On an overnight get-away to Sarasota last Friday, and driving around town in search of a Starbucks (they aren’t found as frequently there as in other cities), one word struck my partner and I as we were turning down random streets, passing time until our hotel room was ready: YARN! An immediate U-turn was in order, and upon walking in, we were met by Debra Lambert, the friendly and passionate owner of Picasso’s Moon Yarn, nestled in a charming antique district of the downtown area.
Despite the fact they recently moved a few doors down from their previous location, the space looks comfortable, cozy and lived-in. As you enter the front door, you are immersed in amazing yarns, many handspun and/or hand-dyed. The heart of the shop is a circular gathering of eclectic armchairs, a knitter’s Stonehenge, a place for spiritual connection to the fiber arts.
One of the other offerings in this store that really sparked my imagination was that they have recently developed a passion for yarn spinning. Debra talked of adventures she’d taken to fiber festivals and her myriad test drives of spinning wheels. She eventually landed on the Louet Victoria, a beautiful wheel that folds up and is easily stored in a bag that, as Debra points out, “fits in an airplane overhead compartment!”
What comes out of her time at the wheel, as well as those of other local artisans, is amazing Art Yarn, into which are incorporated incredible, vibrant colors, beads, ribbons and other objects, that emerge into a chunky yarn. There were a number of hand-knit shawls and throws that had been created from these dazzling handspun yarns, and since Friday, I’ve been thinking about when to plan a day trip back to Sarasota to learn to spin on the wheel and knit with the kind folks at Picasso’s Moon Yarn!
Handspun art yarn skein drying
Surrounded by so many beautiful luxury fibers, and as our time at Picasso’s Moon this visit was coming to an end, I found myself incredibly drawn to 3 skeins of 100 percent Alpaca in a unique colorway called “Camo.” It called my name and I walked away, already thinking about what would be really cool to knit up in this exciting and luxuriously soft, warm fiber.
In just under an hour, I discovered:
- Beautiful hand-dyed 100 percent Alpaca
- The concept of Art Yarn and the creative possibilities that evokes
- The Louet Victoria spinning wheel
- A really comfortable space with really good energy for fiber artists to gather!
Never underestimate the significance of a wrong turn…they can be exciting, inspiring and even life-changing!
Tags: Inspiration, Knitting, Yarn, Yarn Lover
