My 5-Skein Local Yarn Store Rating Scale

I shop for yarn a lot. Not because I have to or I need more yarn. It's part of the crochet/knit hobby.  I go to local yarn shops to wander around and see what piques my interest and I almost always find a yarn shop when I travel.  To my husband’s unbelief, I also almost always buy something.  In considering my shopping experiences (some good, some not-so-good) and chatting with other yarn-ie friends, I’ve come up with a simple, 5-skein rating of yarn shops. Shop owners – take note.

We’ll start with the basics. Neat, clean, bright – without that, we’re not even getting to the rest.  The yarn – it’s got to be yarn-snob worthy. No 100% acrylic, scratchy, I could pick this up at my local craft shop in the aisle over from the paint and glue (although, I have picked up some nice yarns there, too, but that's not what we're looking for in the LYS.)  This is pretty much the low bar of entry to even be considered a yarn shop worth rating.  I.e. this is my house and my yarn stash if I could get a retail license for my basement.  Now, what’s it take to actually get some skeins for my local yarn shop rating?

1 skein – Shops get 1 skein for saying “hi, welcome to my shop, can I help you?”

Doesn’t seem hard right? Given that most shops are only a couple hundred feet square with the check-out desk in eye-sight of the front door, the owner or some key employee generally sees everybody who walks in the place.  And usually, there is not a big crowd in the shop.  Greeting a shop visitor doesn’t seem too much to expect. You’d think.  I’ve been in shops where this doesn’t happen. The owner sees me come in, says nothing, and keeps on stitching or putting up inventory or drinking her tea or whatever. I can tell you how many skeins I have bought when someone, shop owner or employee, has not spoken to me: zero.

1 skein – Shops get 1 skein for being nice to crocheters and having crochet tools. 

No skeins are awarded for knitting needles and row counters, nope. Why? Because, pretty much every yarn shop is designed for knitters. So for this skein on the rating scale, a shop has to stretch and reach out to crocheters.  And having that one ole 1977 Red Heart granny-square, fringed poncho pattern does not count; there’s got to be the newest Interweave Crochet or patterns that have been written within the last year. Even free patterns for a simple scarf, printed really nice with suggested yarn. I’ll take that. And have some crochet hooks and row counters. And don’t roll your eyes when I say I “crochet.”

1 skein – LYS get 1 skein for having other interesting yarn-related stuff. 

Some shops have unique buttons or cute knitting/crochet tote bags, scarf pins or needle cases. I don’t generally buy all that stuff, but every now and then I need a button or a scarf pin. Well, I don’t actually need one, but if there’s a pretty one, I’ll buy it and another skein of yarn to go with it to make a pretty scarf or sweater.

1 skein – Shops get 1 skein for paying some attention to the customers.

This is a different point than the “speak to me when I enter” skein.  When I ask a question, I expect that the shop owner acts like they would like for me to buy some yarn. Perhaps they are doing so well that they really don’t care if I by anything or not, but they could at least pretend like they care.  When I ask what’s this variegated yarn look like when stitched, don’t tell me to look it up on Ravelry. When I ask how to do a particular stitch, in a shop with “ask us for help” signs all over the place, don’t tell me to look it up on YouTube. I can tell you how many skeins of yarn I have bought from shop owners who did not offer any assistance: zero.

1skein – Shops get 1 skein for having a snack or beverage, coffee or wine, I’m not picky.

There aren’t too many yarn shops who would get this point, but I’m holding out. I did go to one shop in London that served wine – there was a cooler in the back of the yarn shop and you could select whichever wine went with your knitting or crocheting project. I’ve never seen this in the U.S., I guess we have some different kind of alcohol license thing that they don’t grant to yarn shops.  I also don’t know that I’ve been to any that serve coffee. Most don’t seem to mind when you wander around with your own cup, but I would probably stick around longer if there was a fresh pot brewing.

There – 5 skeins.  That doesn’t seem so hard, does it? I mean, even in my own basement, I can score a couple of those skeins (I do have wine and coffee), so surely a local yarn shop can do as well as me piddlin’ in my yarn stash.

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So Much Yarn, Not Enough Time

I made stop number 3 on the #MetroYarnCrawl - WoolWinders in Rockville, MD.  I've been here before, but not since the new owner, Amy, took over a year ago. Hopefully, I'll be back before another year passes or new owner comes in.

WoolWinders in Rockville, MD

When I stopped by it was a buzz of activity. Yes, a bit cliched, but when I walked in, that's what I immediately thought. There were a couple women chatting about yarn for some project and a bunch more at the table, laughing and talking while they were busy knitting.  And Amy and another shop employee were involved in it all - walking around and talking to everybody.

In-store sample - an inspiration for a new scarf

I found three skeins of Emerald green Mountain Top Chateau, a baby alpaca/bamboo blend, braided together.  I've never used this type of yarn before, but it's so soft and at 30% off, I couldn't resist.  They had a sample cowl on display, so that pretty much sold it.

Also - they had a beautiful kidsilk haze stripe in a gorgeous pink and green.  I think this will pair perfectly with a Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca - yes, alpaca and silk. Have I noted before how these are my favorite colors?

My favorite colors - pink & green - together again!

So if you go - WoolWinders is located in the shopping area of a residential development.  There's some street parking out front, if you are lucky (no meters); if not, there's a big shopping center parking lot in the back. And lunch options? There's a Subway next door and a few other restaurants in easy walking distance around the block.  And if you just want to enjoy the sunshine? There's park benches right outside.

My other stop? Second Story Knits in Bethesda, MD.

Happy shopping!

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Stitchin' on the #MetroYarnCrawl

Much like the "bar crawl" most are more familiar with, the #MetroYarnCrawl is the same concept - except with yarn - stretched over a week.  It's a yarn-shopping-a-thon across 12 local yarn shops in Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland.

I've shopped at several of the yarn shops and been wanting to get to a few others that I've heard or read about, so I figured I'd go now - while everything's 20% off with the cutes-y tote bag.  (Did you read my post about FREE tote bags and are thinking I'm going back on my word? Not really because I bought this one. Ha ha!)

Find this little shop in Bethesda MD

My first stop was Second Story Knits in Bethesda, Maryland.  I've shopped there before, back to when it was Knit Stitch Bliss (or something like that, I never could get the name right.)  I like this spot because they are nice to crocheters (you crocheters know what I mean.)  If you go - skip even trying to park in the small adjacent parking lot. You're more likely to hit the lottery than get a spot. Go across the street to the public lot behind the Women's Farmers Co-op (on Fridays - this parking lot has a few food trucks so you can get lunch, too.)  I met Ross, one of the owners, who was wearing a beautiful blue shawl and proudly let me know that she had also knit the gorgeous shawls that were hanging in the stairway leading up to the shop. "Second Story" - get it?  It's above a Starbucks and a restaurant.

While I was selecting yarn, Ross explained that mysterious concept of yards/meters per gram. You'd think as much as I buy yarn and stitch, I'd figured it out by now. But in summary - the more yardage/gram - the thinner and lighter the yarn. So if you are trying to switch the yarn in a pattern (as I was) and can't figure out if your chosen yarn is the right sport weight, fingering weight, chunky weight as called for in the pattern - check the yards/meters per gram and compare.

Okay, so let's get to the good stuff - what did I get?

My yarn picks: Pizzazz Pink Lady & Leaf Green tweed

I got 1 skein of a sparkly pink yarn - because I like pink and I like sparkle - yay! - "Pizzazz Pink Lady" from Crabapple Yarns.  It's a Merino, Nylon, and Stellina (the sparkly bits) blend, 437 yards.   There was a sample shawl hanging up in blue and it was really soft, and the sparkly parts weren't scratchy, so I went with it.

For a light summer sweater, I got 5 skeins of Leaf Green Geilsk Tweed, 100% wool.  I know, wool for the summer? The pattern calls for linen, but I really like the color and feel of this, so we'll see how it works out. If it feels too heavy, I'll wait until fall to put it on.

I also picked up the Summer 2015 Interweave Crochet. I had a subscription but let it go because for a while, I was getting bored of the patterns - it just wasn't a lot of stuff I was going to make. And also, I didn't have as much time to make big projects anyway, even if I did find something I liked. But this summer edition has some nice summer tops and dresses - even a wedding dress. Although I don't know that I'll make a whole dress - definitely not the wedding dress - I like a few tops and I think the dresses could be adapted into a top or skirt.

Thanks to Ross and Joanna (the other co-owner) for a nice visit. Sorry I missed the coffee and donuts, though (it was National Donut Day.) And I'll see you next time - maybe for a knitting lesson!

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When's It Time to Start Over? A Question for the Crafter and for Life

Any crafter knows, sometimes that wonderful idea you had in your head doesn’t work out exactly the way you envisioned it.  You can tell early on, too – those first few stitches, cuts of fabric, swashes of paint.  But maybe if you tweak it, maybe if you carry on, it’ll magically become what you imagined.  Or maybe it won’t, and you’ll have a disappointing mess.

Thus, you are faced with the question of whether to keep on going, because you’ve started and invested your time, materials, energy, or do you start all over again and accept the lost investment, but hopeful for the thing you actually wanted.

This may seem a deep philosophical question for the events that come up in your life. That college choice, your job, a relationship.  There’s many choices we make in life that seemed like a great idea when we started, but somewhere along those first few steps, we get clear signals that we were not going to be happy with the end results.

For today, however, this is a pretty basic question. Should I keep on with this poncho/shawl plan I had for this orange yarn, because it’s not looking as cute as I had originally thought it would or do I unravel it and start all over again on a new design, one that I may like better and actually wear more? Do I continue with the one that may be easier, the poncho, because it's my own design so I can be creative and no one can tell me that it's wrong, or with the one that may be a little harder because it's from a pattern, which by the way is written in Russian with a basic pattern chart.  Such is the question of the crocheter.

Poncho in progress - my own design 

The other option - a summer shawl

Since I have two skeins, I’m gong to start option number two (the shawl) and see whether I like that any better than the poncho.

Life isn’t always like that, you can’t always follow two parallel paths until one is the obvious choice.  Sometimes you have to make a definite choice and be ready to start over if you have to.  Or stick with your choice and make the best of it.  But back to my yarn…

I’m carrying it around with me and will work on a few more rows, then decide. Either way, I guess I’m going to have to unravel one or the other.

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Always Overpacked But Hopeful

With time away from home, whether for vacation or a business trip, I always imagine that I will have all this free time. While I'm traveling (if not driving), during large group meetings where I just have to listen or sitting on the beach, late in the quiet evening. I foresee hours of open time to catch up on my to-read pile and to-crochet stash, as well as maybe some of the not so tedious tasks on the ever going to-do list. Thus, I pack a tote bag full of all this potentially productive stuff.

If I get to half the stuff, I'm doing excellent.

This week is another attempt. I have a conference to attend and I'm gathering all the stuff I'm going to get to without the distraction of cooking and folding clothes and going to meetings and driving around the county.

I'm packing:
- Toni Morrison's just released new book, God Help the Child. Like folks waiting for the new iPhone, I was at Barnes & Nobles first thing in the morning to buy my copy, despite my husband's assurance that there probably was not going to be a line at the bookstore. Who buys hardback books, from a real bookstore anymore? We may be a dwindling breed.

- Yarn. I have some pretty orange and white souvenir yarn from Madrid from a trip a bit ago. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but have now decided on a poncho/shawl for the spring. Though I wish there was a less 1970s word than "poncho." I think of those granny-square, orange and brown, rough acrylic mini blankets with fringes every little girl had in her closet. If there's a better word, please tell me.

- Blank cards and stamps. To catch up on thank you cards, notes, birthday cards. I love personal notes - giving and receiving - and I'm trying to get better at actually writing and sending them.

I wonder how much I'll get done. At least I finished a blogpost.

Superbowl Prep: What Will I Crochet or Knit?

Everybody knows it's the weekend for the big game.  Superbowl Sunday might as well be a national holiday, but somehow we have a swim meet that morning.  Yes - the big choice - watch our son swim in his meet or stay home for all the pre-game and pre-pre-game shows.  Parenting decisions!

In fact, that's only one decision to be made. There's so many others in preparation for Sunday, whether you actually know all the football rules or are just joining the crowd, waiting for the commercials.  And Lenny Kravitz at half-time! (Hey, cameraman, don't miss that.)

So there's a few basic questions:
What are we going to eat?  There are the staple tailgate options: meatballs, chili, hotdogs, chicken wings, pizza.  I think I'll do a regular chili and veggie chili (I like to use chopped mushrooms instead of meat), and then let the husband figure out the rest.  Any other ideas?

What are we going to drink? Next big question, because the normal answer, at least according to the commercials, is beer.  But I'm not really a beer drinker, except a few Belgian brands.  I know rum and wine don't sound like football watching beverages, but I'll be going with that.

Then, there's the big question: what am I going to be crocheting or knitting?  We're talking half a day in front of the TV that I don't really have to pay a lot of attention, I mean, this isn't How To Get Away with Murder, after all.  And I can't just let all that lounging around time go to waste.  I've got to think carefully - what can I work on for a few hours that doesn't have too complicated a pattern?  Something that could be done by the end of the game would be pretty awesome, like a scarf or hat.  I've got to start thinking, time's running out.

How will you be piddlin' while watching the game?

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And I'm Bringing My Yarn With Me

My husband calls it an addiction. I call it my hands get bored and my mind wanders.  Folks have seen me at sorority conferences, PTA meetings, family gatherings, swim meets, basketball games, school plays, on an airplane and train, waiting for a kid somewhere.  I bring my yarn and will crochet or knit during those hours of sitting still.

Have yarn, will travel. What shall I make next?

I take small on-the-go projects, a pair of gloves, a hat, a scarf, that have a simple pattern so I don't have to keep referring to patterns for meetings or an activity where I need to be paying attention and possibly taking notes.  I save my bigger or more complicated projects, a blanket or a sweater, for sporting events and hanging out with the family, activities that do not require my undivided, undistracted attention.

And I know I'm not the only one.  I've watched one woman work on a beautiful afghan at our PTA meetings.  There's scarves being made in sorority meetings.  At the swim meets, the moms are working on blankets while the kids are in the pool.  And surely, any yarn-y worth their skeins packs up their hooks and needles for an evening or weekend hanging out with the family for the holidays.

On Ravelry (if you crochet or knit, you are on Ravelry, right? Find me as "love2crochet"), there are discussions where folks have noted that their family members actually get upset when they stitch "in public." Really? They say it's distracting and/or rude.

But what about the guy playing Angry Birds or whatever's the newest phone game app or her over there clicking through Facebook?  Or the kids lined up in a row with the headphones on and texting other kids, presumably with headphones on also not talking to the people in their room?  Nobody's bothered by that, but my yarn bothers you? I can still carry on a conversation and make eye contact with you while I'm stitching.  The guys are transfixed watching the game and I'm supposed to what, sit and watch them?

I've got a stash of yarn, a list of projects to do, and my to-go kit for my hooks and needles.  I'm always ready for sitting around somewhere for hours. AND I will have a new pair of gloves by the time the evening's over.

Do you stitch while at family gatherings? Or some other crafty activity?

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It's Cold: The Case for Fingerless Gloves (or Mittens)

Why wear gloves without fingers when it's cold outside?  

This was my thought when I first came across this concept of fingerless gloves a few years ago.  (And as an aside, I'm not sure why they are considered gloves, rather than mittens; since they are fingerless, how do you know which they are?  Something to think about over coffee.)  It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but since I found a pretty easy pattern for a pair and I could use some practice in making things in the round, I gave it a try.  And now, as it's getting cold, I'm making another pair (probably my 3rd or 4th.)

As for the yarn - don't you just love this natural color?  It's the actual color of the sheep that is was shorn from.  I bought these skeins last year in a little needlepoint shop in Middleburg, Virginia when I went out there for dinner at Salamander Inn (oh, you didn't know I can find a yarn shop anywhere, anytime?)  Gum Tree Farm is located nearby.

So, back to the gloves - why fingerless?

Because gloves with fingers are great, but sometimes they get in the way of doing stuff.  You have to stop, pull them off to push buttons on the ATM, sign the little credit card screen, count on your money, dial the phone.

When you go inside somewhere - the store, the school, the library - you look like a bank robber if you keep your gloves on, as if you are being careful not to leave fingerprints.  But with fingerless gloves, nobody cares.

Sometimes it's cold inside, too.  I was at school all last week and my hands were freezing. I don't know how the teachers and kids can stand it.  I wanted to put on another layer of socks and cursed the days I forgot my gloves.  But I was working the book fair, so I did need access to my fingers to write, ring up books, count money.  In my own home office space, sometimes its cold, too, 'til the heat kicks in.

There's a theory that you only need to keep your wrists warm to keep your whole hands warm.  Something about keeping that pulse point in your wrist covered, keeps the blood going to your fingers warm.  I'm not sure I agree with that yet, but I'll throw it on the list for now, in case it works for someone.

And most important for a crocheter or knitter - they are quick and easy to make!  There's gazillion patterns out there and you can make them as simple or as fancy as you want.  Simply - it's a long tube with a hole for your thumb.  If you are an experienced crocheter/knitter, you might be able to figure this out on your own.  If you need help, of course you can check Ravelry and Pinterest for ideas.

(Note, I also have a pair of toeless socks for the primary purpose of getting a pedicure in the winter, not messing up my nail polish, but keeping the rest of my feet warm.)

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Currently... Welcoming November!

While we're preparing to be thankful for all that we have, aren't we also panicking a little bit realizing that we only have 61 (well, 59 now) days to finish our list of stuff to do in 2014?  Or is that just me?  In the meantime, I am welcoming November, this month that is definitely fall, not summer and rarely trying to pretend to be like September and October.

This month I can say, with confidence to my kids, "Put on a coat!"   As I look forward to November, I'm also currently...

Excited about waking to sunlight.  We get up at usually some-dark-thirty in the morning because of the crazy bus time for my high schooler.  This morning, I woke in a panic thinking we were all late because it was so bright out.  It's so much more pleasant to wake up to sunlight than the last twinklings of stars.

Still adjusting to standard time.  As welcoming as I am about sunlight in the morning, I'm still confused as to when I'm supposed to go to bed and/or be tired.  Each season we switch from daylight to standard time, it takes me about a week for my body to figure it out.  In the meantime, there's always coffee.

Struggling with my school system's high school plan.  In my neighborhood, the students are assigned to one of five high schools in the area.  My oldest daughter is at one and my second is preparing her selection form for next year, possibly selecting another school.  Part of me says, there's no option, she goes to the same school as her sister.  Another, smaller part of me says, maybe she should get the same opportunity to choose as her sister.  All of me says, I'm really upset that my school system is putting me in this situation.

Changing up my workout plan.  Although I did the Miracle Marathon and am still coaching for Girls on the Run, I think I need something other than running in the mix.  I think I'm adding swimming back into the routine.  They say that after a while, you've got to change up your exercise routine to challenge your body differently.

Picking out yarn for myself and for charity.  I need want a new scarf and hat for myself.  I'm also stitching for charity. A few years ago, I wrangled my friends into making a pile of scarves for women at a homeless shelter and that has become our annual stitching charity.  It's that time of year again and so we begin our holiday stitching.  I am going to try to pull something from my stash, but you crocheters/knitters know how that goes, right?

And of course, I'm looking forward to baking a table full of cakes and pies for Thanksgiving.

Welcome to November!

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Enjoy the City In a Few Hours

Work trips, professional conferences, and organization events may take you to a city away from home. It’s easy to take the cab from the airport straight to the hotel, eat in the hotel restaurant, and follow the busy agenda that brought you there, never to emerge onto the city streets until time to get back in the cab for the return trip to the airport. Resist.

 

Take comfy walking shoes & be ready to explore!

Over the past few months, I’ve had a few agenda-driven trips, for a quick weekend or a few days, but only a few hours to experience the city.  But I can't stay inside and never wonder around the city. Let me share some excuses to get out of the hotel.

Explore the city.  Especially, if it’s a new-to-you city. In Milwaukee, I arrived hours before my meetings were supposed to start, on a beautiful, sunny day.  There was just enough time for the fifteen-minute walk to the RiverWalk (who knew there was a river?) to get lunch. Along the way, when the sidewalk ran out and we were looking at a drop into the river, we learned that the streets that bridge the Milwaukee River are a series of drawbridges – that rise straight up, not angled, to let the boats pass.

In Austin, I went boot shopping at night and in between the conference ending and my return to the airport for my late flight home, I walked over to the state Capital building for my own self-guided tour.  In San Francisco, I combined sightseeing with my workout and ran over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Eat outside of the hotel.  I like to try the local restaurants, rather than a chain. I live in the DC area, I could eat at almost any chain restaurant I want to at home.  In Austin, of course, I ate at places featuring, what else - Mexican and Southwest.  I tried Adolfo’s, an Italian place in Springfield, MA and had this delicious pasta with seafood and basil and a French martini.  It’s a small restaurant, lit primarily by candles. I had a perfect seat by the bar, next to the window – I could people watch inside and out and was close to the bartender.  In Milwaukee, I ate - where else - on the Riverwalk!  I had a delicious veggie burger and drinks at WaterBuffalo.

 

Do something a little different.  For a recent trip, I planned to get a cab for the short ride from the airport to the hotel. Then it hit me – for the $100 round-trip cab fare, I could rent a car for the two days I’d be in town. So from the car rental lot, I picked out a car I’ve never driven before – a red VW Bug! It was fun departure driving this little car that would fit in the back seat of the huge truck I drive at home.  Continuing in the “new car” theme - in Charlotte, I had a great time at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

VW Bug - My little teeny ride for a weekend!

Expand your hobby. I crochet and am starting to knit. In addition to regular trips to my local yarn shop, yarn is my travel souvenir. In fact, when other people travel, I ask them to bring me back yarn.  But isn’t all yarn the same, my husband always asks. (Or used to, he doesn’t even bother anymore.)  Well, you just never know ‘til you check, do you?  I have shawls and scarves and sweaters made from yarn purchased in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Madrid.  If you have a particular hobby, does the supplies or the hobby itself work as a travel souvenir? And if you don’t have a hobby, make one up perfect for traveling like collecting spoons or coffee cups, visiting state capitals, eating at hometown ice cream shops or drinking local beers.

Yarn shopping in Mystic, CT & Berlin, MD

Take a break from the group. This is a tip for the introverts out there. Sometimes traveling and hanging with the group is exhausting, right? All those people, all that chatter, all the group decision making.  When you’ve had enough, bow out. Make an excuse or tell the truth, whatever you think will get you out with the least questions.  Go outside for a walk or get a drink at the bar down the street.  It may seem awkward for the moment, but at least you’ll be refreshed when you return.

How do you squeeze in fun during a business trip?

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