My Christmas gift to you...... a laugh at my expense?
What you are looking at is quite possibly the most expensive Rowan wool/cotton sweater ever knit. Oh, yes, I'm confident of that. And you are about to find out why.
A little background may be helpful here. I do love a LYS - but there are two types of LYS. One type is the ultimate in pampered knitting. This is the yarn shop where you wander in and immediately have your own sales clerk who will help you select the yarn, pattern, and then cast-on for you. The other type is where you wander in and can stay for an hour without anyone offering to help you and if you ask a question it is more often than not, met with a blank stare. This is a story about the first type of LYS. Parenthetically, there are LYS that are in between these two extremes and luckily for me I have just such a one in Santa Monica and that's Wild Fiber. But I digress from my story.
The sweater I'm wearing was actually "designed" for me by a LYS, which also "calculated" the yarn needed to knit the sweater. So helpful. This is where you laugh. The picture below is the "left over" yarn from this project. Some might suggest that I was over sold on the yarn. Be that as it may be - the clincher for me was once I had knit the sweater there was no way it could be "finished" unless by a professional "finisher." The individual pieces were like trying to fit the proverbial square peg into a round hole. Fortunately for me, this LYS also specialized in "finishing" projects. Now I wouldn't have minded paying for the "finishing" so much if it had truly been an option. However, given the oddly shaped pieces I had knit, only a professional could possibly have sewn it together in anything like a wearable garment. Thus, I paid to have it finished as well. Now, you see, how the cost of this sweater became prodigious.
But it's all good. I've worn it at least twice in the past 4 years and I do like it - I think.
Specs: 4 balls Rowan Wool Cotton (3 balls left over), S. Charles Filati D. Italia, Samba, US 6 Needles. I'm fairly certain a similar sweater could be knit from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (Hourglass Sweater) - a book I seem to refer to a lot but have yet to knit anything from.
What you are looking at is quite possibly the most expensive Rowan wool/cotton sweater ever knit. Oh, yes, I'm confident of that. And you are about to find out why.
A little background may be helpful here. I do love a LYS - but there are two types of LYS. One type is the ultimate in pampered knitting. This is the yarn shop where you wander in and immediately have your own sales clerk who will help you select the yarn, pattern, and then cast-on for you. The other type is where you wander in and can stay for an hour without anyone offering to help you and if you ask a question it is more often than not, met with a blank stare. This is a story about the first type of LYS. Parenthetically, there are LYS that are in between these two extremes and luckily for me I have just such a one in Santa Monica and that's Wild Fiber. But I digress from my story.
The sweater I'm wearing was actually "designed" for me by a LYS, which also "calculated" the yarn needed to knit the sweater. So helpful. This is where you laugh. The picture below is the "left over" yarn from this project. Some might suggest that I was over sold on the yarn. Be that as it may be - the clincher for me was once I had knit the sweater there was no way it could be "finished" unless by a professional "finisher." The individual pieces were like trying to fit the proverbial square peg into a round hole. Fortunately for me, this LYS also specialized in "finishing" projects. Now I wouldn't have minded paying for the "finishing" so much if it had truly been an option. However, given the oddly shaped pieces I had knit, only a professional could possibly have sewn it together in anything like a wearable garment. Thus, I paid to have it finished as well. Now, you see, how the cost of this sweater became prodigious.
But it's all good. I've worn it at least twice in the past 4 years and I do like it - I think.
Specs: 4 balls Rowan Wool Cotton (3 balls left over), S. Charles Filati D. Italia, Samba, US 6 Needles. I'm fairly certain a similar sweater could be knit from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (Hourglass Sweater) - a book I seem to refer to a lot but have yet to knit anything from.
12 comments:
It's gorgeous on you, if it's any consolation!
It's a beautiful sweater and looks very nice on you. (You should wear it more often.) That said, I enjoyed your story from the perspective of having been in similar situations. Curious, what was their policy on returning the extra yarn?
Lovely shade of green, and it looks good on you, as always. Reading your post made me laugh, and shake my head at the same time. I would never trust any of the ladies opinions in any of my LYS's. Did you return the left over yarn? But I guess not.
OK, I did have to laugh at the story, but it is a beautiful sweater. And at least you have worn it, 'cause otherwise it would be a somewhat tragic story ...
Fortunately, it also looks really nice on you, so in the end at least you ended up with something good! :-)
I'm sure you could think up something nice to knit with the leftover yarn. Something that doesn't need an "expert" to finish. Then at least you'd have two things to show for the expense. It is a pretty sweater.
Nevermind the cost. . . the sewater is really really really pretty! And the color looks great on you!
It is quite beautiful, and it fits very well. If I really thought about how much money all the yarn I have in my stash is worth, I'd probably have a coronary- you just can't thnk about it. Although I might avoid that store.
Good story! I think we can all relate to that. The sweater fits you fantastically, though, and that is an awesome shade of green. So, love it and wear it!!
The sweater looks great on you! You should wear it more often. And I agree with Pat K, if you knit a matching scarf with the leftover yarn, you'll have 2 finshed items for the price of 1.
It looks great on you! For heaven sake put that $$$$ sweater on more often! Its much too nice to be hidden in away.
BTW you don't have to wait for a spinning wheel to spin. Try a spindle. Some people catch on right away, some don't, some prefer the wheel (like me).
Love your blog. Love your expensive sweater also. I am always buying off the sale rack etc.. But not with yarn, that is the one area I allow myself to go all out, and spend.
The sweater looks fabulous on you!!
Vicki
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