The Wool Shop Tour of the Eastern Region

OK, so I am starting to feel a little bit as if I live in the Wool Shop capital of the world. Whenever I go out of Cambridge, I find marvellous, marvellous wool shops.

A wool shop a wool shop a wool shop! Shall I go in, oh go on then might as well

I’m starting to think I should start Wool Shop Tours Of The Eastern Region. It would be great. We could hire a coach and I could be just like my hero, Brendan from Coach Trip. I would have a clipboard and I could shepherd (see what I did there?) my flock of knitters around the wilder reaches of the Fens, in a whirl of yarn and buns. I promise I wouldn’t make you go to Aldeburgh. We could play Red Devils on the bus, or Pub Cricket, or the game my mother invented where the first person to see a man with a beard out of the window wins (we used to make our own entertainment). Now doesn’t that sound better than Knit Camp? Touring the Fens on a steamy bus and shouting at men with beards? Of course it does. Shall I start organising it? Shall I ring up about visas?

The sign, it beckoned, but I needed no encouragement

So, yesterday I went to Ely Wool Shop. For those of you who know Ely, it’s right opposite the Cromwell museum. I went in search of some nice yarn to send to my swap partner in the Ravelry Blog Hub swap, which I got, hooray. And then, I was slightly mugged by some Malabrigo Lace which I saw sitting near the till. Malabrigo Lace! Exactly the colour of a summer sky! (I think I can remember what a summer sky looks like). I squeaked with involuntary delight. I patted it. It was like patting a gentle woolly cloud. Readers, I am afraid some Malabrigo Lace came home with me for a Featherweight Cardigan. Because you may remember the Citron, and how much I enjoy knitting long, long rows of laceweight. But I promise I will not moan (and actually the Citron is now finished and looking rather smart. If there is enough light to take photos in I will unveil it tomorrow).

Anyway, I loved Ely Wool Shop, and I thought it had a really nice, varied selection of wool – Malabrigo (it is so soft!), Manos del Uruguay, Artesano and lots, lots more, also a lovely selection of buttons, needles and what not. I liked it very much. My yarn budget is now essentially spent up to 2015 but who knows, I may win the lottery or I may have a moment of weakness and be back. I am quite likely to have a moment of weakness, if I am honest with myself. More likely than I am to win the lottery, as I wouldn’t know how to buy a ticket.

I want to touch it. Do you want to touch it? I do

There was one thing that threw me a little, though. I’m sure I spotted a couple of the giant balls of Aran. Does this throw my Wool Shop Theory out of the water? It’s possible that a New New Wave of Wool Shops is emerging which combines the best of all styles and worlds, giant Aran, Malabrigo, lovely wooden needles and light and airy surroundings. That sounds ok to me.

I am not going to look at you because I am part of the display. This is my job. Jeez

The one thing Ely Wool Shop didn’t have was a window display quite as innovative as this one I spotted a couple of doors down. I just put that forward as a suggestion, because I’m sure cat + wool wouldn’t be a completely disastrous and appalling combination at all. We all know cats are easy to train.