Yesterday, after an early morning appointment, I met Wanda, Ashley (Wanda's daughter), Kelly, and Michelle for
a visit to Hillsborough Yarn Shop in Hillsborough, NC. We had great fun oohing and aahing over all of Anne's pretty yarns. Hillsborough Yarn is a great little shop. Anne is super nice and accommodating. The shop is a perfect accent for the historic town, too.
Ashley and I each purchased a skein of yarn by Be Sweet called Magic Ball in the Forest Fruits colorway and a pattern, Roberta's Shawlette, to go with it. The pattern calls for size 36 needles! I thought I'd just whittle down a couple of broomsticks! Should do fine! Seriously. Size 36?!? WOW! The pattern shows the finished piece worn across the shoulders as a shawl or scrunched up and worn around the neck more as a scarf. The Forest Fruits colorway is gorgeous!! It contains purple, turquoise, green, yellow, and a deep burgundy in many different textures - mohair, ribbon, boucle, an eyelash type yarn, etc.
I also bought a couple of booklets - one by Leisure Arts on Quicknit Keepsakes - 6 Baby Aghans and a Reynolds Kids book. Skeins of sock yarn found their way into my bag -- Online cotton in soft baby colors for baby socks
and two skeins of Opal - one in cotton and the other in wool/polymide. Also to the the mix, I added a skein of Schaefer Yarn's Andrea to add to my shawl-making stash. It's 1093 yards of 100% silk in the Thistle colorway -- the prettiest shade of lavender -- reminds me of purple lilacs. Beautiful! I love Schaefer Yarn's colors. I think they're some of my most favorite of any yarn company. I am oh-so sucked in by colors!
Seeing that I keep losing my cable needle that I'm using to knit the Beachcomber Shawl and was forced by necessity to use an opened up paperclip that I got from a secretary while at one of my doctors' offices this week, I added a package of cable needles to my purchase. There are three of them in the package so hopefully, I won't lose all of them.
We enjoyed lunch at Tupelo's Restaurant. I had a Louisiana Po' Boy with shrimp and coleslaw. HMMM! Kelly shared a taste of her fried green tomatoes with me. They were yummy! Next time....
We split our yarn shopping with lunch. After the second round of fiber goodness and checking out with Anne, we needed a zinger to get us back on the road. We headed off to Cup A Joe for coffee drinks. Then, the girls headed back to Danville as I poked through a few galleries and shope - Churton Street Gallery, Callaway Jewelry / Spiral Studios, Hillsborough Gallery of Arts - and as I made my way back to my car.
Hillsborough is just a great little town and has a lot to offer. Its close proximity to Durham and Raleigh have helped it become a great go-to destination. Full of history and beautiful colonial buildings, it is the county seat of Orange County. The town boasts an active arts council and events such as children's opera, a music series, parlor concerts in area historic homes, and a parade which shows off inventive masks, elaborate costumes, and giant puppets - products of a series of puppet-making and movement workshops.
As I left, the town was getting ready for their Last Fridays Art Walk. April through September, downtown Hillsborough hosts artists, craftspeople, musicians, food vendors, and art walk, and a filmmakers series. The courthouse is in the center of town and its lawn serves as a focal point for the booths. Also, shops, galleries, and restaurants along the main street are open until 9:00 PM and after. October through March, the event moves inside with concerts or films.
On the agenda for this weekend is end-of-the-month work, cleaning out, and I MUST make soap. I really wanted to head to The Yarn Lounge today to meet Wendy, of Wendy Knits fame. She was there from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM to sign her new book, Socks from the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits. I'm sure they had a blast and it would have been great fun. I just couldn't muster up the energy for the four hour round trip drive. Oh well. Maybe another time.
Before I go ---- take a look at my friend's exhibit! Jane is a rug hooker, watercolor artist, and long-time friend of mine and is one of this month's featured artists at the Quiet Waters Park Gallery in Annapolis, MD. Great pictures and a couple of funny photos of Jane!
Better run! Hope you have a super Saturday!