Another Yarn Shop Went Virtual

Hey Everyone!

Brick and Mortar yarn stores have been struggling to stay afloat even before the pandemic began three years ago. Then the pandemic hit and many more closed their doors, and if they were lucky were able to transition to solely virtual.

While it’s nice to be able to buy yarn from the comfort of your own home, there is more to be said to being able to go to a LYS (Local Yarn Shop) where you can see and feel the yarn for yourself. Many also have samples up where you can see completed projects made with the yarn. Many of these shops also have a seating / work area where crafters could come and work on projects and get help with a pattern and what not.

With the physical spaces closing down, it is harder for the community to come together and be able to have in person interaction with other crafters where they are from.

I know for myself, getting to wool and sheep festivals like Rhinebeck and others back east and in the Midwest are not necessarily feasible or practical in order to have the comraderie with fellow crafters.

Not only had my favorite LYS closed down several years ago (Happy Knits on SE Hawthorne in Portland), I found out that one on my list of yarn shops to visit, closed their brick and mortar shop two and a half years ago. This was Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island (near Seattle). This was one of the “destination yarn shops” that was relatively close to me, as in a weekend adventure for me. While I can still order yarn online, I do miss the whole adventure and change of scenery aspect to it.

Part of why it makes me sad is because the generations older than me, who are not as tech savvy as my generation and those younger than I am, are missing out on the yarn shopping options that used to exist. Knitting (and Crocheting) almost died out once. I would hate to see that happen again.

For the past decade or so, I have wanted to visit as many LYS as I could in different places I went. I thought it would be fun to have socks made from yarn I bought wherever I went. The more LYS that close their physical locations, that makes this harder.

I know I talk more about knitting than Crocheting, because I am a knitter. That’s what I do. Crocheter’s are just as important as knitters.

Road to Rhinebeck 2022 Socks

Hey Everyone!

Yesterday afternoon I finished up my pair of “Road to Rhinebeck 2022” socks, two days after Rhinebeck ended, not that I got to go anyway.

This was the second year I ordered the “Road to Rhinebeck” sock set from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm.

The finished product

The main colorway is “Road to Rhinebeck 2022” and the accent colorway was called “All the Wine”. They came as a set and are no longer available to order. The yarn base is the Coquette base.

The Coquette base my favorite yarn base to order colorways on from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm. I like this base because it is a 3 ply fingering weight so it knits up the thickest, cosiest socks without being too thick.

This morning, just before sitting down to write this post, I washed up this pair of socks as well as the pair of Crackling Fire socks I finished recently. I used the Wool and Cashmere Shampoo by The Laundress New York to wash these socks. The scent is called Cedar, but I don’t know exactly how cedar specific it is, but it has an amazing woodsy scent to it that I love. I love this wash for new socks. For socks I have worn and need to wash I prefer using the original Kookaburra wash that has and smells like tea tree oil or Outback Gold wool wash that also has tea tree oil. I prefer either of these two for socks I have worn because Tea Tree Oil is an antiseptic / anti bacterial / anti fungal properties to help kill any funk that might be in my socks and want to grow and cause problems for my feet.

Monday evening, I hadn’t really felt like finishing up the Road to Rhinebeck socks so I cast on the first of many Christmas socks. I decided to start with the yarn called “little drummer boy” it is the darkest of all then Christmas yarn I recently ordered, so I decided I would tackle it first before our weather and days get much darker and dreamer, leaving the brighter colorways to work as the days get even shorter and rainy.

With the socks I just cast on, I went back to my good ole’ trusty wooden needles that I prefer. I definitely do not like metal needles.

Call the Midwife season 11

Hey Everyone!

Happy Thursday!

I had taken a couple nights off of work last weekend to go do something fun. It was nice to have a couple extra nights off, though it’s back to work tonight.

I had ordered Season 11 of Call the Midwife, and it arrived last week. Since I have been off, I binged watched the entire season / series in about 2.5 days, as well as rewatched the Season 9 Christmas Special.

While there are other ways to watch Call the Midwife here in the states, the easiest for me is to just order each season once it is released and watch it when I have time. I had also gotten into the show a few seasons into in and had no other way to watch it besides on DVD. Now that it is on Netflix, I have also noticed that there are little edits here and there and the episode isn’t the same as the U.K. version, which is what comes on DVD. I also enjoy going back and rewatching previous seasons as well.

Call the Midwife is one of those shows that I thoroughly enjoy. Over the past ten or so years, since I got started watching Downton Abbey, I found that I enjoy British TV shows.

While I have been off and watching Call the Midwife, I have been working like gangbusters on my Road to Rhinebeck socks. I finished up the first one and I am now on the foot of the second sock. This pair will be done in no time, and then I can start Christmas Socks.

What’s on My Needles Wednesday

Hey Everyone!

It’s been a while since I have written a “What’s on my Needles Wednesday” post. It has also been far too long since I posted regularly here.

Today was one of those days where I was able to spend the entire day knitting and making significant progress on my current pair of socks.

I had started this sock before I finished my last pair. Though most of the progress I have made has been since I finished that pair.

I am currently working on this year’s “Road to Rhinebeck” sock set from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm. This colorway is on the Coquette yarn base.

The Coquette yarn base happens to be my favorite from Bumblebee Acres. It’s thick for a fingering weight, making it warm and cozy. It makes the perfect cold weather socks.