Dear Ann,
My two days in Omaha were a whirlwind of family visits, all of which involved eating and imbibing and a healthy dose of laughter-through-tears (Dolly Parton’s favorite emotion). On the knitting side of things, even though my flights were nonstop, I got in plenty of rows on my Ranger men’s cardigan.
Late Saturday afternoon, I was knitting away in the car (in the passenger seat, I hasten to add) on my way from one visit to the next visit, and MY ADDI CIRCULAR BROKE. The needle sheared clean off the cable. Like WHOA how did that even happen? The sight of that severed cable just dangling there, with the stitches hanging loose–I experienced symptoms of shock.
It’s at moments like these that I curse my trusty Waze navigation app. Sure, it shows you nearby gas stations and Dunkin Donuts by the dozen, but does it show you yarn stores? NO IT DOES NOT. Do we think this is acceptable in 2016? NO WE DO NOT. I fired up the Internet and found out that the closest local yarn store was ImagiKnit, and it was closing in one hour. My driver put her foot down.
ImagiKnit Yarn Shop, 12100 West Center Road, number 602, was not very easy to find, but we were determined.
Inside, it’s cozy and lush. But I did not linger over the yarns, so close to closing time. I needed a size 7 circular, and I needed it now.
“Calm down! We have size 7 circulars!” OK, ImagiKnit’s owner, Karla Rasmussen, did not actually tell me to calm down. She did produce a selection of size 7 circulars, however, which had the same effect. I chose the Hiya Hiyas, 40 cm.
Crisis averted, Karla and I got to chatting. I mentioned my association with this blog, and Karla suddenly got very excited. Karla knew me! Well, kind of.
“Your nephew sold me a Smart Car!” she said. “Great,” I said, “but how the heck did you figure that out?”
It seems that back in 2009, my nephew was showing Karla a Smart Car, and he asked her what she did, and she said, I’ve got a yarn shop, and nephew said, “That is so cool that you have a yarn shop my aunt loves yarn shops she’s a big knitter she has a blog.” And Karla was charmed that such a young man would think that owning a yarn shop is cool, and she even knew the blog. (ImagiKnit still stocks both of our dear, nearly out-of-print books, Ann. Moment of silence.) Karla bought the Smart Car, which must have been a very nice moment for my young nephew.
Karla also told me that her Smart Car is named Macy, after Modern Daily. (I’m skeptical about that part of the story, but Karla seems totally legit, and who am I to doubt that there is at least one Smart Car named after us?)
Omaha is not that small a city. But Karla knows my nephew and asked after him by name. (Jon: Karla is all caught up now. She sends good wishes.)
Anyway, I think there is a moral to this story somewhere but I’ll be darned if I can think of one. Oh yeah: talk to people in yarn stores. And: don’t be shy about sharing your hobbies and interests with young relatives; it may help them in their careers. And also: visit ALL the yarn stores; you might be missing a good one. Sitting there, quiet as can be, on West Center Road, Imagiknits is stuffed to the gills with beautiful yarn, and the welcome could not have been friendlier. I bet it’s nearly as warm even if Karla did not buy a car from a close relative of yours.
Thanks to Karla and her Hiya Hiya number 7s, this was Ranger’s collar on the plane home from Omaha yesterday. So close I can taste it.
Love,
Kay
People in yarn stores are almost always lovely folks. I think it is the yarn fumes…….
And don’t forget to return that Addi needle. They’re guaranteed for life, and their Customer Service is excellent!
Lois was faster to the comments than myself … here’s the link for the addi knitting needle guarantee and warranty for superb German Engineering of tools for knitters!
http://www.skacelknitting.com/addi_warranty/
Yup … return them and they will send you a new pair … no questions asked!
Do kiss Olive on the nose!
moral — i’ll be darned — not bad for a pun, Kay!
glad your trip went well. yes the restorative power of laughter through tears. and making. and yarn shops! xo
I don’t know why, but I get a kick out of that last picture – the sweater beneath the phrase “LIFE VEST UNDER SEAT.” I so love that one can knit anywhere.
I know what Karla said about her car is correct because she told me the same thing! I am looking at a large bag of beautiful yarn I bought at Imaginknit, but still anticipating another trip down there to view the two pretty cowls in your picture. While I live 100 miles away from Omaha, it features my closest LYSs. It is great to be not too far from Imaginknit, Personal Threads and the other OMA yarn store you missed Woolly Mammoth.
So excite to see that collar!
All!Most!There!
All!Most!There!
Do you know the pattern name for the coal on top of the bookcase (yarncase)? I apparently must have it. It would be like wearing my very own rainbow, every day.
I was entranced by the two cowls in the photo too. But Omaha is a little far for me (from southern Ontario). Good advice to always talk to people in the yarn stores. You never know what you might learn.
Karla’s top! Is it silk? Is it hand dyed? Did she make it herself? It’s absolutely lovely.
Lovely story … which is why we go on Yarn Crawls and they are so much fun. I love my LYS, but once a year I go driving around, usually with a knitting buddy, and we visit other yarn stores …. just a shout out to the NJ Wool Walk! (coming up April 14-17…)
OMG! You broke an Addi?!? What were you trying to do, k12 together??? Anyway, all’s well that ends well, and the Ranger will live to see another day, thanks to ImagiKnits!
I seem to break circs on a regular basis. I think it is something I do with my wrist in knitting that puts strain on them…but sometimes super glue will fix a join later on…of course, only at home.
I’m commenting though because I too have had the emergency yarn shop issue while travelling–and I love yarn shop sightseeing! It is one of my favorite ways to make connections with real people while on the road. And yes, sometimes you just happen to meet someone you ‘know.’ 🙂
Insofar as finding LYS via your phone; I don’t know if you have an iPhone or an android, but there is an app for that on android phones. It’s called “Knitmap”.
Of course they stock your book! Seriously, I have seen both of your earlier books in nearly every yarn store I’ve ever visited. They are wonderfully inspirational.
P.S. All you have to is type “yarn store” or something similar into Waze and it absolutely will show you all the local yarn shops on your route.
I love visiting yarn shops while traveling — almost always guaranteed to feel comfy & at home with all that fiber and Your People. I just blogged about my Oregon Coast yarn stops — I found some good ones, too!
Vicki, what is your blog address? I’d love to read about yarn shops on the coast. (Portlander here.)
Hi Judy — If you click on my name, it’ll take you to my blog! Otherwise: knitorious.typepad.com/knitorious
Maybe you can share your favorite Portland yarn shops… for my next visit to OR!! 😉
Google Maps Search can help you find whatever you need..type in knit shop and go from there.
I was on a 36 hour train ride with only hat projects to knit when I realized I left my double pointed needles at home. Consulted the train schedule, found a stop that had us in the station for 40 minutes, Googled yarn stores for the closest to that station. Called ahead to ask them to hold a set of 7’s for me, then when the train pulled in me and my tennies hightailed it about a half mile over there and back, just in time to make it back on board before the train left. Whew!!!
Do you seriously not have the ‘knitmap’ app? Never leave home without knowing the nearest yarn store and all the yarn stores on your way.
What a great story!
Oh dear. My wallet didn’t need to know that app existed.
Although I’ve lived in Iowa for almost 9 years (!) and Omaha is only four hours away, I’ve only been there once, and really, that was just a drive-by on my way to a librarian meeting in Lincoln, with no time to seek out yarn shops. I’m thinking I need a road trip this summer!
(Also – I keep clicking that newsletter box…..)
I always look for yarn shops…I have driven from Connecticut to Wyoming and visited shops along the way…I took my nephew on a road trip…we visited places to eat for him and yarn shops for me….and I’ve driven down the east coast visiting some others, on another road trip with my niece…and this summer in Norway, I visited several…I have blogged about most of them….
I have been to that yarn store! And Karla is super friendly! Also, there are kids toys in the back to entertain your kids while you feel all the yarn…
I don’t travel a lot, but I always try to visit a LYS and get some local yarn when I do.
What a great story! It’s a small world, and we’re all connected. Glad you got your needle. I had a little needle emergency when I was in Orlando, and I bought one from Michael’s, which wasn’t quite right, and so I borrowed one from a blogger friend!
And your comment about knitting in the passenger seat made me laugh out loud. The BangOutASweaterKAL made me knit in the driver seat; I was so obsessed. It was only at a stoplight!
Funny, but I have read about an ImagiKnit yarn shop in San Francisco; wonder if there’s a connection.
You and Ranger are having all kinds of experiences. I’ll bet you’ll miss him when he’s gone. Just saying.
LoveDiane
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I live in Winnipeg, but a number of my relatives live in the Omaha area. The problem is they are sewers and quilters and I am the only knitter. They know all the good places to buy fabric but look at me blankly when I ask about wool. “Well, there’s Walmart.” is the only suggestion.
I do know of a place in L:ncoln that sells wool from sheep raised near Wahoo, Ne. I need to dig around and get the name and address. The word “ewe” figures in the title somewhere. I’ll send it along in a day or two. It is on my shopping list for places to visit the next time I am down.