LYS: Julian, CA

If you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for visiting local yarn shops when I’m traveling. Luckily, most places we travel to these days have at least one Local Yarn Shop (LYS). I picked this most recent road trip to Julian, CA because I had read about a great little shop and wanted to check out this backcountry yarn haven for myself. Kat’s Yarn & Craft Cottage was worth the trip. It’s located in Julian, CA, about an hour outside of San Diego in the mountains and 4,200 feet above sea level. Now, most people travel out here for a visit to the old gold mines or one of the many apple orchards, but I really wanted to go see Kat’s yarn shop. The owner, Kat, is wonderful, friendly and helpful. Her store boasts a wide range of choices great for knitting, crochet and weaving. She had some beautiful wooden buttons that I am still wishing I snagged while there. There was also a great selection of Lykke needles that I love. Her yarn selection was varied with lots of options. I saw Lana Grosso’s Linea Pura yarn, which is a good cotton yarn for this hot summer weather. She even carried some Loopy Mango and Manos Del Uruguay. There were samples all over the shop, which were inspirational to see the yarns knit up. Recently, I have been wanting to take up weaving, and I had been tempted to buy a starter weaving kit. However, I held off since I hardly have time to knit, spin or sew with my baby in tow. Her weaving was beautiful and eventually I’ll get into it. I found a great book on slip stitch knitting, which is perfect because I’ve been wanting to make yoga socks with slipped stitches. It is not only helpful for making new patterns, but a nice memento of my visit to Julian and Kat’s yarn shop. I would have stayed longer in the shop if I didn’t have my baby, dog and husband patiently waiting for me to explore the rest of town. Hope you have a chance to check this shop out for yourself. Happy Knitting!