Yarnscapade: A Pilgrimage to Churchmouse Yarns & Teas
The weekend after our second full week here in Seattle, we woke up to a bright, clear Saturday with no clouds and no smoke taking away from the impossibly blue sky. It was one of those days when you can feel the sun baking into your skin, but there's still refuge in the breezy shade. And next to the water, things can be down right brisk. I've heard that the summers here are short but precious, and I can see why- I've never seen such clear, clear skies in my whole life.
So that morning we walked straight down the looonnnggg hill that takes us from our new home to the Puget Sound, and followed the signs for the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We were all packed up with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, boiled eggs, pretzels, and chocolate chip cookies (the Tate's gluten-free kind that are so good!). The ferry pulled away from the pier with a deep bellow of its horn, and glided through the Sound until we reached Bainbridge about a half an hour later. The island looked calm, and inviting, with houses nestled into the forested hillsides and folding chairs set out along the shore.
You could tell that the residents really cherished their busy season. Absolutely everyone we spoke with in restaurants, shops, and along the way was genuinely pleasant and helpful. One of the neatest things was the number of teenagers engaged in summer tourism work. We stopped in a candy shop with an amazing licorice collection, and the young lady behind the counter sold us peanut butter fudge and gave us restaurant suggestions. And lining the main street were teenage boys asking passersby if they needed maps, directions, recommendations, or any other help. Truly a friendly place.
The island was charming with all sorts of boutiques to stroll into and a great boardwalk along the coast that took us through bits of woods, above the water, (both brackish and sea), and past the marina where sailboats a-plenty were moored with their sails rolled up but their rigging poking up like lightning rods. The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, and we had an early supper sitting outside by the water at a place named Doc's.
The sun stays out so late here that we didn't even realize how late we had stayed when we hopped on the ferry back to Seattle a little after six o'clock. It felt like we were leaving a sanctuary and being tossed back into the melee.
But wait! That's not the whole story! Something special happened during our visit...
...I made a pilgrimage to Churchmouse Yarns & Teas!
When I told my New Jersey knitting group about our temporary reassignment to the Pacific Northwest, my friends all reacted with the same exclamation, "You'll be able to visit Churchmouse!" Now, I had heard the name Churchmouse before, but I didn't really grasp how famous and special it was for the yarny peeps community. If you feel like falling down a rabbit hole of loveliness, take a peek at their website here. As I started exploring, I fell in love with their esthetic- their designs look so much more elegant for their clean and simple designs. And it seams to me that such minimalist-icly elegant patterns also allow room for the yarn to glow. I'm especially in love with these:
The Turkish Bed Socks (paid)
(photo from Churchmouse website)
(photo from Churchmouse website)
(photo from Churchmouse website)
So when we stumbled upon the doorway to Churchmouse at the end of the main street, I have to admit I was really excited! And intimidated! But honestly, there was no reason for me to feel shy- the ladies working there were not only incredibly professional, but so very warm! They chatted and joked with me as I poked around, let me take all sorts of photos, answered my questions about what yarns for what patterns, and didn't laugh at me at all when I confused DK and worsted : )
Mr. Mersy gave me lots of time to look around and soak up the atmosphere- I enjoyed myself immensely and left with supplies for the three patterns I mentioned above, and with some treats for my friends!
Lots of love,
~Mersydotes
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