Yarn Quest

I live in Walla Walla, Washington - a little city of approximately 30,000 people with a Macy's and a Wal-Mart and that's about it. And technically, the Wal-Mart isn't even in Walla Walla, it's in College Place, the next city over. There is a Joanne's here as well, but sometimes you just need yarn other than Vanna's Choice or Red Heart.

As you all know, I finished Quinn's hat last week. I did not plan ahead very well, however, and found myself with projects mentally lined up but no yarn or patterns or anything! This is pretty much a disaster. (Considerably less frustrating, though, than finding out that all the reading ahead I did when I didn't have any knitting to work on were the wrong assignments because my professor used a different edition of the text when he made his sllyabus...) So! This means: YARN QUEST!

Within a 60-mile radius of Walla Walla, according to Google, there are 4 yarn shops. In order from closest to my house to farthest away: Oregon Trail Yarn in Milton-Freewater, Oregon (18 minute drive); Knits by Kyle in Waitsburg, Washington (30 minute drive); Jacci's Yarn Basket in Dayton, Washington (40 minute drive); and, Sheep's Clothing in Kennewick, Washington (1 hour 15 minute drive). So I went to the first three last Wednesday. (To get to Dayton, you have to drive through Waitsburg anyway.)

Milton-Freewater
I boldly set out south towards the Oregon border. My radio in my car doesn't work, so I've got my iPod on shuffle with the headphones up really really loud so I can hear the music from the passenger seat. As I'm sure you can guess, this was pretty lame and didn't last all that long. Milton-Freewater is a pretty depressed little town; it's full of closed down shops. There are some really lovely homes and a VERY purple building that houses a chocolate factory that looked intriguing.


I arrived at 1112 South Main Street and find myself completely baffled. There's a little quickie mart type thing and an auto repair shop. And it looks like this. Can you tell where the yarn shop is? (Answer: it's the door on the right.) I was pretty confused. So I called the store number that I thankfully printed out with the driving directions and was informed that the ladies probably stepped out to lunch if the lights aren't on. Supposedly they'll be back in an hour or so. Okay.

So I drive around looking for something to do. I find this completely bizarre kitsch-shop / salon (I'm not kidding). The first 3/4 of the store is full of super glittery fairy statues, fake leather purses with tassles, and wooden signs that say things like "I don't have time for ugly cowboys". I round the corner and there is a pedicure station right next to a perm setter thing and a hair dressing station. Apparently the lady who owns the shop will cut your hair, dye it, perm it and give you a manicure if there aren't too many other people in the store. It was a pretty amazing little place.

Hungry = lunch search. My choices include McDonald's, Dairy Queen, a questionable looking burger establishment, and this little house with a sign advertising soup and fresh bread. I pull into Nobody's Bizness (the soup & bread place) for lunch. The lady who runs it only has one menu item and on Wednesday it was 'Cheesey Cream o Broccoley!' soup. I figure this has to be better than McDonald's. And I'm sure if I liked broccoli soup it would have been. The bread was delicious. I mean it. It was soo tasty. And the soup would have been great if it weren't for all the broccoli in it. As it was, I ate the whole thing anyway.

Mosey back to Oregon Trail Yarn and it's still dark and locked. I call back and the lady says to just go next door to the car repair store and her husband will let me in. Skeptical, I do as she says. Her husband - very sweet - asks me what I'm looking for. Skepticism continues: "sock weight and worsted?" To my astonishment, he not only shows me where it is, he points out which is his favorite. What a guy. :-) I don't find exactly what I'm looking for - and it was hard to find stuff because the shop is under going rennovation. Most of the product was covered by plastic sheets to protect them or in the back storage unit in boxes. (I've since heard from Ravelry-ers that this shop has been like this for a while). I did find some things I wanted though... it's hard to go into a yarn shop and not find something... but before I go back there again I think I'll call first to see how construction is going. Until then, if I want any Wildfoote sock yarn (which came in lovely colors and was very soft - two hanks for $10.90) I'll go to their EBAY STORE which is well stocked.

Yarn purchased:

Wildfoote Sock Yarn by Brown Sheep Co. in "Mistletoe"

Lanaloft Sport Weight by Brown Sheep Co. in "Herbal Garden (green)" and "Mystical Pink"



Waitsburg
Determined, I head back north through Walla Walla and then make a turn to the east for Waitsburg. A much more pleasant drive than south or the first bit of the drive west (toward Kennewick), I definitely prefer going this way than the other.



Though the pictures don't really do justice, if you don't think this is pretty than you definitely don't want to do the drive to Kennewick just for yarn. It's flatter and browner.

Arrive at 525 Powell Street. It's somebody's house. There's a cat in the window. The lawn is a bit overgrown and it doesn't look like very many people visit, despite the large "Welcome" sign on the door. A bit run-down and nothing indicating a yarn shop. I'm sitting in my car watching the cat watching me. It licks its chops.

Yarn Purchsed:
None. Drove off in terror.

Dayton


After driving past it once, I arrive at 242 East Main. Jacci's Yarn Basket, after the previous two destinations, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Inside is a fully constructed yarn shop with so many different colors and weights and brands and wools and everything. Oooooo. So I end up with the yarn I wanted in the first place (sock weight for gauntlets for Alixandra and worsted weight for the pillows for Curtis and me). And I am happy. Oh so happy.


Yarn Purchased:

Heritage Paints Sock Yarn by Cascade in pink/orange/purple/more pink


Suri Merino by Plymouth Yarns in green and white and tan.
(55% alpaca 45% merino)





And then I came home and showed Curtis all my new yarn and he was as enthusiastic as I can resonably expect him to pretend to be. (He's more genuinely enthusiastic about the projects themselves - especially the completed ones; I think he has a hard time visualizing what they'll look like completed). And then he accidentally sat on one of the skeins of yarn and I went "AAAAAAAAH!!!" Don't worry though. The yarn is okay. (Curtis survived as well). (Barely).