Yarn Co: Loved It!

Well, I'm finally back in Minneapolis and after a few days of decompressing, wanted to update everyone on the actual great visit to a LYS in NY. I had a break on Wednesday after meetings and before dinner that night, so I took a cab over to the Yarn Co. Now, this was my first time truly experiencing New York cab drivers. Not only was he smoking, but he took me on the $13 scenic route through Central Park and through several side streets to go what I later found out was around the block.

Anyway, the shop is located in a lovely if not posh neighborhood/commerce area above a really nice linen shop. I walked up creaky, carpeted stairs into a what looked like the doorway to a secret room in the attic. When I opened the door, I was greeted by the most wonderful sight: a group of knitters working away. The walls and ceilings are draped with various knitting projects in a swirl of colors. The room itself, while small, was bracketed by bookshelves and wall bins filled with every variety, style and hue of yarn. It was amazing!

The staff was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Moreover, she not only took the time to help me find silks and silk blends to complemented each other, but several other women in the shop. I bought several skeins of yarn including some prism Indulgence, Alchemy, Laines de Nord, and others. I also like the way the yarn was displayed; in 8 skeins of yarn secured by an unwound skein of yarn. It was cool. I definitely plan on visiting this shop when I go back to New York.

I am making a scarf from the Indulgence, but I think I am going to have to order more of it. Anyway, I must go, it is late.

Bye,
Eryka

Stitches East is GASTHLY!

As I mentioned earlier, I hoped to visit several local yarn shops during my trip. Yesterday, following a rather busy day, I caught a cab over to Stitches East, (55 E 52ND St) the closest yarn shop to my hotel. I arrived at my destination to find the shop was in a beautiful, glass-covered high rise building. The shop itself was nestled between a haute couture dry cleaners and a haute couture clothiers.

The store itself was not that large. No bigger that a standard-sized hotel suite. As for the yarn, the store had one wall of cubes, about a 1/4th of the stock of the stores I regularly visit in Minnesota (Needlework and Borealis) and those stores actually have a greater variety and frankly better quality.

But what REALLY set this place apart was the customer service. I was in the store for about five minutes and was completely ignored. There was only one other person in the store.
I walked back and forth three times, in front of and behind of the sales person. Nope... nothing... Not a word.

Then I went and stood in front of her and she finally said something, "We close at six." and walked away. Now I was stunned, AND getting irritated.

I milled about for another minute touching overly priced yarn in the 12 wall bins, thinking that she would get to me when she finished with the other lady. Then she said "You gonna buy somethin?"

Now anyone that knows me knows that I am generally a good customer in a yarn store, but this is one thing I really can't tolerate. There is rarely an excuse for poor customer service and this was not one of them. I came across the country to by yarn that I did not need and I was treated like Oliver Twist asking for more porridge!

Lets face it, as much as we like to think it is, yarn and knitting notions are not a necessity ( I know, how dare I say such a thing!) but it is true. We dont have to buy it. Most of us spend our money on it because we love the craft and the community. It is a fundamental part of how we express ourselves. But less face it, when money gets tight or when its really time to conserve funds, we can go without it.

So why would a retail outlet that sells a "luxury" item like premium yarn be intentionally rude to its core customers, the die hards who look for places to buy yarn where ever they are? I don't understand it. Moreover, other reviews online said this place had bad service. I was prepared for snooty, but not outright rude!

I plan to visit two other stores tomorrow. Here is hoping I have better luck there.

P.S. I'm not even going to warn others against visiting this shop. You would have to be an absolute MASOCHIST to want to pay someone to treat you this badly!

Eryka

Blanket of Love Update

Hi all,

I finished my square for the Blanket of Love last night when I got back to my hotel room here in New York. I was actually pretty happy with it. I used Square #9, a really pretty but user-friendly pattern from Knitting-and.com. It came out pretty good, although when I blocked it, the square was a bit wider than I intended.

Then I went online to ask Dame Wendy where I should send it, and discovered, that Carrie had passed away. It is hard to explain, but I felt the loss myself. I was so happy to be apart of something like this. Imagine it: women all over the country, put forth the time and energy to create something (albeit a square) to bring comfort to someone who needed it. And each square is so beautiful. I am so glad Wendy has decided to complete the blanket and send it to Carrie's children and grandchildren. Thanks again Wendy.

Eryka

NYC Bound

Hello!

I found out on Thursday that I will be spending most of next week in New York. Although I am going for work, I will try to keep up with my posting. I leave on Monday, June 23 and will return to the Cities on Thursday, June 26.

I will try to visit a few yarn shops while I'm out there. Since I will be working most of the time, I have limited my targets to the list below. They were selected because they are close to the hotel and look like they would be really interesting. I am actually looking forward to visiting Stitches East and the Yarn Co. The reviews I saw online suggested that the sales people were less than friendly. Of course the Yarn Co. is really popular, so I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Stitches East
Yarn Connection
Knitting321
String Yarns
The Yarn Co

I stopped by Borealis Yarns earlier today to pick up my swift and I ended up buying more yarn. I met some really great women there and re-connected with some that I met on a previous visit. I had such a great time that I sat down and knitted for an hour or so. I really enjoyed myself.

Of course the downside was that Ron drove me and didn't want to come in. So he waited in the car until I went out there and suggested he go to the store or something. When he came back later, he said, "Now I see how much you love yarn." Of course this experience was a reaffirmation of how much he actually loves me. I am a lucky woman.

Share a Shawl Night at the Guild

Hey all,

The other night, I went to the Minnesota's Knitter's Guild Meeting. It was "share-a-shawl" night so that promised to be fun. Now this was my first meeting, so I was a little intimidated about sharing my work with a posse of experts, but I thought it would be fun to see the amazing work that "real" knitters create and get some ideas on how I can expand my own repertoire. And I certainly did!

There were some of the most amazing shawls I have ever seen there. The work was so intricate and detailed. I loved the beading work on this shawl,
and the idea of using a table cloth pattern for this one was really creative.

Ellen also made a couple of really lovely shawls, but I neglected to get a photo of those. Perhaps she would be kind enough to send those to me?

Also, a couple of ladies asked where I got the curly mohair yarn I am using for the latest shawl I am working on. The yarn is called "Avocado Twist" by Mohair Magic Originals. They don't have a website, so the above link takes you their ad from Shepherd's Harvest.

E.

Ava Update

Ok,

As I mentioned in the previous post, I made my new baby niece Ava a little sun hat and some matching scratch mitts.

I also sent a little hat as well, but there is nothing to go with it. I am working on the bib, but my mom said Ava would be talking by the time she got the stuff if I kept stalling on sending the box to add "one more thing to it." So the blanket will have to wait as well.


For Jane, my sister in law, I made a prayer shawl and I am finally sending the scarf I made for her last September. I guess mom is right!

Of course I can't just send those few things, so there are other onesies and store bought bibs and what not that Ron and I picked up. So she should be good until I finish a few more things.

My brother's sent additional photos and I swear she gets more beautiful each day I see her.

WWKIP Day

Hi all,

So this was my very first World Wide Knit in Public Day Event and what can I say, it was amazing! I went to a KIP hosted by Needlework Unlimited, one of the best yarn stores in the Twin Cities, in the park across from the Three Turtles Bakery. It was an incredibly lovely day to spend in the park. It was warm with a gentle breeze; strong enough to keep the bugs a way, but not so much that it would blow our stuff around. So there we were, a group of women (and one guy, Darius) stitching away. We had such a good time. Ellen was enchanted with Sharon's giant ball of yarn, so we had a bit of fun with that. Shellie even tucked it under her shirt! Besides being a lady of leisure, Shellie teaches beginning knitting at Needlework.

I had a great time chatting with Ellen, she has a blog of her own, Twinset, which she and her twin sister Jan share. It is actually a rather neat site; they write letters to each other about their world and they fiber that crosses their respective paths.



Jan and Kathy invited me to the "cool suburb" knitting night on the first Monday of the month and I can't wait to go. It it great to meet women in the Golden Valley area that knit.

Then the subject of babies came up; I was making a little baby hat for Ava, so yes I did show the latest picture of her. Shellie (whom I simply adore!) passed around her camera so we could see the newest edition to her family. What I found most interesting of all was that as we all slowly drifted away from the group, inevitably most of us made a quick pit stop at Needlework to get just a bit more yarn! I bought more Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo. Chat with you all later!

Eryka

Where does the Time Go?

There is so much to do and I struggle to find time to do it! Right now, I am looking for a pattern to use to make a bib for Ava. This of course is to go with the cute little scratch mitts and hat I made for her earlier this week. My mom keeps urging me to send the box already, but I just want to add in a couple more things and then I will send the box. I also need to finish taking pictures of my finished objects and add them to the site and write a review of Borealis Yarns. I hope I can get something done tomorrow so I will be free to focus on the WWKIP events this Saturday. Arrg!!!! I feel another yarn binge coming on!

My Niece is Here! Ava Reese Jackson

My sister-in-law Jane gave birth yesterday to my baby niece Ava Reese! Ava is an absolutely beautiful child and I can't wait to meet her in person. My brother Keith is so excited.

She was born at 5:45 pm yesterday (after 23 hours of labor). This is one of many photos taken shortly after she made her way into the world. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 2.5 ounces and is 20 inches long.

Ya know, I really can't believe it. My brother is a dad. My brother Keith...the guy that told me I was adopted when I was little. The person who used to "radiate" me with the remote control (absolute torment at the time and I still have a complex about it!). And my personal favorite when he convinced me I could boil an egg in the microwave (what a mess!). He is going to be a dad...Him.

Of course, there were all the times he stuck up for me, even when I talked my way into trouble. And let's not forget how he took care of me when I cut off a chunk of my thumb when I was in the 5th grade trying to carve my name into a pencil. Or the fact that when I lost my job and didn't have a clue what I was going to do, he paid to put my stuff in storage and moved it when he moved his. Then, when he found a job in Iowa, he let me come with him because there were more opportunities there than in Midland, Texas. He not only let me stay with him until I found my job in Minnesota, he also gave me money to get on my feet up here AND paid to move my belongings from Iowa.

Growing up with a single mom, my brother and I spent a lot of time together. Now, to be clear, we have a great mom, who did an amazing job raising my brother and I to exceed all expectations--and we did. Of course given the situation, my brother always carried more responsibilities. He had to look out for me. And while I spent many years resenting him for it, I don't think I would be where I am today if it where not for him and his "meddling." After I got rid of the chip on my shoulder, I came to realize that when no one else did, he and my mom would always be there for me.

So now that I think about it, Ava will have a terrific father. He had plenty of practice with me. Ava is extremely fortunate to have him as a parent!

P.S. I made a couple of things for both Jane and Ava and I do plan on sending them this week. Ava just came a little early!

E.

Barack Obama in St Paul Last Night: We were there!!!

We were there! We witnessed the historic moment when Barack Obama declared himself the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States! Moreover, I was in the volunteer section on the railing so I got to shake his hand AND HUG Michelle Obama! And I got one of those neat signs you see people waving on tv.

Ron had a great seat from which he could enjoy the speech. He is not as rambunctious as I am, so he was content to sit and avoid the crowd. Not Me! I wanted to get the best position possible so I could capture the moment for my family in other states. So in addition to buy several shirts and buttons and what not, I took a TON of photos and some video. Of course some of them were not very good, but I just couldn't delete any of it...except for the pictures of secret service agents. And I was more than happy to respect that request.

Following the event, we went to a Perkins near the Xcel Center. While we were waiting for a late night breakfast, (it took like 40 minutes to get our food) a group of what looked like police officers came in. At least to me. They had on black shirts with gold emblems on their chests with the walkie-talkie on the shoulder. Oh and they were armed.

Ron said they were mall security guards. So after we ate I went and got the check. On the way there I walked past the group in question and noticed they were Secret Service....SECRET SERVICE! Ron called Secret Service officers mall security guards. I thought that was sooo funny I had to tell them. They got a kick out of it and teased Ron about it a bit. He was a little mad at me for telling them that but I couldn't resist. Could you??

We got in about midnight last night and were just exhausted! We had such a great time last night! I will never for get it as long as I live!

Eryka

After The Knit In

I had a great time at the Machine Knitters Knit in yesterday in Hopkins! Not only did I finally take my machine out of the box, I actually learned how to knit using a machine. Ok..on the real, my machine was broken (even though it was the first time I had taken it out of the box) so Heather let me use her's. I was also grateful for Heather's mom Amanda (chapter president) who showed me how to really use a machine!

E.