Ithaca, NY is a fabulous place to visit.  Home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, there’s a mix of academic and cultural diversity that’s unusual for a small city.  The surrounding  fertile countryside boasts beautiful rolling hills full of colorful views.  It’s the home of many gorges, with hiking trails going right up the middle of some of them.   The local and organic farming community is vibrant, supplying the people with delicious and healthful food choices, which are available in grocery stores and the many restaurants with cuisines from around the world.  The Ithaca Farmers’ Market is the largest local outdoor market on the East Coast, open from April through December, ending with The Rutabaga Curl.  It showcases local farms, artists and food vendors.  Ithaca also supports a talented performing and visual arts community, celebrating and highlighting them during it’s festivals; The Ithaca Festival and the GrassRoots Festival. There’s an active music and dance scene during the year at many clubs.  Local art and craft galleries thrive with monthly Gallery Night openings and shows at various venues around the city.  There are three museums:  The Johnson Museum at Cornell, The Science Center and The Paleontology Museum.  The city is home to many outdoor sculptures viewed mostly on the Ithaca Commons, an outdoor mall, plus a planetary Carl Sagan exhibit dispersed throughout the downtown area. There are many theaters, performing plays throughout the year.  Ithaca is alive with many forms of creativity, including a large knitting and crochet community.  Those who live there are a lucky bunch.  

Homespun Boutique, located just off the Ithaca Commons on E. State Street, specializes in natural fibers and in technical assistance.  Aside from stocking Rowan, Schaefer, Noro, Brown Sheep (they have a great color selection of Cotton Fine, which I love and many yarn stores don’t seem to carry), Misti Alpaca, Claudia, just to name a few, in every weight with loads of colors to choose from, they also support local yarns.  Their newest, from Lilac Hill Farm, is a blend of naturally colored (un-dyed) alpaca and wool.  It’s a sturdy yarn for outer ware, yet soft to the touch.  A new line from Manos - The Naturals, is an un-dyed strand of yarn spun in with colored yarn, giving it a heathered look.  Homespun also has a new line of cool Japanese knitting books with architectural diagrams to support the patterns.  Abundant Yarn’s mohair and silk blend, gossamer weight, is plant died.  Muench, German handspun is a multicolored delight.  This is not a hand painted yarn. The spinners pick up a different colored yarn for each addition to the spinning wheel. Homespun has tools, patterns, magazines, buttons, and a huge selection of fabric:  cotton, linen, silk and wool from around the world for sewing clothes and quilting.  For all your knitting and sewing projects, there are Barbara Balluffi baskets and totes that are sturdy, colorful, quilted and useful.

Homespun Boutique

314 E. State St.

Ithaca, NY 14850

607-277-0954

Knitting, Etc. is located in The Triphammer Mall off Route 13. They have an active knitting community; with a monthly happy hour on the first Friday of the month and a sale on select yarns.   Their website lists ongoing classes:  knitting basics, fair isle, lace and crochet just to name a few.  Designer Laura Nilken, of Schaefer Yarn, a local yarn company, teaches regularly in the store and her patterns are available alongside the yarns to go with them. They also have a huge selection of Jamieson’s Simply Shetland (which I love) in many colors, Prism Yarn, Berroco, Cleckheaton,  Filatura di Crosa, Blue Sky Alpaca, just to name a few.  Austermann, Harrisville Designs and O’Wool are their newest selections.  There’s big table in the middle of the store to lay your projects out on for advice and direction.  On the table is also a selection of yarns and different kinds of knitting needles to try out to see which ones you like best.  They have a large selection of knitting and crochet tools.  Sit in the living room section to comfortably look at the knitting and crochet books and patterns.  Go to their web site to see what’s going on and sign up for their informative, twice a month, newsletter.

Knitting Etc

Triphammer Mall

2255 North Triphammer Rd.

Ithaca, NY 14850

607-277-1164

www.knittingetcithaca.com

The Ithaca Farmers’ Market has a couple of yarny things.  Plus it’s a great place to stop for lunch and sample the local wines while your on your knitting adventures in Ithaca, NY. The market is open every Saturday from April through December from 9-3 and Sundays from May through October from 10-3.

Northland Sheep Dairy’s storefront is located at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market.  Aside from their tasty organic selection of fine sheep cheeses, superb frozen lamb and mutton, they have a selection of knitting yarn in 3 weights:  sport, DK, and bulky.  The color selection is huge, ranging across the rainbow.  It’s a sturdy yarn, which when blocked, blooms beautifully.  As the weather gets cooler smaller yarn vendors come to the Ithaca Farmers’ Market, so you never know what other knitting things you’ll find there.

 Also available at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market is 17th Century Suds, the local organic soap company.  Aside from organic bar soap and shampoo, one of the things they manufacture is Organic Liquid Soap, in five scents: lavender, lemongrass, peppermint, patchouli, and unscented.  It’s a great laundry soap for your precious hand knits (it’s also great for dishes, hand washing and house cleaning).  It’s gentle, yet very effective in keeping your creations clean without compromising the quality of the yarn or the dyes.  17CS also has a wonderful knitting cream, Organic Coconut Rose Hydration Therapy.  It soaks in quickly, leaving your hands soft, while smoothing out your finger snags, without interrupting your knitting time.  www.17thcenturysuds.com

The Ithaca Farmers’ Market

3rd. St. behind Aldi at Steamboat Landing

Ithaca, NY 14850

607-273-7109

www.ithacamarket.com

There’s more yarny things to do outside Ithaca, just a short drive through the lovely countryside.  Marathon Alpacas at www.marathanalpacas has a visitor’s center, Finger Lakes Yarn Store in Watkins Glen is another knitting store at www.fingerlakesfibers.com.