Sassy Does It

I know I sound like a WEBS commercial lately – but get right out of town, have you seen this?

Yarn.com, now even more addictive

The new overhauled website at yarn.com is the bomb. I didn’t think it was lacking in anything before, but maybe it’s because I spent so much time lurking there that the tricks of the existing navigation had become second nature to me.  I knew right where to find ehhhhvvvverything. 

Closeouts?  Zip zop.  Rowan by brand?  Yepper, over there.  Shazaam.  Got it.

As I’ve shared before, I’ve probably already wasted weeks of my life lingering in indecision over purchases on this one site.  When on a particularly good run of daydreaming about which candidate to choose out of, oh, say, 26 or so shortlisted yarns for a project, I’d just bookmark them all and delay the ridiculously difficult decision until another day when I could deal with the stress of it all.

Of course when I came back to my bookmark list later, I’d realize what a nut I’d been to not just cut to the chase and make the decision sooner; it was too hard to sort through all those choices and not really be able to compare them side by side. 

But I’d feel like I’d done too much “work” to start again, and would just roll up my sleeves and push on through that not-so-short list.

I’d end up copying and pasting my choices into a Word document (I’m not joking - it’s sad, isn’t it?) and sending it off to other people to tell me which fiber to buy.

It’s a good thing I only do this a couple times a year.  The buying, not the shopping.  You know.

Kids, it’s not nice to stare at that poor neurotic girl.

Anyhoo. 

Even good websites can get better.  Better at sucking me in.  (Enabler!  I love me some enablers!)

Wishlists on WEBS are now my friend.

As with on Amazon, this is very dangerous.  But I like it.

Throwing the objects of my desire onto the Wishlist just feels so good. No commitment required, but it does feel a lot like putting something into a shopping cart, which feels decisive.  Such an unuuuusual sensation.

The new Wishlist feature:
Isn’t it fun? Fairy Godmother might come along and buy the whole lot for me.

Seriously, though - it’s a lot easier to keep track of my little “I’d like to keep an eye on this” items.  There they are, all splayed out for me with pictures and prices and (new feature!) updated inventories (hourly updates, people).  Thus, my need for a little extra juice to make my next order reach the 25% discount amount is met by a ready and waiting list of alternatives.

You do need an account on WEBS for your wishlist to work - which I thought I had, since I get a load of e-mails, but I guess I was only on the mailing list after having purchased. 

Update: I just stumbled upon the extended list of wonderful improvements, and having an account with WEBS is actually a new feature and wasn’t available before.  So I wasn’t missing out as a mailing list-only person.  Whew, I wondered how I could have missed that one.  (”How did i miss those, baby? Oh, behave!” - Austin Powers, in the opening scene of The Spy Who Shagged Me, with reference to Vanessa’s previously undetected machine-gun jubblies.)

Other observations regarding the sexy new site:

• Sidebar list of recently viewed items provides help for the ADD/scatter-brained among us
• Inventory amounts not only are updated hourly but also, I noticed, are now listed simply as “50+” if over 50 balls in stock (duh), rather than the previously listed exact count (yeah, listing 247 balls of Pure Cashmere clearly a little dig by Kathy to invoke cruel imagery on the rest of us non-WEBS owners - the knowledge that Kathy and her hubby can roll around in, rub up against, and be submerged under mountains of cashmere every night is just too much to bear)
• Customer Review functionality - for those of us who like to blab a lot about our opinions on things (see more below)


Kathy and her hubby Steve
• More pics of Kathy and Steve - at least it seems like it.  I know there were photos before, but somehow they seem more…there.  Maybe it’s the Wishlist-glow talking.  Check Kathy out - how cute is she?  [Full disclosure:  Kathy has commented on my blog a couple of times, so now I'm officially in love with her.]
• Not a new feature, but something eery that I noticed while I was madly clicking around.  The blog post from yesterday mentioned that Kate Jacobs was coming to WEBS in January (wait for it).  Kate Jacobs is the author of The Friday Night Knitting Club, which I’ve had on the shelf for months but started reading…yesterday.  A few hours before that post was posted.  Is that a weird coincidence, or is it just me?  BTW - On My Bookshelf let me know that over at Stephanie’s Written Word they’re giving away a copy of the Friday Night sequel (called Knit Two) - which I obviously don’t need yet, but I will, because I’m already completely loving the first one and it’s only Chapter 2.

There are lots of other new things to play with, but I’ll let you either discover them yourself or read the big list.

I really do like the new Customer Review capability.  Now the reviews are few and far between (which gives me the desire to go through and comment like mad about yarns I love, as if I were to run across a snow-covered field just waiting for footprints and snow angels), but I know before too long it will be well-populated with yarnie opinions.  I do like going to Ravelry to do yarn research, but more onsite help will not go amiss.  Maybe a tie-in with Ravelry (e.g., links to reviews there) could be a future development?

While I’m at it here, I’ll share one other discovery before getting back to the to-do list I’m supposed to be working on right now.

The Twist Collective:  who knew about this?  I didn’t know about this.  It’s fantastic.  This discovery came courtesy of Sknitty, whose blog is quickly becoming one of my top 5 must-reads.

The ladies running Twist Collective web-publish each season with the objective of showcasing promising designers, as either a springboard for further publishing or simply an outlet for their creativity. 

The format is like an online photo-magazine to click through (big arrows on the right or left help the navigation-challenged - although it took me a few minutes to figure it out).  There are no page numbers or hyperlinks, just drool-worthy pics and a few fun articles.  The idea is to stimulate pattern development with fair pay via online pattern download sales (if you see something you like,  just hover over it and the details for download are right there).

However they’re doing it, it’s yummy.  The winter edition just came out last week.  Take a look.  It’s inspiring.

Fun, huh?

Quick WIP update:

Curlicue is now 75% done.  One skein of dreamy Blue Sky cotton left.

Sheer Poncho is now cast on.  Was my first provisional cast on, so I took some time to get it right.  Not that it’s rocket science, but I like to get it right the first time if I can.  Usually.  Sometimes.  I didn’t realize there were so many different ways to cast on, so perusing the options was a learning experience (when I learned to cast on from the Yarn Girls with their Simple Knits, they only told me about one way, so I assumed that was The Way - as you do, right?).

Raindrop Lace Socks - yeah, I’ve rounded a few more rows on this just to keep the pattern fresh in my mind.  I keep thinking that I’m ready to turn the heel, but I’m not going to do it until after I finish the first of my two balls of Happy Feet.  The second will be plenty to finish up the length of my foot - it’s getting chilly out - so I might as well make these as longshanks as possible while I’m at it.

Longshanks - it’s what Sissy B and I say instead of just “long”.  You know, Longshanks, the English king guy that tried to take over Scotland, the one we probably should have known about before Braveheart but in reality did not.  Thus, his name for some reason elicited giggles in us once heard in the movie.  It’s just fun to say - longshanks, longshanks, longshanks.

And you can add “shanks” to other things, just for kicks.  Shortshanks.  Fatshanks.  Coolshanks.  Softshanks.

It doesn’t mean anything.  Which is why it’s so much fun.

OK, no more proscratinating.  I have (other, less fun) things to do.  See you latershanks.

Yippity doo dah, my first pair of socks is officially done!

I had the dreaded well-loved second sock off the needles nearly a week ago, but it took me a wee while to get around to taking and posting the photos.

Pattern:  Braided Cable & Broken Seed Socks, by Lauren Lindenman

Yarn:  Trekking Pro Natura (75% new wool, 25% bamboo), almost one skein in color 1512

Pretty happy with these pups.  For my first figure-it-out-as-I-went pair, they’ve drawn encouranging compliments, for a pattern that’s not too tough:

From one of the middle-aged TSA guys at Bangor International Airport (yeah, I’m guessing that it’s barely international; maybe a few planes prance across the Maine border to Canada):  “Ohhh, what’re you making, there, miss?  Ohhh, that’s very pretty.”  Since when do these guys notice knitting?

From Bidie-In:  “Wow, I can’t believe this is something that can be made my hand.  It’s so intricate.”  Thanks, honey.

From Squeezer:  “When you’re done with these, can I have some that are cropped low at the ankle?”  In other words, “You adults wear dorky tall socks.  I want cool socks, like all normal people.”

Maizy also requested socks.  When asked the color, she said, “Umm, red.”  When asked how long, she said, “Maybe…up to here [pointing at her toes].  No, maybeeee…up to here [pointing to her upper thigh]“.  Ah, yes, thigh-highs - this is a niece of mine.

I like the cables on these because…well, I like cables.  The broken seed stitch around them has a really nice texture and feels nice on the old peds.  Substantial-feeling without being heavy in weight.

The yarn was very nice to work with.  Not splitty, not scratchy, not easily knotted.  Nicely spun, with a very slight, barely distinguishable heathery effect (I had this fiber up close to my eyes for quite a while, so maybe I hallucinated that part).

The color I like, but this is not shocking because a) I picked it out, and b) everything I pick out lately is either this shade of green (between sage and olive) or baby blue.  Often both.  Note that the pics of my socks here include in the environs my bag du jour (it’s colorful cotton, compliments of Target; I put the leather on the shelf for a few months to give it a rest), which is - green and blue.  Also in the pic is my baby-blue-covered phone, and yes, the green knitted socks. Not an intentional set up for the photo, but I suppose this strengthens the point.

One skein (459 yds) was plenty for this project.  Had 50-60 yds leftover; could’ve made the socks a bit longer, but they’re fine the way they are.  I like the idea of doing toe-up socks so that you can determine how long you can make them (if you’re good at guessing the halfway point of your skein after one sock).

Even better, you could do the socks two at a time on a circular needle, that way they have to stay the same length.

Well, yee-haw, it’s a good thing I have a book to show me how to do this, because that’s how I want to do my next pair, the Raindrop Lace Socks.  Those poor things are still hanging around at 0% completion since I set them up for Ravelympics, but I refuse to take the socks off of In Progress status because I’m going to cast them on any day. 

Any moment. 

Or day.

I am learning the two-at-a-time method via Melissa Morgan-Oakes, whose 2-at-a-Time Socks finally got cracked open from its perch on my bedside table.

While I’m telling you about it, I might as well make it a book review.

I like the way Melissa writes, and I like her thorough yet I-know-you’re-not-dumb approach with photos and enough words of description to get the concepts across.  She’s not claiming she’s split the atom with this method:  obviously it’s been done before, but she’s just compiling her thoughts on the matter.  With some pretty pics.

There’s a nice feature included for each design:  a close-up photo of the stitch pattern.  Detail like this is often overlooked, but it’s very helpful. 

Although - I might have been led down the garden path here.  She talked about teaching at WEBS in her intro; and given my Pavlovian repsonse to the mention of WEBS, I may have been predisposed to like her.

Stay tuned.  I’m still learning with little practice colors.

Anyhoot, the book itself has a lot of cutesy patterns that I could see becoming holiday gifts.  I didn’t buy the book for the patterns, just the technique, but I do like what I see.  Anything that makes the process of churning out a pair of socks quicker, thereby motivating me to actually cast on and motor through a project, is probably a good investment.

There’s a nice pattern for men’s socks in there - a pair he could wear to work.  Here are a smattering of those and other photos that caught my eye in the book:

Upon paging through this book herself, Squeezer again commented on how all of the socks are “too tall.”  I reminded her that this was the joy of knitting, my dear, that we can stop knitting when we want the socks to not get any taller. 

No worries, Squeeze - I hear you loud and clear.  Cropped-at-the-ankle socks are what the cool kids are wearing - I get it. 

[scurries off to tell Santa to cancel that order for too-tall socks]