DH and I were invited to spend 4th of July weekend with his brother and family at their resort condo in Longboat Key. We had a refreshing time relaxing, partying on the beach, shopping, and talking with loved ones in a place that is just short of paradise.
I seized the opportunity to do some yarn shopping in nearby Sarasota.
A Good Yarn truly was The Mothership of all yarn shops. It was BIG, stocked full of all of the most popular, trending brands. Next to the front window was a work table, decked out with shop patrons who were calling for assistance from the friendly, outgoing staff. There was a large, comfy sitting area with “guy” magazines, for those patrons who don’t get all that excited about yarn. I had ordered Rowan fine tweed and felted tweed from an online vendor, but they were sold out of two of the colors that I needed for a Martin Storey project. But I couldn’t remember offhand what those two colors were, although the cute young clerk located the pattern book for me and allowed me to browse through it. “Don’t worry,” she said, “you can figure out what they are when you get home and then order it from us!” Awesome to know that they do a great mail-order business, too.
The shop owner is an underwater photographer, and on one wall, they have a selection of yarn in color ways that match the several photos of marine life framed above the skeins. Here’s a shot of the damage I did (to my bank account) while I was there.
We have here, clockwise from left: CoBaSi (cotton, bamboo, silk blend sock yarn that doesn’t sag and bag like cotton alone would) by HiKoo in orange and blue; Lorna’s Laces Hand-dyed Shepherd Sock in U of F; Lorna’s Laces Hand-dyed Shepherd Sock in A Good Beach (they said it was in the colors of nearby Siesta Key Beach, white, light orange, sandy gray);HiKoo American Brand fingering weight yarn in Wind Cave (white); Rowan fine tweed in Tissington (orange); Rowan felted tweed in 178 blue; fine tweed in Bainbridge (dark red); Anzula Hand-dyed Sebastian (70% super wash merino, 30% sea cell) in Hyacinth; Madelinetosh Dandelion (merino/linen blend) in Midnight Pass; and at the bottom, Hand Maiden 100% silk in Rumple (metallic grays.) The bags are decorated with logo stickers and scraps of yarn, by students at a local school.
I also stopped in at Picasso’s Moon, a Sarasota yarn shop/antique shop.
Owner Debra Lambert spun this yarn on a Mach III wheel with a large orifice. She is set to give a workshop on spinning at Towles Court later this month. The shop is (as the yarn tag indicates) an eclectic collection of fibers and antiques arranged in sort of a giant web of skeins and scarves, shawls, bowls and baskets of old wooden spools, balls of yarn, decorative objects, hanging garments, and in the center of the room sat Debra on the floor, weaving on what looked to me like a little Cricket loom. Nearby was a beautiful, compact Schacht loom warped with a very fine, black yarn. I learned that art yarn such as this is VERY pricey, but I was under a spell, taken into the gypsy mystique of fiber artisanship, an alter ego I once vaguely sought for myself…some day, I want to delve deeper into the fiber arts.
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