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.

Sea Dragon

Hey Everyone!

It’s been a bit since I have posted her, and even longer it seems since I finished a pair of socks.

Knitting has definitely slowed down since I started this job I am at. It’s OK for the time being since I do need to work.

I finally finished up a pair I had started back in November. This pair was knit up out of yarn from a small yarn dyer, who I found out about from one of you. The yarn shop is called Deep Dyed Yarn. I had ordered several hanks from her shop in two different yarn bases. The yarn base for this particular pair is the Figment yarn base, and I used the colorway “Sea Dragon”. I love how it turned out.

Sock yarn has definitely become one of my things. I love looking at it. All the different color combinations that people come up with is incredible. I love working with it, and feel it as I am working it up.

I have been told that I have enough socks and sock yarn, but really, can you ever have enough?

I know that the city life is not my calling and I am working hard now to get out of here, and live a life where I am outside more, and still living in a place that rains, or at least overcast, grey & misty / drizzling for nine months out of the year, where having good quality wool socks are a must.

Outlander Inspired Sock Yarn

Hey Everyone!

The yarn that I had mentioned that I was waiting for in my last post, finally arrived a week ago, five weeks after I ordered it.

This is the yarn I ordered from bumblebee acres, the yarn base is the bubble sock, and the colorway is Scottish Thistle, which is one of their Outlander inspired Yarns, and is currently (as of writing this post) no long available online. Also note, they are also very busy and if you order online you will be waiting for your yarn to arrive, for a good 4 – 6 weeks.

I was able to get this yarn wound up once I got it. I cast on my first sock of this yarn early this afternoon after I had finished up my pair of Fraser’s Ridge Socks.

Like I just mentioned, I finished up the pair of Fraser’s Ridge socks I had been working on for a couple weeks.

The yarn I used for this pair of socks is from Forbidden Fiber Company, the yarn base is their Fortitude yarn base, in the Colorway: Fraser’s Ridge. This is one of their Outlander inspired Colorways. This colorway, on the yarn base I ordered (Fortitude), is still available on their website for order. They were very prompt in their shipping, even though I am sure they are just as busy with fiber festivals as the other shop I ordered from. I got this yarn within a week of ordering it (note, I ordered these two Yarns within a few minutes of each other).

At this point in my life, and knitting “career”, since I am not in a place to be able to travel to fiber festivals, to support these small businesses in person, besides the quality of the yarn, the biggest thing that will impress me, as an online customer is how the yarn is packaged for shipment, and your promptness in shipping. I am well aware that it does take time to dye to order, but don’t hide how long it is going to take in a page I have to hunt for in order to find, or have a pop up when I am about to complete my order.

I would love to be able to go to yarn and fiber festivals, but at this point in my life I cannot afford it, nor is it part of my paid job. Maybe one day I will get to go to at least one. My goal for next spring is to participate in the Rose City Yarn Crawl.