Ribbon!

So I was in Portland, ME, this past weekend and I just knew, almost instinctively, that there was a yarn shop somewhere downtown.  My Gracious Host believed me, and together we set off in search of it. Of course I didn't have the shop's name and though he suspected that I might be right, he was almost as clueless as I. He did keep mumbling something about "Spring Street," though...

I love old, seafaring New England towns. They're always designed like a series of terraced fields where walking uphill is de rigueur. Portland's Old Port isn't as bad as some, (Portsmouth, NH, for example), but if you don't like hills, don't do it.

We must have traversed the Old Port three or four times, but we kept coming up empty. Sure there are lots of shops, boutiques, eateries, watering holes where I could have dropped lots of moola...but nothing for knitters.

We both had the brilliant idea at the same time that maybe what we needed was a tourist map. The Portland Harbor Hotel was kind enough to supply us with the same, though I don't think they knew it. At least no one was yelling, "Stop! Thief!" as we exited the lobby.

Anywho...

We discovered that there was, indeed, a yarn shop (point for me), that it was actually on Spring Street (point for my Gracious Host), and it was only two blocks away (Win!)...uphill. Well, you can't have everything, right?

Tess' Designer Yarns is a tiny storefront set a little away from the bulk of the tourist traffic at the intersection of Union and Spring streets. It's actually close to the border between the Old Port and the arts district. A small, dark, sweet-smelling shop where all the fiber is hand-dyed and arranged by color, not type, Tess' didn't disappoint.

The proprietor (Tess, maybe? I didn't ask and she didn't offer) was so helpful and friendly. All of her fibers are represented by at least one project, all simple to knit and skillfully executed. Simple is perfect because I am barely out of the "novice" stage when it comes to knitting.

Two projects caught my eye; the Wavy Ribbon Scarf and the Bias Scarf. I coveted the former because I'm a sucker for ribbon yarn and the colors were just deeply jeweled and gorgeous. I bought two kits for $25 a piece. This included one skein of the ribbon yarn and instructions for the scarf (the skiens were actually $25 each, with the pattern thrown in, but whatever). It's a simple series of garter stitches, yarn overs, and drops. The ribbon is mainly nylon and oh-so-lightweight!

I didn't pay any attention to the names of the colors I bought. The yarn I dove into first is predominantly a shiny pink and purple with a hint of blue, yellow, and green. It's knitting up fairly quick, and I intend it as a gift for a friend who probably can't or shouldn't even own any scarves for the simple reason that she lives in Florida. BUT every woman should have a pretty, bright, and airy scarf, just in case.

And maybe because I was friendly and chatty or maybe because I was buying two kits already, but the Alleged Tess told me what the pattern is for the Bias Scarf. I have that tucked into the back of my brain for later, when I get through the 50 million other projects I have started...and because I have pink and black bouclé yarn just crying out to be used...