Weekend with D

I spent a delightful weekend with my friend D, who lives in the mountain area of western North Carolina. We had 2 goals: spend Saturday on a yarn shop hop to discover what's available in her area; spend the rest of the time for D to learn seed stitch. I am happy we accomplished both, and added yarnovers to boot! D has crocheted for a long time, but began knitting when I taught her the basics at Christmas. Sooooo, it was time to explore, in more ways than one!

We hit 5 yarn shops from Black Mountain to Brevard. I found my Alchemy at Wilde & Wooly Yarn Shop in Black Mountain. They invited me to wind my skeins using the ball winder and swifts set up on an old wooden ironing board that had me weeping for my mother's old one (the one I broke). I introduced D to the magic of winding yarn and having nifty center pull balls. We found mind boggling color displays at Purls Knitting Emporium on College Street in Asheville. We were blown away by the sheer visual exuberance of this shop. The Earth Guild in Asheville has something for every type of fiber enthusiast, and it was here the D found her own ball winder and swift! I found some lovely Misti Cotton/Silk. Charlotte's Fibers, Inc. in Brevard was a well stocked, friendly shop. Light and airy, with sumptuous yarns - hard to resist. So I didn't - some Silk Garden Lite that I've been anxious to try, as well as some Sirdar Duet for a denim blue summer top.

Here's the piece de resistance of our day, Yarn Paradise in the Biltmore Village shopping area (that's D in front with their sign). Absolutely the most fabulous yarn shop I've ever set foot in (mind you, I haven't been everywhere). It's a house, see? And look in the upstairs windows! The place is full of yarn! Room upon room. And it's not stuffed in - it's displayed in visually alluring ways along with beautiful projects and samples. They had everything (OK, I didn't see Shetland 2-ply jumper weight, but then, I didn't ask about it, being fairly swimming in the stuff right now). And the owner was right there whenever we had questions. And, and......
















And here's the haul - hers and mine (mostly mine). Which included a Twisted Sisters book called Double Trouble and yarn to make Desdemona. More on that when work actually commences. Not before Mara and the gansey, though!

As for the knitting lessons. It turns out D was doing the seed stitch correctly (having figured it out from the book), but it didn't look like the scarf I gave her. It turns out she'd been using a #13 needle on worsted weight. When she tried it with a #9, it looked fine! D has been knitting scarves and using big needles for the lacey look. She's now discovered how magically things can change when you change the needle size. Oh, she's in for such wonderful adventures - I can't wait to hear all about them, and even share some! And she added yarnovers to her repertoire, too. Things are going to get interesting. I'll tell you about her crochet scarves and love affair with pretty ribbon yarn soon.

We have concluded that fiber lovers in the NC mountains have amazing options available. If you live there, enjoy! And if you plan a vacation in the area, save some time to check out the yarn.