DISCOVERY

It was a beautiful day so I decided it was time for a little adventure. I could drive to the shore and walk the boardwalk. I could go to one of the local parks and enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms. I could go to a yarn shop that I've been receiving newsletters from for a year. What to do??????? The beach, cherry blossoms or yarn. Decisions, decisions......... Of course, it was off to the yarn shop with a friend. I would go look but I wouldn't buy anything.

The drive to the shop was about an hour but it was a gorgeous day and the trees were blooming. Thank you Joyce for driving and also telling me about the shop. If you live in or near Bethlehem Pennsylvania you may have been lucky enough to visit The Knitters Edge. The shop is large and the staff was so friendly. There were rows of beautiful yarn and samples made from the yarn. Oh no! I also saw the sign that said sale. It was their 12th anniversary and they were celebrating. I reminded myself that I was only there to look, not to buy.

I walked in and the shop had a welcoming feeling. That's very important to me. What's important to you when you visit a shop. I mean besides beautiful yarn and gadgets. I liked the way the store was laid out. The first isles I went down were the baby and children section. OMG how cute. There were samples made up of little sweaters, hats, blankets, socks and stuffed animals. The yarn that would be appropriate to use was right underneath the samples. Easy for even a beginner to select the yarn that would be best for the item they chose. The rest of the store was setup in a similar manner. Adult sweaters, shawls, hats, poncho's, were also made up in samples near the yarn that would be appropriate to use. There were to many types of yarn to name them all. Of course, there were gadgets, kits, buttons, yarn bowls and all the things you would expect to see in a well thought out and stocked yarn shop. There were three rooms for classes and a cozy sunny sitting area to relax, knit or browse through the books and magazines they offered for sale. The ladies working in the shop were so nice and asked if I needed any help. I was at home in this welcoming environment.

Joyce already knew what she was getting but I was just looking. I wasn't buying anything. It only took me few minutes to zero in on a pretty summer top. It was called, Raelynn Top by Cheryl Murray. The yarn Ella Rae Marmel. I was just looking but somehow, I had put on the sample and it was the perfect size. I was just looking. I squished the yarn and before I knew it, I had picked out a color, Moonstone. I tried to resist. I happily left the store with a smile and knew I would definitely come here again. Update: I had a question about the pattern. I called the shop and was able to talk to the woman who made the sample. She was so nice and answered my question.

There's nothing like finding a new shop to explore. Have you discovered any new shops? What were the things that drew you in? What things made you know you'll definitely return? I use to use an app when I traveled that showed all the shops in the area but it's no longer working. My friend, Laverne Benton https://www.bzypeach.com told me about a site you can google called Knitmap that shows shops in different states. Check it out and share reviews of places we wouldn't want to miss. Happy Shopping.

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