Churchmouse was, of course, our first stop. I easily resisted the lure of the Koigu for once, drooled over the Mountain Colors for a fair bit and finally gave in when I spotted the most gorgeous color of Manos. It's a combination of fuchsia, burgundy, plum and golden red. It is destined to become a pair of the lace up fingerless gloves from Alterknits. I even found some Hanah Silk ribbon there in deep purple and green, which may or may not end up as the laces. Karen managed to escape with only buying a skein of handpainted alpaca and some Arauncania Patagonia.
I also found a new yarn to fall in love with. It's called Terra from The Fibre Company. The colors are inspired by natural dyes, though I'm not sure if it is actually dyed with them. I loved the way little slubs of contrasting color would pop out all over the strand. It felt wonderful too, but that's not surprising considering it's a blend of merino, alpaca and silk. I may just have to go back when I have a plan on something to make with it.
Next stop was lunch at a mexican restaurant down the street. They had really good salsa and the fastest service I've ever had. I swear less than five minutes had passed between when we order our food and its arrival! After this, we hit the bead store Karen had spotted when we first arrived. Now, I am not a beader, so I wasn't expecting to find anything there. Of course, I walk out with a strand of multi-colored pearls in olive, peridot, rose and amber. I was meaning to learn how to knit with wire...
The only disappointment of the day was the ice cream shop being closed. It really would have hit the spot, but it just wasn't to be. Rather than trying to race for the ferry we stopped in Esther's Fabric, which now rates as one of the better fabric stores in the area. Everyone there was really nice and the selection was great, with a respectable selection of vintage prints. I found the perfect fabric for a crib sheet, but just like the last time I found a great print, they were half a yard short of what I needed. I consoled myself with some cute fabric to give to my mother-in-law for little girl's sundress. I think Karen actually managed to get out of there without buying anything, but I'm not positive on that.
All in all, I think this ranks as one of my better trips to the island. Good company, shopping and weather is always a winning combination. Oh yeah, I can't forget the obligatory pic of my loot for the day.
3 comments:
Very nice! I do like Churchmouse and now that I know there's a fabric store nearby I'll have to go back sooner rather than later. I hope it will be good bike-riding weather when I do. :)
I was pleasantly surprised by Esther's. I myself don't sew, but even I could tell that they really put some thought into the fabric they stock. If I remember correctly, it's across the street and about a block closer to the ferry dock than Churchmouse.
I love Esther's! I bought a cute bag pattern there that is somewhere down the very long project que. It sounds like such a nice day!
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