DownTown Knits

Last Saturday I visited another local yarn shop in Apex, NC called DownTown Knits.

The owner, Michele, has arranged the shop to have a spacious sit and knit area with lots of room for the knitters that gather on Friday for Knit Night.

I've enjoyed her variety of hand-dyed, natural fiber, locally produced, and designer yarns. I had never knit with Malabrigo or Manos before coming to her shop, and I now quite enjoy them.

I really like the knitting bag above: Keep Calm and Carry Yarn. The table above also features DTK's own line of yarn, Gather, a beautiful hand-dyed merino wool.

Michele has creatively grouped yarn, knitting bags, and knitted samples together throughout the shop.

There is a scarf-tree in the front window with several lovely, ruffled, variegated scarves.

Michele has a great baby knitting section complete with machine washable yarn, baby knitting books, like Itty-Bitty Nursery, shop samples of baby garments, and even a few baby hats and booties for sale.

I have really enjoyed admiring and gaining inspiration from the hat table. I think I might even venture to try entrelac (the hat pictured just above with the sunflower-like pattern) for this adorable tam.

I purchased Manos Maxima, a fair trade, kettle-dyed merino wool. Because East Carolina University's colors are purple and gold, I knew I would have to get this skein. I thought it would be fitting to knit a little scarflette, like the one in this post, to go with my purple dress for the fall. 

Please visit Michele's website at www.downtownknits.com! Happy Knitting!

Warm N' Fuzzy

I just went to the new Warm N' Fuzzy in downtown Cary. It is absolutely fabulous! Everything is artfully arranged with plenty of space to sit down and knit, a table for pattern exploration, and many windows which give great light to see the yarn.

The owner, Rebecca Hart, has refurbished an art gallery into a light-filled, community-oriented, yarn-love space. It is stunning!

These adorable, crocheted birds greet all the customers in the shop's front window.

They have a computer set up to help clients look up patterns on the internet. It even has a crocheted stool cover!

I love how each corner is arranged so beautifully; here is a basket of hand-dyed yarns with a crocheted giraffe and alpaca pair beside it.

The sitting area is complete with classy couch with pillows and a coffee table for the pastries from La Farm Bakery and patterns.

The owner, Rebecca, hosts Knit Night every Thursday evening from 7 to 9. I went yesterday evening and had a lovely time. I made great progress on my Boston whale baby hat. Rebecca also helped me find a pattern for slippers that a friend had requested.

Left to right: Mari, Rebecca Hart, and Caryn.  Mari's website with her own knitwear designs is www.mariknits.com.

I'll definitely be returning to Warm N' Fuzzy. Happy Knitting!