Wool Peddler yarn shop

[francesca]

I just have to make a super shout-out and endorsement for the Wool Peddler online yarn shop. (No, I don't work for them! )

 

I had ordered four hanks of recycled sari yarn from them--it's truly an amazing product. I made one scarf from two hanks, no problem. But as I was winding up one of the other hanks, the yarn literally fell to pieces in my hands. It's a very quirky yarn because of the technique and materials used to make it, so I wasn't that surprised.

 

So I emailed their customer service and was told to send back the yarn for an exchange. I did indeed do that, but the yarn I chose was a couple bucks more than the original yarn. I wrote in my note back that they could charge my credit card for the difference.

 

So today, a package arrives from them, with the new yarn. There's a little note in their that they just traded the 'bad' yarn out for this other yarn and that I didn't need to pay the difference. Also, there was a little felted zippered pouch with a cute flower on it!

 

Now that is customer service!

 

Sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to share a good story about buying yarn online and about people who actually care about those who use their products.

[jacqui]

Wow they've got great stuff my girlfriend has been nagging me to find a site to get this stuff from. Now i can help her to get exactly what she wants. She actually makes much nicer things than any of those patterns they have though.So i will have to hurry up and get a camera and learn how to post photos.

[sunshine1977]

Thanks soooo much for the link!! I absolutely adore silk sari yarn, but at $22-25/skein from other outlets I have found, I haven't been able to use it much...This is much more reasonable!!

 

Laurie:hook

[francesca]

The yarn they just sent me is the Kathmandu Bathed. It is much, much softer than the other sari yarn I got in my first shipment. Although it's initially difficult to work with (it twists up on itself quite a lot), it really is a beautiful and unique yarn to work with.

 

I also like that it is a Fair Trade product and that it gives at least a little work to Tibetan refugees.

 

Here's a pic of the first scarf I made from it and a detail of the texture.

 

[natalie058]

Wow - very, very gorgeous. Thanks for the tip on that site, I'd never run across it before and now already have a couple items on my 'to dream' list. They're really reasonably priced, too!!

[Chicki]

dont they have an ebay store too? If so, I have been thinking about ordering!

 

 

They yarn is just beautiful, I love the colors.

 

~Chicki

[Qmare]

Very pretty.

 

I bought some recycled Sari Silk on Ebay and it is very strange. It has bits of wood in it and ranges in thickness from thread thin (literally) to very thick. I don't mind variable texture but the thin areas are soooooo thin that it is impossible to use alone. I used 2 hanks together and did ok but it didn't come out nearly as nice as yours.

 

Thanks for the link! I'll buy mine there from now on!

[sunshine1977]

Yes, the silk sari yarn many times has bits of wood, grass, etc spun into it, and it is definitely thick and VERY thin in spots...Usually if the thin spots are tightly spun, it will be okay to use it alone, but if not tightly spun, it will pull apart...I usually cut out the bad section and tie a knot (yes, a knot!) and keep going! Because the yarn is so rustic looking, a knot just adds more character! I usually leave about 1/2" tails where I tie the yarn, and be sure to pull the knot very tight...Silk is VERY strong!! As far as the bits of wood, grass, etc., if they are fairly large, fairly long or bothersome in some other way, i try to pull them out if possible, or again use the cut and tie method. Remember, this stuff is made by women in Tibet, India, etc., and they are probably working outdoors, or at the very least certainly not in a nice clean environment like you might expect to find in other places...IMO, this stuff is not for people who like nice neat-looking crocheted or knitted items with perfect stitches...I think it is made for the raggedy look, and I love it!!

 

Laurie:hook

[francesca]

I love the quirkiness of this yarn, too. It really is a bizarre material to work with if you are used to "mainstream" yarn. And the pieces it produces are certainly not for uptight people with strict ideas regarding what crochet is about!

 

In the first couple of hanks I used, I did find little twigs and leaves in it from time to time, but they are usually easy to get out. The Bathed Kathmandu that I ordered from the Wool Peddler and balled up last night is actually quite nice with no little twiggies and no dangerously thin parts. Come to think of it, the two hanks I made the scarf with didn't get too terribly thin. It seems that this shop got mostly good batches while other merchants have some troublesome stuff.

 

Thanks for the compliments on my scarf. I just used a simple DC V-stitch. For the next scarf for my mom, I am going to try to make it a little airier and meshier.

[dogymom]

Your scarf is gorgeous!!!

[Chicki]

the bannana yarn looks pretty interesting.....

 

 

Maybe I could even get my boyfriend interested in a scarf or something if I tell him it was made from a bannana tree!

 

Nah on second though, he still wont care Not unless it is made from an Xbox or something

 

 

~Chicki

[luckygrrl]

Hey Francesca, how do you find that sari yarn to work with? I got some on eBay and I'm loving how it's looking in the scarf I'm making, but I find it the biggest !)$*#@)$*#!)( to work with! It's constantly twisting. I made it into a ball, but it was all twisty as I went, so I then went backwards and made it into another ball, untwisting as I went. However while I work it tangles right back up immediately, so that I'm constantly having to untwist the section I'm about to use. Really slow going!! It's driving me crazy.

[crochetdiva]

Thank you for the fascinating post. I loved looking at all the yarn...might even buy some.

[francesca]

Luckygrrl--

It really is not 100% fun to work with. As I was balling it up, I did my best to untwist it (not untwist the actual yarn, but untwist the curls it makes). I then let it "rest" in a ball for a week or so, speculating that it might calm down a little after being balled up.

As I was crocheting with it, I tried to keep it from twisting as it passed through the fingers of my left hand and that seemed to work.

[luckygrrl]

Sounds pretty much like what I'm doing with it (in fact, I'm working on that scarf with it right now). Maybe I just got a twistier batch.

[Rosemary]

I have never heard of this yarn, but I am going to go investigate it now at the online shop you posted. Your scarf is so pretty. I love the look. I am also glad to learn about a new material to work with.

[vernzap]

Ah, I love places that know what "customer service" is and and treats people with kindness. Thanks for telling us about them!

[francesca]

Ah, I love places that know what "customer service" is and and treats people with kindness. Thanks for telling us about them!

 

Absolutely. That was mostly the point I was trying to make. The sari yarn is a fascinating product, but mostly I was just so happy to deal with an online retailer who was thankful to have my business, who made the transactions as smooth as possible, and who didn't make me feel like it was my fault when there was a problem with the product.

 

Luckygrrl--just stick with it. I know it's like crocheting with a 1980's telephone cord, but your patience will pay off!

[Yarn Duck]

I'll have to check out that store. It's always nice to find a place that understands customer service.

 

I'm so glad you posted a picture of your scarf. I've been toying with the idea of getting some of the sari yarn I've seen on eBay but I wondered what it would look like when crocheted up. And now I know!! It's very nice and I must have a scarf like that. Thanks.

[mythunderbird]

don't ya love a store who not only backs up what the sell, but will upgrade at no extra costs. your scarf is so beautiful, is it a gift or for yourself, i think i would have a hard time giving that up:devil :hug thanks for sharing the store i will look into it after christmas:manyheart

[Shelleden]

Yes, the silk sari yarn many times has bits of wood, grass, etc spun into it, and it is definitely thick and VERY thin in spots...Usually if the thin spots are tightly spun, it will be okay to use it alone, but if not tightly spun, it will pull apart...I usually cut out the bad section and tie a knot (yes, a knot!) and keep going! Because the yarn is so rustic looking, a knot just adds more character! I usually leave about 1/2" tails where I tie the yarn, and be sure to pull the knot very tight...Silk is VERY strong!! As far as the bits of wood, grass, etc., if they are fairly large, fairly long or bothersome in some other way, i try to pull them out if possible, or again use the cut and tie method. Remember, this stuff is made by women in Tibet, India, etc., and they are probably working outdoors, or at the very least certainly not in a nice clean environment like you might expect to find in other places...IMO, this stuff is not for people who like nice neat-looking crocheted or knitted items with perfect stitches...I think it is made for the raggedy look, and I love it!!

 

Laurie:hook

I agree with you - I LOVE the raggy, scraggly look! One of my poncho designs is very scraggly looking (on purpose). I called it Wearable Art. Leisure Arts is publishing it in a leaflet with a couple other of my designs. I can't wait to see my leaflets! Feb. and Mar. can't come soon enough for me!

Also, I have bought some of that recycled silk off E-bay - I got a pretty good deal I thought, but it's kind of weird to work with. I'm making a shawl with it. I wonder if it's washable??? Does anyone know? Thanks!

[francesca]

...your scarf is so beautiful, is it a gift or for yourself, i think i would have a hard time giving that up ...

 

Thank you!

It turned out actually to be a gift for my mother to give to a friend of hers. Now I get to make another, similar scarf for my mother herself, for Xmas.

[itch2stitch]

I'd seen it on ebay, too, and tried to think what I'd use it for - thanks for some good ideas:hook