Did I Buy Yarn

 I have said that I want to work through my stash and I am not desperate to add to it. Also, when travelling there are so many things we want to do or see that adding in a visit to a yarn shop would take away from that. Add in packing light and the delight of visiting a yarn store soon turns into a sight seeing trip.

But I am likely to check out where the yarn stores are located in case they are convenient or they have something completely different. I will probably look into the window of a store as we pass but I am not buying for the sake of buying, unless I know there is something unique to a local yarn store.

This was the case in Lisbon, Portugal. I had done a quick search of yarn stores, and the recommended store was Retrosaria. We had spare time in Lisbon and set out one afternoon as it was about a 30 minute walk from where we were staying. The interesting part of this was walking through a different part of the city that we would not have go to see if we weren't on a shopping trip. 

The shop was busy but not crowded and there were a few North Americans in there. I was immediately drawn to a lovely pink yarn - no surprise that it was Malabrigo. I did not buy it as I can get that in the US and I was interested in the shop's own sock yarn. Shopping for something different. This local store specializes in Portuguese wool and it's line is that softness is overrated. The yarn I purchased is definitely not soft but will be sturdy for socks; it would also be great for outer garments. It was also reasonably priced which was a surprise as they are sourcing locally and ensuring fair pay. An unusual colour for me.