Yarn as a souvenir

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. We decided that a milestone like this called for something special, so we headed up to Philadelphia, dropped the kids off in the ‘burbs with my parents, and spent 24 hours playing tourist in the city. We stayed at a nice hotel, ate at some incredible restaurants, took in a show at a comedy club (which is what we did on our very first date, mumble mumble years ago), and spent some time just wandering around, taking in the sights.

If you’re a knitter, you know that I wasn’t going to leave town without checking out at least one yarn shop, so on our last afternoon, we wandered past Loop. What a lovely shop! I wished I lived close enough to hang out there on a regular basis. There are two yarns that I’ve been wanting to try, and I found both of them at Loop.

The first is Lorna’s Laces Solemate yarn. This yarn is interesting because it is 30% Outlast, a material developed by NASA that is supposed to keep you warm when it’s cold and keep you cool when it’s warm. Sounds like the perfect material for socks, doesn’t it?! I found a gorgeous one-of-kind color that I scooped up just as quick as I could. I immediately wished I’d brought my sock needles with me, so I could cast on right then and there!

The second yarn I found was Rowan Kidsilk Creation (in the “Smoke” colorway). This is similar to their Kidsilk Haze, but it comes in a mesh knitted tube that you knit (or crochet) as you would a self-ruffling novelty yarn. I love the look of the ruffled scarves that are all the rage right now, and with this yarn, I’ve heard it takes less than an hour to whip one up. I have a feeling these scarves could be as addictive as potato chips. Maybe gifts for teachers this winter?

Aside from food, yarn was the only thing I purchased on our trip. Several years ago, I decided that yarn was my favorite souvenir. I enjoy using the yarns that I’ve purchased on my travels, as it brings that destination back in my mind.

So tell me, do you bring home yarn when you travel?