Yarn Shop Find of the Summer

I'm always on the lookout for new yarn shops, near my home and everywhere I go. Many are so-so...nothing out of the ordinary. But, sometimes, I find one that meets or exceeds my hopes and expectations. Today, I found one that did just that. It's the "Needlecraft Cottage" in San Diego, just blocks from Pacific Beach. What a great store! They're friendly (something so important but often overlooked by shop owners) and full of yarns that I don't see at other shops...including LOTS of non-wool choices. Wow! So fun!

I've started thinking about Christmas (which will be here much sooner than I'm ever ready for) and decided to look for yarns to make gifts. I found so many possibilities and narrowed it down to three...for now...after all, I can only knit so much, so fast...


The one on the left is "Araucania Ruca" and it's made of sugar cane. I saw this once before and have thought about it ever since and couldn't wait to find it again and buy some. It's soft, has beautiful colors and a slight sheen. Beautiful! I'm thinking of making a lacy scarf or cowl with this one.

The one in the middle is "Ty-Dy" and it's 100% cotton, really soft, and is a striping yarn with gorgeous blues and greens. Can't wait to play with this one either...maybe a scarf.

The one on the right is AslanTrends "Class". It's made of 55% cotton and 45% viscose. It's soft and one of the plies is shiny. Pretty! I have someone in mind for this one...she'll LOVE it! I'll probably make a cowl or scarf with it.

I also bought more "Sugar N Cream"...I really don't need more of this but I love it so much and they had some balls of one of my favorite colors. I'm planning a knitted project bag with this. I found some of the HUGE balls of "Sugar N Cream" at JoAnn's today too in some new and gorgeous colors...but...I resisted. :-( Also, the lady at the "Needlecraft Cottage" said that the natural color of "Sugar N Cream" is fun to dye. Hmmmm?! :-)

What a fun store and shopping experience! I definitely plan on going back to this shop! Now...if I could just find the time to knit more and knit faster so I can finish more projects and buy more yarn!!!