Needlecrafter’s Travel Companion, Chalet Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO, 2010, ISBN 978-0-9708118-6-9. $11.95
Some people buy postcards or snowglobes as souvenirs of their travels, not the stitchers and knitters I know — they buy canvases, yarn, thread, and projects. I’m so bad I will buy travel pieces YEARS after I’ve been someplace, just so I have a needlepoint ornament.
The first step in doing this is finding a local shop. Not only are you more likely to find something local there, you also have the fun of seeing a new shop.
Always a problem has been finding the shops. The Yellow Pages used to be my main resource but I never felt as if I found what I needed.
Needlecrafter’s Travel Companion is the book I’ve needed all along. Covering the US and Canada this book lists shops for knitting, cross stitch and needlepoint. It also covers spinning and weaving. Added to the mix are listings for local fiber festivals.
For each state or provence there is a map showing the location of the featured shops. This way you have an idea of places close to you. Then there are ads for each of the featured shops. These are numbered and keyed to the map. The ads have contact info, small local maps, and info about the shop. After that is a directory listing of all the shops in the state, listed alphabetically by city. The featured shops are in bold. These listings are quite comprehensive. If there are shows, festivals, or retreats in the state, they are next, listed by date with another map.
I love it since it is packed with information and easy to use. If you travel, you should make the small investment in this book.
Now I just need to get my family to give me time to visit those shops.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Carol Classe says
Janet,
Do you or anyone know of any needlepoint shops in Rome, Italy?
Thank you,
Carol
jmp says
Carol —
I’m afraid I don’t. Anyone else know of any?
Keep Stitching,
Janet
Matt says
I believe I have an original Mary A. Slusser needlepoint “Love And Friendship”. Does anyone have any info or where I might find some information on it? Is it rare? Valuable? Thanks!