The rest of my birthday included earrings at Bellagio Art To Wear in Asheville and dinner on the Sunser Terrace of the Grove Park Inn. All in all 60-Something proved to be a very good day.
Here we are on our annual trek to the North Carolina mountains for a little golf, a little R & R and a lot of shopping. In addition, yesterday was my birthday (60-Something) but I'm not saying which one. I packed plenty of travel knitting which I'm going to show you in another post since I'm having trouble getting my photos to download on to my computer. Just when you think you know how to do something, technology smacks you in the face and says, "Don't get so sure of yourself. I think I'll make you suffer!" And suffer I am. I know my first stop when I get back home will be at the Apple Store for a little help from my friends. I think they hate to see me coming. My birthday was fabulous. Let me tell you all about it. My first birthday yarn was from my sister Kathy. This is so yummy. The colors are so rich they glow. She got it in her favorite LYS in Woodstock, GA. I've been there and it is quite a shop. I thought I would knit it into Bandito but I don't think they do right by each other. The colors of the yarn hide the pattern of Bandito and the pattern of Bandito doesn't showcase the yarn. That just goes to show you that favorite patterns and favorite fibers don't necessarily go together and you never know that until you start knitting. I thought these two would be perfect together. It's kind of like when you invite two of your best friends to come along with you and they hate each other. You never know until you try. "I'm just saying" as Trisha Yearwood would say. Kathy bought me another birthday fiber which is so fabulously, over the top, beautiful (do I have enough superlatives there!?!?!?!) words can't even describe it but I left it home and didn't take a picture. I will put that in with my post on travel knitting. Now next on my birthday adventure. Here we are in one of my very favorite LYS Black Mountain Yarn Shop in Black Mountain, NC. This is where my birthday adventure started. This shop amazes me. It is truly a boutique shop, small with scrumptious high end yarns. There isn't a wasted yarn in the shop. Meaning there isn't a yarn that scores less than 15 on Jan's fabulous 15 scale. In most yarn shops you can walk around, pick up a yarn and asked yourself, "I wonder why they carry that?" but not Black Mountain Yarn Shop. Every yarn is a beauty. It is like they put all of my favorite brands in the shop then knew I was coming and wanted to introduce me to something even more exquisite. There isn't a wasted millimeter. Just look at those fabulous colors and samples knit up. You know what a sucker I am for a knitted sample. And of course the frosting on the cake, the cherry on the sundae, there was a knitting group in progress. I must learn from this wonderful red-haired lady working. She asked me if I needed help when I walked in, I said "no" I was going to "explore" and she left me alone but checked in periodically. I didn't feel like she was hovering (I think I hover too much at Ann's) but I knew she was there if I needed her. I got so excited by the yarn, all my favorites like Madelinetosh, Malabrigo and Fiberstory and a new yarn Baah La Jolla. When I finished organizing the Stash Studio, I told Linda I was thinking about a commitment of no new yarn in 2016 I was so overwhelmed with what I had. Black Mountain Yarn Shop made me forget that commitment and remember that I am a Yarn Collector. I came away with so much but not as much as I coveted. First I bought more yarn for Knit The Sky. I feel I'm running out of "grey" and "rainy" yarns. I think that says something about Michigan weather. I need something with sparkleys but that will need to wait for another shop. I know I can find sparkleys in other shops but I was afraid I couldn't find the yarn I am about to show you. This is La Jolla original hand painted merino in the most beautiful colors. I was scanning shelves for yarn and this stopped me dead in my tracks. I even made a sound which made several people stare at me. The husband owner (Black Mountain Yarn Shop is owned by a husband and wife) turned, looked then let out a small laugh when he saw what I was touching. These five colors say and do it all. I am going to make something with a striped pattern and it was be over the top smashing. I thought I personally knew every color of Madelinetosh but let me introduce you to Electric. This took my breath away. The wonderful red-haired lady asked me what I was going to do with it. I said, "I haven't a clue. I just know I want it." Now for a woman who wasn't going to buy any more yarn in 2016, I did ok or to quote Melanie "Some people say I done all right for a girl." I love that song. I had a great conversation with a woman checking out about being not just knitters but yarn collectors. A kindred spirt in a LYS! I know I said this last year, but if you are within walking, driving or flying distance of Black Mountain, NC you really need to stop by and visit the shop and the people. It will be a memory you will not soon forget. Tell them Jan from Knitting: A Love Story sent you.
The rest of my birthday included earrings at Bellagio Art To Wear in Asheville and dinner on the Sunser Terrace of the Grove Park Inn. All in all 60-Something proved to be a very good day.
1 Comment
Jan Roys
5/5/2016 09:09:59 pm
Overload, overload, overload.... What beautiful yarns. Enjoy!!!
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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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