Do you know what is better than having a friend with a yarn store in her house?
Having that friend join forces with another friend who has decided to open a brand new yarn store in an actual brick and mortar location.
Those of you in and around Davis, California, mark November 15th on your calendars, because that is the day that The Knitters Playground has its grand opening. And everything I’ve seen so far suggests that this place is going to be awesome.
A bunch of us in the area have been going in to lend a hand over the past week or so to help them get everything set up, and yesterday I got my chance to check out the new space, and to also help out in whatever they needed me to do. So while we sipped coffee drinks and chatted, I labeled a huge pile of gorgeous alpaca fingering weight and sportweight yarn. And then while another friend dropped by with her husband, to discuss the additional storage units he’s building for them, I inventoried five notebooks of patterns. We took a break for lunch, and then they told me if I wanted to, I could knit up some swatches (yeah, twist my arm). So I got to play with two wonderful new (to me) yarns – a bright neon blue fluffy concoction that looks like it would make the cutest accent on little girl sweaters, made from, of all things, bamboo, and a gorgeous hemp and cotton blended yarn that is far nicer to knit with than any straight cotton I’ve ever tried. Finally, there was more yarn labeling, although it was hard to stay focused on the labels when all we wanted to do was just pet the yarn – several new lines from Classic Elite, including their Bazic – a superwash wool that is wonderfully smooth and soft – and the Classic Silk, a silk and cotton blend that I maybe just fell a little head over heels for. So much so that I even got to take a ball home with me to swatch up (again with the arm twisting), and discover that it is just as lovely as it feels in the ball, if not more so, and only sheer restraint kept me from sneaking back in today and running off with the whole stash of it while they weren’t looking.
I dropped off my swatch this afternoon while we were running errands, and also picked up a new pair of Addi’s for my next lace project, and there were already a small group of knitters sitting around the tables, busy doing swatches or sorting patterns or stocking yet more yarn. There’s still a lot to do before they open, but so far it looks like it’s going to be a great shop – lots of space for all knids of gorgeous yarn, comfy chairs for knitting, a huge room for holding classes, and even a safe and separate place for kids to play while their moms or dads shop. I am really excited for both the women who are setting this up, and I think I speak for most of the knitters in our area when I say that this store is a welcome addition, and that we are very, very glad that it is finally here.