I think I found my new favorite yarn shop during a nice weekend trip to southern New York state -- Finger Lake Fibers Yarn Shop www.fingerlakesfibers.com It is a small shop but it so well organized, is bright and welcoming. The young woman who was working in the shop was very helpful as was the owner when she returned to her shop.
I am a sock knitter -- as is obvious by the title of this blog. I called on Monday to double check their hours of operation. I asked if they sold sock yarn and was told, "yes, we have lots." OK, seeing would be believing. I had hear similar before. Well, they were not joking...they do have lot of sock yarns from at least a dozen different manufacturers and indie dyers. I was in sock knitting heaven! And the shop stocks numerous skeins from each company. The choices were endless.
They also pride themselves on selling locally handspun and handpainted yarns, including Scahefer Yarn. Finger Lakes Fibers Yarn Shop sells colors of the latter I have never seen.
In addition to beautiful yarns and an enchanting atmosphere, the shop owner actually stocks patterns for socks knitted from the TOP DOWN! Amazing. I found 3 patterns I liked and they are now home with me.
I knit socks on dpns from the TOP DOWN. So, shoot me. I know a lot of people knit from the toe up and that is their choice. TOP DOWN is my choice. I am so tired of people turning up their noses when I asked if they have patterns for TOP DOWN socks. I am in the second year of a Sock Club from an on-line shop that I frequent (too often). The every other month boxes always have a cute giftie or two included. To date (4 boxes last year and 1 so far this year) ALL patterns have been toe up. I will ask again to have at least 1 TOP DOWN sock pattern. I am betting it won't happen. If it doesn't, I won't rejoin next year. I was assured that 1 of last year's 4 patterns would be TOP DOWN. It didn't happen.
Finger Lakes Fibers will mail order. They might become my new place to spend most of my sock knitting money.
Well, off to unpack and go pick up the Golden Retrievers from the kennel.
3 comments:
The Fingerlakes store sounds wonderful. but I find it hard to believe you will abandon your current favorite. You could, I guess, just add another favorite, right?
It is hard to believe that you are having a hard time finding "top-down" sock patterns! That seems to be what I run across the most. One of my knitting group buddies spends part of her time reconfiguring top-down patterns to be toe-up, because that is how she prefers to knit.
You should check out this group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TownsendSocksKnitALong/
Jeanie is a great designer and I don't think I have seen her do a toe up sock yet.
Drop me a line at:
karen dot KVL at verizon dot net
and I can send you the address of the sock club I am in; once again, not a toe-up sock in sight so far.
I agree with you~~The Finger Lakes shop is lovely! Last spring dh and I took a day ride and stopped there.I loved seeing all the Schaffer yarns. Of course I had to get the sock yarn that was done specially for the shop~~hmm, now that I think about it I still haven't used it!
Most of the sock patterns I find are top down~that's the only way I know!
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