I recently returned from an Autumn trip to the Jersey shore (Cape May) with my sister, and have to admit that as WONDERFUL as the beach always is, a significant HIGHLIGHT of our week was visiting 3 different yarn shops in the area!

We visited North Country Knits, in Woodbine, NJ which was a delightful shop located on a small sheep farm. I purchased myself a pair of fleece-lined slippers which are incredibly comfortable! I was not able to locate a website for North Country Knits, but if you are in town, Google the shop and call: they'll answer!
We had a lovely chat with the owner, who shared her story and "yarn journey" that led her to this little shop on her farm. This was a lovely stop on our way and we will definitely stop back again when we are in town!
A bonus in this neighborhood is that there is a pottery shop right across the gravel parking lot where some unique, hand-crafted wares are for sale (where I found myself a new morning coffee mug).
Our next stop was at Enchanted Fiber, located in North Cape May. The owner, Francesca, was in that day and my sister and I had a wonderful conversation with her and Karen - a shop employee. Enchanted Fiber is a larger shop and hosts quilting on one side; but it is clear that the heart and soul of the shop is YARN!
Francesca's passion is creating community, and she has created an open and spacious place for knitters, crocheters and other yarn enthusiasts to gather. In addition to ample offerings in yarn, Enchanted Fiber hosts a collection of some of the MOST ADORABLE yarn bags I've seen in some time. These are handmade (sewn) by another local artist, and the themes, size and design of these are all most desirable. My description simply doesn't do them justice, so if you're in the area - be sure to stop by and say hello to Francesca, buy some yarn and pick up a bag to tote it around in!!
A couple days later, we traveled up the Garden State Parkway a bit to find the Knitting Niche in Ocean City. Another lovely shop, tucked into a ground floor building just a couple blocks from the Ocean City Boardwalk. The yarn offerings were also quite nice (lots of sale yarn in the back room!) and the folks very friendly as well. We left with more yarn and another group of "yarn friends" from our trip.
One thing is certain for knitters and crocheters: we can find community no matter where we go. We all speak a similar language and share a common love for yarn and the things we create with that yarn.
In my travels, I also learned that the Wool Walk in New Jersey is statewide and included 22 shops this year. Most of these appear from the MAP to be in Northern New Jersey, and none of the shops I visited participated this year. Another interesting tidbit was that the Wool Walk only lasted 5 days this year!! I laughed when I remembered how some of us complain about making it to 9 shops in 8 days during the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl!
My biggest takeaway from my yarn-cation was the joy I found in remembering that wherever I may wander, I am likely to encounter fellow yarn enthusiasts. It's a simple reminder that we're never really alone. There are people tucked in here and there wherever we go that enjoy things that we also enjoy, and who are as happy to meet us (a fellow knitter or crocheter) as we are to meet them.
Knowing this helps the world feel a little less cold and uncaring on days when it seems to be showing up as cold and uncaring.
I enjoyed my week at the beach with my sister, and came home with more yarn (I know, I know - we'll discuss STASH issues in another blog post) and new members of my extended knitting/crochet community.
Happy crocheting/knitting & yarn-cationing!
(C) 2023 Stitch 'n Dish
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