Ball-fondling vs e-Commerce

While I would like to think and write about favourite yarns (or those I hate), right now I need to express my business opinions -

I find it very sad that this region has lost two brick & mortar shops in the last year. I don't worry about the "competition"; we all know there's room for us all, there's always a niche to be filled. After all, one shop cannot carry everything!

But, the world has become a strange place with the advent of the internet. You can buy anything from anywhere, and have it shipped to everywhere, in the blink of an eye. Sight unseen, hand unfelt, quality assured, satisfaction guaranteed! So what happens when it arrives and you hate it? Who helps you when you can't figure out the pattern, chart, gauge...

We have two options -  go back to the internet, to a myriad of sites, spending hours trying to find help or days waiting for one of the three thousand responses to be the "right" one, before losing interest and patience and chucking it to the bottom of the stash pile...

OR, going to the nearest yarn shop and with an apologetic "I know I didn't buy it here, but could you please help me ", where you find a real person with a smile, ready and willing to walk you through your project.

That's when we remember that virtual reality can't replace the finger-tingling of petting and fondling those pretty balls, caressing your neck and holding them to your cheek for perfect colour matching. That's when we remember that knitting (spinning, weaving, crocheting) is a social activity and each one of us in a creative artist in our own right, creating beauty and giving of ourselves in every stitch. We encourage each other, teach each other, learn from each other, share inspiration, appreciation, and experiences. No computer screen can simulate that moment of satisfaction when you've conquered a new technique or the warm glow in your heart when your gift fits perfectly.

Ok, I digressed. I was going to write about business and I see I've gone back to the emotional, tactile, artistic feelings about the business. Better get back on track... let's see, I need to refer to the issue of buying on-line versus at your local yarn shop:

Shipping -  Recently, the United States Postal Service increased international shipping rates and Canadian orders will now cost more. Buying from your LYS means your don't pay those high extra fees.

Substitution: When you can't wear, or don't want THAT particular yarn, we will be glad to suggest an alternative, complete with gauge/yardage/tension calculations to make sure your project works out right!

Colour matching: Aside from the obvious dye lot matching, there are the variables of pixels on your screen versus right-in-your-face, "does this make me look sick" colour-matching, complete with our esthetic opinions freely dispensed.

Size/style conceptualization: No computer will honestly tell you if that particular style will make you look like a turtle. Ok, we may not tell you you look like a turtle either, but at least we'll discuss alternate design options with you.

Technical Issues: There is no wrong way of knitting. You can throw, pick, use left hand or right hand, straight, circs, DPn's or toothpicks. If you want to knit it, we will help. We will not let you knit a wedding shawl with Merino, nor a Cowichan sweater with sock yarn, without explaining the properties/complications of doing so.

Now that I've waxed lyrical, logical and emo'ed all over the place, I'm getting off the computer (yes, I noticed the irony) and getting back to being creative. Looking forward to seeing you in the shop!