Socks 101
My March socks for Sock-a-month3 are done! With a few weeks to spare. Admittedly, they're kind of cheaters, a fulled footie pattern written by Larissa for her upcoming book instead of my regular fingering weight calf-length socks. I knit them in order to test-knit them (a test-along, if you will), but I stalled halfway through, and decided to rip the first out and reknit them as mediums instead of smalls. They're for my granny for Christmas, a little late. Also, my granny turned 94 last week (holy crap!).
Pre-fulling
After fulling, on location in Laurelhurst park, while walking The Trickster
The Specs:
The Pattern: Socks 101, by Larissa. Attempted as a test-knit for her new book, but due to re-sizing I did not finish in time. However, when I started the better size, I knit them in a day. It's a lovely pattern, and a great way to use one skein of a luscious yarn. They're super super cozy, and I'm planning on using this extensively as a gift knit in the future. I think they're more comfy than Fuzzy Feet, and from the sounds of things, much more straightforward. I can't wait to buy Larissa's book; I think it's going to be a keeper.
The Yarn: Less than one skein of Manos del Uruguay in color 118, Mulled Wine. The pattern calls for two skeins, but it looks like most people have made it with one. I had a fair bit to spare. I bought it at the Yarn Garden. Perhaps you've seen their ad in Interweave. Brief Yarn Garden review: I know a lot of people view Yarn Garden as the end-all-be-all of Portland yarn shops. They certainly have the most yarn. If I can't find it at other shops, I'll find it at the YG. And their cafe is very charming. However, I've found their staff to be a little arrogant. They're very pushy about their classes, and they've treated me as if I have no knitting knowledge, which is irritating. Maybe they are just accustomed to new knitters, but a lot of people do know how to knit already, and know what they're looking for. And, why don't they carry Blue Moon Fiber Arts, especially since it's an Oregon yarn? The staff I talked to didn't even know what it was, even when I mentioned Socks that Rock. Do you live under a rock? In my several visits there, I have had one delightful staff member: the guy working the espresso machine who wound my yarn.
Anyway, I'd never knit with Manos before, and it was luscious. However, (warning: heresy ahead) I prefer Malabrigo. It's much softer. I'll be happy to knit these socks with Manos, or Malabrigo, or Rio de la Plata (from Abundant Yarns), or whatever.
The Needles: Chiao Goo Bamboo DPNs, size 10. Purchased from Yarn Garden. They're fine. I'm not too picky about DPNs.
Thoughts: Great pattern. The only mod I made was too make them a little bit and full them a little more. I haven't sent them to my granny yet, so we'll see what she thinks.
I'm already working on my next pair of socks, another pair of Jaywalkers. I anticipate them taking until April, so they'll be my April socks barring catastrophe.
In other news, today is the last day of my vacation, and Oregon is rewarding me with lots of rain. Maybe I'll get a little house cleaning done. At least the weather was nice for the Shamrock run yesterday. It was a great time, thanks to my hard-core coworkers who rolled out for the race.
Pre-fulling
After fulling, on location in Laurelhurst park, while walking The Trickster
The Specs:
The Pattern: Socks 101, by Larissa. Attempted as a test-knit for her new book, but due to re-sizing I did not finish in time. However, when I started the better size, I knit them in a day. It's a lovely pattern, and a great way to use one skein of a luscious yarn. They're super super cozy, and I'm planning on using this extensively as a gift knit in the future. I think they're more comfy than Fuzzy Feet, and from the sounds of things, much more straightforward. I can't wait to buy Larissa's book; I think it's going to be a keeper.
The Yarn: Less than one skein of Manos del Uruguay in color 118, Mulled Wine. The pattern calls for two skeins, but it looks like most people have made it with one. I had a fair bit to spare. I bought it at the Yarn Garden. Perhaps you've seen their ad in Interweave. Brief Yarn Garden review: I know a lot of people view Yarn Garden as the end-all-be-all of Portland yarn shops. They certainly have the most yarn. If I can't find it at other shops, I'll find it at the YG. And their cafe is very charming. However, I've found their staff to be a little arrogant. They're very pushy about their classes, and they've treated me as if I have no knitting knowledge, which is irritating. Maybe they are just accustomed to new knitters, but a lot of people do know how to knit already, and know what they're looking for. And, why don't they carry Blue Moon Fiber Arts, especially since it's an Oregon yarn? The staff I talked to didn't even know what it was, even when I mentioned Socks that Rock. Do you live under a rock? In my several visits there, I have had one delightful staff member: the guy working the espresso machine who wound my yarn.
Anyway, I'd never knit with Manos before, and it was luscious. However, (warning: heresy ahead) I prefer Malabrigo. It's much softer. I'll be happy to knit these socks with Manos, or Malabrigo, or Rio de la Plata (from Abundant Yarns), or whatever.
The Needles: Chiao Goo Bamboo DPNs, size 10. Purchased from Yarn Garden. They're fine. I'm not too picky about DPNs.
Thoughts: Great pattern. The only mod I made was too make them a little bit and full them a little more. I haven't sent them to my granny yet, so we'll see what she thinks.
I'm already working on my next pair of socks, another pair of Jaywalkers. I anticipate them taking until April, so they'll be my April socks barring catastrophe.
In other news, today is the last day of my vacation, and Oregon is rewarding me with lots of rain. Maybe I'll get a little house cleaning done. At least the weather was nice for the Shamrock run yesterday. It was a great time, thanks to my hard-core coworkers who rolled out for the race.
posted by Ruby Banshee at 2:32 PM
2 Comments:
I have only been in the Yarn Garden once, so I don't know much about them. However, I do have a little of my own experiences.
1. It's sometimes hard to tell what level a person is at when they come into the shop unless they are a regular or I have taught a class with them in it. It's just as bad to assume that somebody knows too much as too little.
2. As for carrying Blue Moon, I think the fault would lie more with Blue Moon than with YG. It is really difficult to get an account with Blue Moon just because they are so very popular. They are just a small operation. Believe me, my LYS would love to carry them.
I am sorry that you had bad experiences with any yarn shop. Like I said, I don't know about YG in particular, but I thought I would give you my 2 cents worth.
I have had much the same experience with Yarn Garden. Arrogant is a nice way to put it. Try Knit Purl - very friendly staff and the store just has a great feel.
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