the other yarn store in town
I finally got around to visiting New England Fabrics. It's mostly a fabric/sewing store, but they do have some yarn and accessories, too.
Going in there made me wish I were a quilter, as I'd probably be in spasms of pleasure to have such a great fabric store in town. It's HYUGE. The funny thing about their yarn selection is how similar it is to the yarn selection at The Knitting Knook. It makes me wonder if there is some affiliation, as it's eerily similar. They both stock Dale of Norway yarn, but only Heilo. They both stock Brown Sheep yarn, but only Lamb's Pride. They both stock the same foreign brand of fingering weight 100% merino superwash that I've never heard of before, but looks to be the same as Dale Baby Ull, but under a different name. They both stock Clover needles (but not Crystal Palace, not that I'm complaining).
They both also stock Kroy sock yarn, which is great. This place also stocks Regia, which means I've got to try it out some time. I was pleased to see that there was a good selection of solid colored Kroy (also at The Knitting Knook), as well as a nice selection of self striping and variegated Kroy and Regia. There was also the "self patterning" stuff that I don't like, but it's good to know there's the interesting but less annoying option of self striped, which I kind of like, some of the time.
They didn't have the needles I was looking for, and they don't seem to stock Nature Spun, so I walked out empty handed. I was tempted by two things, but I didn't end up buying anything. There was Dale book 132, which has some patterns I really like. But since those patterns are more Springy, and not really what I'm craving at the moment, I didn't buy. And then there was the Kroy sock yarn in the most glorious Autumnal colors, very similar to the yarn I knit my BPT cardigan in, but a little bit more vibrant. The skeins are probably still drying off from the drool. It was gloriously pretty yarn, but I didn't need it. Now I'm scared that they'll sell out and not restock by the time I'm in "need" of more sock yarn. Still, I won't buy yet. I'll just ruminate on those browns, reds and oranges for the next few months. yum.
Going in there made me wish I were a quilter, as I'd probably be in spasms of pleasure to have such a great fabric store in town. It's HYUGE. The funny thing about their yarn selection is how similar it is to the yarn selection at The Knitting Knook. It makes me wonder if there is some affiliation, as it's eerily similar. They both stock Dale of Norway yarn, but only Heilo. They both stock Brown Sheep yarn, but only Lamb's Pride. They both stock the same foreign brand of fingering weight 100% merino superwash that I've never heard of before, but looks to be the same as Dale Baby Ull, but under a different name. They both stock Clover needles (but not Crystal Palace, not that I'm complaining).
They both also stock Kroy sock yarn, which is great. This place also stocks Regia, which means I've got to try it out some time. I was pleased to see that there was a good selection of solid colored Kroy (also at The Knitting Knook), as well as a nice selection of self striping and variegated Kroy and Regia. There was also the "self patterning" stuff that I don't like, but it's good to know there's the interesting but less annoying option of self striped, which I kind of like, some of the time.
They didn't have the needles I was looking for, and they don't seem to stock Nature Spun, so I walked out empty handed. I was tempted by two things, but I didn't end up buying anything. There was Dale book 132, which has some patterns I really like. But since those patterns are more Springy, and not really what I'm craving at the moment, I didn't buy. And then there was the Kroy sock yarn in the most glorious Autumnal colors, very similar to the yarn I knit my BPT cardigan in, but a little bit more vibrant. The skeins are probably still drying off from the drool. It was gloriously pretty yarn, but I didn't need it. Now I'm scared that they'll sell out and not restock by the time I'm in "need" of more sock yarn. Still, I won't buy yet. I'll just ruminate on those browns, reds and oranges for the next few months. yum.