Tumbling gently off the wagon!

It was bound to happen. I mean it has been 4 long, long, long months since I last bought yarn. 4 months people! No one can fault me for tumbling off the wagon at this point. 4 months is an entirely unreasonable length of time to go without a yarn purchase. Especially since I was travelling alone and in a funk. And lord knows the only cure for a good case of the funks is some new woolly goodness!!

Now let me tell you what I found, and then I am sure, very sure, you will understand! Toot-ling down Hwy.7 towards the family farm on the way for the final big move, I pulled in to the local Tim’s in Port Perry http://www.township.scugog.on.ca/ at Hwy 7 and Water St., as we usually do when travelling this route. It’s about halfway and a good chance to stretch ‘yer bones, do a nature call, and refill the travel mug.

Thanks to a big truck blocking the way I pulled out of the parking lot, not onto Hwy 7 as usual, out ‘round the back on to Water St. and what to my wondering eyes do you think I saw?? This:

Incredible. All this time, and I never knew it was there! Now how could I possibly drive on by, I ask you? There I was all alone, with an in your face public declaration of how I feel about wool acquisition! I dare you to tell me that all alone, with no husband, no children, no exact to the minute arrival time planned, you wouldn’t have gunned the car in to the parking lot for “just a wee look” inside! Go on, tell me you wouldn’t!! Ha – that’s what I thought!

Inside I was greeted by Carol, who is just the nicest yarn lady you’ll ever meet, and most definitely an enabler of the highest order and a kindred spirit of all knitters in the pursuit of stash enhancement! And what a lovely little store she has! Gorgeous yarns stocked to the ceiling, wonderful books and patterns scattered about. And so many examples from various designers already knitted up so beautifully so you could caress the yarns in their finished state and be ever so inspired – just heavenly! I was smitten, and I’m sure there wasn’t a single skein left un-fondled by the time I left her charming store!

I was so excited to find a large quantity of Araucania yarns, which I have been looking for some time after picking up a copy of the book Moments by Araucania (see all the items in this book here: http://knittingfever.com/knitpatterns.asp?manu=Araucania&book=Araucania+Moments&prodid=4935&prodtype=book&detail=no ) some time ago at LYS yarn/quilting store that was getting out of the yarn business. Carol will forgive me for using some other internet pics for brand identification, as her own website is still under construction. But you can definitely go say hi and ask her anything about her great store on her blog over here:

http://www.knitsnstuff.blogspot.com/ or by e-mail here: neverenoughwool@bellnet.ca, or at her store directly here:

http://yellowpages.ca/bus/Ontario/Port-Perry/Never-Enough-Wool/2845702.html

And Carol tells me she does mail order and special orders too (oh Carol you are so good to us, and ever so dangerous!)

Having not used this yarn before, I decided to tumble off the wagon gently, and purchased 2 skeins of Nature Wool in color 29 a gorgeously muted variegated purple and 1 skein of Magallanes in colorway that was unknown since it was Carol’s own supplier sample! I think it is color 328, but a bit hard to say. How gracious was that, to give up her only sample of Magallanes so I could make this scarf! Totally sweet!

Scarf pic here: http://knittingfever.com/knitpatterns.asp?manu=Araucania&yarn=Nature+Wool&prodid=4449&prodtype=yarn&detail=no

When I left her store and climbed back into to my car I knew I had fallen off the wagon for sure when I saw this leaving without me!

I was so darn pleased with my purchase that I promptly missed the bend in Hwy 7, and drove clear across Whitby to the waters edge before I realized what I had done!! Still, even driving the wrong way couldn’t dampen my happy feelings about my new acquisitions, so I turned around and was back on track in no time, contemplating how quickly I would be able to start my new project. It was hard to pay attention to the driving when all I wanted to do was pull over and start knitting immediately! I settled for one hand on the wheel and the other hand sneaking a caress now and again, and contentedly finished my long drive. I am happy to tell you that now that I’m home, I’ve cast on and completed the first section before the evening was over!

Now go and visit Carol’s blog and do stop in to see Carol at Never Enough Wool next time you are trucking down Hwy 7.

Knit on……..

kate