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Saturday, October 06, 2007

I Found Yarn!

Thanks to Jen who left directions in the comments on my last post, I was able to find a yarn store in Korea! Actually, she left instructions to find two stores, but I only got to one.


I had the last couple of days off work because the kids had midterms and there was no reason for me to be there. They don't have midterms or tests for my classes, so they school gave me the days off. My friend Tiffany and I decided to take a little trip up to Insa-Dong to one of the yarn shops. We had no difficulty finding our way there, and I even picked up a few little gifts for people back home for Christmas. We'll also be going back that way again at some point (not sure when yet), so I'll be going to the yarn shop again as well.



As I said, Tiffany and I went to Insa-Dong yesterday. We left around 10:15 or so and caught the 11:20 train. On the way, after about a half hour, we broke out the knitting. Tiffany wanted me to teach her how to knit, so we figured this was the perfect opportunity so we both brought yarn and needles. You see, Tiffany already knew a little because at some point in the past she attempted to teach herself. Here she is knitting away on her scarf (she is doing the same pattern I'm working on). Her yarn is a blend of wool and acrylic and is thick; she's also using 10 mm needles, so her project will go fast. At the point the picture was taken, I think she had probably done about 10 or so rows. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of how much she had accomplised by the time we were nearly back to the train station in Yesan. She got a lot done, and she's doing fantastic. I should also say that the train ride to Seoul takes about two hours there and two to get back, so we had nearly four hours of knitting.


Here's a picture of my growing scarf. I have now finished one ball of yarn and just started the second ball. In the picture I put a pack of the DPNs I bought for scale. I guess it's not that good for indicating since I had to take the picture a little far away in order to capture the whole thing. I don't even have a ruler to measure it either, so I can't tell you how long it is. I've decided that two balls should probably be enough for the entire scarf, but once I finish the second one (or get relatively close to finished the second ball), I'll decide then if it needs a little more or not. If not, the third ball is destined to become a hat of some sort.


So, I found some sock yarn at the yarn shop we visited. It was a little on the expensive side (probably because it was imported) and normally I wouldn't have probably bought it from there. I also bought some DPNs which were a little more than I would have liked, but I was feeling the call to knit socks and well, bought them. Anyway, the yarn is Koigu KPPPM but I'm not sure of what the colour is because I don't see it written anywhere. The number written down on the tag is P117328 but I haven't any idea if that is the colour number or not. The picture is pretty accurate, though in real life the yarn is a little darker than in the picture.

Here's a close up of the yarn. I took the picture beside the open window thinking I might get the colours a little more accurate. It looks a lot brighter in the picture than in reality though. There were a lot of beautiful colourways at this shop and I had a hard time trying to decide what to go with. My first reaction was to grab some purple shades, but then I thought I would try to expand my horizons and go with a colourway I probably wouldn't normally choose. I do like it though (otherwise I wouldn't have bought it), and can't wait to see how it looks all knitted up. I haven't decided on a pattern yet, but I've been thinking about trying the Monkey Socks pattern since I've heard lots of great things about it, and seen awesome sock pictures of the pattern. I just hope I have enough yarn and don't run out (each skein...or is it hank...has 50g/175yds/160m), and the needles I got are 2.7 mm - weird size - though I do have some of my DPNs from home; just need to check the size of those needles. Anyway, I'll look into the pattern and make my decision and let you know in a later post.

But, for now I'd better head off and work on my lesson plan for next week. I think I'm going to do the topic of Thanksgiving since this is the Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. Thanksgiving is on Monday though. So, I would like to wish all Canadians out there a Happy Thanksgiving!!

9 comments:

Jen said...

Glad you found it! Yeah, she is a little pricey, but actually not much more than the other shops, even the ones with only no-name acrylic-blends.

I usually just get one or two skeins (after I fondle 50-60, of course) when I go to get books or mags.

Anonymous said...

ohhh glad you found a yarn store!! AND a knitting buddy :) Lucky duck!
Happy thanksgiving!!

Rachel said...

Glad you found a good place to get yarn! (Sheesh, and I was complaining because my closest yarn store is 45 minutes away!).

Have you ever gotten Koigu before? I just bought some, and I thought it pretty expensive for sock yarn. Basically, two skeins cost me $25 USD. I don't know how that adds up for you.

Happy knitting!

Karen said...

It sounds like you're finding your way around alright. How funny that you found Koigu in Korea and my LYS still doesn't have (well not the last time I was in there anyway).

peaknits said...

Your koigu is gorgeous! And your scarf is coming along too! Thank you for coming by my blog - The Embossed Leaves sock is not hard, especially if you have done a lace chart before - super easy, and you can see the leaves grow, so you can also see a mistake early before you're too far along.:)

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

It's been a long time since I'd stop by, Shelley. I love the new look for your blog. And I'm happy that you not only found a yarn shop but a knitting buddy as well. Sounds like you're having a really great experience in Korea too. But having a knitting buddy is priceless. Happy knitting!

Janice said...

So glad you found the store!! LOVE the yarn you picked out! You definitely need to try the Monkey socks! They are fun to knit! It's wonderful to have a friend who knits and likes to travel to yarn stores!!! Lucky you! Keeping you in my prayers!

Hasbu said...

I'm glad you found a yarn store! Your Koigu colorway is beautiful.

Montreal Mama said...

Isn't it fun to teach people to knit!??? Spread the love!