I don't go yarn shopping very often anymore -- even if I quit my job and spent all my time knitting, my stash would last me for at least several years, and daycare costs eat up an awful lot of our disposable income these days -- and so when I do get to yarn shop, it's a special treat.
The next time you find yourself in southern Vermont, I recommend you give yourself your own special treat and stop at Ugly Duckling Yarns. My dear friend Cynthia (who I met at a library conference when we were the two knitters in the back row of a boring presentation) moved to Vermont a couple of years ago, and this fall she was able to realize her dream of opening a yarn shop. She had a sneak-peak open house back in October, and to my great delight, the stars aligned nicely and we were able to go.
Cynthia hadn't yet gotten in all of her stock at the time of the open house, but she had some great basics in, including a TON of needles (yay! It's always so nice to go to a shop with a good needle selection). Having heard more about what she's gotten in since then and some of the things she has planned...well, it's going to be an excellent inventory!
The shop is right down the road (literally) from Mount Snow, and there is a cozy, comfortable sitting area -- it's perfect for people like me who don't ski as much as our spouses and would really like to go sit somewhere warm and knit and drink tea. ;-) Cynthia is planning to carry locally-made products and support other small businesses, such as Stitched by JessaLu. Ian was quite enamored of JessaLu's bags -- someday when he's a knitter himself, he's going to need some. (Maybe he needs some in the meantime to store legos in, or something.)
He didn't get a bag that day, but he DID beeline right over to some blue self-striping Ella Rae Seasons and grabbed a ball. "Mommy, I want a sweater of THIS yarn." Needless to say, Mommy obliged. How can you say no to a request like that?
Ugly Duckling is located at 114 Route 100 in West Dover, VT. Stop by when you're in the area, check out this great article, and follow the shop on Facebook.
Congratulations, Cynthia, and SO much luck with your new endeavor!!!
Hardly anything better than discovering a new yarn shop, is there? Except maybe shopping at it with Ian. . .
Posted by: Kim | Thursday, November 28, 2013 at 10:22 PM