.  if you live on the outskirts, near any open fields, you might have them.  the biggest factor though is construction!  my mom lives right by a freeway and the construction of the freeway (or building, new roads, etc) will cause insects out of their natural habitat and right into your backyard!  she kills 2-3 scorpions per month and she lives in the middle of tempe.  i however, living just 10 miles from her, having had a single scorpion in my house. 

good luck finding a house!!!  i have many co-workers who live in chandler and are very happy with it.

p.s. my house has a pool and it's the only way to go.  my car doesn't have air conditioning, so my 15-20 minute commute just screams for a dip in the pool after 20 minutes of sweating your eyeballs out.

[BeppyCat]

I think we've found a house!  As long as the inspection stuff and the financing go okay, we should be able to move in in August.  It's in Chandler, so it's not a super bad commute for my husband to get to work.  It's got a pool too, so I'm super happy about it.

I'd love to have a garden, there's enough room on the lot for some big containers or a little garden patch, but I have no idea what will grow here.  I'm so not a fan of catus.  And I think it'll take me a little while to get used to the, "rocks and gravel make great ground cover" school of landscaping.  Where I come from, no grass means you just built a new house, or you don't care about your yard.  I know it's not like that here, but I still have a hard time thinking that a mound of stones is a good substitute for a flower bed.  So if I'm willing to baby them and put them in containers, do you think I can get flowers and veggies to grow down here?

Thanks for the reassurance about the scorpions, I think I'm over my fear of that now.  As long as no lizards get in the house, I think I'll be okay.

[aeroplane]

i worked at a target garden center may through october a couple years ago.  you can grow stuff, it just takes more effort and love than it does elsewhere.  cacti and succulents grow best of course (and there are some succulents that are very pretty- i had a candy apple plant that did great until we moved and i dropped it, and portulaca are also pretty).  my neighbor at my old house had a huge vegetable garden, though i'm not completely sure what she grew.  if you pick a nice spot that gets enough shade, use some good soil in a big ol' pot and water a lot you'll do fine