New Hampshire – Page 2 – New England's Narrow Road

My Trip to Harrisville Designs in New Hampshire

Ever since learning that yarn I buy online is spun in a New Hampshire town near where I use to live, I’ve wanted to go back to the area and visit the shop.

I had the chance to do that while on a resent visit to New Hampshire. Harrisville Designs sells Brooklyn Tweed yarn, and a lot more, but the Brooklyn Tweed is spun at that location. See this similar view in their video.

Historic Harrisville, NH mill buildings — Driving up Main St. which leads to Harrisville Designs

Even though I did some knitting years ago when I lived in a town quite close to Harrisville, I knew nothing about types of yarn and never knit with Brooklyn Tweed. After I moved away, all I wanted to do was get back to the area and visit Harrisville Designs. The quaint town of Harrisville is known for all it’s brick mill buildings.

Building where Harrisville Designs is located

My daughter drove us to Harrisville on a beautiful, sunny day in March. Clumps of snow still dotted the ground and it was cold enough that I wore my Cobblestone Cardigan and Katie’s Kep.

We were still wearing face masks because of Covid, as were the women working in the store. Right away they commented on my hat, which I think stands out as a hand-knit. Then they asked about my sweater, which I said was knit with Brooklyn Tweed “Shelter” yarn. They were friendly, and we chatted a while about yarns and patterns through our masks.

Brooklyn Tweed yarn display Harrisville Designs store — Display of Brooklyn Tweed yarn

Because we visited Harrisville Designs on a weekend day, and it was a beautiful day, there were no other customers in the store. Most likely people were outside hiking and enjoying the sunshine. But, that gave my daughter and I the whole place to ourselves! What a wonderful place for a fiber crafter to visit.

Inside Harrisville Designs — Inside the store – look at those floors!

We dug through buttons which were displayed in cute little trays. We admired the hand knits displayed all over the store. My daughter always chose the most difficult-looking sweater patterns when picking out her favorites. She is not a knitter and laughed at the fact that I kept saying, “That looks difficult and over my head”.

I noticed a display of Sincycle yarn which I am familiar with. I have two skeins at home in Florida which I bought online. Because I have to fly back home at some point, I had to curtail my buying, but couldn’t resist purchasing a little skein of orange Spincycle.

Spincycle yarn for sale at Harrisville Designs

A loom was set up in the back of the store with sample weaving projects. Weaving needs were all displayed in this section. I’m not a weaver, but it gave me a chance to tell my daughter about my grandmother’s loom and how I remember seeing it in her tiny house, and then it was eventually moved to the barn. Her loom may have come from this store.

Weaving loom at Harrisville Designs — Weaving Loom

Harrisville Designs famous potholder kits were on display in the weaving section. (This is an affiliate link to Amazon, I may make a small percentage from a clickthrough)

Inside Harrisville Designs where a weaving loom is for sale — More looms and cones of yarn

When we were finished shopping, we took a walk over a path that gives a good view of the Mill buildings, both upstream and down. See the upstream photo at the beginning of this post and in the slideshow at the end. The place is quite picturesque, even in the usually dreary month of March.

Mill area downstream in Harrisville center — Downstream, more of the mill yard

After crossing the footpath we crossed Main Street to visit the historic Harrisville General Store. Apparently this is the oldest, continuous general store and has been in operation since 1838.

Inside was a counter with prepared food, some empty tables, shelves with food items, and a cooler section. No one greeted us and we were generally unimpressed. BUT, it is Covid times, so things may be different when it’s not.

Harrisville, New Hampshire general store — Harrisville general store

I could have gone nuts buying yarn and patterns in Harrisville Designs, but as I mentioned, I have to pack and fly in a few weeks. I yearn to be living in New Hampshire once again and places like this make me homesick. It was a lovely day spent with my daughter, and a good memory to hold onto.

More Harrisville Photos

Brick mill buildings
Upstream, Harrisville Designs building and smaller building
Cozy nook inside

Video About Fabric and Crafts Which are Handmade at the Harrisville Mill

My Experience With Major Exterior Home Renovations, Part One

Why I Bought a Fixer Upper

Years ago I began this blog when I had moved back to New England. I wasn’t much of a blogger and even I can’t find what I am looking for! While I’ve been trying to fix up my old posts, and link the stories together, I decided it was easier to simply re-do the whole experience and organize my home renovations photos and information in one easy place.

It’s easiest to begin at the beginning. At an age when I should have been close to retirement and starting to really enjoy life I was thrown another curveball.

The Quick Backstory

I was alone with my 13 year old son (he was born very unexpectedly when I was 41) when I had saved enough money for a downpayment to buy a home of my own. I had divorced my husband of nearly 30 years after he lost everything we had (having only lived in NH for a year and a half) and put me in the poorhouse. With bad credit (thanks to him) and a bankruptcy on my credit history, I knew getting a home loan would not be easy. So I saved up to show that I was serious about buying a house.

Ice sliding off the metal roof — Thick layer of ice sliding off the metal roof of the duplex

Renting Vs. Buying a House

Before the downfall, I had lived in a home of my own since 1981. Going back to renting was horrible for me. I hated the fact that I had no control over how I lived. The Duplex was quite nice, and my landlady was wonderful, but it was a rental. We got along very well (she lived in the other side of the house), but her house was they way she wanted it. It belonged to her, not me.

She had put on a metal roof which created huge overhangs of ice in winter. It got so bad that I wouldn’t use my side door for fear of being killed if it decided to let go at just the wrong time.

I also hated giving large chunks of money to someone else every month so they could live in their house. I was getting nowhere while renting. And even though the small duplex was nice enough, there was no garage, so I had to clean off my Tahoe for every storm and move it for the snowplow.

The House I Chose to Buy

I couldn’t afford much of a house, so my expectations were low, but I wanted a place of my own. Because renting was so expensive, a mortgage payment would be about the same amount, but I would be building equity and not throwing money away.

The yellow house was the third one I saw with my Realtor and although it was in desperate need of repairs, I liked it far better. It was in a nice neighborhood in a quaint town and it was in my son’s same school district. From the outside it didn’t look too good.

Then I went inside.

Yellow house in need of repair — The house as it looked before I moved in

My yellow house had obvious problems, some of which can be seen in the photo here. The clapboard siding was buckling where it had obviously stayed very wet for a while. The garage doors were falling apart and there was an ugly ramp at the mud room door. The green window boxes were rotting.

When I first walked in the front door with my Realtor, big ants were all over the living room floor. Despite all these things, as I walked through the house I fell in love. The kitchen had been done over it seemed, and it was huge! The living room was small, but cozy and had a fireplace where I could install a woodstove.

glass slider with caution tape — No access to the backyard because the steps are missing

The two rooms upstairs were very large with a good size bathroom upstairs as well. With two more rooms downstairs, I chose one for my bedroom and the other for my home office. It was perfect! In fact this house checked off all my boxes – two bathrooms (with windows!), a garage (two car!), a mud room, big basement, home office, and beautiful kitchen. I saw great possibilities here. I bought it.

Read Part Two

Beginning My House Renovations, Part Two

Shortly after I moved into the yellow house (June 2011) I began searching for someone to fix it for me. I was new to the area, and new to the state (see my first post on this subject if you haven’t already read it). I knew almost no one. I took a chance on a young man named Brandon who had a fairly new siding company. He said he would also put in new windows. He was easy to work with and ended up doing a nice job.

Replacing the Siding

Brandon began by removing the old clapboard siding on the front of the house which had been absorbing water for a while. Beneath it the wood was rotting and had to be replaced.

My house with the old clapboard siding removed to show rotted wood. — My house with the old clapboard siding removed

Rotting wood on the front of the house beneath one of the old windows. — Old rotted wood on the outside of the house

In the photo below you can see how the siding was bad and I had to cover the cement steps with plastic because there was a leak that went down into the basement when it rained. When Brandon replaced the siding, he addressed and fixed this problem.

Damaged front door — Unusable front door – covered with tarp when it rains

Working on The Garage

While this scaffolding was up, we had a freak, early season snowstorm! It was Halloween and in New Hampshire where I lived we got tons of snow. Further south where Brandon lived they got lots of ice. Because his power was out and my yard was buried, the renovations were put on hold.

Below is a photo of that freak snowstorm at Halloween. Many trees had still not lost their leaves at the end of October like this oak in my front yard.

The only good thing about getting snow early in the season is that it melts away quickly.

At some point while Brandon was working on siding the front of the house I hired some guys to replace my garage doors. Elite Doors was recommended to me by a contractor who was working on my little deck at the time. They came right out and when I had a problem with something later on (can’t remember what), and fixed it at no charge. They really were very nice and capable guys.

As you can see in the photo below there were obvious signs that the previous owners had tried to keep water out of the garage by building a little ramp out of some black stuff. I also had water problems in winter, but that is another story.

Old garage doors — The old garage doors and old siding

Brandon added a vent to the top of the garage for heat to escape. Once the siding was done and the new doors on the place was looking good!

New garage doors and siding — New garage doors and new siding done!

Front of House, Before and After

Once the work was done, I had new siding on the front and sides of the house. Four widows on the front were replaced with double-hung, easy-to-clean windows and new screens. White shutters took the place of the green. (That yellow and green combo was carried over into the upstairs bathroom.)

My house as it looked before the replacement siding, windows and shutters. — Front of house before renovations

New siding, windows and shutters complete

Walking Here While I Remember There

Walking is something I began doing when I lived in New Hampshire. The scenery is really too lovely to ignore although the weather does not always cooperate. It makes those nice days call louder to draw me outdoors.

Now I am in Florida. I like to imagine that I am still walking those New Hampshire back roads when in fact I am stuck walking in a much drearier place. What I am actually doing, compared to what I am thinking, is what follows.

The Walk

I get dressed. Coolest, sleeveless top I own and capris. It will be hot, and worst of all muggy, before I take one step. Dress in layers because it will be cool, maybe even cold, when I start out, but I will work up a sweat on the hills.

Out the front door onto the level pavement of the long, straight, boring neighborhood road. I may go around the nearest block, but that is only 1/2 mile at best. It depends on the amount of heat I feel. Step outside and breathe in the beautiful, fresh air, as I head up the short driveway to begin my 2 mile walk. No doubts about the length because it’s my usual. I’ve measured it in my car. On a day like this, I could walk much further if my body would let me.

fall leaves — My old driveway – where my walks began

Heading down the road I pass house after house. This November morning is hot, but not oppressive at this hour. I spot lots of shade down the road ahead so I decide to take the longer route. Past my friends home and the trail where I sometimes see deer. I look back to make sure my cats are not trying to follow me. Down the hill I go, past familiar homes on my neighborhood loop. I know some of the people living in these houses. Coming back, that long hill is a killer climb, and I am often out of breath and sweaty as I reach my front yard. Today I won’t be coming back. My mind won’t get that far.

The stopwatch part of my iPhone is on so I can gauge time and help with distance. I know I used to walk 2 miles in 15-20 minutes on hilly roads. Now my walk is totally flat all the way. I should go faster but I am horribly out of shape because I hate walking here. My new way to cope is to think about New Hampshire. Where would I be at this point in my walk? I turn the corner and head to the next block. The homes in my little New Hampshire neighborhood each stand on an acre or more. Many of the homes in my neighborhood are quite large in comparison to my own. I am past the end of my loop and heading onto the main road where the walk gets really nice. Tall trees line both sides of the road with stone walls of course. When the leaves are off the trees I have a good view well into the woods. Soon I will see the white rock and the shortcut trail through the woods which connects this road to another.

Trying to ignore the boringness of driveway after driveway and the long straight road ahead (not to mention the suffocating humidity) I try to remember the cool, crisp air of Fall in New England. I discovered the big white rock in the stone wall on one of my first walks and it became ‘my rock’. Every time I drive or walk past this area I can spot it. Rocks usually stay put for years and years and that is comforting. The rock will surely be there long after I am gone for good. The path through the woods would take me to Union Street and I’ve used it before, when I’ve taken my longer walks, but it can be swampy in places. I see the young trees which are still bent over from last year’s snowstorms.

Not many people are out on this Thursday morning but I do spot a school bus farther down the road. I am thankful I no longer have to ‘do school’. Surely I’ve put in more than my fair share of time with it. I am in the home stretch. As I turn the corner back onto my street I am not sure how far I’ve walked but it really hasn’t been that far. Maybe a mile. I am sweating from the sun more than from exertion, which stinks. I’ve passed the MacDowell Colony big house on the corner. I always step off the side of the road in that area when I hear a car coming because they will not see me easily on that bend. Now the long driveway to the little red shed is on my right and another long sloping upward hill begins. I’m almost halfway through my 2-mile walk, which must end today at the halfway point in my mind.

My Florida house is up ahead. The top of the hill is up ahead.

Florida Live oak with Spanish moss — Live oak with Spanish moss – My Florida tree

I walk into my driveway and stand under the southern live oak and palm tree and close my eyes. I have made it to the halfway point – 1 mile. I stand in the shade of big trees at the top of the hill. Another MacDowell Colony house is just beyond the wall. It’s a good spot to drink some water and rest for a moment. I take this time to enjoy the beauty of the place where I live, and then I head back the way I came. I look forward to it.

With a sad heart I walk to the front door where Skittle the Cat comes out from under the bushes to greet me.

It’s not all bad.

In Closing, About the Colony

(I have photos of the MacDowell Colony area, and the road I always walked, but I’m not sure where to locate those photos. The Colony consists of many acres of land with main gathering areas and smaller houses scattered throughout the woods. I could see some of these buildings on my walk. It is a retreat for creative types. They are assured of peace and quiet during their stay and it is a lovely area for that.

It was not uncommon to see someone on the road carrying a picnic basket. The baskets are used to deliver food to the guests. I suspected it was a visiter of the Colony returning the basket. Also a lot of the bike riders I saw were perhaps writers, actors or artists staying in the area. At least that was what I imagined. One summer we heard that Johnny Depp was a guest at MacDowell Colony. I never saw him on my walks. 😉