Hudson Valley Yarn Crawl-Spring 2015-Saturday

Saturday 3/27 was cloudy and chilly with occasional scattered snow flurries. But the roads were clear and we headed out for the Spring 2015 edition of the biannual Hudson Valley Yarn Crawl.

On the first day of the Crawl weekend, we stayed on the west side of the Hudson River in Ulster County, roaming from one end to the other.

First stop – White Barn Farm in New Paltz. Paula, the owner, set up a needle felting station where visitors could make their own Easter Bunny.

White Barn Farm needle felting bunny supplies ready to go

White Barn Farm needle felting bunny project

White Barn Farm is noted for its selection of locally produced yarn and roving including their own “Heaven,” a blend of the farm’s Cormo sheep’s wool plus alpaca and silk for a beautiful soft yarn. Paula with her art background has a great eye for color. She kettle dyes skeins of the yarn in her unique colorways.

White Barn Farm colorful yarn skeins arranged in bushels hung on wall

White Barn Farm, a selection of the shops’ own “Heaven” yarn

White Barn Farm closeup of some of the colorful local yarn skeins in baskets on wall

White Barn Farm local yarn

Next headed north to Saugerties, near the northern end of the county, and Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop, nestled, not surprisingly, among the pines out in the country.

Tina, the owner, had a fun activity for yarn crawlers-an Easter egg hunt. She hid colorful plastic eggs around the shop, on the shelves, under skeins of yarn, next to a row of tape measures. The more you looked, the more eggs you noticed. But you could only pick one. Inside was a paper cut-out flower which told what you won. My prize was a red “Knit Happy “ project bag which will be perfect for the upcoming smaller spring and summer projects.

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop plastic green Easter egg hiddin in container of yarn

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop Easter egg hunt

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop plastic green Easter egg hidden near a container of yarn and measuring tapes

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop Easter egg hunt

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop plastic purple and blue Easter eggs hidden among wool

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop Easter egg hunt

Yarn Crawl gifts, red Knit Happy project bag from Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop & small clear plastic storage container with hand-made stitch marker from Countrywool

Yarn Crawl gifts: Knit Happy project bag from Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop and plastic storage box with stitch marker from Countrywool (visited on Sunday)

In addition to an array of yarns, Pinewood Studios offers a wide range of spinning fibers, rug hooking supplies, books and DVDs.

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop display of colorful spinning fiber and skeins of yarn

Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop spinning fiber and yarn

Friendly owners, lovely shops, lots of color, what more could you want on a cloudy day.