Sock Yarn
I stopped off at Needlepoint Place on Pembina Hwy on the way home because I had heard it has yarn. They do have yarn, but not very much at all.
I haven't seen this yarn before, so I picked up a ball. It's $13+tax for a 100g ball, so relatively inexpensive for a pair of socks. The aloe intrigued me too.
I suggested she might want to consider some of the small indie dyers, like those that The Loopy Ewe and The Sweet Sheep carry, so that she has something else different to offer from Ram Wools. She wasn't able to get Koigu in (I told her it's pretty impossible for most places to get, and that Ram Wools stopped carrying it because it was so hard to get), but I figure a small store like hers would be better suited for small runs of colours that indie dyers do, as opposed to a big store with mail-order like Ram Wools, who would need minimum amounts to make it worth their while.
Her needlepoint designs (she has many that she designed herself) are wonderful, and she has absolutely *gorgeous* Russian lace (a type of bobbin lace based on Venetian lace). I may take a course from her when I have more pennies saved up. (They're not badly priced given the number of hours, the small size, and the fact that she supplies all of the equipment, etc, but still. Plus she requires you to take at least the Torchon Lace class first, and possibly the Bedfordshire Lace class before you can take the Russian Lace class. That ends up multiplying the cost.)
She also showed me a pair of felted and embroidered mittens that she made. Gorgeous! I highly recommend a visit to see her work, if nothing else. :) (And who knows... she may get in some indie sock dyers!)
6 comments:
The aloe intrigues me too.
Just last week I saw an ad for that yarn in a magazine, (I think it might have been either Knitters Universe or Knit 1). Have you ever tried Austermann Step? It has aloe vera and jojoba, I have a pair of socks my mother knit for me with it, and I was wondering how On Your Toes would compare.
No, I haven't tried that. I was also curious about that yarn, but never saw one in person with a colour that grabbed me, and haven't been tempted enough to pay shipping. ;)
I checked her Ravelry notebook and the Austermann Step socks aren't listed but you can see them on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9949333@N05/1054361597/
I can't tell if the aloe vera & jojoba is doing anything marvelous for my feet but they are extremely soft and very comfy. I have noticed that when I wear them my feet tend to slip around a bit more inside my shoes. And last thing - if you are looking at the colors in a catalog or online - well the color of mine is "wood" which you'd think was browns and greys, and that's what my mother thought she was ordering. Turned out to be lovely plums and greys - even better in my book.
I'll look forward to your report on On Your Toes!
Interesting! I was thinking of making this pair up for a friend, so I probably won't be able to give a wearing report.
ooh ooooooh, I love the pink and green color of yarn you chose. Haven't seen that yarn before either; I'll have to check the place out on my next Pembina trek. Oh, the color of my Trekking is 104.
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