Karen Maiko

On Raising Yarn Snobs...

2007-05-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

I still remember the day I learned to knit. My cousin and I went to Wal-mart and I picked up random plastic needles and Red Heart Supersaver in a light pink. All for under $5. I thought, "Great! I'm going to have this new cheap hobby and I'm going to make all my own scarves and hats, it'll be awesome."

Fast-forward 3 years and I'm going through withdrawals because I've sworn off buying yarn for until December. So I sit online and drool over the malabrigo and lorna's laces that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to buy but really can't because I live on a poor student budget. So I sigh and go back to the Lion Brand page to look at the more realistic purchases I can make in 7 very, very, very long months.

Ok, flip-side. I taught a couple of my new-found friends in London to knit back in March. The Wal-mart equivalent (ASDA) doesn't have a craft section so we went to the only other place we knew, John Lewis department store's haberdashery section. Display after display after display of jaeger, debbie bliss, rowan...... *drool* Not exactly your typical beginner's yarns. So, my friends squish hundreds of skeins in their hands and they eventually all pick out debbie bliss cashmerino. In over 3 years of knitting and living for yarn I STILL have never bought debbie bliss cashmerino! Knitpicks is about as luxury as I go. So they each get 3 balls of yarn for their first scarf at a cool $25.

Next yarn excursion, we actually found a big box type craft store with yarn, Hobbycraft. No rowan or jaeger to be found here, just lots of acrylics, novelty yarns and a couple of wool blends. What happens? My friends refuse to buy anything based on the fact that it's not NEARLY as nice as what they started with. Spoiled.

The next place we shopped for yarn together was at the store in Florence (see previous post) where we totally hit the jackpot. They were buying angora, alpaca, wool tweeds, cashmere blends and all for a fraction of the cost in the real world.

We come back to London and they start jonesing for more yarn (yes, I've turned them into full blown addicts and I am their dealer.) But now they want cheap yarn, they don't want to pay $25 for a scarf anymore. So I suggest we go back to Hobbycraft; I was met with looks of horror. So we trekked over to a proper yarn store, Loop. Beautiful little yarn store packed full of gorgeous, gorgeous, expensive yarns. Since I'm on my yarn diet I woefully sat on a chair and watched them go crazy. Oh and boy was it interesting. They wanted cashmere, they wanted the softest most luxe yarns in the world and wouldn't settle for anything less. Mind you, they have just finished their first scarves - complete with wavy edges and many many holes. They each walked out with 5 balls of Lana Grossa.

It's the start of a whole new yarn snob generation. I'm jealous.

The Etsy

2007-05-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

So I've been talking all about knitting which is the main focus of this blog but I thought I should mention my Etsy as well. I know it's a horrible, shameless plug but I really am having a fantastic sale right now. I'm moving back to the States in less than a month and with all the new baggage restrictions I'm kind've screwed so I'm severely trying to eliminate any type of inventory ASAP.

So just check it out. There are still TONS of earrings left - all $3/pair and if you buy 3 or more you get free worldwide shipping.

I have tons of plans in the works for fall including WAYYYY better pictures, ridiculously cute knit hats with brims so you can be a gangsta, the perfect boyfriend scarf, and lots and lots of origami earrings. Plus, shipping will cheaper once I'm back home because for whatever reason shipping from the UK is way overpriced.

There we go, my shameless plug for the day.

What to do, what to do?

2007-05-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so now that I'm only working from my stash I have to actually come up with projects for all the yarn I have. When I first started knitting I operated on the "Oooh it's pretty and I want it!" type of mentality so I have lots of single balls of yarn and absolutely no idea what to do with them.

I have one ball of SWTC phoenix which I am trying my hardest to turn into a very very very mini clap. We'll see how much length I can actually get out of it.

The ones that are really troubling me are these:

Knitpicks Shimmer in Turquoise Splendor
and
Knitpicks Gossamer in Leprechaun

Each one only has 440 yards which isn't really enough for a full shawl.... Plus I'm not really a huge lace knitter (don't even ask why I bought a bunch of laceweight yarn because I really have no idea)

These are a few ideas

Candle Flame Scarf
Luna Moth Shawl
Some sort of really open lacy summer tunic - haven't found a pattern yet but I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to figure out
Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Something simple like this
Or I could just cast on a couple stitches, and increase on either side until I run out of yarn to make a plain triangle shawl

Anyone have any other ideas??

FO: Clapotis

2007-05-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

I finished my Mom's clapotis yesterday! I absolutely love it. It is soooooo incredibly soft and fluffy. It just needs to be blocked but unfortunately I don't have any straight pins.

Here's a really bad picture... The screen on my camera is broken so I can't actually change any settings or turn the flash on - it's kind've ghetto.
I swear I will get a better picture ASAP.

Pattern: Clapotis from Knitty
Yarn: 100% Angora from Florence
Mods: only 4 (I think) increase sections
Started: April 29th, 2007
Finished: May 5th, 2007

Whoops.

2007-05-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

So apparently the yarn that I've been calling alpaca for the last 2 weeks is actually angora. Obviously I'm on crack and totally forgot what I bought. My friend, who bought the same yarn while we were in Florence just got back from her trip and gave me crazy looks when I told her I was making an alpaca clapotis and she had the same yarn. Oh well.

So the red clapotis is bunny and super soft and ALMOST DONE. It's tres exciting.

Clapotis

2007-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

So I am finally making a clapotis. I don't know why I put it off for so long. I think it's because I go for the instant gratification projects (I am starting to get really into sweaters and bigger projects though, weird.)

I am using the 200g of red alpaca I got in Florence. Kind've a pain in the ass when it comes to dropping the stitches but oh well. It's worht it. It's really pretty and soft and hopefully my Mom will love it. If not, I'm keeping it.

I started on the 29th and this is what I have so far

I only did 5 repeats of the increase section and I'm working on repeat #8 of the straight section.

Let's start this off right....

2007-04-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

What better way to start a new blog than with some yarn porn?

I just joined the Save Cash! Use your Stash! - along because I think I have an addiction. Yarn is my crack, no doubt about it. What I'm about to show you isn't my entire stash, oh no. It's mostly what I bought on a BACKPACKING trip through Europe. Yes, I was a dirty, unwashed backpacker with about $150 of yarn. Gotta prioritize, right?

Anyways, since I've been studying in London and living in a teeny tiny dorm room for the best 4 months I haven't had too many stash enhancing excursions. Not to mention that everything is ridiculously expensive here, yarn included. Oh but I do love to go to John Lewis and drool over the Jaeger and Rowan sections... So I came here with what I thought would be enough yarn to get me through 6 months, and really it was. I was being such a good little stashbuster.

But then I went to Madrid:

Granted, not so bad. But it WAS our first city on the whole trip. Whoops. I made it through Barcelona, the French Riviera, Genova, and Pisa with no problems.

Then came Florence:

I found this AMAZING yarn store. If you are EVER in Florence and you like yarn you absolutely have to check it out. They have the best deals in the world and everything your little heart could ever imagine.

I got this 100% alpaca in bright red to make something for my Mom (Mother's Day is coming up soon, ya know.)

It's soft and beautiful and I've really gotta figure out what I'm going to do with it. Soon.

And just to give you an idea of what I've been working on for the last 4 months in London

Plus some other things I've given away as gifts.

Oh yea, and my NEWEST obsession - brimmed hats. I'll hopefully be writing a pattern up for this one soon, we'll see if there's any demand.

I hope you have enjoyed my yarn porn and randomosity. :)

New to Blogland

2007-04-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I've been lurking through blogs for a long time but I'm finally starting my own. I realized I keep knitting things and making things but I always forget to document them. It'd be nice to have an ongoing record of everything I've been up to. I have a myspace but most of my friends are too interested in my knitting, unless I'm making something for them.

I'm gonna have to bust out the camera soon and start taking some pictures for once.

Oh and about me, I live in London, but only for one more month. I'm on an exchange program. Then I'm back to good old Murder City (Richmond) Virginia. Love it.