Ilga's Knitting World

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Celebrating the LYS

During these uncertain, economic times, it is time to celebrate our LYS.

These are challenging times for yarn businesses as it becomes more and more difficult to obtain the necessary credit for doing business, particularly so in the U.S. Some may not be able to weather this period.

But can you imagine what our lives would be like without our treasured yarn shops? We, as knitters, are called upon to make sure that they continue to stay in business.

I am particularly blessed to be living in Halifax where we have 3 wonderful yarn shops close at hand, each of them unique and offering something different:

• LK Yarns in the historic Hydrostone Market has been a staple yarn shop for many years and has a rich and varied stock. You can get just about anything you need for your knitting project there.
• The Loop Craft Cafe in downtown Halifax is a relative newcomer to the knitting scene here, having been in business for the past two years. This hip shop offers a splendid array of workshops and classes and is involved in many cultural events in the city, too.
  
• Across the Halifax Harbour, in Dartmouth, is Tangled Skeins (pictured above), with its cozy room for sitting and knitting and browsing their extensive book collection. This elegant yarn shop exhibits a wide-ranging palette of yarns, many of them from independent yarn producers in Canada and the U.S. 

And a short car-drive away is the Basket of Yarn in Tantallon and Have a Yarn in Mahone Bay.

So, at a time, when we are all having to re-think how we spend our money, let's look at what our LYS offers us.

Colour, texture, visual and sensual pleasures--that last! For the price of a dinner in a restaurant with wine, you can outfit yourself with some fine yarn and a satisfying pattern that can keep you happily occupied for days and even weeks. And when finished, you can wear your knitted garment and get to touch the yarn some more. Or make a special gift to someone you care about.

I know what I'm going to do. Open that bottle of wine and after a nice dinner at home, sit down with my knitting to enjoy a whole evening of tactile delights.

I couldn't do it without my local yarn shop.