Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Have a Yarn--Shop
On a trip to the South Shore yesterday, I could not resist a visit to one of the loveliest yarn shops in Nova Scotia: Have a Yarn Shop in Mahone Bay . It was late in the day. It was raining. And I should have just kept on my way home.
But, having been there before, I knew what to expect:
A wide range of yarns, beautifully displayed, in this atmospheric former country house--now yarn shop. The knitted samples are inspirational and even if you didn't have a knitting project in your mind when you entered, you would certainly leave with several.
Have a Yarn has the most extensive collection of self-patterning sock yarn that I have ever seen in one place:
As well as lots of Fleece Artist yarns. Well, there was a good selection yesterday. But I know that these won't last long. It is worth being placed on the shop's e-newsletter so that you can get early warnings of new shipments of this much-coveted yarn. It doesn't last long once it arrives in the shop.
I had intended a simple browse, a hello to friends at the shop, Karen and Heather:
But that was not to be. A swipe of the well-worn credit card and I left with magazines and more yarn than I really need right now.
One new discovery for me was Tanis Fiber Arts yarn. It is superwash merino with 20% nylon in a fingering weight. Lovely, soft feel in the hand. These 100 g.-skeins are subtly hand-dyed by Tanis in the most gorgeous ranges of both jewel and muted colours. I couldn't resist and walked off with three different colours. More subdued this time, but they suited my mood on the foggy, rainy day. I can't wait to try these out.
I can see this yarn working beautifully with many of my patterns, especially the shawls and scarves and wraps that use fingering weight. Would be great for Sea Urchin , too.
So if you ever have a chance to travel down to the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia, do drop in. I know they would love to see you. And if you can schedule your visit for a Tuesday afternoon, you can join other knitters for a bit of social knitting and a cup of tea. What could be better?
