By Gosh, I am GONNA Do It: Plus Online Yarn Resources I Like

Finished Worsted Sock
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I finished Sock #1 of these generically lovely socks and now it will have to sit and wait until yarn comes for its mate. I had bought the last skeins of color 31 at Bluebonnet, so I went to the Internets to find more. I figure if I make each sock of one dye lot, any slight discrepancy won't be too noticeable. For that reason, I did not start Sock #2 out of the leftovers of #1. But I AM going to finish this pair of socks or else!

I got the extra yarn at Woodland Woolworks, where it is $.60 more per skein than at the LYS, plus I pay shipping (but no tax). But, they had all the colors and I had "Craft Cash" from there sufficient to pay for one skein! Also, I like to buy from them because they have very good customer service--I got a personal note from a staff person to tell me the book I had also ordered (Elsebeth Lavold's Viking Knits) was out of stock but would be in soon, and to assure me the discount had been applied. I also got three skeins of 1824 Wool to make Lee another pair of house socks--he asked for the Stone color--men sure like plain things.

I was going to try to get yarn for one of the IK Winter 07 projects I liked, but they didn't have any of those yarns. Guess I will scout the LYS to see if they have any of them before Internetting again (I do prefer to buy locally from my friend when I can!).

Of course, this lull gives me license to start NEW SOCKS! I am going to wind up that pink Dream in Color prize yarn and get cracking on the Dove socks in the Cat Bordhi book, either tonight or tomorrow! (Tonight I may instead concentrate on finishing the VLT scarf, which didn't get worked on yesterday at all.) In any case, the prospect of learning a new skill is very exciting.

Favorite Online Shops: What Are Yours?

Since I brought it up earlier, I think I'll list my favorite online yarn sources. Please feel free to tell me YOUR favorites in the comments, in case anyone wants to give them a try! I won't be listing ones I have only used once, or ones I had bad experiences with. I'll stick with raving about my favorites.

Astrid's Dutch Obsessions: This is in the Netherlands, and she gets a lot of European sock yarns, some of which you can't get here, or don't show up in the US until way later. Great selection of Opal, Trekking and Regia. She also has Kauni and some other hard-to-find non-sock yarns. The prices are really good for the German yarns, especially if you pool your purchases with others to make the shipping not so bad. And Astrid is very nice.

Kaleidoscope Yarns: This is a real storefront in Vermont. I used to shop there a lot more when I needed every color of Plymouth Eros for the scarves I used to sell. But I still go there when I have a specific need. They have a large selection and ship quickly.

Knitivity: Small online shop with the unique and lovely yarns dyed by Ray in Houston. He's changed how he does the ordering now, so you can order any of his colorways and he will dye them right up for you. I like to support small businesses, and since Ray's a real individualist, I feel good supporting him.

Knitpicks: I mostly get needles from here. I used to get their sock yarn, but it didn't do much for me. I love, love, love their needles, both the metal and the wood. They have very good customer service (I quickly got a replacement for a defective item) and I enjoy their paper catalogues, too.

The Loopy Ewe : I think I have gone on and on enough about this one. But really, if you want indie dyer sock yarn, you just MUST go here. This place has to have the best customer service, marketing, and style of any online retailer. You always get presents and friendly notes, and advance notice of new items after 6 orders.

Simply Socks Yarn Co.: Another good online sock yarn vendor, who has more commercial stuff than TLE does. The owner is a new mother, and I like to support businesses that let mothers stay home with their babies (a prejudice left over from my previous nonprofit organization career). They have fast service, a fun blog, and a good selection!

Woodland Woolworks: Nice people in the Great Northwest, about whom I have already raved. I love their newspaper-like catalogue, too. They give you coupons for discounts when you buy stuff there, so it makes up for shipping and handling!