Yarn Shop

Now, of course I can't come to another country and not check out their fiber goods.  I looked online and found one fairly close to me, within walking distance, that had all kinds of good reviews, and that's where I went on Monday.

Its called La Droguerie and some of the highest quality yarns line the walls when you first walk in.  Alpaca, cashmere, wool, angora, kid mohair, baby alpaca, linen, bamboo, cotton, and blends of each in all sorts of colors, weights and textures!

 There were completed projects made out of the yarns lining the walls as well, and each section of yarn had at least one swatch that had been knitted up so that shoppers can see what the yarn looks like knit up.

Beyond the yarn, there is a plethora of buttons, toggles, patches and embellishments for knitwear or sewn goods, then around the corner lie shelves teeming with jars of beads.

Big beads, small beads, all different shapes, sizes, colors, materials, and purposes.

Not to mention the spools of ribbon!  Ribbons and trims of every color, width and design, what would you possibly do with them all!

And of course, a section for faux flowers, butterflies, birds, vines and the like.

La Droguerie really does have something for everyone, but each customer shares one thing in common: how to get the things they want.  It took me some time to figure this out, and I had to ask a few other customers to find one who spoke english well enough to explain it to me.

Basically, you look around, find exactly what you want, then you wait in a line (the line for yarn, buttons, beads, or ribbons and faux foliage).  The line takes up the most time, but once you reach the front of it, you get the sole attention of the salesperson there to help you.  You tell them what you want (or show them) and they get it for you.  In the case of my yarns, I told her which I wanted and she asked how much, they sell yarn by weight, not necessarily by yardage or straight skeins or balls.  I got 50g each of the two shown below.

(More to come on these goodies later)

After they get you your desired merchandise, they take the goods and the receipt to the checkout counter, you pay and you're on your way.

I've never been to a shop quite like that before, but it was a great first, lone adventure :)

I'm in Love

Can I have one of each item in Spool No. 72 please? Puh-leaze?! Oh my gosh, I don't think I've been this smitten with a new-to-me shop since ModCloth! And that was years ago!Grays Harbor Top

First Cutting Bracelet
Woodstock Romper

Twisp Necklace
Day Trip Dress

Goals, Ideas and Hopes for 2010

Merry Eve of Christmas Eve to you all! This could potentially be my last post for the year (but who knows, I make no promises) and I wanted to let you know some of my goals, ideas and hopes for the next year concerning this blog and my shop.

In the shop:

• I want to bring more luxury knits, cashmere, silk, angora, etc
• I want to bring more patterns - since the patterns I have in there are doing so well I really want to bring more to the table.
• I want to bring better photos and descriptions

*Your turn: What do you suggest for my shop? Any items or materials in particular? A certain type of pattern you'd like to see? Anything you'd like NOT to change? Please help me out with this :)

For the blog:

• I want to engage my readers a bit more - I know you're out there, my analytics tell me that you read, but you don't comment so I need to figure out a better way to entice comments :)
• I want to interview some other bloggers or shop owners and perhaps do more giveaways (if you're interested, please let me know!)
• I want to know what you want to read - which features did you like that I tested out this year? The Monday Color? Tuesday Learn Something New Day? Friday Feature? Again, please let me know so I can bring you what you want to read :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and that its filled with rest, relaxation, food, family and laughter :)

*and, as always, if you click on the pictures, it will take you to the item listing in the Etsy shop ;)

October Charity of the Month

So, October starts in a few days, and the time has come to pick a new charity to donate a portion of my profits to. September's charity was The Elephant Nature Park: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/index.htm and there are still a few days to help me contribute to that charity! 10% of all my profits will be donated to this fund :)

I have chosen to support the World Wildlife Fund (www.worldwildlife.org). I have a tshirt from this organization that I wear ALL THE TIME! My boyfriend can vouch, its the most comfortable tshirt on the planet and it gives this wonderful organization more exposure.

There are many different ways to help contribute to this Fund, so, if you feel so inclined, you can donate to them in any way you see fit, simply check out their website and choose a method that suits you :)

I hope you all had wonderful weekends and check out this amazing organization!