Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl Day 3

It's all over. We visited 8 yarn shops in 3 days. Over 500 miles on the odometer. But I now have turned in my completed passport for the 2013 Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl.

Today's first shop was The Ball of Yarn in Ormond Beach. It's owned by Pauline and Sandi and has been in business just over a year. Besides all the lovely yarn they normally sell, they were also featuring a trunk show from Southwest Trading Company, specifically Terra yarn and Coming Up Flowers yarn. I got to meet the two owners as well as Nancy, who teaches crochet classes, Chris, who was kind enough to wind my yarn, and Mary Anne, a volunteer who was taking care of all the crawlers.

L to R: Mary Anne, Chris, Sandi, Pauline, Nancy

Next on the list was Knit and Stitch in Cocoa. This was a bit difficult to get to because Cocoa was having a downtown Arts and Crafts festival. Once we found a parking spot a few blocks away, we wound through the streets until we found the shop. Knit and Stitch is stuffed to the rafters with all types and colors of amazing yarn. It's been in business for 35 years and is currently owned by Anne; she's had the store for 8 years. They have 13 instructors and teach classes 6 days a week.

The last shop on the Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl was Knitty Gritty in Vero Beach. We squeaked into this one 45 minutes before close (5:00) but ended up staying until almost 6. We met the owner, Anne, and her husband, Terry; they and their daughter, Amanda, have owned the Knitty Gritty for 1 year and a half. It's in its second location, almost double the size of the original. Terry is a yarn rep for 8 different yarn brands in 6 different states. Anna believes the store was ordained by God for her to own, and her staff are all divine appointments. Isn't that wonderful? We also met Vicky, one of the class instructors. She gave me some great knitting pointers (very helpful if I ever learn to knit!). One of the coolest things was the bathroom; the walls are signed by different knitters and crocheters with scripture, sayings, and comments. Everyone's encouraged to add their mark :-)

Tomorrow I'll show you all the wonderful new yarn I've added to my stash. I fully intended to buy other things besides yarn, but there were too many wonderful skeins to choose from. All of my purchases ended up being yarn :-)

So, who's coming to Florida next year to join me on the crawl?

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl Day 2

I am having so much fun doing this, it shouldn't be allowed! I've met so many nice people and discovered so much beautiful yarn. I need to sell more jewelry so I can start buying all this high quality yarn more often!

Tim and Hope came with me today which was nice; someone to talk to and someone else to drive. I hate driving on I-4.

Today's first stop was Knit! in Longwood. It's owned by Marney and her sister, Ruth and has been in business for 8 years. The store has a lovely selection of yarn as well as other supplies. They are happy to order in anything you like but don't see in their shop.

Next stop was Sip and Knit in Maitland. It's owned by Doni and has been in business for 14 years, 8 in the current location. Doni was busy with customers so I took a picture of Barbara; she teaches classes and has worked at Sip and Knit for 12 years. I also took a picture of their sweet dog, Tucker. He was very well behaved while lots of people shopped around him. I loved the layout of this shop: multiple rooms, each with a different purpose. I didn't get the big yarn room because it was very crowded and I didn't want to take anyone's picture without permission.

The last stop of the day was The Black Sheep in Orlando. This is the oldest shop so far, having been open 40 years! It's owned by Anne and has been for the 7 years it has been in it's current location. They sell a lot of beautiful needlepoint supplies as well as yarn, needles, hooks and other crochet and knit supplies. They also have the multiple room setup I like.

I'm amending the schedule; Tim has offered to drive me to the last three shops on my list if we go tomorrow. These are the farthest away, all on the coast; I'll be happy to have his company :-)

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Daily Inspiration

Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl Day 1

Today, I went two places on the Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl.

Needlecraft World in Kissimmee has been in business since 1978. The third owner, Kathy, has had it for 7 years. 

They sell a variety of cross stitch, crochet and knitting supplies as well as have classes for all three crafts on Mondays from 2-6.

Four Purls in Winter Haven has been in business for 3 years. It's owned by Laura  and staffed by her daughter, Aspen, as well as Donna and Jessica.  

They have a large variety of beautiful yarns and provide a setting for classes or if you just want to hang out and knit.

I did buy a goodie at each store but will wait until the end to show you.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Daily Inspiration