What I Did While On Vacation In Maine --Part II
I bought yarn. Oh yes I did.
I came prepared, as I had read Carrieoke's review of the Portland, Maine LYSs.
Let's break it down:
You know the stores that sell the good ol' yarn staples? Cascade 220, the whole Rowan collection, a smattering of sock yarn? These stores feel like home. Such was Knit Wit, in Portland Maine. There was even a sale on Kidsilk Aura, which the owner remarked had not been a great seller. I got 7 balls at 50% off! This is a heavier version of my much beloved Kidsilk haze, but with crummy yardage (82 yds a ball). I hope I can eke out a lacy sweater or bolero out of this.
Then, I went to Tess' Designer yarns (also in Portland). This yarn is somewhat hard to find in stores, and the colors are just so fantastically saturated! This is not the kind of store that sells notions (as Carrieoke noticed), nor the kind of stores where the employees know how to knit. In fact, the employee will be more interested in chatting with a friend than with you, one of two customers. But the yarn! Oh, the yarn is so lovely...
I got 2 skeins of laceweight merino in a buttery yellow.
And a skein of sock yarn in eye-searing magenta.
Finally, I stumbled upon a real Maine yarn store. I found it by following a sign on the side of the road that said, simply: "yarn". (Well, actually, I may have yelled out "YARN!!!" and forced my boyfriend to follow the sign). We drove up to a house, where several dogs and a duck enthusiastically greeted us. The owner showed us her sheep --yes, from which her yarn is made--:
then guided us to a garden shed -- aka the store:
She has some award-winning yarns:
It was only later, when I looked at my receipt, that I realized we had been in Woolwich, Maine. Fate!
After all of this yarn shopping, I could not justify stopping by Halcyon Yarn, in Bath, Maine or Seaport Yarns (in Portland and NYC)... This just means we'll have to go back :)
Labels: maine vacation
