Great Northern Yarn Haul #3

Thursday, July 22: The previous night I’d gathered with a flock of other knitters in Boscawen, New Hampshire, near Concord. We’d eaten extremely well, with several of us contributing food. That morning I headed out, aiming for Elegant Ewe, in Concord, the first yarn shop of the day. On the way, I was amused by this sign – I like when a business exhibits a sense of humor! From Elegant Ewe I continued on to Rochester, NH, and Smitten. This was not my favorite stop – hard to spot while driving, my directions had me pull on to a side street with no parking, and, once I had figured out I could park in back of the shop, the steps up to the entrance were very steep for my aging joints! In all these shops, I was looking for two yarns that would be right for two cowls I want to make, in the perfect weight and perfect colors – but mostly I’m interested to see what local yarn shops choose to carry, and how they display it. And so I cruise through, making sure I see everything – there’s a lot out there I’d love to knit, but don’t NEED right now, and I’ve been very disciplined about not buying.

Next on the list was Spinning Yarns, in Dover, New Hampshire. This one was easy to find – but there was sewer construction tying up the area, the policeman directing traffic was no help at all in suggesting where I should look for parking (“Just find any legal spot.”), but I was able to find a spot not too far away in a public lot. And I did find one of my target yarns. Then it was on to Maine, a very pleasant drive on back roads across to York and

This is a great shop, right on US Route 1 and with a lovely large parking lot where it was easy to park the camper. There I found a yarn that I hadn’t realized I was looking for, but I like to keep on hand something in safety orange, and they had it.

My last yarn stop of the day was in South Portland, at Knitting Nook. This was also easy to find, and while I did like their small but carefully curated collection, I resisted purchase. Then it was on to Portland, my destination for a few days. Portland has a gorgeous park, Eastern Promenade, on the north eastern edge of the city, overlooking the harbor. There I met a friend I’ve watched grow up, and we sat on a bench and enjoyed all the people out on a perfect evening, sailboats racing in the distance, kayakers in the harbor, and a full moon rising as we left.