Tuesday, July 25, 2006

My Local Yarn Store


Some Happy Stash Enhancement moments with Anita at the last Guild Meeting

Buying over the internet from the ease and comfort of one's computer supposedly cannot beaten -but not in all cases. Knitting is such a tactile art that it is not uncommon to see shoppers in wool stores stroking yarn, holding balls to their cheeks and (something I am often guilty of) sniffing skeins.
A computer monitor cannot convey the true richness of the colour of a ball of Kureyon or the soft texture of a skein of Naturally Mohair, or the rich, earthy, lanolin smell of a Merino/Possum mix. Nor can it easily provide the invaluable answers to the age old questions such as - "what's going wrong with my knitting here?" or "what can I knit with this?".

I thought I was above such plaintive appeals as I am a self reliant, self taught knitter; a member of many knitting groups and forums with access to the vast wealth of experience and wisdom therein; a practiced Googler and ebayer with a pay pal account and a long list of online yarn shops. Despite this, Anita, from my LYS, The Wool Inn, showed the true worth of the non-cyber interactions by solving my latest yarn dilemma in about 5 seconds.

She suggested I knit this from this. She even had an example of the completed garment available for a close and physical inspection. I could see clearly how this beautiful lightweight mohair yarn easily knitted into a sideways garter stitch boat neck top -with an additional crab stitch edging. So it seems that an essential ingredient of a successful LYS proprietor is ESP and patience, endless patience. Thank you, Anita!

2 comments:

Donna (Random Knits) said...

Count me in on the Anita fan club!
It takes me an hour to drive there, but it's worth it.

Donna
Random Knits

The Wool Inn said...

There certainly was alot of enthusiasm for yarn at the Guild meeting! It's great to see others enjoying fibres as much as I do.

Anitab