So the scarf kit I purchased over the weekend is from the same store I had a less than satisfactory experience in some time ago. I'm trying to remember if I told you all about it or not but I have no idea. I think I purposely block out the things in life that make me crazy. You see, we spent an entire day one weekend driving around aimlessly trying to find this damn yarn store in the middle of nowhere. It was pouring. Buckets. Of cats and dogs. And we had all 3 of the kids with us. Who knew we had set out for a trip to a yarn store. But the ads I had seen for the store were amazing. Well worth getting lost for hours in the pouring rain with 3 kids loudly protesting a trip to a yarn store. It was supposed to be packed to the rafters with more yarn and other knitterly things than you'd ever find in one location. But when we got there the cupboards were bare. Seriously. They had very little inventory. Not enough of one yarn to knit even a baby blanket. Hardly any needles. Very few modern patterns. I wondered if I was in the right store or not. I politely asked if there was another floor or stock in another area since the ads I'd seen made the store look much larger and much more full of merchandise. In fact, they advertised an extensive list of yarn lines and patterns that they didn't even have a quarter of. The sales woman was very snippy and rude and told me that they have the largest store with the biggest inventory in the entire state of NY. I knew that simply wasn't true since even the little hole in the wall LYS here in Saranac Lake carries a larger inventory than they had. Nope, that was it. A few minutes later a man walked in and the clerk loudly told him I had asked if there was another part of the store I was missing. He got rude and started swearing. I placed the few things I was going to buy back in their places and walked out of the store empty handed. I emailed the store that night or the following day hoping to get some sort of justification for the obnoxious behavior of the clerk and her friend but was pretty much blown off. I vowed to tell everyone I knew about the store and hoped with all my might that they would be out of business soon. Obviously I didn't get my wish.
My problem? I really, really, really love this scarf kit. And they are the only ones who sell the kit. It's their yarn and their pattern. Even though I bought it at a different store, I'm still supporting that nasty store back in Woodstock that I'd still love to put out of business. What to do, what to do? Should I pull up my big girl panties and get over it? Should I return the kit to the store I bought it from? Help me decide.
My other little problem is trying to decide if I want to keep going on these socks for my dad.
It's the Thuja pattern from Knitty in Bearfoot's Tamarack colorway. I personally love the pattern and the yarn but given the fact that my dad thought the cabled socks were "womanly" I'm wondering if he'll think the same of these. I'm currently working this on a US 2 Addi over 52 stitches. If I keep going I'll definitely have to go down to a 1 once the leg is completed. Do you think there's enough stretch in that rib to not increase the number of stitches I work for the foot?
Can't wait to hear your advice on both topics. :-)
7 comments:
Hey Kerry, long time no talk!
I'll throw my two cents into the ring. I strongly believe in voting with my dollars. I would choose to return the kit and explain why I was doing it. For me, I would always think of the bad business and the scarf would always be tainted.
For the sock, I really can't say. Go with your gut.
I'm with Maia- I'd return the scarf kit, no matter how much I loved it. I would think of that day every time I worked on or wore the scarf.
I love the yarn for your socks! I don't think the colors are feminine, but I suppose some men may think they are. Not sure whether you'd have to increase or not. See how it goes?
I vote go with your gut on both accounts.... I was thinking keep th scarf kit and support th estore you bought it from, but if you are thinking about the hisory of, you may knot be able to look past it and enjoy the knitting or final product. The socks are lovely but you are already thinking that he might not like the pattern... any chance you could ask him before you continue?
Good luck!
I vote return and explain why, also. Maybe you could take the credit and purchase something else from store and not support the crappy one.
I agree with Melissa ... maybe you can get some store credit for the kit?
Also, the yarn for Thuja looks fantastic! I know when I made John a pair, I used Cascade 220, and they turned out perfect! I don't know if you can tell if they'll be big enough until you get to the heel flap?
You'll always curse the originating store when you look at the pattern so I'm with the ladies above - return it to the seller with a full and complete explanation. Maybe they'll pass it along so those cretins will remember the woman they blew off way back when...
Socks? Heck, finish them off and if your dad won't wear them, my husband will! He likes happy socks :) As he tells me "Color does NOT make the man!"
Return that scarf kit!! And make sure you let them know WHY you want to return it. And a little letter to those people telling them that you bought the kit but then returned it once you found out it was theirs!
As for the socks, I don't think Thuja is a "girly" pattern at all! And if I knit my Dad socks without talking to him about it first, he would have no choice but to love them! Because I made them! Won't that work? That is why I end up wearing a necklace made from noodles and a shoelace- because one of my children made it for me!
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