LYS thoughts
The knitblogs list is talking about rude LYS people, and I just wanted to add my own thoughts. When I first went to the LYS where I now work, I thought Molly was pretty terrible. She wasn't really rude, but she had no sense of humor, didn't make me feel welcome, and it was kind of uncomfortable being in there. Which I thought was very strange considering no one else was there and it was pretty clear she doesn't do much business (at least not people coming into the store, she has plenty of wholesale), you'd think she'd be very happy to see me. Well I tried going back again, and that time it was someone else there (now I know it's Kathy), and she was much the same way, no sense of humor, not in the best mood. I said I'd never go back because it wasn't the experience I was looking for in a LYS, but I kept going back cuz I need yarn (duh).
I kept trying to warm them up to me and it started to work a bit when I introduced myself to Molly one day, when I had been in there three weeks straight and she was helping me pick out a color. Then I asked if she needed help, and now I'm friends with her! She really is kind of weird (so is Kathy), but they are very nice, happy people. I think the attitude we see in store employees is not intentional, I have a theory that they simply don't have the most customer service experience. For example, Molly is a scientist, weaver, spinner, knitter. None of these things are particularly people skills. Kathy works in an office during the day doing accounting work, and has a technical background (she did sound for Broadway before moving back to PA). Again, not people stuff.
Working at the LYS is having the effect I hoped for: I'm learning what to do and not do in my own LYS in the future. I've already realized that inventory organization, and a system for displaying yarn, are probably the most important things to get organized at once. Trying to find more of a certain color is impossible unless you know where it is (do you KNOW how many blues there are in Encore alone??), and it's even harder to know when you're out of something if you don't know where the rest of it is stashed. In my store I will organize everything by yarn weight, ala Patternworks. And within the weights they will be sorted by color, with partitions between colors. That way I can stuff the skeins in there without worrying about them jumping out. Oh, and in my store, if I have only one skein of a certain dye lot left, I am putting it in an oddballs bin. I hate looking at that non-matching skein. And I've realized that I need a LOT of space. Oh, and a lot of lighting. Oh, and I need a system for color cards (am thinking that hanging them off a wall somehow would be the best, so I can leaf through them without stacking/unstacking).
The other thing I've decided about my store is that I am going to introduce myself to every person who walks in the door. And my employees will all wear name tags, if not uniforms, so new customers can figure out who works there and who's just hanging out (don't you hate when people come up to you and ask "do you work here?" -- and don't you hate having to ASK?).
I've already decided not to label individual balls of yarn, but rather put up a label on the shelf (if the supermarket can do it. . . ). I am also planning on knitting a large swatch (maybe a whole skein's worth) of every yarn in the suggested gauge and putting it up with the yarn display, with all the pertinent info pinned on. And then I was thinking, as yarns get discontinued, I could somehow cover a wall with the old swatches! It'd be like a quilted wall of knitting.
I decided a long time ago that my goal store will have a huge selection of OOP and hard-to-find books. And I'll buy them from people as well.
Molly sold one of Kathy's shawls this week. I didn't think anyone actually bought all that stuff that's on display, so wasn't planning on putting my store samples for sale. I mean, it's mostly knitters who come in there, and they must look at the stuff and say "I could make this why would I buy it?" -- but I guess some do buy.
Ok that's enough out of me for now, I have NOTHING to do today (how is this possible??) so I plan on knitting. On the couch, because this computer chair is killing my back (I'm such an old woman).
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So I fixed the shoulders and did the funnel neck again. Went to try it on and of course couldn't get the thing over my head b/c the bind off edge was so tight (even though I did it loosely). So I took it apart and did a sewed bind off, then tried it on again, this time managing to actually get it on. Then (surprise, surprise), of course, I don't like the way I look in it. It is a bit short (GRR, I always do the same things wrong, why can't I figure it out after the upteenth time???) and I need to do some kind of finish around the armholes because they look funky. I also think if I were to wear it, I'd need to wear a restrictive bra because it makes me look like I have huge boobs. Thankfully it fits, though. Not tight, not loose. No funky bagging in the back, not riding in the front. But even with all those positives, it isn't something I'd buy in a store for myself. That is my ultimate goal, to make clothes that I would buy. I used 4 hanks of the Summer Tweed on this top, so I still have 6 left. I will be trying the shapely tank that everyone else is talking about, I think. And maybe I'll do a quick little bag with some of it, too.
For now I've picked up the scarf for Rachel and am trying to get that done. I did finish one more square for Kaleb's blanket, too. While working at the LYS today I came up with, oh, three new projects to add to my ever-growing list of WIMs. To satisfy my colorwork urge, a little sweater for Pepper. For my sister, who requested a cowl a long time ago, I think I figured out the yarn. . . maybe. And for me, I want to use Fiesta Yarns's LaBoheme for a shawl! At $28 per hank, where one hank is not enough for the whole thing, let's just say that one's definitely not happening soon. BUT, Matt just left to go hang out with people and I didn't want him to go. He said if he's not back by 1:45 that I get to buy the yarn I saw today! And it's now 1:27. . . maybe I'll be getting a nice mohair shawl! I didn't tell him how much the yarn I liked was, I only said that it was too expensive, and when he left his money on the counter (almost $200), I said, "Yeah that's enough." I can't decide if I want him to come home and be with me or to be late so I can have some awesome yarn! hahah
yay!
My shift at the LYS yesterday was the best one yet. I got there late, and spent the whole time just doing Jamison & Smith winding and labeling, but this time I had Kathy, the other employee, to talk to the whole time! Plus then a few people dropped in, and two ladies, Ellen and Roberta, sat and knit while we rolled, and talked to us the whole time! The time flew by, and I barely noticed that I had done over 240 hanks of yarn! It was awesome. Roberta even showed me the right way to knit continental, and I think I figured out how I'm supposed to be holding the yarn so that I can pick instead of throw/wrap. I can do it ok now, but only for knitting, not for purling. So much good that is to me, especially since right now I'm working on a seed stitch scarf. =)
hosekeeping
Ok I figured out how to post on my old url to redirect people here. Sorry for the inconvenience everyone! (esp. Jen!)
Now I'm just a moron. I just realized that I never moved the archives script onto the new template! What a tool. It's fixed now. Hopefully this is the last of the site upkeep for today. . .
BTW, Matt came home on time yesterday, so no new yarn for me. =)
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Look, some fellow bloggers are doing my dream and opening a yarn store! WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon, set to open in the fall, is owned by Jackie and her friend. I am bright green right now.
Ok, so I cast off the funnel neck and weave in the end. Weave in one of the shoulder ends. Turn the top over to weave in the other end and yell, "OH MY GOD!" -- the two shoulders don't match! One one side I cast off 11 stitches, on the other, only 9. So one shoulder is much wider than the other, and the funnel neck is not centered. Here we go back to the frog pond. . .
