Tribeca! - WWKIP - The Yarn Store

Warning: this post can cause a yarn orgasm - I'm just saying!

Get something to drink. This will take a while.

I loves me the yarn! Y'all know I don't even have to have a reason to buy yarn, I just buy for the same reasons I buy CDs and books - I'm a little obsessive about those things that I am interested in.

One of the activities we had was a secret pal swap. We filled out a survey and it was sent to our swap partner so they could get us something from $20 -$25 and we were to exchange our gifts at dinner. My swap partner (Lynn) mentioned she wanted 'knit jewelry' - decorative stitch markers - so I headed over to Etsy and In Stitches and Sunnshine and purchased the following:

She got stitch marker bling! Maybe a dozen and a half stitch markers that could go on all sizes of needles. I was worried she wouldn't like them, but she did.
On my survey, I said the only thing I was really interested in was...come on, now, take a guess, YARN. I said I would probably like either sock yarn cuz I never buy it or perhaps a natural fiber like a bamboo, or chunky weight because I don't have enough of that. So I was imagining I would get one, maybe two, little skeins of yarn because it's supposed to be $20. We were sitting at dinner - this is Lynn sitting across from me. When the time came to exchange gifts, I pulled out this pitiful looking plastic bag. Lynn, on the other hand, pulls this out:
As I explained to Mr. Honey that evening on the phone - at no time did the words 'tote' or 'bag' enter my survey (I went back and checked) I mentioned yarn - and it was supposed to be just $20. This is the yarn tote (that's it's name!!) made of corn husks and purchased from Wal-Mart. Now, I would clean Lynn's car with my tongue just because she got me another tote bag - but
there was something inside it:Let's all say it together: YUUMMMMYYY! So, now not only would I clean the car - but I'd throw in the tires, too.

So, the night we arrived in St. Louis, we had an appointment to go to a LYS. I did not go. Yarn stores are not my thing-even as much as I love yarn - I tend not to want to spend a lot of money. I go t0 my LYS because I can get bamboo needles on the cheap. That first night, I spent the fours hours to myself finishing my hat, watching reruns of NCIS, and rolling around the king size bed in my hotel room.

But the next morning...the owner of Knitorius opened her shop early for us and she had some coffee (which I don't drink) juice (which I do and did) and some of the best pastry I ever had. She also had a 15% discount on all our yarn purchases. I thought to myself I would buy maybe one little skein of yarn just so I can say I was a good sport and while everyone else was downing acrylic I would stay above the snobbery and purchase a natural fiber.
So I put this in my cart:
The room in the back of the store has all the clearance yarns (they were nice enough to tell us that, but I have a feeling they may hide it from the general public unless forced.)

I don't know what you see: but I see a nice trim to a hat or pair of gloves or a shawl. It's ribbony and soft. So, there, I should have been done. But then I sat down in the back room to finish off my hat and talk to some of my peeps and there was this cute little basket of hand dyed yarn from a local fiber artist. Her label says - get this - dyeabolical yarn - isn't that cute? There was a color scheme that caught my eye and before you know it - my first ever potential purchase of sock yarn was in my basket. It made the cut and here it is:


I should now be done...officially finished. Not only did I buy yarn at a LYS, I purchased a skein of yarn (albeit 200 yard +) for $24 and it was sock yarn - every yarn commandment I have, broken in one luscious, colorful ball. I should have left the store and gotten in the van... and that's what I started to do - except on the way I passed these: 400+ yards of natural fiber for just $15 each. It was all I could do just walk away with these two cuz there were about 4 in the basket in some beautiful colors and I settled for these two - with no idea what I'm going to make with them, but I am almost certain it will involve a cable.

We're not quite done yet. On the way back to Chicago, we had a White Elephant yarn swap. You put a skein of the most hideous yarn you own in a bag and put it in the pile and you select another bag someone else thinks hold the most hideous yarn they own. I did not take a photo of my hideous yarn - and it was bad - but I did take a photo of what passes for hideous to someone else - and when you see it, you'll know right away why I am the most excited about getting it (no, it's not Caron by the Pound or I Love This Yarn - that would have been too good): Fun Fur - in a color I already own..and a really cute skein of some other eyelash yarn. This photo does not do it justice. It is black with sparkliness in it. Again, I see cuffs to a black pair of gloves and Fun Fur scarves sell like hotcakes at our craft sales.


So here is the family portrait of my St. Louis yarn family:
Happy family - Nice Trip
12404

I've Been Missing You - WWKIP - Part II

I know you're really anxious to see the yarn I purchased when I was in St. Louis as well as the yummy yarn I received from my swap pal - Lynn - and it is gorgeous! But before you think I have turned my back on my trusted, tried and true acrylic yarn, I want to show you the hat I made. I started it at about 1am the morning I left and finished it in the yarn shop Sunday afternoon. I would have finished it on Saturday, but I forgot my darning needle and Mary Ann was good enough to let me borrow hers.

Isn't it just the cutest thing? Acrylic yarn was talked about - and not in a good way, except by me - but when people touched the hat and remarked on how soft it was, I was proud and loud when I said '$2.70 a skein for over 300 yards - and it's acrylic!' Didn't change anyone's minds - but that's ok. No one changed mine, either.

I was surprised at how quickly it came together - especially knitting cables on a fast moving train! When we pulled into the station, I knew it would be finished that day - and it would have been except, as stated, I forgot the needle. I tried to close it off by other means, but it wasn't to be. But that's fine. It was finished before I got back on the train and I started another project - a scarf to match the hat. But I wasn't really feeling it and instead I started another afghan that evening. An afghan that is almost done. I also have a second afghan on another set of needles.

Guess what? I had my first special order. Someone asked me to make two different versions of my bling purses and I finished those up yesterday after doing much of the work on Sunday. I will take the photos of those. She asked for the purses to be chocolate brown - one with varied sequins and one with a corresponding sequence with the chocolate brown - I chose gold - and it is so pretty. She has a remarkable eye - I never would have thought of that combination. Can't wait for you to see them!
1/23/04

Get Together

I have no idea where I am on the train except I should be somewhere on the right. There were about 30 of us starting out in Chicago and we picked up about ten or more folks on the way to St. Louis.

This started out as a joke on the Illini Knitters Ravelry group. Someone said we should take over a train to St. Louis for WWKIP and the next thing you know, here we are on the train with knitting needles and a whole bunch of snacks. I am sitting behind this very gracious couple. They found themselves in our train car. He's from England, she's from Scotland and she's a knitter! She didn't bring her yarn or needles (I know, but she really is a true knitter) and they were a lot of fun. We gave them one of our prizes and she gave my seat mate, Mary Ann, the book she was reading.

On the way down, we started a scarf KAL. Everyone cast on 24 stitches and spent 5-10 meetings knitting on everyone's scarf. Here's the thing, we didn't have enough time to make a long enough scarf and we planned on doing it on the way back but a bunch of us liked the little short scarf we had and I didn't want to pass mine along any further. I am going to make a neck warmer out of mine. We also gave a way a ton of prizes, looked at each other's projects and yakked all the way. The five hours went by like nothing. We got word we would be about an hour late so we changed our reservations from 8:30p to 7:30p and decided to skip going to the Arch because we wouldn't have the time we need.
So of course we got in about ten minutes late. Ah well.
I started a hat the night before and by the time we rolled into the city, it was practically done - I still have to do the photos of it and I am more than happy to show it to you once they are done! I also have a lot more pics to show - some I took (I don't think I took any of these) and some by my group mates - we all agreed to share. There's so much more to share!

Flow!

This is going to be short and sweet. Just walked in the door from the WWKIP trip to St. Louis and I do have enough info for several posts. But just to tease you a little:

The trip to the Arch that wasn't.
The synergy of a group
what my swap buddy honored me with
I bought yarn at the yarn shop (and not all of it was on sale!)
Another tease: I spent $24 on a skein of yarn - I know you wanna see it!

and you will, later on in the week!