I've got a problem...
Our yarn crawl started near Buffalo, NY and ended with the Mecca of all: Webs in Massachusetts. In between we hit 7 others. Each time I vowed I would just look, but they put something in the air in yarn shops. I swear I can resist cinnamon rolls better than yarns.
Day one: Woolly Lamb
On a side trip to visit relatives, we stopped at Woolly Lamb in East Aurora, NY. It's a great shop on Main Street, with New York State's Main Street at the front door, otherwise named Route 20A. The street is wide, and brick fronts abound. There are two doors in the front, one for the yarn shop and another for an eclectic clothing boutique. They meet inside, so you can wander freely from one to the other. One whole wall was devoted to sock yarns. They are all placed in labeled drawers very much like keeping your stash at home. One thing that prevented me from grabbing everything off the shelves was a lack of pricing. I like to finger my yarn, look at the label and see the price attached. Instead, I found the staff trying to eat lunch in the back, and had to bother them for the price of several items. They showed me their "system" of clipboards hanging here and there, and then they themselves had some difficulty figuring out their method of alphabetizing. I would like to think that should they bite the bullet and use stickers they would make the shop more user-friendly and possibly increase their sales.
I came away with MORE Heritage (Cascade) sock yarn. Yum...
I've been looking for more solids to use for my intricate sock patterns from Cookie A....
Since it was July 2nd, we rushed back to start prepping for the July 3rd celebration at the lake. Only one shop that day!
Day Two: Purl Diva
After the 3rd, we drove 500+ miles to reach Portland, ME so we could sit under the stars, listen to the Portland Symphony with a noisy crowd (I estimate 5,000 in attendance) and watch the most amazing fireworks I've ever seen. Yes, DC is supposed to be fantastic, but... I wonder how they compare?
The following day we took off towards Rockland to report in to our schooner captain Brenda, another 78 miles from Portland, all the while keeping our eyes peeled for signs of yarn. P already knew of several, and easily found Purl Diva in Brunswick, ME. We were indeed fortunate that they were open. Being the 5th of July, so many businesses took the day off. We might have been her only customers that day, and of course, I found the bargain I couldn't refuse:
P had me worried that I wouldn't have enough to do for 4 days on the ship... and I had a pattern I wanted to make with Rowan's Pure Organic Cotton. This is a close match at !!! $2 per ball. This was a cosy store in a beautiful cosy white clapboard house. I'm so glad they were open!
(This is the yarn I used on my flights, not needed on the ship! Too much to see and do, so I saved the knitting for car travel and .... see July 14 and 17.... sorry about the repeat of pictures... nice yarn!)
Day Three (to be continued)
Whoa...great haul! I hate that clipboard system, too. We were at a wonderful yarn shop in Tennessee last fall, and I had an awful time figuring out the prices, even though the employees were incredibly friendly and helpful.
ReplyDeleteAnd didn't you know...it's impossible to walk into a yarn shop with out buying...something... :-)