Well, all I can say is SHAZAM! It was awesome to return to The Quarter Stitch and it was even more awesome to share it with you. In 2019, The Quarter Stitch will be celebrating its 50th birthday. That's right it opened in 1969. AMAZING! Maybe I'll have to find a way to return and help them celebrate.
There is no crime unless you consider adding to an already bulging yarn stash a crime. I just wanted to get your attention. We're back from the fabulous, one of a kind city of New Orleans where I did my pilgrimage to the Goddess Of All Things Fiber, i.e., The Quarter Stitch. I can't even explain how much I revere this place. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I am meditating and going to a better place. The Quarter Stitch is just off Jefferson Square in a tiny, unpretentious shop. But don't judge a book by its cover or a yarn shop by its exterior. Just walk in and get ready to be amazed. It is the Mardi Gras of yarn shops. It is filled with color, happiness and beautiful yarns. I discovered The Quarter Stitch about 35 years ago and having been visiting it on each NOLA trip ever since. I have made so many discoveries in The Quarter Stitch. It was in The Quarter Stitch that I saw my first Entrelac. . . and discovered the magical fiber called "Stuff." In fact, I walk into this lovely little shop and suspended from the ceiling was an Entrelac vest made out of Stuff. I believe I swooned. It was the exact same feeling I had when I discovered Valentina Devine designs in the Yarn Barn of Kansas. I will never forget that feeling. Just seeing a skein of Stuff or an Entrelac pattern will transport me back to that time and place. Much of my Crayon Box Jacket was made from fibers from The Quarter Stitch. The finishing yarn was my favorite fiber of all time purchased at The Quarter Stitch. If I'd have been a Collector then and not just a knitter, I would have squirreled some of that amazing yarn away. Before writing this, I went up to the Stash Studio to see if I could find if not a skein at least a little piece to show you. I couldn't. Here is that fabulous yarn made into a scarf for my good friend Barb. Isn't it beautiful? Can't you see why I loved it so much? Now that I think of it, this yarn may have started my anxiety over discontinued yarns. I have none of this and I will never be able to own it again. JAN, SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!! This is a joyous post. All of the single color cotton yarn in this Crayon Box Jacket came from The Quarter Stitch. It wasn't so long ago I wrote about this particular cotton yarn, sharing it with a friend's Mom and The Quarter Stitch. Ahhhh! Memories. I found this yummy yarn at The Quarter Stitch. I knit it into a pullover then discovered I didn't wear pullovers any more so frogged it. Lots of this went into my Survivor Shawls. WOW! Let's get back to the present! That little walk down Memory Lane did kind of get me out of the present. The magical, celebratory ambience of The Quarter Stitch never changes. Even though the fibers are the latest the textile world has to offer, bits of The Quarter Stitch remain the same. You still can find Stuff. They still wrap your purchases. They also still have this huge table with skeins of all different types of yarn sorted by color. (Why didn't I get a picture of that!?!?!?!?! I think I was too focused on finding my perfect yarn.) It is a smorgasbord for those of us who love color. It shows you how fibers go together to create fabulous one-of-a-kind projects. If it's possible to drool and hyperventilate at the same time, I'm doing it now. Now for the unveiling of my purchase. I am in the process of finding the perfect pattern to showcase these three beauties. I will share it with you as soon as I find it.
Well, all I can say is SHAZAM! It was awesome to return to The Quarter Stitch and it was even more awesome to share it with you. In 2019, The Quarter Stitch will be celebrating its 50th birthday. That's right it opened in 1969. AMAZING! Maybe I'll have to find a way to return and help them celebrate.
3 Comments
This is also my favorite shop!! I learned to knit there (well actually when they were across the street). All of my favorite "yarns" are from there and I love how they wrap the packages!! They even shipped my extra finishing yarn when my now ex-husband left my package on the plane! (No surprise he's now an ex) So happy to see my favorite shop get some love!!
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Jan
6/5/2018 07:18:49 pm
I am so glad you like the post. I have loved The Quarter Stitch since the first minute of the first time I walked in. I remember the time I thought they had closed when they really just moved across the street. Thank you for your comment.
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Jil
6/8/2018 07:08:36 am
Fell in love with that store, and discovered Dream In Color Yarn there years ago. Now I am lucky enough to knit samples for that yarn company. Those three skeins of smoosh/cashmere would look terrific in ‘Plaid is the New Fad’ by Cally Monster...if you’re a shawl loving gal. Thanks for a lovely trip down memory lane.
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jan parsonThis blog is dedicated to Mary Helen Growt my first knitting teacher and the woman who changed my life. The mission of Knitting: A Love Story is to preserve, share and promote the love of knitting. Archives
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