Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Horsing Around

What is it that drives someone to leave the comfortable streets of a Jersey suburb to the outskirts of... Queens, New York?

For years I shopped online at Smiley's yarns before the recent crop of yarn stores popped up around my town. Their website offers lots of closeout type stuff. I'd buy basic wool for felting and on occasion I could get some rather nice alpaca.

A few weeks ago, after dropping my oldest off at the airport, I realized that LaGuardia Airport is in Queens, New York and that Smiley's "warehouse" is there too. I punched the address into the ol' GPS and voila, I was driving down the combustible streets of Jamaica Avenue. Dang that was a mistake. It is one noisy street! Far noisier than Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn or any other street I've been down in the last 15 years.

Inside the store, the place was virtually empty (pun intended)! I guess they reserve their stock for internet sales.

Disappointed, I couldn't let this hare brained idea to go unchallenged so I set the GPS toward Manhattan and drove to Purl Soho in well, Soho.

Sorry about skimpy pictures but it's actually a good representation of how small the store is. Remember, New York City real estate is EXPENSIVE.



I couldn't not buy any yarn right? I bought a skein of this curly locks stuff intending to use it for an icord handle

Well it doesn't quite look like what I had intended so I'll have to figure out what to do with this

A few doors down from Purl's yarn store is Purl's fabric store.



Of course I bought some fabric. Who cares I don't sew


Oh and speaking of sewing, I bought this from Etsy, this girl can sew!


I got an entire set of double points to go into their neat little compartments!


Yeah, so I've been making lots of bags for gifts. I made this one for one of my sisters-in-law.






I used some stash yarn I bought last year at Rhinebeck. I found the brooch in North Carolina at a vintage store.


This bag was intended for my mother. I bought these cool leather straps for the handles but I'm not sure if I'll give her this one yet. Gifts for her are always so hard...


Finally, after horsing around driving here and there, would you believe that I stumbled upon a retirement home for horses? I was driving my youngest to a basketball event when out of the blue I saw these adorable horses. They were in various stages of recovery from something or another. I didn't want to leave. They were so sweet.




12 comments:

carlita dee said...

I'm like, Where did she park? Such city thinking.

I never seem to make it to Purl, but I do want to check out their fabric in person. I love what you bought! Trees are awesome. I am scheming up a way to copy you, like I did with the buttons. Who makes that fabric?

A retirement home for horses? So surreal. You sure you weren't dreaming?

Pretty pretty bags you made. Now come on over and sew!

Sheila said...

I lived in Flatbush for a time and you mean to tell me Jamaica Avenue is worse...lol

Anonymous said...

Those bags are really pretty!

I'd have loved to visit that retirement home...glad to hear the horses are being taken care of.

Beatriz said...

And here I imagined Smiley's would be a huge warehouse...a little disappointing. I like those fabrics, and I don't sew very much either!

Unknown said...

I've heard about Smiley's for years - I'll mark that off my "gotta go" list & just wait around for the internet sale. Your bags are beautiful!

Patricia said...

What an eclectic trip you took. I especially enjoyed the pictures of Purl. What a treat.
Love the DPN bag. How clever. I'm hitting etsy and checking out a bag for myself!

Rebecca said...

i SO hoped there'd be horses with that horsing around title. i have such NYC envy. would love to visit all the spots that you did. i have some of that ozark handspun, it's gorgeous, but i've never known quite what to make of it. thought about maybe a scarf? but my LYSO said that she's seen it sued on cuffs and collars successfully. hope you find a great use for yours!

Jeanine said...

I was just at Purl Patchwork on Wednesday. That's my FAV fabric store. It's hard to walk out of there without buying anything.

hakucho said...

Cute bags :)

Virtuous said...

Gurl you find the most amazing things! @ retirment home for horses!

LOL @ who cares if you don' sew! ;op

Two Cables and a Frapp said...

Very, very nice post. I see you bought more bulky yarn to use huge needles with. Well, some of us just never learn do we. That Purl Soho shop is too quaint. The bags are wonderful. I may need to borrow some of your new needles. Thanx.

Ina said...

I'm with sappmama, great adventure, but where did you park? Gotta love the moptop ponies!