Woolgathering Dot Net

Yesterday was the fantabulous NYC yarn crawl hosted by Katie. Thanks to the trip, I am officially on a yarn diet. Serious yarn diet. However, I've got materials for the next, oh month or two for my new projects, so I'm very excited.

I got to meet some fabulous people, primarily Katie (not the one that organized the crawl, although Katie-that-organized-the-crawl is pretty cool herself!) and Karen, who I hung out with for the day. We did a lot of walking, opting to take the subway instead of a cab to the various locations. Later on, I got to talking to Chia (sp?) who seemed very nice indeed! Also, I got to meet Pam, Colleen, Elizabeth, and a bunch of other people whose names I've forgotten because of my bung memory. Oh, I couldn't believe there was another Eileen (although without the e); I think it's a name that people recognize but not that many people are named.

Someone pointed out that there were two reasons to go on a yarn crawl. One is to see the fabulous yarn at different locations, get a feel for yarn prices, that sort of thing. The other is to meet other knitters, get ideas from them, stuff like that. Quite true! I had a lot of help from others, picking out colors that match (especially with the Koigu colorways, which I'm not good at).

For the most part, I was very good today, only buying yarn for projects I knew I was going to do (more details about each individual store to follow).

I took the bus into the city, purchased a $7 funpass, and took the subway to the first stop, Purl.

It is a beautiful store. I had visited once before, but on a Monday when they were closed. The store's owner, Joelle, opened early just for us! I loved their Koigu and found some lovely colors there for my first pair of socks for the six sox knitalong: cloverleaf eyelet rib.

The colors are quite quite fantastic. This will be my "beach" socks, the colors remind me of the sand and sea on a beach. The tan skeins has hints of blue and the blue skein has hints of tan in the same ratio. Yum!

I was also strongly tempted by the Alchemy Bamboo, but at $21 per skein and no project on my list that would call specifically for it, I decided not to go for it. 138 yards. I might do something sexy, like lingerie, in it. I'll put it on my wish list.

After Purl, we took the subway to Seaport Yarns. The ACE dropped us about a block from the store. Fantastic! I need to remember how convenient it is if I take the bus into the city.

Seaport is as yummy as ever. Their placement of their hand-dyed yarn into the long main corridor makes me feel like a kid in a candy store! They also had bamboo yarn, but South West Trading Company, not Alchemy. The Alchemy yarns seemed much shinier, but it could be the lighting. The prices, as usual, were pretty fantastic. I considered getting more Silk Garden, but then remembered I had a project calling for four balls of 1824 Mission Falls cotton. I just couldn't remember which project! Three balls in a main color and one ball in a contrast, was all I could think of. I got these:

The main color is goldenrod (205) with moss as the contrast (304). Loverly! I especially loved that I got to ask my fellow yarn crawlers which colors would match the goldenrod; my options were either the moss or a brighter wintergreen (302). I also got a wooden knitting knobbie, for the times that I-cord is necessary.

It was only when I got home that I realized how my brain and instinct was working without my awareness. The cotton is for the fiona bag knitalong and it has an i-cord drawstring!

There were a number of gorgeous hand-dyed hanks in the hallway and I considered using them for my Salt Peanuts project. There was one in particular with hints of glitter that was especially lovely (it helped that a cardigan was on display using the colorway). The yardage was enough and the price was pretty fabulous for it. But, I wanted to wait until I went to Schoolhouse Products and indulged in their poundage.

Karen, Katie, and I went to Union Square to have lunch. We had a quick sit-down stop at a deli where I indulged in a roast beef sandwich. Mmm. We boarded the subway again for the trip to Schoolhouse Products.

Schoolhouse Products was pretty crowded, since Lily Chin was there signing and giving advice. There was some lovely Italian cashmerino blend, but I feared I wouldn't make proper gauge at the recommended project yardage for Salt Peanuts. Plus, it was pretty expensive. When I asked for some help, they pointed out some one pound solid-color cones, 100% Italian merino, 500 odd yards each for $25 a pound. That was a bit more expensive compared to the hand dyed yarn from Seaport and I made the decision to go back to Seaport and buy my Salt Peanuts yarn from there. I didn't pick up anything from Schoolhouse, although I was strongly tempted by some hand dyed fingering weight cashmere yarn (again, the little 'not unless you have a project!' voice popped into my head).

We walked to the Yarn Connection. They didn't have the recommended yarn for Salt Peanuts, but they did have Rowan's Calmer, which was simply lovely and soft soft soft. I need to find an appropriate project for it. Yarn wish list!

I noticed that the NORO Lily from last I was there was still around and I realized the yellow would be perfect for a summer bucket hat! So, I picked up another skein which would make enough yardage for my project. I also picked up four skins of Classic Elite Waterspun 100% Felted Merino Wool in blue to white colors (5002).

The Waterspun? For a winter bucket hat! Nice and warm. I also love the look of the already-felted yarn. I've got a yen for felting. Someday, I will make "I love felting" icons. Save it for a sleepless night.

I love the Yarn Connection's metallic yarn selection. Katie bought a ball and started knitting with it as we sat outside the shop door on the carpeted staircase and talked about past, present, and future projects. Katie's yarn was gorgeous, described by Karen as "looking like a penny". I need to pick up some for a flashy gift for someone (possibly myself!). The Yarn Connection will definitely be a great source for novelty/fancy yarns, for perusing the shelves for fun impulse-buying.

The weather was holding up nicely so we walked to the subway to take the trip to Downtown Yarns. The store was bright and open and lovely; this was my first time there. Their Koigu colors were different from the ones at Purl and I couldn't help myself. Broadripple, I fought the voice in my head! For Broadripple!

Actually, I considered getting the materials for Charlotte's Web. Originally, I pulled out an orange-no-blue-multicolored skein first and the brown and dark orange, since they matched. Then I pulled the bit-of-blue skein I eventually purchased since it matched nicely with the brown and dark orange, but not quite with the orange-no-blue-multicolored skein. I pulled a yellow, which made five that sort of all worked, but no "Wow!". I asked for a pattern copy, but they only had the store copy left. I decided to wait, finish my other projects before moving on to CW. I returned the yellow and the bit-of-blue, but picked the bit-of-blue up again because it was just too pretty to put down. Someone said, "You know, you keep going back to that one." That cemented it, and I returned the orange-no-blue skein.

Oh. So. Pretty!

It was only 5:00, and the woman from Seaport Yarns said she would be open until 6, so I waved farewell to the lovely yarn crawlers and took a cab to the seaport area.

There was only the owner, Andrea, and one of her regular customers working sales for a day left at Seaport Yarns. Typically it is only open until 5pm, but they extended their hours for the yarn crawlers. I felt like they stayed open just for me! I started looking closely at the large hand-dyed bundles in the hallway when Andrea noticed and asked what I was looking for. I took out my notes and we talked about what would be good substitutions. We decided to look at the Cherry Tree Hill Potluck Worsted, which she had hanging on a door. I told her I'm not too much into blues, but I liked the fall colors: red, gold, orange, green. We picked two bundles, one with more green and the other with more purple.

Ooh, which one to pick? She pulled them down and led me to a mirror, where I held them up in front of me and turned them around to see the colors. I opted for the green instead of purple. The potluck wool six-pack worsted (six four ounce hanks!) didn't have a color checked on the label. The other bundle was, I think, Fall Foliage, so if you can picture that bundle with green instead of purple, that would be about what I selected. It's a more intense version of Cabin Fever.

Doesn't that look like a whole mess of yarn? 1680 yards worth, enough to make Salt Peanuts and something else. It'll be small, but two projects! For something like $65! Wow.

I was also tempted to get a Colinette kit, since she said they were on sale, but that voice in my head popped up and I resisted temptation. Plus, not getting more would mean that I made my goal of spending less than $200 for the day. Not a bad meal for my last now that I am on a yarn diet, right?

Ooh. Fantabulous!

Andrea and I talked for about 45 minutes after I made my purchases, talking about yarn, future projects, stuff like that. She talked about "making your own yarn" and encourages her customers to do so, by selecting multiple favorite skeins and blending them together. She lives about a block away and plans, in the summer, to make weekends 'by appointment' only. She was wonderfully friendly and mentioned that they shall stock Koigu in the next six months or so. Woo hoo!

Yeah. Yarn diet. It's a good thing. The subway was less than a block and it took me directly to Port Authority Bus Terminal. Too convenient, great selection, and fabulous prices? What else can I ask for? It was a great day, coming home with some great yarn and met some great people. Huzzah!