A visit to White River Yarns

Today we begin a series that will be a mainstay of this blog: features on local shops, groups, and individual fiber artists. We have a long list to start off with, but would love suggestions for more - hopefully we will never run out!

White River Yarns was opened in 2011 by Karen Caple, down the street from the Hotel Coolidge. Karen is an excellent person to ask for knitting advice both because of her knowledge and her interest in helping. When I arrived she was assisting a woman finishing a gift under deadline; while I was in the shop another woman came in wanting to knit a certain item in lightweight yarn and Karen helped her locate a pattern that was to her taste and choose a specific, suitable yarn.



I counted 18 chairs in the shop, not including the one behind the counter, and a lot of footstools and side tables. A number of the side tables are enormous spools from the old weaving mills. Every Tuesday and Thursday the shop is open later than usual for Knit Night 4-8 PM, but sitting and stitching is welcome at other times as well.



In the main room of the shop there is a large bookcase, the lending library. For an annual fee ($25 your first year, $15 each year thereafter) you can borrow a wide variety of crochet and knitting books, for 30 days apiece and two at a time. If you donate to the library you get a year's membership free.



Of course there is a huge amount of yarn in the shop (most not pictured here), from incredibly fine to extra bulky, in a variety of fibers and a rainbow of colors, and you can special-order yarn if you don't find the perfect kind for your project. There is a wall of needles, hooks, and other tools, a growing selection of needle felting materials, buttons, gifts, patterns, and instructional materials.



Classes are held at White River Yarns regularly, given by Karen and other local instructors about six months of the year (not in the summer), with outside instructors brought in once a quarter. Recent offerings include seamless knitting, fixing knitting errors, sock knitting, and buttonholes in knitting. The best ways to learn about classes and other events, besides visiting the shop, are to watch their website, subscribe to their email newsletter, or check their Facebook page. White River Yarns hosts the Green Mountain Fiber Festival each November and has already reserved the Wilder Center November 15-16, 2014, for the 6th annual festival.



I hope I've convinced you the store is a treat for the eyes as well! Everywhere you turn there is color: scarves and shawls, creatures peeking at you, another fiber-related toy (there's an umbrella swift for yarn winding, and a loom under the front window), or other yarn-related decor.

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Make your own visit!

White River Yarns
49 South Main Street
White River Junction, VT 05001
802-295-9301
http://www.whiteriveryarns.com/

Hours: 10 AM to 6 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
10 AM to 8 PM Tuesday and Thursday (Knit Night 4-8 both days)
10 AM to 4 PM Saturday