Wednesday, November 23, 2005

LYS Envy

So green really isn't my best color but today I'm wearing it anyway. I am envious. . . jealous, even. Jealous of all those knitters who speak lovingly of their local yarn stores. Envious of knitters who have a favorite yarn and can just bop across town or down the street to a friendly, quaint little store and buy a skein or two. Jealous of knitters who actually know other knitters who live in close proximity and get together sometimes and knit. Where no one thinks they are rude for delaying a conversational response until the end of a row or a pattern repeat.

Last night, I visited a quilting and cross stitch store here in town that also carries yarn and knitting needles. I just want some cotton, people. Really, is that so hard? They have lovely $18 a skein mohair and some of the beautiful $45 and $50 a skein handpainted wool silk blend, blah blah. All I really want, though, is some Classic Elite Provence, of which I have only ever had 3 skeins and they were a gift. And also, as many skeins of this Clip as I can get my hands on. I want to touch it and smell it and, you know, embrace it a little, maybe, before I pay for it and take it home with me. This store, the one I visited last night, they don't have any cotton. Not one single skein of yarn in the whole place that is either 100% cotton or even greater than 50% cotton. Seriously. And it is one of only two (non-chain) stores within reasonable driving distance of me that carries yarn.

Professional athletes and men in public restrooms, I'm told, have envy issues. Somehow, though, I don't think it really compares to this terrible case of LYS Envy I have recently.

In the spirit of the season, however, I would also like to note that I am thankful for the internet. Late at night, when the house is finally quiet and no one is asking me what I'm doing and no phones are ringing and no one needs anything, I fix myself a cup of coffee or (well, yes sometimes) a glass of wine, and I make my way over to the WWW, my very own LYS.


It is located at the corner of Living Room & Kitchen. It isn't the fanciest establishment or the tidiest and sometimes the service is a little slow, but it is a great place. Pretty much, if there is a knitting magazine or a pattern or a yarn you want, you can find it there. If it isn't in the first place you look, just keep looking. If you can get it, you can get it at the WWW.

And all my knitting friends hang out there. Kay & Ann, who reminded me way back why I fell in love with knitting in the first place. Polly, who with the help of her French Market Bag gave me the desire and the courage to try the dreaded dpns; and Laurie, who loves the wine, too, and makes us all laugh a lot and cry a little sometimes, too . Then there's Laura with the new baby and Rhett with the thank you notes and Stephanie with the patient husband who poses in his partially knit sweaters. Oh, and Meaghan, who I've only just met but who knits beautiful things and has a real jones for felting, apparently. And all sorts of other knitters who I barely know or haven't even met, but they are there, too.

Really, I wouldn't trade it for a bricks and mortar LYS on Main Street.

Yesterday, I said something about a package I had sent to one of my knitting friends. My husband said, "Oh that was nice. Now which one is she?" and he didn't even pause to remind me that we wouldn't know each other if we met on the street somewhere. Such a dear, that one. Of course, ever since I hooked up with the the Stitch & Bitch group at the WWW, he doesn't have to listen to me talk about knitting as much. Really, it is a win-win situation.

Oh, and also, they don't mind the drinking of the wine while I shop.

6 comments:

Steph said...

You gotta hate those stupid open container laws. :-p My "L"YS is an hour away and organized by color - which sounds great until you're actually looking for something. And there isn't much there. The prices are edging on outrageous, and the excuse is that you're getting great service. I set foot in there once for 10 minutes and was ignored because the employees were entranced by another customer. My WWW is located smack in downtown Living Room and it rocks!

Anonymous said...

I'm with you Kristy! My nearest LYS is 3 hours away in Melbourne. And yes, I have considered getting in the car and driving there, just to buy some yarn. Then I look at the astronomical petrol prices over here and re-think that decision! The scary thing is that I've got a laptop with a wireless connection to my desktop - now I can shop anywhere in my house within 100 metres of my desktop.

If you ever want any Aussie yarn - you know where I am. I'm checking out Yarn.com - I'll let you know how I go. Take care.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is wonderful to have a million LYS (uh crap, what is the plural of LYS? LYSes? LYSs?) anyway, a bunch of them around. But! If it is any consolation, it is also REALLY EXPENSIVE. And I still end up buying yarn online because I tend to hermitdom :)

Plus you can drink wine online, as you so brilliantly pointed out, and that is a big plus in my book!!

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Anonymous said...

It saves you a lot of money when there is no LYS. Trust me. And keeps you from developing an insanely huge stash of yarn that you had no real plan for... or for which you've forgotten the plan. Of course it keeps you from spending gas money (shipping looks cheaper and cheaper all the time compared to even a 30 minute drive to Hobby Lobby).

And there's no KnitPicks or Elann at a LYS. And they have some awesome deals! :)

Anonymous said...

Eloquently spoken, m'dear.

I live in northern Michigan. The 'mecca' of the Michigan knitting world, Threadbear, is 150 miles south of me. When it's not snowing and gas isn't $2.50/gallon and life doesn't require my constant presence, I can slip away for a while and revel in more yarn in one spot than I could ever imagine.

And that happens...well, almost never. So, it's off to the eBay lys and all the internet lys I could imagine. I can visit around the world while I'm brushing my teeth...the biggest problems I encounter are: not being able to touch all the yarns, and conversely, the ease with which the button can be clicked and the credit card accessed for an online purchase. Bah.

If only I had a quarter mil, I'd open me a store tomorrow. Ah, yarn!

Blessings,
Susie

Rhett said...

Well, I do have an LYS and it is only 2 miles from my house, BUT it is 35 miles from where I work and closes at 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and at 6pm on Thursday. It takes me 45 minutes to get there from work so the best I can have is 15 minutes of fun in there. Oh yeah, and it's not open on the weekends. YUCK! It is a romantic idea... that of the LYS, but in reality, it is merely something I can hope for and maybe, if I am feeling ill and can't attend work, I can spend my weekly allowence (for the next 6 weeks) in the LYS.

I hope you all had a very good holiday, a nice weekend and I look forward to returning to blog reading and posting Monday when I get back to work :) HA!

"Talk" to you all soon!