The ceiling at Bella Lana
It is the weekend of the Annual [Yarn Store] Shop Hop here in Minnesota. Yay! Explore, shop, eat…repeat!
Some of my knitting friends and I decided rather spur of the moment to veer off the beaten path and come up with our own list of shops to visit. We’ve done the Shop Hop thing in the past (obtain passports, get them stamped, collect charms, etc.), but this year we decided to focus on shops that not all of us had been to rather than going to old favorites. The Final Four:
Lila and Claudine’s, Mahtomehdi
Darn.Knit. {anyway}, Stillwater
Bella Lana, Minneapolis
StevenBe’s A Yarn Garage Workshop, Minneapolis
We had a blast. Here are some pictures:
Lila and Claudine’s
Darn.Knit. {anyway}
Bella Lana
StevenBe’s Yarn Garage Minneapolis Location
I did not buy much: just one skein of gorgeous Madelinetosh Merino Light in color Flashdance at Yarn Garage:
We dined at The Dock in Stillwater and had GREAT food! I became an embarassment to the group while trying to get something sticky off my hands, so Kathy (former friend 😉 ) said, “I wish WE could post pictures on Susan’s blog!” Thanks…
Flood season is upon us and Stillwater is located on the St. Croix River, so we got to see the levy they built to try to keep the town from flooding:
That’s a street sign in the water!
What a fun day. If you get a chance to do something like this in your area, DO IT. It is such a nice way to meet up with other knitters and share our passion!
PS: The weather was spectacular! We revelled in the warm spring breezes and relished the sun on our faces. We also realized how much we love the four seasons, and pity the people who have perfect weather all of the time and therefore cannot truly experience the joy of a beautiful spring day. Okay, we know we are rationalizing, but give us our small victory!!
Thanks for the great pictures – a wonderful reminder of our picture-perfect day! Thanks also to the shops (and The Dock) for handling our giddy group of 10 so well.
Comment by mary mathieson — April 9, 2011 @ 12:42 pm
It looks like a very fun day. It’s interesting to see the different ambiance in each of the shops. I think I like the cluttered look of the top two best. (Reminds me of my usual milieu.)
I have often thought the same thing about the weather. When you live in a place that is rainy and gray so often (i.e., Seattle) a glorious day is such a joy!
Comment by Joanna Ryan — April 9, 2011 @ 2:11 pm
Great looking shops. There aren’t enough shops around here for one these but it looks like a lot of fun.
Comment by Beverly — April 9, 2011 @ 2:48 pm
Great pictures Susan to go with a great day. This was the first time I could go (or at least gave myself permission to get a sub and skip school) and I will not miss another one. It was SO MUCH fun!
Comment by Pat — April 9, 2011 @ 5:59 pm
Thanks for the info about the local source for Madeline Tosh Light. I rushed over to StevenBe’s today and nabbed a skein in the colorway “Curiosity” – much like “Flashdance” only shades lighter. Lovely yarn! I hope he brings lots of it to Yarnover!
Comment by Bonnie — April 9, 2011 @ 6:52 pm
What a fabulous day it was! We were all truly giddy with joy at being together on such a beautiful day following our bliss from store to store. If only I had my camera sitting across from Susan at The Dock! This was my first shop hop and I will never miss another! Great shops, wonderful customer service, yummy food, lots of yarn and a sisterhood of knitters – what could be better?!
Comment by Kathy Waldusky — April 9, 2011 @ 10:21 pm
WOW! totally random connection. Thursday night at Stitch n Bitch at A Good Yarn here in Sarasota, FL, I overheard a woman describing StevenBe’s Yarn Garage, and presto, here is a photo. Small world us knitters. She was headed back “home” soon. Evidently, she prefers to only enjoy three of your four seasons.
Comment by Birdie — April 10, 2011 @ 9:59 am
I grew up and Minnesota and recall these kinds of rationalizations well. Just try not to flinch too much when it snows again. The Dock is a very nice restaurant if it’s the one I’m thinking of in Stillwater, quite near where your photo was taken. I have been there a couple of times, neither of them in the past ten years. The food was very good there and the drinks were good, too.
Comment by valerie — April 12, 2011 @ 8:36 pm
It was truly a glorious day. I came home with too much yarn (as usual) Always a good time spent with good friends.
Comment by Beth M — April 13, 2011 @ 1:51 pm
WOW, what a great idea! Except for Liz & Claudine’s, where I have not yet visited, I LOVE those stores, and the owners’ skill at creating totally different but equally wonderful, welcoming atmospheres (not to mention their terrific taste in yarn…)
Way to support these worthy LYS’s!
Comment by Mary T. — April 14, 2011 @ 7:34 am
thanks for posting the pictures Susan, it was a great day with great gals and a lot of laughs. I’m so happy to look back on the St. Croix River photo in Stillwater and know that they didn’t have any major problems and the bridge is back open again! yeah!
Comment by Deb K. — April 28, 2011 @ 12:31 am