Vacationing: Visiting the Local Craft Stores

As you all know, and I’m sure many of you are dealing with the same issues as me, I’m working hard to use up all my leftovers and stash and in general not going willy-nilly in the craft store impulse buying up things I don’t really need for current projects. Yeah. That’s a Run-on-mouthful.

So, when on vacation, it’s especially hard to resist visiting the local yarn shops. Yarn shops are my favorite. All the internet in the world can’t replace a good yarn fondling. You know exactly how I feel. All the colorful pictures in all of the world wide just won’t do. So you can explore online all you want, but the point is, I love seeing (and feeling) the different fibers that aren’t available locally. It’s really hard not to get away from myself. Like here in Katy, Texas at Yarntopia. Look at all this:

Yum and Yum!

Here’s the bargain I strike with myself. First. I go check out any stores I want. If I try to just avoid them, I usually end up going anyway and then I blow it and buy like 3 sweaters and 6 hats and 4 socks worth of yarn. We aren’t even talking about fabric stores – a yard here, a half yard there, 6 quilts worth of fabric later. Yeah. You know.

Anyway, so I let myself go to the shops I really want to. Like @LindaMade on twitter recommended a great yarn shop here in Katy, TX. I found a really neat stone shop that sold beads in Eureka, AR. I bought a little bit from both. I buy enough to make a project and I have a project in mind for each purchase. And I give myself a trip budget. So say if I know I’ll be traveling over the course of 2 weeks, I might budget out anywhere from $25-$100 depending on how the bank is looking. But I stick to it.

I can buy a sweater’s worth or a couple of small projects. Maybe they sell a pattern book I haven’t seen elsewhere. Maybe they are having a super sale like the fine ladies at Yarntopia were and I was able to buy up 6 skeins and a pattern book for under $50. Point is, just like grocery shopping, have a list of projects in mind before you go is always a good idea. Have a budget at the ready so you don’t (like I totally want to) go nuts. And granted this is like a once or twice a year trip vs every weekend. In which case I’d put myself on a monthly budget :)

On the topic of Yarntopia, I had a really nice chat with the owner. So friendly! They had a great selection of yarn and happily most of it was yarn that my local shop doesn’t carry. And they had all these needles. And just so cute. I love the way the shop is put together with a nice area for hanging out and knitting. If you ever happen through Katy Texas, do make sure to stop by and snap up some of their delicious yarn!

Happy Crafting!
Kristin