Woolwinkle Yarn Shop

October 1st marked our small town fall festival, Pumpkins on the Petunias.  There were things to do and see for all ages, like the Tractor Parade, the Great Pumpkin Drop and the Soap Box Derby races.  Every storefront in town was decorated with pumpkins, corn stalks and scarecrows (not so many petunias though).  I spent the day happily camped out at Woolwinkle, the newest addition to our quaint downtown. 

That's my tiny wheel in the middle of the floor!

Yarn, needles, books and finished items line every wall and shelf.  The shop cannot boast of having expansive floor space, but what it lacks in size is made up for in warmth and generosity. 

Josie, the owner, sets the tone for the store.  Her let-me-tell-you-everything-I-know-about-knitting attitude kept the door bell chiming as customers (most of whom are quickly considered friends) continually came and went throughout the day. 

The majority of the floor space in the shop accommodates a large kitchen table.  No less then four of these chairs (at times eight) were constantly occupied by friends who had brought their knitting projects and camped out with me.  Even though Josie had two of her own projects to work on, she ping-ponged from person to person, showing how to cast on (and cast off), how to measure out button hole spacings, and how to finish off the thumb on a mitten.  Each lady sat down at the table with a measured look of concern in their brows and left the table with an equal amount of contentment, knowing that their project was not going to end up stuffed in the back of a dark closet.  And this was all Josie's doing.

Having introduced myself to Josie a mere two weeks ago, she was gracious enough to let me set out a table of my own homespun yarns and rovings.  What a delight to be able to spin all day without interruption!  Well, except for the times I had to go see how to finish off a thumb . . . I spent the day hand carding and spinning dog fur.  To my surprise it is turning out far nicer than I had anticipated.  Which only means that I can expect to smell like dog for the next couple of weeks. 

So should you find yourself wondering what will occupy the long, dark months of winter, wander over to Woolwinkle.  Sign up for a knitting class or stock up on new yarn.  Or you could dig out that project from the dark closet (you know the one I'm talking about), and stop in to see Josie.  She's like a fairy godmother with a knitting needle!