I did, and it was amazing. Not that the store was awe-ispiring, but I wasn't even looking for a yarn shop when I ran across it. I had been having the worst luck trying to find yarn stores that were on the big list I had brought with me, so I had all but given up on investing much time in gathering yarn in Europe. But as Lori and I walked down the street from our Viennese hotel to get to a coffee spot, THERE ONE WAS! With Opal sock yarn in the window. Perfect!
What was imperfect was that it was closed, but even that wasn't horrid, because the sign said (in German) that it would open the next day at 8 in the morning (I thought; I can't really read German). And, fortunate for me, our bus wasn't leaving the hotel until 8:15, so I would have enough time to run down the street, pick out something, and get back to the bus.
That's what I did. It was, of course, raining and yucky outside, and the store-owner had been caught up so the store didn't open until a little past 8 (not a big deal except when your bus leaves for Hungary at 8:15!), but she arrived soon and I had enough time and euros to purchase two balls of Opal.
And instead of waiting until I get to Amsterdam in my recounting of the trip, I'll just go ahead and say I found a sweet shop in a very lovely part of Amsterdam.
De Afstap carries lots of Rowan yarn, and I thus treated myself to some Kidsilk Haze, which I once had been given as a gift/prize, and which I had stupidly given away to someone else without fully appreciating its amazingness. It's made of kid mohair and silk, and that's even better than my favorite alpaca. But it's expensive!! It's a tad less expensive closer to the source (Rowan is from England, just a 3-hour drive from Amsterdam - and yes, you can drive there if you pop your auto on a train through the chunnel), PLUS they carry some shades I haven't been able to find in the U.S. The wrapper around mine actually says it's Kidsilk "Spray" - which just means it's not solid blue but has multiple blue colors.
As you can see, I also grabbed some blue Regia sock yarn and a little cross-stitch kit to make something that looks like it came off a Delft plate.Perhaps the best news about returning from my trip was that both MagKnits and Knitty had new issues out within a week of my touching down in Pittsburgh. And guess how many sock patterns are in these two web-zines? SEVEN! Plus, and added bonus because there's an article on knitting two socks at once (not on circular needles), which I've been trying to figure out how to do for a long time.
...Aah, socks. Yay. That pair I'm working on for a gift is about 75% done; I had to rip out the heel yesterday because I somehow royally messed it up - it's the last of four short-row dealings I had to do, why is it I can't seem to handle the fourth one??? You'd think I would have taken care of any issues on the technique during times one, two, and three. ...Aah, socks...
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