The Stuff I Want to Buy and Other Musings on Machine Knitting
Had a great weekend. I got a huge check on Friday and I was so excited thinking about all the knitting things I wanted/needed to buy that I could not sleep until 3 a.m. And then my friend Lisa called me at 7 a.m. to remind me of our gym date. I was so tired I couldn't make it and spent my Saturday daydreaming about all the knitting-related stuff I want to buy.
Anyway....Here is how I am going to spend the money (at least, the part I've allocated for knitting): Yarn, yarn, and more yarn. I went to one of my yarn ladies yesterday and bought a huge yarn rewinder, and 3 pounds of alpaca (2 pounds beige for a sweater set with cables and other texture for moi and 1 pound burgandy for a sweater set for moi again), and a pound of boucle wool in hot pink (fuschia) for a jacket. Yes, we machine knitters talk about our yarns in terms of POUNDS and CONES, and not grams, ounces, or balls! I spoke with my regular specialty yarn lady yesterday and she was at the Stitches West convention in northern California. I told her I wanted to buy a ton of yarn to knit for the spring boutique in May. She said I could come over later this week. She's got a great eye for color and texture and she helps me coordinate my yarns so I get the most for my money. The problem with going to her studio is this: she lives in Laguna Niguel and I live in the San Fernando Valley. That is a 150 round trip drive in afternoon/evening Southern California rush hour traffic. It takes almost 2 hours one way. It's tough, but really, it is worth the trip. Her yarn is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I'll post her website and e-mail on here after I get her permission.
And lastly, Newtons in Anaheim is having their 3-day Spring Fling this weekend. I love going there because I stock up on yarn (I like their Designer wool ray and Venetian wool ray) and other knitting goodies. And Newton's parking lot yarn sale is pretty good, if you don't mind picking through boxes. I am going to go there on Saturday and Sunday to buy my yarn. I love Sunday night, because once in a while, Norman lets us have 2 minutes with the boxes in the parking lot and we can have whatever we can carry off FOR FREE! Last year, I made my way to the chenille and walked off with 7 HUGE CONES of chenille. Some women (those who wear slips under their skirts!) made their skirts into aprons and just loaded up on yarn. I think the winner made off with 15 cones of yarn. It was hilarious. If he lets us do it again this year, I am going to go for the Designer and Venetian wool ray and the germaine boucle so that I can knit more jackets, sweaters, and camisoles for me me me! But on the whole, I usually buy my yarn inside the auditorium and just partake of the 50% discount going on there. That way, I get cones of yarn with matching lot numbers.
Today's Dilemma: Should I buy DAK? (Designaknit). It is SOOO expensive! Josephine (the yarn lady in West Los Angeles) let me play around with her DAK software yesterday, and I want to buy it, but don't want to pay $600 or whatever they are asking. It is outrageous to pay that much for software that is based on antiquated, almost obsolete technology. But, I don't really blame the software designers, since machine knitters are pretty much a small and insular population. The software people have probably figured out that they would not make much profit if they were to re-write new DAK software. I could try to find someone who wants to sell hers, but maybe I should buy it brand new. I've got to do my part to keep machine knitting alive!
That is one of the reasons I patronize Newtons: I want to help keep those businesses that cater to machine knitters in business! Newtons puts their yarns on cones and they also sell knitting machines and all the knitting machine accoutrements. Helen also gives lessons and basically serves as a den mother to those of us who go to Newtons on Fridays nights to practice our knitting. I don't know what I would have done without her help and advice on so many different projects. And the group of women (and men) that go there are FANTASTIC! I just love the people over there....and it is worth the 100 mile round trip drive to be with them, to learn from them, to share with them. My "civilian" friends think I am nuts to want to spend Friday nights in traffic and, to add insult to injury, KNITTING, when I could spend time with them eating out and going to the movies. One of my friends actually told me to "get a life"!!! How RUDE!!!!! I DO have a life.....I prefer to spend my time and money knitting and not always going to restaurants and movies. I told them it was a lifestyle choice. And besides, I could see them the rest of the weekend, if I wanted to. (and I don't always want to! heh heh). I haven't been to Newtons since October(?), mainly because I was knitting up a storm while preparing for my holiday boutiques, and in January and February, I have been too tired. But now, I am going to prepare for my May Spring boutique, so I've got to start buying more yarn and making things.
For this boutique, I think I am going to focus on spring/summer shawls and on felted bags. Have I ever felted a bag before? Well, NOooooooo, but there is always a first time. I've got lots of great ideas from the hand knitting store on Woodman.
Oh, back to what I'm going to buy for myself: I am going to buy a digital camera so that I can post pictures of my work! Can't wait! Got to get back to work......
Toodles!
Anyway....Here is how I am going to spend the money (at least, the part I've allocated for knitting): Yarn, yarn, and more yarn. I went to one of my yarn ladies yesterday and bought a huge yarn rewinder, and 3 pounds of alpaca (2 pounds beige for a sweater set with cables and other texture for moi and 1 pound burgandy for a sweater set for moi again), and a pound of boucle wool in hot pink (fuschia) for a jacket. Yes, we machine knitters talk about our yarns in terms of POUNDS and CONES, and not grams, ounces, or balls! I spoke with my regular specialty yarn lady yesterday and she was at the Stitches West convention in northern California. I told her I wanted to buy a ton of yarn to knit for the spring boutique in May. She said I could come over later this week. She's got a great eye for color and texture and she helps me coordinate my yarns so I get the most for my money. The problem with going to her studio is this: she lives in Laguna Niguel and I live in the San Fernando Valley. That is a 150 round trip drive in afternoon/evening Southern California rush hour traffic. It takes almost 2 hours one way. It's tough, but really, it is worth the trip. Her yarn is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I'll post her website and e-mail on here after I get her permission.
And lastly, Newtons in Anaheim is having their 3-day Spring Fling this weekend. I love going there because I stock up on yarn (I like their Designer wool ray and Venetian wool ray) and other knitting goodies. And Newton's parking lot yarn sale is pretty good, if you don't mind picking through boxes. I am going to go there on Saturday and Sunday to buy my yarn. I love Sunday night, because once in a while, Norman lets us have 2 minutes with the boxes in the parking lot and we can have whatever we can carry off FOR FREE! Last year, I made my way to the chenille and walked off with 7 HUGE CONES of chenille. Some women (those who wear slips under their skirts!) made their skirts into aprons and just loaded up on yarn. I think the winner made off with 15 cones of yarn. It was hilarious. If he lets us do it again this year, I am going to go for the Designer and Venetian wool ray and the germaine boucle so that I can knit more jackets, sweaters, and camisoles for me me me! But on the whole, I usually buy my yarn inside the auditorium and just partake of the 50% discount going on there. That way, I get cones of yarn with matching lot numbers.
Today's Dilemma: Should I buy DAK? (Designaknit). It is SOOO expensive! Josephine (the yarn lady in West Los Angeles) let me play around with her DAK software yesterday, and I want to buy it, but don't want to pay $600 or whatever they are asking. It is outrageous to pay that much for software that is based on antiquated, almost obsolete technology. But, I don't really blame the software designers, since machine knitters are pretty much a small and insular population. The software people have probably figured out that they would not make much profit if they were to re-write new DAK software. I could try to find someone who wants to sell hers, but maybe I should buy it brand new. I've got to do my part to keep machine knitting alive!
That is one of the reasons I patronize Newtons: I want to help keep those businesses that cater to machine knitters in business! Newtons puts their yarns on cones and they also sell knitting machines and all the knitting machine accoutrements. Helen also gives lessons and basically serves as a den mother to those of us who go to Newtons on Fridays nights to practice our knitting. I don't know what I would have done without her help and advice on so many different projects. And the group of women (and men) that go there are FANTASTIC! I just love the people over there....and it is worth the 100 mile round trip drive to be with them, to learn from them, to share with them. My "civilian" friends think I am nuts to want to spend Friday nights in traffic and, to add insult to injury, KNITTING, when I could spend time with them eating out and going to the movies. One of my friends actually told me to "get a life"!!! How RUDE!!!!! I DO have a life.....I prefer to spend my time and money knitting and not always going to restaurants and movies. I told them it was a lifestyle choice. And besides, I could see them the rest of the weekend, if I wanted to. (and I don't always want to! heh heh). I haven't been to Newtons since October(?), mainly because I was knitting up a storm while preparing for my holiday boutiques, and in January and February, I have been too tired. But now, I am going to prepare for my May Spring boutique, so I've got to start buying more yarn and making things.
For this boutique, I think I am going to focus on spring/summer shawls and on felted bags. Have I ever felted a bag before? Well, NOooooooo, but there is always a first time. I've got lots of great ideas from the hand knitting store on Woodman.
Oh, back to what I'm going to buy for myself: I am going to buy a digital camera so that I can post pictures of my work! Can't wait! Got to get back to work......
Toodles!
posted by knutty4knitting @ 12:49 PM
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