New York Minknit

Sometimes, I like to read Sheri’s blog at The Loopy Ewe. I have never ordered anything from this online store, so I cannot speak for their customer service. That being said, I think Sheri’s blog is pretty good and certainly a smart promotional tool for her business. She writes three times a week, gives updates about the online store, provides free patterns, encourages community among her customers, and gives a sense of the woman behind the business. This is a corporate (or in her case, small business) blog grand slam. So many businesses have trouble getting a great blog off the ground, and hers is not only interesting but she also creates demand in her customers. So far, so good.

I don’t generally read comments on her blog, but recently, I read the comments on this post, and I was shocked. People either have no idea how business works or they have become deranged by their desire for yarn and have forgotten basic capitalist principles. Namely, you give someone money. They give you a product. That is it.

[Random, but related aside: For example, at EVERY magazine that I have ever worked at, readers would send mail asking why we had so many ads, and could we reduce the number of ads or, as one letter said, “If you must have ads, could you put them in the back so we don’t have to see them?” C’mon, do the math. Look at the current rates for Glamour: a 1/6th page ad, in black and white, costs $22,010 PER ISSUE. You pay $15/year for a subscription. Glamour is not going to “put all the ads in the back.” If you read the comments on this knitspot post, people are complaining about the same thing in Vogue Knitting–that there are too many ads. Almost ALL magazines–with some exceptions, like Consumer Reports–are advertising supported.]

Anyway. People were outraged, because some fab new German yarn, Wollmeise, quickly sold out within minutes of it being posted. Customers suggested, nay, demanded a limit on the yarn. If people were reselling the yarn, like with those “I am not a plastic bag” bags, then perhaps that would make sense. But if people are just buying it to horde it and stroke it and run around naked with it, then hello! This poor woman runs a business. Her goal is to sell yarn and to turn a profit. Not to make sure everybody gets what they want. People have some kind of weird consumer entitlement, where they feel businesses should be run to make them happy*, not to make a profit.

*Businesses, not, say, health care. Health care is a different issue. But you do not need yarn to live. That is not a right you are entitled to.

Okay, I’m curious about your opinions, and I would love it if you would respond. Obviously, I am biased, but I am open to hearing other opinions.

(1) What is your feeling about advertising in print and online? Do you feel it distracts from the editorial content? Or are you interested in the stuff they offer?

(2) Are there situations where you think items should be limited? Like Hermes Kelly bags, or more to the point of this blog, yarn?

It is time to discuss subway knitting. My main activities on the subway are sleeping and reading the newspaper–though I have never mastered the newspaper fold necessary to read the Times without stabbing everyone in the face–but I do sometimes knit on the subway. Considering the five worst subway stories I have ever heard*, I would think that knitting on the subway would be considered a really boring activity. But it is not! People are always talking to me about it.

On one hand, I understand. I have been known to strike up conversations with complete strangers on the subway, including asking people for help with crossword puzzle clues. On the other hand, I generally am not interested in talking to people about my knitting. Sometimes, the people who ask ARE knitters, and want to know what kind of stitch I am making or something, but mostly, they are not. No one has ever been mean about it (unlike the horrible experience this knitter had, ugh) but they always want to know if it’s hard, how they should pick it up, and my, doesn’t it take patience? Then they stare intently at my needles and yarn. (Once again, I am somewhat sympathetic, since I always always read people’s celebrity magazines over their shoulders.) And then talk with their friends about my knitting. The whole experience is kind of uncomfortable. **

*I will not go into detail about these horrible stories, but they are horrible. The least horrible involves vomiting on a stranger.

** Though one of the more amusing interactions was with two teenagers. The boyfriend said, “How come she has four sticks? I thought knitting took two.” And the girlfriend said, “She’s knitting socks.” [Calls out to me, “Hey! You’re knitting socks, aren’t you?” I say yes.] Girlfriend continues, “I saw someone else yesterday with those little sticks and yarn, and she said she was knitting socks, that’s how I knew.” [Calls out to me, “Hers weren’t pretty like yours though!”]

In other news, I have finished Harry Potter 7, but I will keep the ending quiet. I did randomly find this Etsy seller with yarn named after Harry Potter characters, in case you are interested.

My shawl is looking like a group of moldy lit*le alien bu*ts.

This is my first lace project and it’s pretty interesting. I like the Addi Lace, but I haven’t used the Knitpicks, so I can’t compare. I wanted to knit on vacation, so I didn’t wait to order the Knitpicks version. The Addi Lace needles are definitely better than the regular Addi. (And in response to the comments in the last post, yes, they are sharper than the Addi bamboo. I’ve tried Inox sock needles but not the circulars, so my review knowledge is limited.)

Sorry for the lack of exciting post material; I only have these moldy li*tle alien bu*ts.

From left to right: Addi Turbo, Addi Lace, Addi Natura, Clover Bamboo

Addis are too expensive. Anyway, here’s a photo for a comparison of their tips.

Not much knitting info here, but here are some great free patterns I’ve discovered on Ravelry:

Slightly More than Scarf , from Living in Stitches

Spring Cable Socks, from SpaceKnitty

Ribbed Lace Bolero, from 10 Feet High

Adam and I came back from a week at the Jersey Shore. Only a little knitting on the bus, ’cause my arm has been feeling ache-y.

The shawl on the bus ride down.

I read two books (The Patron Saint of Liars and The Magician and the Cardsharp) and Adam embraced his inner nerd by reading a Dune book:

We went to Cape May for a day and I briefly went to a yarn store:

Fiber Arts Studio                 
Address:
315 Ocean Street
Washington Commons
Cape May, NJ   08204
Phone: 609-898-8080

website:http://www.yarnsrus.net/contact.htm

I was only in here for about twenty minutes (it was hot outside and I quickly realized I did not need any more yarn) but it seemed like a nice yarn store. Not particularly spectacular, but it seemed very well stocked with every kind of yarn you might want (cheap yarns, expensive yarns, cottons, sock yarn,  baby-clothes yarn) and a decent-sized book section. It also seemed to have a lot of business–in the twenty minutes I was in there, there were tons of customers coming and going (about 15 or so), most buying quite a bit of yarn.  Cape May seems to have a lot of slocals–summer locals–who spend the whole summer in town, so there are a decent amount of knitters with a lot of free time. I overheard one customer saying she comes in every summer and another customer, who came in with a couple of kids, saying that they were going to knit bags for all of the cousins and aunts. It’s right next to the bus station, so it’s easy to find if you happen to be in the area.

Back to work!