The Fiasco and I went up to Maine for a wonderful little weekend getaway and boy, do I wish I was still there. Since things at work are going to be really busy for the next few months and wedding planning is about to become much more time-consuming, this past weekend was kind of our ‘last hurrah’ before we have to settle down and take care of business from now through July… and we made the most of it.

Wisteria Room at the James Place Inn

Early in our relationship, the Fiasco and I discovered that we really enjoy staying at B&B’s because 1) jacuzzi tubs and 2) delicious breakfast — and really, how much better can it get? This time we stayed at the James Place Inn in Freeport and it was completely lovely. The owners were wonderfully friendly (and also knitters!), the room was beautiful, the breakfasts were great, and I hear the cookies were devine (booo diet but yay! willpower).

The Fiasco and me, snowshoeing with L.L. Bean. (Check out that knitwear!)

It turns out that Freeport is the home of L.L. Bean and their flagship store has a whole load of outdoor activities you can take part in, which is how the the Fiasco and I found ourselves donning snowshoes Saturday morning (even though the poor guy had a wicked cold). Since snowshoeing is quite the aerobic activity we stayed plenty warm, although lots of layers and knitwear helped, too (his cowl, my cowl, and my hat pictured above). It was actually lots of fun. I miss being outdoors in the winter (I don’t ski) and particularly miss hiking, which a pair of snowshoes would (sort of) allow one to do. Maybe next winter we’ll try it some more.

The back of the Saco River Dyehouse in Biddeford, ME.

We ended up in Maine particularly so we (ok, I) could check out Saco River Yarns (where lots and lots of Quince & Co. yarns are sold) and the Saco River Dyehouse (where Quince & Co. yarns are dyed, among many others). Unfortunately, the yarn store was closing down, but that also meant that I was able to get some great deals on yarn and an impromptu tour of the dyehouse to boot (I swear, everyone in Maine is super nice). I didn’t take photos but you can find a couple of really great posts about the place over at the Knitting in Beantown blog here and here.

My Quince & Co indulgence.

Needless to say, I bought some yarn. Three skeins of Owl (a worsted weight 50% wool/ 50% alpaca blend) in Cranberry will likely become a Root & Bud hat by Carina Spencer and perhaps a  coordinating cowl or mitts. The 5 skeins of Osprey (aran weight 100% wool) in Glacier, Belize, and Peacock are destined to become a  Stitch Block Cowl by Purl Soho, which I honestly haven’t been able to get out of my head since I saw it. I also stopped by Casco Bay Fibers while I was in Freeport, another of the great yarn shops that appear to be everywhere in Maine.

A new addition to my spindle collection.

To top off an already fabulous weekend, the Fiasco gave me an even more fabulous Valentine’s Day gift — an Aegean spindle from Jenkins Yarn Tools. I’ve been wanting to expand my spindle horizons for a while, and I’ve been particularly curious about bottom-whorl Turkish spindles. I love the neat, tidy cops one can wind on a Turkish spindle, they seem so efficient because once you’re done winding, you just slide apart the shaft and the arms and you already have a center-pull ball. I had been checking things out on Ravelry and it seemed that Jenkins spindles were particularly coveted and after perusing photos and enthusiastic posts on the Jenkins Woodworking Lovers board, I started to really want one. You can only obtain a spindle 2 ways: 1) follow the facebook page or blog to be aware of updates and then email for a chance to enter the lottery (then those picked from the lottery can purchase one), or 2) have a loved one request a spindle for a special occasion. I hinted to the Fiasco that I’d like a spindle for Christmas, and then my birthday, and when he was finally able to obtain one for v-day I felt very lucky, indeed. The spindle I have is small (< 6″ shaft) and light (0.67 oz / 19 grams) and made of a very pretty lilac wood. Jenkins is famous for his tiny spindles, especially the Kuchulu spindles which tend to be just 3″ tall and weigh only 8 grams! I’m excited to experiment with my new addition.

So yes, lots of good things this weekend. I hope you all had lovely weekends, as well!