A weekend in Rhode Island!

We drove to Rhode Island last weekend to spend some time with TRHM's family. We had a fantastic time - as always!

TRHM did the Yard Sale thing with Mom, Jane, and Jane's neighbor. Personally, I've had enough flea marketing to last a while, so while they were plying their wares, I went on a nice Saturday morning drive to visit the yarn shops. When I set out, I was determined not to break out the debit card, and the only yarn I was going to buy was something green for the Mystery Sock KAL, and if I found it, some of that cool Possum Yarn (can't wait to get my paws on that!)

First stop - Sakkonet Purls in Tiverton.


The drive to the shop from Warwick was very nice, and this is a very scenic area. I arrived a bit early, about 30 mins before the shop opened. So I was forced to sit in the car, enjoying the view, and knitting on the LBT. When the shop opened, I went exploring. They have a wonderful selection of yarns - lots and lots of everything! The had enough skeins of each color for each fiber they stock to complete a large project. There were bins and bins of yarn neatly arranged all along the walls of each room. This is a really cool shop because it is an old house that has been converted. Interspersed among the bins of yarn were patterns and lots of lovely samples. Most shops may have one or two items for each main knitting category (ladies sweaters, baby, shawls, etc) but rely mostly of little swatches to give the shopper an idea of the knitted fabric. Not Sakkonet Purls! They had lots of samples, and with the baby samples, a boy and girl version. There were lots of hats cleverly displayed near the register. I saw lots of sock yarn in addition to all of the other yarns they stock. The best treat was waiting for me in the back room, though. It is a very cozy working area with a comfy couch and tables. Hanging on the wall behind the couch were the most amazing needlepoint canvases I have ever seen! Some of them were very large - about the size of a 5x7 area rug. In addition to the most exquisitely detailed florals, there was a lovely canvas in an oriental rug design. It almost made me want to give needlepoint another go!! I was very good, and only purchased a couple of baby patterns for The Preemie Project and LucyBug, and some Snuggly.


From there, it was off to Warren, to Bella Yarns.

This is a very cute shop, but rather small. The yarn selection is very nice for a small shop, and I picked up a skein of Mountain Colors Barefoot for my Mystery Socks. Here is a close-up of the yarn, blurry, but at least a better idea of the colorway. One of the
things they had there was a basket of 70% off patterns. So, of course, I had to look there, and SCORE!! A Skacel sock pattern booklet for $1.50!! Woo-hoo!! I also scored the pattern for the Debby Gumdrop Hat. That is the cutest thing ever! I've been wanting to try some of those hats, but I don't want the kits. This was the first time I've seen the patterns sold seperately. They oughta put them together in a book - I bet they would sell a zillion copies!


After Warren, I drove into Providence to go to One Stitch at a time.

This is a cute shop, with a nice selection of yarn. The shop is split in half, with one half being for knitting, and the other being for clothing (pants, shirts, skirts - not knitted items). They are right next to Brown University, and near Johnson & Wales, so they cater to the collegiate community. They had a flood the night before, and some of the patterns were in a clothes basket. When I started digging through them, I found another Sirdar pattern booklet for babies. This one has a gorgeous pattern for boys - we always need more boy outfits for The Preemie Project. I just couldn't resist this pattern for the green and red stocking cap and booties. Perfect for Christmas!


Remember the shop whose website the company internet filter classified as "Criminal Skills"?? Well, that was the last stop - Yarn on Lace Wings in Warwick. The woman working there was so nice!! We got to talking, and I mentioned that I was using KP Shine Sport for my LBT. I went out to the car to retrieve it, and there was much swatch and yarn petting. I scored some really great baby hat patterns.

After all that yarn shopping, I went home to Mom and Dad's and the yard sale was over. TRHM was pretty happy, he sold a bunch of stuff, and made more $$ than I spent on patterns :)

That night, we went to WaterFire with TRHM's brother and SIL (Steven and Jane). It was very nice, and although it wasn't very exciting for the kids, we had a good time. It is very pretty - if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! They have huge braziers in the river, and light bonfires in them. Volunteers tend the fires throughout the evening, and the smell of the wood burning, and the soft glow is really nice. They also have a theme for the evening, with music and other activities. If you have deep pockets, you can also book a gondola ride with wine and cheese. Personally, I don't see the attraction - riding in a gondola with about a zillion people gawking at you kinda takes the shine off that penny for me.

Sunday morning, we spent some time visiting with Mom and Dad before shoving off for NJ. Mom made sandwiches for everyone, and packed us a great picnic lunch. I got the big bonus - she knows I don't care much for coldcuts, so my sandwich was made with real ham. Aren't I the lucky girl??