Another Road Trip, Another LYS

Years ago, I happened upon a little yarn store in Baltimore, called "A Good Yarn." It was wee tiny and stuffed with yarn and other knitting goodies. I shopped a bit, bought some sock yarn and that was that. Last week, a friend and I decided to meet there and I found that it had changed in a very interesting way.

It is still located in the heart of Fells Point, a historic neighborhood about 10 minutes from downtown Baltimore. What's changed is that the shop now specializes in American made yarn and, while there is a lot less to look at, I found the offerings very interesting. There are no specialty yarns (yaay!!) and very little in the way of alternative fibers, like bamboo and such. What you will find are wools of various weights, some wool blends and some cotton. Lorraine, the store owner, only handles about four companies but she knows each yarn intimately and can show you a garment knitted from everything in the shop, probably by her. (When was the last time you could say that?) It's very refreshing because I think you could go in with almost any kind of project or pattern in mind and I'll bet she could provide with at least one suitable yarn choice.

I fell in love with two different yarns, a worsted wool from Stonehedge Fiber Mill in Michigan and a wool and silk blend in DK weight from Harrisville Yarns in New Hampshire. Both were very nice, but the Shepherd's wool from the Michigan company won out because it was such a delicious turquoise color. By the time we finally left, I had decided to make another February Lady Sweater, because I felt that the yarn would really make the gull lace pattern shine.

As I drove home, I thought about how different A Good Yarn was, in relation to other stores I'd visited. Many offer an overwhelming number of yarn choices and yet, I can leave empty handed and totally unimpressed. I think Lorraine's little store is an example where "less is more" because she had things that I'd never seen or even heard of before. Even better than that, she knew from personal experience what each yarn had to offer and how it would work. I saw every yarn she had within the first 30 minutes and yet, we spent over two hours in the store and I can't wait to go back!