Monday, February 4, 2013

Yarn Crawling

It has been awhile since I have yarn crawled. But Saturday a bunch of like-minded knitting nuts and I took off for our closest Big Smoke.  That would be Barrie.  Perhaps I should call it the Mini Smoke.  It isn't Toronto, but it does have two great yarn stores.

First up. we hit what used to be called Knit &Quilt but is now called True North Yarn Co.  What a great store!  Easy to find  - just a couple minutes off Hwy 400 and boy is it Big!  Bright! Clean! and Spacious!   And - there is a  discount room which  literally snatched the self-control right out of the needles  of some of my fellow crawlers.   With my stash already containing several bags of sweater quantities, I restrained myself nicely.

But there was no restraint when I walked in the door and saw Bolivia.
 
A gorgeous, multi-fibre yarn from Barcelona.  Smart marketers those True North people!  Strategically placed, right inside the door was a skein knit up into a simple scarf. The tag outlined the pattern; 10mm needles.  Cast on 18 sts.  Knit.  I can do that.  Purchase #1.  And lucky for me, needles were on sale.  The 10mm needle the scarf requires cost me just $4. 

Next the  baby yarn caught my eye.  My entire stash of baby knits have been distributed over the last few months - a baby boom in Thornbury, it seems.  Long winters, you know.   Time to stock up on baby knits.  Wicked, from King Cole Yarns,
a bright, happy, laundry-friendly acrylic was purchase #2.  It will be  one of Cabin Fever's Top Down Baby Cardis, very shortly. 

The group was starting to fade, so off we went to be watered and fed before stopping at Eliza's Buttons & Yarns.  Eliza's is Barrie's newer yarn store.  What a delight.  True to it's name the first thing inside the door is  a cabinet filled with buttons.  If you ever need that 'certain' button to finish you knitted garments, Eliza's   would be the place to find it.  And of course there is  yarn too. Lots of it. On display was a great tam and curly scarf knit from Liberty Wool.  My itching fingers said -   'I want to knit that.  In exactly that colour.'  But figuring I already had enough hats, I settled on only  one  ball for the scarf.
 Big mistake.    I wonder if Eliza ships.

Even the tough, snowy, winter drive home could  not dampen our enthusiasm.  It was a great day.  Definitely put the city on your radar if you want a great yarn-crawl day. 








 

2 comments:

Sel and Poivre said...

My Beloved and son were headed south Saturday afternoon as you headed north. Said the snow up near you was blinding as they left but they just drove out from under it at Shelburne! Glad to hear you made it home safe and sound. Good quality Canadian Knitter Drivers be praised!

Sandra said...

Isn't Eliza"s great? (She's a friend, but that in no way colours my opinion...) She's a fabulous designer as well, she has a great eye for lovely things. GLad you got there!