Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A North Georgia Road Trip

I recently had occasion to travel to the Georgia-Tennessee-North Carolina border. While up that way, I decided to visit member shop Mountain Yarn in Blairsville.The shop is just off the main road, a right turn on Old Blue Ridge Highway. From Atlanta, take I-75 North to I-575 North and keep following it even as it changes names and becomes a state route. You'll go about 94 miles to get to Blairsville, which is about 22 miles past Blue Ridge. If you get to the stoplight in Blairsville, you've gone too far and you'll need to make a couple right turns to come back around to the shop.
I arrived late in the day but was warmly greeted by Pat, who recently purchased this shop. There are lots of good changes coming. Even in its current transition, the shop had nice things to offer. Tofusies, Noro, Addi needles in both Natura (bamboo) and Turbo (metal), and suede bottoms for drawstring bags. I bought two skeins of Araucania Ranco multi (a sock weight yarn) in a blue-purple colorway reminiscent of the ocean waves. There was a nice selection of books, although most of those I already have in my library. I did seriously consider the 220 Patterns for Cascade 220. Pat and I chatted cordially about knitting and yarn, traffic and the cost of fuel, and how truly beautiful north Georgia is. Pat previously owned a shop in Florida, so Mountain Yarn should be in very good hands. If you find yourself up north past even the edges of metro Atlanta, this sweet store is worth a stop.

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