It was girls' week in Angieland last week. In addition to the yarn crawl, we also made time for a little wine with our card games.
But the real reason we were there was for the North Carolina Yarn Tour.
Sadie and the Hoochville Hookers would be so proud! This past weekend, Angie and I (Deanna here this week), along with the real Patty Jean and the real Kathleen, headed on over to Asheville, NC to partake in the state’s annual yarn tour. Basically, stores around the state sign up to be on the tour, and then customers like us are awarded small discounts at the participating stores we visit. In our case, it was a western “mountain” yarn crawl, as we didn’t travel the entire state, but we still managed to make it to four yarn stores in one weekend.
It was a real hardship, let me tell you.
Who doesn’t love fondling yarn during the day, and then partaking in some excellent cuisine in the evenings? There might have been a bit of bar hopping as well, but we’re not gonna talk about that. What happens in Asheville stays in Asheville. *wink*
On Friday, we headed over the mountain and made a detour to Waynesville and started with a trip to The Tangled Dragonfly Yarn Shop. What a sweet store this was! Honestly, the best part for me was the cutie-pie shih tzu that was hanging out behind the register counter. But the owners, Allen and Asher, were fabulous, too. And let’s be honest, they had some fantastic yarns there as well. No one got away without a bag full of goodies. Since we’d done all that driving, it was late afternoon by then, so that was the only store we visited that day. After getting checked into the hotel in Asheville, we headed to dinner at Chestnut, which was by far the best meal we had all weekend. A++. Highly recommend. And if you try it someday, don’t pass up the lobster bisque. *chef’s kiss*
On Saturday, we started at Friends and Fiberworks, which is the mecca of yarn stores. If you’re ever in the area, you absolutely must go. Trust me on this one. We were there for a few hours as we browsed and fondled everything we could get our hands on. Don’t worry. There are couches for recharging. And yes, we used them. The staff is lovely and the prices are great. This is a must-stop if you are ever in Asheville.
The other two stores we visited were Black Mountain Yarn Shop, which is in Black Mountain, a lovely little town, and The Bees Knits in Knoxville (which isn’t on the NC yarn tour, but will be on the TN yarn tour next month). I loved The Bees Knits, and almost, almost got out of there without spending any money, but failed at the last minute when I saw how reasonable their prices are. Sigh. It’s a tough job, but someone has to keep them in business. Am I right? It’s also where the real Kathleen has some hand-dyed yarns for sale under the brand Kathy Made It. If you’re in the area, please, go check it out. You won’t be sorry.
This week, Angie and I are back to work, even though I think we both just want to play with all our new yarn. But books need to be written, so words first, yarn later. And maybe some time in the future, we can share photos of what all these pretty fibers become!