The perfect finish to a coffee date with friends is a stop at the yarn store. It’s been a long time since I went to a real yarn store: one with a kaleidoscope of colors and textures and fibers.

Darn Yarn Needles & Thread is located in the quaint downtown of historic Harmony, Pa. (In case you don’t get the play on words, darning is the act of mending an item of clothing with string, thread, or yarn.) (Also, Darn Yarn is really fun to say.)

When Robin and I walked in the door last Saturday, we were greeted by four women sitting around a table crocheting and knitting projects of their choice. They gave us a warm welcome.

Immediately our hands were out, caressing various skeins of yarn.

“I suppose we should look with our eyes and not our hands,” Robin said.

“No. Yarn is meant to be seen with your hands,” one of the women replied.

And she was right. One of the biggest reasons for walking into a brick and mortar yarn store is to explore the textures of different fiber. There was so much more there than big box store acrylic. There were many different types of wool, including alpaca. The balls of sock yarn called to me with their colorful motifs.

Robin picked up some sale alpaca yarn which she plans to turn into a beautiful poncho.

I picked up my usual: acrylic.

Of course it is a brand I’ve never used before. The colors are spectacular. The yarn is SOOOOO soft. I no longer wish for smell-o-vision, but touch-o-vision. I just can’t describe how soft this is.

I used three skeins each of Universal Yarn Uptown Worsted Hues in Mimosa and Santorini. I used a favorite pattern: the Modern Baby Granny Blanket by the Crochet Crowd. I ended up with a blanket of six by seven squares with three border rounds.

We explored the yarn at Darn Yarn and asked all sorts of questions. They had so much more than yarn. Basically if it is needed to make something with yarn, store yarn, decorate yarn, etc., they have it. The women that work there were very knowledgeable. We also got enrolled in their rewards program.

I can tell that the ladies at Darn Yarn love their shop and love their craft. Maybe one of these days, we can go back, sit around the table, and spin a yarn with them.