Sunday March 28 was clear and cool, perfect for driving through the hills and vales on the east side of the Hudson River through Columbia and Dutchess counties.

First stop, Countrywool in Hudson. Owner Claudia was wearing one of her newest cable sweater creations, knitting away behind her desk. She’s a prolific knitting designer and samples abound throughout the shop. Knitting kits with yarn and patterns filled one set of shelves. A series of little rooms are packed with yarn and spinning fibers including angora bunny. As a thank-you to yarn crawlers, Claudia gave us a little plastic bin and a beaded stitch marker to put inside.

Heading south to Dutchess county, I made a quick stop at Hahn Farm, Salt Point. I mis-judged time and distance, and got off the Taconic Parkway just about the farm’s posted closing time. But I phoned anyway and found I was only 3 miles away. Karen Hahn was kind enough to let me take a peek at the bins of their Suri and Huacaya alpaca yarns, as well as mohair yarns and sheep’s roving in her farm store. She’ll be at Clermont later this month and she’ll be bringing dye plants.

Time for a break, a knitting break that is, at Hudson Valley Sheep & Wool Co. in Red Hook. It was the last Sunday of the month, and that meant it was time for a Sit and Spin (and whatever) get-together. Lots of spinning wheels and spindles (and spinners), and knitters and knitted projects both on and off the needles. Not to mention the tasty goodies.

Hudson Valley Sheep & Wool Co. is a sheep farm (Icelandic and Shetland), and mini spinning mill, and a yarn shop. The shop features yarn from its own sheep and mill, plus a variety of other brands. Felting is very big there. They sell batts and roving for felting and also have a felting machine which produces felts that are sold in sheets, and used in their birdhouses, pillows, and clothing. Outside on the shop’s walls felted sheep prance and dance along the red paneling.

The final stop on the way to the bridge was Living Eden, in the village of Red Hook. The front of the shop is filled with an eclectic mix of fair trade home décor, clothing, jewelry, gifts, and cruelty-free cosmetics. The back room houses a cozy knitting nook and yarn shop complete with faux fireplace. Bonnie the owner hosts a knitting group and offers classes.

The large geographical distances between shops and the shortness of time didn’t allow for visits to all on the Yarn Crawl. So we’ll try to catch more in November. Thanks to all the shops and farms that opened their doors and barns to the Yarn Crawlers.