Today, as I prepared to leave Edwardsville, Illinois, so that I would be on time to pick up my son from Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday, I stopped in at one of my favorite crochet-friendly yarn shops: Knit One, Weave Too:

I love that the owner is so warm and friendly and welcoming to crocheters, and today when I walked into the shop I was greeted by the newest addition to the Knit One, Weave Too staff: the proprietor’s baby boy.

Like Lianka Azulay (who is perhaps most widely known for her many interesting crocodile stitch crochet patterns), Madalene Layne (one of the forces behind this downtown yarn shop in Edwardsville) is combining motherhood with owning a yarn shop, and as I wish her nothing but success, today when I went into the store, I came prepared to buy.

As I was on my way out of town, my tour of the shop was, of necessity, quick, but I emerged with two reusable bags which are so versatile they can be used either grocery or yarn shopping:

and this delightful project bag:

As for my current project, a granny square basket I am crocheting in a riot of neutrals, I did manage to make two more rounds of progress:

Tomorrow will be full of things to do that are not necessarily crochet, but I am so grateful to the crafters turned business women like Lianka and Madalene who are dedicated to making the world a better place: one stitch at a time.