I continue to make progress on the Rhea Stole, a little faster now since I switched to a pair of Addi Turbos. I had been using my KnitPicks Options, but continued to have difficulty with the joins unscrewing. So I did my little bit for the economy, visited one of my favorite local shops, and plunked down $16 for a new pair of the best needles on earth.
As a knitter and yarn lover, I know I’m not alone with my fantasy of someday owning my own local yarn shop. I imagine my days would be filled with helping other knitters, teaching classes, selecting lovely new yarns for my inventory, and of course plenty of knitting.
There are a few local shops that I enjoy visiting and on occasion I have revealed to the shop owners that they are living my dream. Every time this topic comes up, the shop owner laughs and tells me that selling retail is so much more difficult than people imagine. The hours are long, there are no vacations, the profit margins are minuscule, and there is most definitely very little or even no time for knitting on the job. That is what they all tell me.
So back to my shopping excursion. It was about noontime yesterday, a lazy summer day in my little town. I drove downtown, found a parking spot, darted across the street and entered one of my favorite shops.
Merry bells jingled as I pushed open the heavy front door. Inside the shop was quiet, aside from the sound of a radio playing softly. The cool air smelled sweet. The yarns were all stacked prettily in their bins, sorted by color and weight. I looked around for the needle display, and then heard a welcoming voice. “Can I help you?”
The voice came from the furthest end of the store, where there was a comfy sofa and overstuffed chairs. A fragrant candle burned on a nearby table. On the comfy sofa sat the shop owner, with her feet curled beneath her. She was happily knitting away.
See, I knew it was true, all these shop owners do have the best job in the world. They just tell us its miserable and stressful so they can keep all the fun for themselves.
Knitsox 