There are so many stereotypes in the world, it shouldn't be surprising that there are stereotypes about knitters, too. Spending so much time in the LYS and with other knitters, I've noticed quite a lot about us knitters as a group. Interestingly enough, the one thing we all have in common is that we don't all have much in common!
Some of us are 8 and in elementary school, some of us are 30, and some of us are retired. (Why do people always picture Granny in a rocking chair?) Some of us are men, some women. We prefer to knit alone or in groups or in front of the TV. We insist on washable fibers, or we couldn't care less as long as it's beautiful. (It's like we're clones, right?)
Favorite fibers vary, although based on sales, natural fibers are more popular than synthetics. Many people will knit gifts in a more expensive fiber than they use for themselves, while some look for something inexpensive but durable. Customers often use a different fiber than called for in the pattern as long as they can match the gauge, but almost as often insist on the same fiber called for in the pattern.
Most of us have abandoned using the specific yarn (i.e. Kraemer Classic) called for in a pattern, while some of us are very precise about using the yarn called for. Color choices tend to be all over the map, from folks who love a nice grey to the wild "Crazy Aunt Purl" colors so many of us think of when we remember hand knits from our childhoods. It seems we rarely use the color specified in the pattern.
While blends rule with sock knitters, what exactly is blended varies from yarn to yarn and knitter to knitter. Cashmere and nylon, cotton and spandex, wool and acrylic, and wool and polyamid will readily all show up in one sock knitter's list of favorites.
What's true about nearly all of us is that we're a pretty cool bunch. Most of us are happy to meet other knitters of any age, race, nationality, or profession. We share needles, tools, patterns, and of course, food and drink with knitters we know well and with total strangers. We're like a crafty little AFL-CIO. (I'm sure some political conservatives just cringed at the reference.)
We are not sheep. We're a community. I love it.
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Where You Buy Your Yarn
The knitting ladies at Karma have been coming in for their visits, and their sit-and-knits. In very large numbers, visitors have been coming in with yarns purchased somewhere else (usually online sources) and showing them off to the owner and the Knit Doctors. They proceed to visit, drink coffee, knit awhile, and then leave without making any purchase of any kind.
Really? I get that the economy is challenging all of us right now, and that no knitter will every buy all of their yarn from only one source. From time to time a fiber show, a vacation, or another shop will tempt us all. I do not get people bringing in yarn purchased from competitors and expecting the staff of the Local Yarn Shop (LYS) to be excited about their purchase.
In the national and local scenes, the LYS is threatened species. None of us knit because we must. We knit because we love it. It's a luxury hobby, whether you knit in acrylic or cashmere. Since the economy is slow, fewer people have discretionary cash to spend on yarn. Fewer yarn buyers mean fewer yarn sales, which means LYS owners are making less money. Sources indicate that the US has lost over 15% of its Local Yarn Shops in the last year! Online sources have suffered as well, but to a much smaller extent.
Our shop owner, MaryAnn, is perhaps the nicest woman on the earth. She would never show her frustration or hurt feelings when people rub their purchases from elsewhere in her face. I am not as nice, and am saying in plain terms "Knock it off!" It's rude to show MaryAnn what you didn't buy from her. Karma is a business, first and foremost. The primary focus is to turn a small profit. Every sale matters, no matter how small.
There are very, very few yarns that cannot be had through Karma, or a satifactory substitute is available. Every possible price point is represented. If the LYS is an important part of your knitting life, spend your money there. Karma is a community shop, supported by the local knitting community. When the locals stop buying, the shop will close. It's karma at it's simplest.
Really? I get that the economy is challenging all of us right now, and that no knitter will every buy all of their yarn from only one source. From time to time a fiber show, a vacation, or another shop will tempt us all. I do not get people bringing in yarn purchased from competitors and expecting the staff of the Local Yarn Shop (LYS) to be excited about their purchase.
In the national and local scenes, the LYS is threatened species. None of us knit because we must. We knit because we love it. It's a luxury hobby, whether you knit in acrylic or cashmere. Since the economy is slow, fewer people have discretionary cash to spend on yarn. Fewer yarn buyers mean fewer yarn sales, which means LYS owners are making less money. Sources indicate that the US has lost over 15% of its Local Yarn Shops in the last year! Online sources have suffered as well, but to a much smaller extent.
Our shop owner, MaryAnn, is perhaps the nicest woman on the earth. She would never show her frustration or hurt feelings when people rub their purchases from elsewhere in her face. I am not as nice, and am saying in plain terms "Knock it off!" It's rude to show MaryAnn what you didn't buy from her. Karma is a business, first and foremost. The primary focus is to turn a small profit. Every sale matters, no matter how small.
There are very, very few yarns that cannot be had through Karma, or a satifactory substitute is available. Every possible price point is represented. If the LYS is an important part of your knitting life, spend your money there. Karma is a community shop, supported by the local knitting community. When the locals stop buying, the shop will close. It's karma at it's simplest.
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