The Knest: Cold Call Cruising

First off, My apologies for my lack of internet presence since the move. At Gma's house I have been leeching Wi-Fi from the neighbors and it has been spotty at best.

That being said, I am currently on a Cold-Call marathon from Chicago to St. Paul by way of I-94. Yesterday I found that the 4 out of 8 shops I tracked down yesterday no longer exist. The other 4 shops I did find, I found after they closed yesterday (but now I know where they are, so not all bad). So, for those of you keeping track at home, Yarn House in Elm Grove, Prairie Junction in Sun Prairie, Off the Beaten Path in Monona, and Knitch in Delafield are all still open to turn your dollars into fiber-y gold! I got to see lots of lovely country here in Wisconsin and visit some beautiful small towns. I put 180 miles on the car yesterday and finally stopped for the night in Madison, WI.

First Stop was in Racine, where I found that both shops I was looking for are nowhere to be found. I did also find this shop, so for what it's worth:

From there I moved on to Milwaukee where I have already visited Knitting Knook and Fiberwood studio. This time I was searching for Knitwit. I found Sparrow in it's place; a hip little recycled fashions storefront with jewlery, clothing, purses, and even a few craft supplies. I wish I had the time and $$ to pick up a little something from here.

Then I moved on to Yarn House in Elm Grove. It was an adorable little throw-back yarn shop with antique furniture and plants on a wrap-around front porch. I was dissapointed to miss their shop hours and look forward to a return trip.

While searching Delafield for The Knitting Ark, I found only a seemingly vacant building. I inquired around and was directed to a gem of a shop that was not on my list; Knitche, only 2 blocks away! I can't wait to go there again when they are open. The whole town was so quaint.

When I turned off the interstate onto the two-lane road that lead me to Sun Prairie I was stunned. Miles of rolling corn fields and red barns, just before sunset... it was a lovely drive. I could not drive safely and take a decent photograph, however, so you will just have to trust me. I pulled into town to find the Prairie Junction Yarn Shop (closed), and some other interesting spots for my next visit.