Travel Tales

Well, I’m back from my trip visiting family.  While it’s good to be home, I have wonderful memories from this very brief visit!  It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that I loved the time I could spend with my daughter (who met me there), my sister and her family, and my mom.  We had such fun cooking dinner together each night for 10 people, seeing the old home town, and shopping at a fabulous outdoor outlet mall (where I spent too much money).

On our last day, my daughter and I scooped up my mom and headed to Kansas to visit a yarn shop I found online.  It was a rainy, windy day, perfect for spending time with yarn.  Our visit took us to The Studio in Overland Park. This store has been in existence since the late 1960’s and has enjoyed several locations around the Kansas City area.  The store has just recently moved to Overland Park because the new location offers them the space they need for expanded knitting and needlepoint supplies, along with areas for classes and workshops.  I honestly think the ability to create a culture of learning and sharing determines the ultimate success and longevity of a store these days.  After all, one can buy anything online so there has to be some other draw to get people to come to a physical location.

As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the sight of women sitting around a table or in comfy chairs, happily crafting and chatting with one another.  As we perused the yarns, Cindy showed me some of the beautiful choices, including Knit One Crochet Too Sebago which naturally I had to purchase for myself 🙂  My daughter also bought some yarn that will eventually become a scarf.  The shop carries an extensive array of needlepoint supplies as well which sort of made me want to take up the craft.

I always enjoy seeing how other stores are laid out and what yarns they’ve chosen to carry, what they’ve decided is important for their customers and the area they serve.  However, I’m still madly in love with and faithful to The Knitter’s Edge.  I haven’t seen anything that rivals it, and I’m so glad it’s near me.  In fact, I’ll be there on Saturday for a class with my daughter’s knitting group.  Darn!

Happy crafting!