Thursday, May 10, 2007

Old Saybrook, CT: Saybrook Yarn

saybrook yarns

Old Saybrook is a lovely little town on the Connecticut shoreline, which has a antique shops, bookstores, coffee shops and restaurants galore. It is also home to Saybrook Yarn, which is right on Main Street in the middle of all the retail goodness.

The store is larger than it would seem from the outside, and is relatively comfortable to browse in. There are some odd nooks and crannies that feel a little bit tight, but overall, I did not feel claustrophobic. I'm not sure how I'd describe the atmosphere except to say that it felt "nondescript." How's that for verbal acuity?

I chose a weekday afternoon to visit the shop. When I entered the store, I immediately noticed a table in the front of the store, where a staff person was sitting and pricing merchandise. I am guessing that this table is used for classes and sit and knit groups, but today it was being used for store business.

Staple yarns include Plymouth Encore, Brown Sheep, and Tahki Cotton Classic. They carry a complete line of Classic Elite yarns. I found some specialty yarns that I had not seen in many other stores: Lobster Pot cashmere, Sheep Shop, Mountain Colors, and Clekheaton.

They had a small selection of sock yarn: Jawoll, Tofutsies, and Austerman Step. This is the only store where I saw sock blockers for sale (the blue FiberTrends version). The Mountain Colors Bearfoot sock yarn was located with the rest of the Mountain Colors line, not with the sock yarn, so don’t miss it (don’t worry, I didn’t, and a skein came home with me).

The store features an extensive clearance yarn section in the back. I didn't spend much time there -- I was after the "good stuff."

I liked that there were many swatches and samples. It appeared that they had some Classic Elite samples on display, almost like a trunk show. I'm not sure if this was a temporary loan arrangement, or if the garments were knit by store staff. The store also features a very nice selection of books and patterns. In notions, their double-pointed needle selection was light, and the store staffer told me that they were in the process of transitioning from Crystal Palace Bamboo to Brittany Birch. However, they did have Addi dpns, which I had never seen before. I asked the staffer how they were to use, and she actually went out to her car to bring in her sock-in-progress so that I could feel the needles out of the package. I love that customer service! (And I bought the dpns...) I also found some very nice needle/crochet hook rolls that appeared to be made locally and were reasonably priced (about $20). There was a bit of "knitter's jewelry" at the cash register that would make a nice gift for a secret pal.

The staff was friendly and helpful, but never pushy. They have a frequent buyer program, and will track your purchases for you so you don’t have to carry a card. They do have classes (check the website) and a sit n’ knit night on Thursday. On-street parking is valid for 2 hours, (I had no trouble finding a space directly in front of the store on a weekday afternoon) and they are located just 5 minutes off Rt. 95. The store is open from 10am to 6pm Monday through Saturday, and til 9pm on Thursday. They are closed on Sunday.

I’d say that this store is certainly worth a trip if you combine it with lunch or an antiquing trip and want to spend a lovely afternoon in Old Saybrook. While I don't feel the need to stop in every time I am near the store, I can see myself coming here a couple of times a year to see what’s new and different, and soak in some of that CT Shoreline air.