Sunday, November 15, 2009

Visiting family (and yarn stores) in Maine & Vermont

Hi All,
I’m just back from a 2 week vacation to Maine and Vermont to visit family. We had a good time catching up and visiting. The weather was nice (for that time of year), and the trees were beginning to turn color.
I also got to stop in 5 different yarn stores while there, so I thought I’d spread the word.
Brattleboro, VT (southern end of VT) Not just Yarn - a nice friendly store with a reasonable yarn selection. I stopped in while the Tuesday social group was there - a lively group of knitters. I bought some yarn to make my niece a pair of legwarmers.
Also in Brattleboro, Knit or Dye - a smaller yarn store, smaller selection. I bought a sock book - Favorite Socks.
Nearby Putney, VT is the home of Green Mountain Spinnery. It has a small store in the front of their spinnery selling their products. I didn’t buy anything because of my limited packing space and because I was only looking for sock yarn at that point. It did have some very nice yarn.
In Maine, the Yard Goods store in Waterville, ME is yarn overload for me. They have 2 storefronts with a inside door between them. One side is all fabrics and notions - I don’t shop on that side but they look to have a large selection. The other side is 3/4 yarn and 1/4 rubber stamp/scrapbook stuff. They have a very extensive selection of yarns. One section was all sock yarn, floor to ceiling and baskets on the floor. I bought sock yarn (Heritage by Cascade, Melody by Jojoland) and a very yummy Mulberry Merino by Plymouth Yarn Co. The staff here is very helpful. One year I was looking for baby yarn and didn’t see what I wanted on the shelf so they took me into their basement - yarn in plastic bags on shelves all over the place. I strongly recommend a visit here if you’re in the Maine area.
Then, last but not least - Halcyon Yarns in Bath, ME. This is a large store with yarn, roving, supplies for knitting, weaving, spinning, etc. They have a good selection of yarns including their own label. Due to lack of space in my suitcase, I only bought a skein of sock yarn to make socks for my mother. The store even had a gas burning wood stove - it made the space seem even more pleasant. If I’d been by myself I would have pulled up a chair and started knitting.
So - if you’re planning a trip to the East Coast, here’s a start for yarn stores to visit.
Marie