My friend Joni and I have stumbled on a couple great knitting stores. We found The Needle Lady in Charlottesville, Virginia, right on that city's pedestrian mall . I fell in love with this crocheted blanket on display:
This shop leans toward the luxurious end of the scale, so it was a great place to pet yarn. There was less yarn than usual because the owner is at Stitches Midwest. I'm not complaining; it was hard enough not to acquire a lot more yarn. I did buy one skein -- but that's another post.
Charlottesville is one of the most charming places I've been. If you visit Virginia, it's a must. Its big tourist draw is the home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and America's third president. He is a fascinating man of contradictions -- a slave owner who did not believe in slavery, for one. He is also credited for bringing French cooking to the United States in a new book, Thomas Jefferson's Creme Brulee, which I had to have.
His home is worth a visit:
C'ville's downtown mall teems with great local stores and restaurants. The art galleries are inspiring and there is a mixed-media art store. We had great veggie burgers at the Citizen Burger Bar. I had mine on a lettuce "bun."
There will be more. Stay tuned!
