KnitWitYarn Shop and Cafe in Portland
247A Congress St
Portland, ME, 04101
Phone: (207) 774-6444
E-mail: knitwit@maine.rr.com
This looked to be a cute shop. Especially since it said Shop AND Cafe. Unfortunately, we went there on a Monday and it was closed. I even took a photo of the interior of the shop through the window... but it wasn't sufficiently pouty to post.
The Yarn Sellar
647 Us Route. 1
Wells, Maine
Phone: (207)-351-198
I did get to venture into this shop. The saleswoman was friendly and knew her stuff... They had packaged magnificent combinations of yarns for scarves for the "color and texture" challenged which seemed helpful and good marketing at the same time. They also had alpaca "dental floss" which reminded me of those fairy tales where the poor princess had to spin/knit/weave a coat (or cloak) that would pass through a wedding ring. I believe that one could have used 0000 needles and done just that with the hand dyed "thread." So soft. Lotsa yardage and not much weight.
I met a mother and daughter (?) there who had intended to go whale watching. However, because of the low pressure cell over NB and the high surf in maine they were zig zagging all over New England visiting Yarn Shops instead... buying cheerfully at every store. They said the whole back seat of their car was full already and they had most of the week left to criss cross Connecticut, New Hampshire and maybe Montreal. What a great idea.
We also all agreed that shop owners should EITHER knit and sell their knit products OR sell yarn and be helpful. They mentioned one shop (which I never got the name of, and think might have been much farther south) where the owner apparently claimed to sell yarn in order to get fiber wholesale, but then wouldn't tell anyone what patterns, fibers, yardage, etc. the samples were made from. Boo Hiss.
This shop also had the distinct advantage of being located next to J.Ellen's Cafe and Wine Bar
647 U.S. Route One
Meadowbrook Plaza
York, ME 03909
I had Veal Saltimbocca and found it heavenly. Alternately piquant with spicy cheese and mild served on teensy ravioli. The orgasmic dessert, however, will be remembered in this house for years to come. Chocolate pate with crushed almonds. Our server claimed that it was flourless AND sugarless, so why would we resist? Served with a daub of whipped cream and drizzle of raspberry puree to keep it from being too dense (as if that were possible.)
For knitters, it was a dream. Buy yarn at the YarnSellar until closing, then go next door for wine, conversation and a wonderful meal.
Central Yarn Shop Portland
569 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
207-775-0852
cysyarn@aol.com
By the time I got to this shop (stumbled on it, actually) my feet were tired, and my eyes blurry from having viewed everything at the Portland Museum of Art only a block away. I believe "Grandmom" was minding the store, while daughter was finishing a pink cape for grand-daughter who appeared to have learned to walk only a day or two before. I also met their friendly black and white spaniel who was content to watch and listen to the rest of us ooh and aah over the amazing quantity of yarns this stor had in it's little space. A quiet Asian woman was apparently wrestling with her first set of sock-sized dpns and getting friendly help as needed.
This was the first time I'd heard about the recall for some of the frizzy yarns that apparently go up in flames VERY fast. Another customer and I were annoyed that the bad luck of one person would preclude the rest of us from knitting on the wild side. Someone (was it me?) made the comment that even sheep and alpacas don't get too near the campfire, or alow their cigarette ashes to fall on themselves. No doubt the flaming fibers are synthetic, but still....
I would hope that this shop would get brighter lights, though. It was dim once you were truly inside the shop.
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