My 1st experience with the LYS

[Shellybrook]

So today, with B'day money in hand...I head to a LYS after doing some research as to LYS's in the area. I walk into a brick building on a side street off of "main st" in this little town. Clearly the building was once a repair shop. When you walk in it was a large open room with lots of windows a coffee pot on the right with a few couches and end tables set up straight ahead. There was YARN GLORIOUS YARN in crates around every wall. It was everything I imagined.

 

After being on crochetville for a while I knew that I was NOT going to get "Red Heart" on sale....but rather going to buy hanks of natural fibers. I also prepared myself to be greeted by a knitter who might not like me simply because I crochet. (sorry ladies but you gave me the impression that most die hard knitters can be "snobbish") So...I walk in and introduced myself to the owner and tell her that I'm a newbie crocheter and I wanted to try my hand at something other than what you get at "Michaels"...She promptly pointed me to the "sale" baskets. (I thought Hmmm...perhaps this is an indication of her assumption that crocheters only work with "cheap" yarn.) I could have been right, I'll never know. I ended up buying more from the sale bin than the others but more so because it looked easier to work with a crochet hook, and I was afraid to spend $25 per hank on angora that looked like a serious hassle with a crochet hook. So about an hour after walking around petting everything in the shop she came to me and asked how I was doing and brought me a basket, since my arms were full. I apologized for petting everything in the store and she said ..."Thats what your supposed to do!"...so we have something in common with knitters.

 

Anyway the big question I left with...how do you know how much yarn you need for a project? I've been so accustomed to getting an idea to work with and just knowing at a glance how many skeins to buy at Michaels. it seems here that I got so much less yarn for so much more money I just don't know how to decifer how much yarn I will need.

 

I CAN however tell you that This will surely be a more expensive hobby than I ever imagined. I bought 3 hanks of Venezia Merino Silk, at 13.75 (I got them half price) for a 102 yds of yarn...I suspect I probably will never want to go back to Michaels for Caron SS. So...I'm afraid my next afghan will cost me $300 to make and I will be afraid to use it!...so is there a chart somewhere to tell you how much yarn to buy?

 

 

Finally....Does anyone have the pleasure of a LYS owned by a crocheter? I think I'd have MOVED IN to that shop if I wouldn't have felt like an outcast sitting on the couch crocheting!

 

I love soft snuggly yarn!

[kittyloverdeb]

Not to be ignorant but...what does LYS stand for? I am new to this forum and can't for the life of me figure out what all these letters stand for! DD and CC? What is that?!

Anyways...I would LOVE to find a store like that! I probably WOULD move in! The only way I know to figure out yarn usage is from the pattern. But then I always seem to over buy whatever it is I am working on. Let me tell you...get caught one time without enough yarn to finish and you will NEVER underestimate again!

Good luck to you...happy crocheting and the heck with those knitters! Crocheting takes more talent anyway...we only use ONE needle!!!

Deb

[yirishrose]

LYS stands for local yarn shop.

[Grifter]

I'll bet she pointed you to the sale bin not because you crochet, but because you mentioned Michaels! I am sure that had you parked yourself on the couch and began crocheting, you would have been as welcome as any knitter.

 

I believe that with the knitting trend levelling off, more stores will need to figure out how to reach other customers in order to maintain or grow their business. Going after crocheters is a great way to do that!

 

The women who work at my LYS (Great Yarns in Raleigh, NC) know how to crochet, and they offer a few crochet classes. I do wish they had a better selection of patterns there, but other than that, the sales people have always been very nice to me.

[andip470]

Our LYS owner is crochet friendly. She's offering some crochet classes. Although she doesn't carry a lot of patterns, she does carry bamboo hooks. Crocheters are always welcome to sit on the couch & hook away. Last time I was there with a friend, she fed us home-made chicken stew & biscuits. :soup

[Shellybrook]

Susan, I bet you're right! Maybe next time I go I WILL pop a squat with a WIP, a cup of tea and go to town! I think I have to learn to knit so that I can play with the yarn that doesn't go well with a hook.

[Hounddog]

I loved your story but have never been to a regular LYS myself I buy the amount of yarn or thread recommended in the pattern. I have seen the codes for bulky, baby, worsted weight etc in the Herschnners catalog and others. So if you want to use a different than called for you can go by the type or weight system on the yarn package. I hope this makes sense.

Darlene

[Sail1OcnBr3zs]

I just popped into my LYS for the third time this week. It's an old Victorian house, pink with white trim. Inside is cozy and inviting with a huge, heavy table and comfortable chairs all round. There are crates, made of light wood, all along the walls stuffed with beautifully soft yarns of every color. Each time I've been there it is bustling with ladies petting the yarn, sitting round the table knitting or crocheting, sipping tea, and chatting with all who enter. On just my second visit they offered to help me locate a pattern I can't seem to find, I really thought it was among my grandmother's things:no , or that I can afford to purchase at the full price.

 

Today I popped in to purchase a new crochet hook to start my first felting project. So far I've been sticking with afghans and scarves. Before I left I bought two pattern books and signed up for knitting classes beginning in March. I can't wait! My grandmother left me a ton of yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, pattern books, and many unfinished projects. I'm sure it will take me awhile before I can begin working on some of her projects. Her stitches are so perfect.

 

I think we have another LYS in town which I should check out. I like to support local businesses.

[Shellybrook]

Thanks Darlene. My Challenge is that the package only has knitting recommendations. It tells me the weight of the yarn and the yards but doesn't say anything pertaining to crochet. I just eyeballed what size hook to use. It so different ..it clearly handspun, it has like a "twist" to it. that you can't feel in the acrylic type yarns.

[SaxDragon]

Lion brand has a yarn requirement chart for different types of projects - it's primarily for knitting, and only a rough estimate, so you'd have to add at least a third again to that amount if you're going to crochet. Other sites have similar charts, but I can't remember any that were specific to crochet.

 

I used to just peek at similar patterns while in the store buying yarn to decide how much I needed. I'd try to remember the number of skeins of each I'd need, but the number of grams in each change every couple of years. Now that skeins list yardage, it's much easier for me to remember without peeking. I have a couple of patterns I make over and over - the ones that I can do while asleep kind of things - so I know how much I need without looking any more :-) If it something I don't make often, or a yarn I'd rather not make an afghan out of, I just do the math or start peeking again :-)

 

You can always make a cheat sheet for your wallet from the pattern books you have - list by category yardage and hook size (for example, the single crochet baby afghan ripple I like to make uses about 1300 yards in worsted weight on an I hook, the double crochet one is 900). I do thins for quilting - how much trim etc for various sizes.

 

Both the "nearby" yarn shops to me (within 60 miles) are primarily for knitters - can't buy an afghan hook at either one. The old one is pretty rude to crocheters, the new one's friendly but doesn't carry much for us. I've often thought that if I ever open a store I'd deliberately stock more for hookers (and if walmart does close out its yarn and fabric, I may have to do that just to have access to stuff when I want it LOL).

[krzykajun]

Anyway the big question I left with...how do you know how much yarn you need for a project?

Michelle

 

Everyone here has been so inspiring that I'm just getting into wearable and accessory projects. I've sat down with my magazines and the couple of books that have those type patterns and jotted down the name of the pattern, the book and page #, and the yarn requirements. I've typed it up in Word and printed it out. I take it with me wherever I go so if I run across yarn that would be appropriate I know how much I need for a given project. Although I thought it would help, I can attest that this does not stop me from buying more than I need

[Grifter]

Susan, I bet you're right! Maybe next time I go I WILL pop a squat with a WIP, a cup of tea and go to town! I think I have to learn to knit so that I can play with the yarn that doesn't go well with a hook.

 

If you do hang out in the store to work on your crochet, let us know how it goes Shelly!

 

I just took my first knitting class last week and I loved it! There were five women in the class, but I was the only one who knew how to crochet. The teacher does not crochet, but during the class she showed us the book Knitting Loves Crochet to illustrate how we could marry the two crafts to create some beautiful, finished pieces. She also showed us some samples in the shop that utilized both crafts, and she encouraged the other women in the class to learn how to crochet.

 

I need a lot of practice before my knitting skills catch up to my crochet skills, but I look forward to the time when I can combine the two crafts! I know there is a great divide between knitting and crochet, but I personally believe that if you know how do one, its not that difficult to learn the other. Any good business person should realize that by supporting both crafts they can grow their business. Those stores that turn their noses up at crocheters will likely end up going out of business in another year or two.

[CDBear]

The owner of my favorite LYS is mostly a knitter, but crochets as well. When I was there Saturday for the class I teach, she was working on a crochet project. When she had a question, I was happy to help!!

When she got in some new hooks, I asked if I could try a couple out, to see if I liked them. She encouraged me to do so......and asked a little later how I liked them. One was a Clover bamboo hook that I didn't care for too much but the other one I liked alot, so I bought it. It's now one of my favorites!

[Lady_of_Roses]

I went to a LYS with my mom when I visited a couple of weeks ago. I don't even remember the last time I'd been in one.

 

When the owner found out I was a crocheter on check-out all she could say about crochet was "it's not bad." Considering how much crochet stuff she sold, it'd be smart if she decided it was actually good. It's harder to sell products that you obviously don't think as highly of.

[MsSuzKelly]

Wow, Shelly - I am happy to hear you had such a pleasant experience at the LYS!!! Wish I could go to that one. LOL.

 

I found an LYS by me...

 

http://localyarnstore.com/pages/shopLists/theList.htm

 

by using that list. And I am so sorry to say that I will not be going. It's in a REALLY FruFru part of town. And I have a very strong feeling that they would be ALL about the knitting and I would feel like a 5th wheel. So, guess it's just Joann's and Michael's for me. Oh I do have a Hancock's not far from me that I need to check out. LOL>

 

sigh...maybe some day I'll visit an LYS somewhere.........

[Tracey4610]

I loved your story but have never been to a regular LYS myself I buy the amount of yarn or thread recommended in the pattern. I have seen the codes for bulky, baby, worsted weight etc in the Herschnners catalog and others. So if you want to use a different than called for you can go by the type or weight system on the yarn package. I hope this makes sense.

Darlene

 

hey, Darlene! You should check out Knitter's Mercantile off of High St in the Northern Lights Shopping Center...It's in front of the Kroger and Target...The knitters in there are not snobs, and it's such a cozy place!! (I do NOT recommend the other store on Kenny--they're the ones who refused to help me once they found out I crochet. I'd been looking for one particular book, and they said "This is a KNITTING store. You might find what you need at Michael's or Wal-Mart." ) Also, Temptations in Dublin is wonderful! They're on S. High St. in downtown Dublin and have a HUGE house as a store. There are many, many rooms full of glorious fiber!! Go check them out!!

[Shellybrook]

The update on this story is it resulted in the proverbial four letter word. . I saw so many fine yarns at the LYS that would just be to frustrating to

[Shellybrook]

...bummer...I had this whole story going about a pediatrician at work who taught me to cast on with a pen and a scrap ball of yarn from my purse....and the PC just twigged out on me. speaking of twigs, I would LOVE the bamboo hook if it had a marker on it, some sort of groove to tell me where my hand is on the hook.

 

So the next time I see my Dr. Friend I'm going to show her the basic crochet stitch.

 

Sounds like a good deal.

 

OH...BTW...I'll always be a crocheter. Knitting has its place and crochet has its place. I need to know them both, however I think that I'll always love to crochet better.

[Tampa Doll]

Not to be ignorant but...what does LYS stand for? I am new to this forum and can't for the life of me figure out what all these letters stand for! DD and CC? What is that?!

 

Anyways...I would LOVE to find a store like that! I probably WOULD move in! The only way I know to figure out yarn usage is from the pattern. But then I always seem to over buy whatever it is I am working on. Let me tell you...get caught one time without enough yarn to finish and you will NEVER underestimate again!

 

Good luck to you...happy crocheting and the heck with those knitters! Crocheting takes more talent anyway...we only use ONE needle!!!

 

Deb

 

 

Deb - if you go here you will find some of the terms you are asking about.

 

http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8268

 

There are many more, but this will get you started.

As for the LYS, you are one lucky lady. There are knitters out there who don't mind crocheters. But we seem to run into more of those who do not. I read a book by Debbie Macomber called Shop on Blossom Street. I was about a woman who owns a LYS and she knits. Her sister Crochets and she made the sister out to be the snob. It cracked me up.

I am with you on the prices. I have seen some beautiful yarn, but don't want to spend so much per skein. For Afghans, I will still use Red Heart or Caron, they just wear better.

Great on finding a LYS that is friendly.

[moonspinners]

Our LYS owner is crochet friendly. She's offering some crochet classes. Although she doesn't carry a lot of patterns, she does carry bamboo hooks. Crocheters are always welcome to sit on the couch & hook away. Last time I was there with a friend, she fed us home-made chicken stew & biscuits. :soup

 

 

 

Oh, wow, Andi! I'm pretty sure you told me about this store, but I can't quite remember where it's at. Please refresh my memory. Thanks!

[Feederofthepack]

hey, Darlene! You should check out Knitter's Mercantile off of High St in the Northern Lights Shopping Center...It's in front of the Kroger and Target...The knitters in there are not snobs, and it's such a cozy place!! (I do NOT recommend the other store on Kenny--they're the ones who refused to help me once they found out I crochet. I'd been looking for one particular book, and they said "This is a KNITTING store. You might find what you need at Michael's or Wal-Mart." ) Also, Temptations in Dublin is wonderful! They're on S. High St. in downtown Dublin and have a HUGE house as a store. There are many, many rooms full of glorious fiber!! Go check them out!!

 

Knitter's Mercantile is the one I've been to. They are nice in there and I feel guilty when I don't buy anything because I do like it there! Tons of patterns! They also had a book on how to convert patterns from knit to crochet. The one on Kenny has an ad in the yellow pages that says "The YARN Shop-knit and crochet"! Guess they don't really mean it!

[Tracey4610]

No, they really don't mean it. They have some hooks and some books, but are really snooty when it comes to the yarn. Btw, I have that book you mentioned for sale, if you want it...Since you're local, no shipping.