For the second day in a row I have entered a LYS and thought, “There is nothing in here I really need/want.” On Thursday, in Knitty City, no less.

Don’t take that the wrong way. If you come to NYC and want to hit the yarn shops, Knitty City is a must see (and buy something.) And don’t think I left empty-handed, though two hanks of Claudia Hand-painted linen, a single set of Lantern Moon 4.5 mm/US #7’s and a bottle of unscented Eucalan, is fairly empty-handed for me.

Backing up, after I spent and hour and a half at the DVM yesterday re-registering the expired registration on my barely-used car—oddly, I was the only one in line constructively using the time to get some knitting done—I went all the way up to the Upper West Side to check out Knitty City. A busy shop. Lots of good yarn. Huge book and pattern section.

I probably would have spent more, but there were a few moments where I felt like I was in the staff’s way, like I feel at Met Food when stocking the shelves is more important than my actually buying toilet paper or canned tomatoes, but then I’m not used to busy yarn stores.

But yarn is not a necessity, nor is there only one option for buying it, and I do like to have my existence acknowledged once before I plop $90 of goods down on the counter.

Go to the men’s dress shirt section of the flagship Bloomingdales in Manhattan and three solicitous salespeople will mysteriously appear at your side the moment you even spy a low-end shirt you might think about buying. Higher prices should give you better service. And at Bloomie’s they do.

The woman behind the counter, the owner maybe, made me reconsider my leaning-negative first impression. She was pleasant and friendly, if not forward, which I appreciate, and tried to engage me.

Maybe it is just because this is the first LYS I’ve ever been to where no one asked if there was something they could help me find. Maybe this is the first store where they didn’t think I was going to shoplift something. Probably not. Perhaps this is the one shop where male knitters are common and don’t need minding (you know what I mean.)

I will go back. My impressions were probably clouded by the DMV. And I got a really good chocolate malt on Amsterdam Ave. practically across the street.

The Upper East Side

Where I went on Friday. I hit two LYS’s with plans for a third. I won’t name the first, but the elitism really put me off—me, the one who goes to Bloomingdales. The owner and staff were friendly and the yarns quite nice, but elitist. I bought yarn anyway. Really expensive yarn. It was my BD present (another one), and someone will get a really nice scarf.

I don’t like the Upper East Side. It makes me feel crass without feeling inferior.

The second shop, The Woolgather, was nice and attractive, with some good yarns and friendly staff, but not so much as to warrant the 45-minute trip from Boerum Hill (Brooklyn) to get there just to browse. If you’re on the East Side and north of 14th, it’s a good place to stop. Or if you need Addi circs or Crystal Palace straights, they have almost every size you could want.

New York was muggy and the next store on my list was ten blocks away and uphill, and the likelihood of seeing a yarn I could not live without was small, so I went home.

Practical Considerations

Every yarn that currently appeals to me is sport-weight or finer. Given the speed I knit and the expected number of stitches per inch, a little yarn will go a long way, and I have no little amount of yarn already. Every skein of lace-weight could represent another month or two of my life. When I saw some attractive Isager lace-weight at Knitty City, I did stop to think, “When will I get to that?” Then I bought the sport-weight linen I was already holding.

Vanna’s Choice is not Rose’s

First time the Little Monster has turned her nose up at yarn, even when waved in front of her nose. Others may disagree, and I respect that (somewhat), but I really dislike this yarn. Stiff, abrasive, worsted—okay, I’m not into worsted lately, but AARGH. Given an hour or so, one could saw through prison bars with this stuff. I’m no fan of Vanna, but I see her in a room with the manufacturers’ reps, presented with several bad options—steel wool, barbed wire, cotton— and she says “I choose that one”, pointing to the acrylic.

For some reason, I have not made it to Lion Brand Studios this week. There’s always tomorrow.

To be honest, at 6.00 mm or 6.5 mm instead of the recommended 5.5 mm, it is workable, if not delightful. The color is okay, too.

Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Liberty.

Walked 23 (short) blocks at a good clip from the subway to my massage. Got massage. Walked four (long) blocks to different subway and considered all the walking a sufficient substitute for going to the gym.

Thought about yarn a lot, but did not knit a commensurate amount.

Actually considered that it might be too hot and am looking forward to tomorrow’s more seasonable weather.

Gratuitous Cat Photo

Rose with Felted Object (let’s leave it at that.)

Another Nine-day Weekend (aka The Spree)

I always take this week off from work. This is the week where I used to spend a lot of time pitying myself for having gotten older without actually having ever gotten cooler. Having survived being 50 without miraculously having been transformed into Sting, Annie Lennox or Madonna (she’s right behind me, you know), I’ve given up on cool. I’ve settled for having disposable income.

And dispose of it I have. In a long-needed spirit of adventure, I’m visiting most of the New York yarn shops I’ve never been to, many of which take me above 14th St. (inside NYC joke).

Yesterday, in the wonderful April heat, I walked over to 7th Ave in Park Slope and disposed of income in Stitch Therapy. I met Maxcine, the LYSO, who has some nice yarns and made me feel comfortable. Bought some yarn, too. I then walked two blocks away to FiberNotion, a cute, tiny, and stocked-to-the-gills store, with fabrics (mostly), beads, buttons, fiber, notions, etc. And she has darning eggs, one of which I have to go back for.

Today, sadly, I went to the closing sale of the Point, in the West Village. Well, the 30% off wasn’t sad, but it was such a nice shop, and if it had been local I would have been there much more often. I got there just before it opened this morning, and I have to say I didn’t think it was possible to get that many people into a LYS. period, much less one that small.

I could only take about 25 minutes of that many people in one space—and I had zeroed in immediately on my favorites—so I had an hour to kill before meeting J for lunch at Mesa Grill.

Mesa Grill has one of the best burgers in NYC, but if burgers aren’t your thing at least order something with fries, or make sure someone at your table does. We took my niece and her friend there for Saturday brunch last month; I had the blue corn waffles and half of her fries. She’s was a 23-year-old girl ; it’s not like she was going to eat them all herself. I say “was” because we share a birthday and she is now 24, though I doubt that has had any effect on her eating capacity yet. Give her a couple of decades.

Then we went to Habu. Fifteen blocks in the July-like heat—love it—on a full stomach, but sufficiently lubricated. What an odd little shop(?)! The sale items are in low baskets in the center of the floor. The regular-priced items are on the wall in an alcove around the corner. Got some nice lace-weight. J went with me and was glad he did, because I could not have described it to him, even without the margaritas.

I will definitely go back, because I forgot to look for the silk/stainless steel yarn, which, if nothing else, sounds butch.

Off to School Products,two blocks away. If you need or want or desire Karabella, this is the place to go. Which, fortunately, I did. She had Aurora 8 in black, which no one does. The shop also has a good selection of proprietary yarns (no labels). I picked up some yak/merino worsted and some cashmere, both reasonably priced, I think.

Then home for a nice nap.

More Gratuitous Cat Photos

Rose going to town in the yarn cabinet. I had taken the yarn bin out to rummage through it and she was there in a flash. The picture would be clearer if she hadn’t kept squirming and rolling herself in the lovely wool odor.

Probably not the best place to leave yarn to be photographed. Yes, that’s two skeins of Trekking Hand Art between two shades of Punta del Este Merinocash.

Really, anyone want to come over and knit? There is way too much yarn in this apartment.

Flamborough Pattern I

This is the stitch pattern for my gansey. Working on the round swatch.

Woohoo. Finished w/ 10 min to spare.