More Vermont yarn stores...

Some of you are undoubtedly sick of yarn store photos... for some reason I find the hunt for yarn stores immensely gratifying though I have to admit that the selection doesn't always vary that much.  I'm looking for that one gem that has the yarn I've never seen before. Maybe I'll still find it... we're heading to Canada next week after all!

This yarn store was adorable--and in Burlington. Nido sold both fabric and yarn and was on the second floor of the pedestrian section of Burlington.

Whippletree is in Woodstock and we drove by it repeatedly until Emily recognized it as a yarn store.

I did find a beautiful silk merino blend though they only had one skein. I think it is destined for a baby hat.

In Woodstock, VT there is a large old mill on the south side of the road which is signed prominently for Shackleton Thomas. This little weaving cooperative was inside of that building. They were not open and it looked like they made mostly rag rugs out of t-shirts.

Does anyone know what loom this is? They were weaving rags on it using some tapestry techniques.

This is the longest warping board I have ever seen--a great idea though especially if you don't warp sectionally and you don't have room for a reel.

Shackleton Thomas makes beautiful furniture and pottery. It is worth a visit... and this particular Shackleton is a relative of THE Shackleton (the polar explorer himself).

Apparently the intrepid explorer loved legos as a kid. You can go play with them if you want to--though they are covered with a lot of sawdust (they are upstairs in the woodshop).

Hurricane Irene hit this part of Vermont very hard August, 2011. There are still signs everywhere--buildings destroyed, huge swaths of rubble, creek beds widely expanded, bridges recently rebuilt, a covered bridge only half there. Even the elevators haven't recovered.

Vermont trails

We are enjoying Vermont. It is a lovely state. Much of our poking through corners of central Vermont was in search of the perfect wedding site. Let me just say that Vermont is much smaller than the west and there are not huge expanses of public land where someone might have a ceremony un-molested by mosquitos, traffic, or tourists. (In case you are worried, we did find a place this morning and will be eternally grateful to the lovely rangers at Coolidge State Park in Plymouth, VT.  Thanks Tammy and Bill!!)

I have continued my yarn store search and now believe that the yarn-store-per-capita statistic must be much higher for Vermont than New Mexico or Colorado. And the stores are pretty good also. I will put the yarn stores in another post so those of you who just don't care can skip right over it.

We visited Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock, VT which had some amazing animals, people, and exhibits related to farming. There weren't any old looms though I am sure the people here in the 1800s must have woven. There was this modern LeClerc with a sign saying "No Weaving Today" which I will admit was slightly disappointing.

The sheep at the farms had names (as did the jersey cows and the oxen). I chased Grace around awhile before I got this photo with her name tag (one of my new sister-in-law's names is Grace. Grace the person is much prettier than Grace the sheep).

We climbed Pico Peak which is 3,900+ feet. The hiking was awesome and the views of the Green Mountains were so beautiful. I hope to come back and hike the whole Long Trail one day soon (and perhaps even the AT). I will say that hiking in New England involves steep trails, lots of rocks, mud, and roots everywhere. I now believe it when they say that of the three long trails (AT, PCT, CDT), the AT is the most physically demanding.

We went up to Burlington for a day and I loved walking on the boardwalk and watching the boats on Lake Champlain.

Both gay people and dogs are welcome in Burlington. At least I'm pretty sure this doesn't just mean gay dogs...

And lastly, there are many cemeteries in Vermont. They are old and lovely and nothing like cemeteries in the west (except for the dead people of course)... and sometimes the headstones are somewhat amusing...

We did stumble across Robert Frost's grave at First Church in Bennington.