Yarn Tasting

My local yarn store (LYS) and a number of others in the area do something called a Yarn Tasting.  My store does it a couple of times a year when the seasons are getting ready to change and new yarns are coming out. 

I've been to almost all of them at 'my' store, and a  couple of others at other stores.  It's an event that's held after hours, there are sometimes prizes, sometimes wine, usually some sort of treat (cake or something) and usually 5 or 6 new yarns to 'test out'.  At my LYS, the workers have already started knitting a swatch, and then the yarn and the needles are passed around to eveyrone as they talk about yarn, what it's made of, some ideas for patterns, etc. 

Because I am a member of my LYS, I get to attend these for free.  (Because I pay a yearly membership fee)  Otherwise there is a fairly nominal charge.  There are generally only 7 or 8 people there, and at the end of the evening we all get a free skein of yarn, and then a discount if we want to purchase additional yarn.  (Which almost everyone always does - because no stash is big enough.)

The Spring Yarn Tasting was last Friday evening.  We had wine, and cake, and candy.  (I actually brought my cake and candy home because I don't like to try to knit and eat at the same time - comes from my days of doing hardanger.   Must Have Clean Hands!)

One of the yarns that was spotlighted was a yarn that is being used for something called a Knit A Long (KAL)  These are sponsored by a yarn company, and each week for a month (4 weeks) you get an additional part of the pattern to knit with instructios, video, etc.  You have a general idea of what the project is, and they tell you how much yarn to buy, but other than that the end product is a surprise.  I did one a few months ago where we did a cowl.  It's fun.  People post pictures of their product at the end, and you can see all the different ways that something can be done. 

We were talking about this KAL that is happening in April for a shawl that uses 2 skeins of this particular yarn that we sampled.  It was a lovely yarn, however the KAL requires 2 skeins, and the yarn is $26. per skein.  (And that's not the one we got for free - obviously).  So since I'm cheap (I mean thrifty) I was looking at some of the other yarns to see if another would work for less money. 

Well, Cynthia, the owner, introduced a new part to our Yarn Tasting last weekend.  We had a little quiz.  The first person who could write down the names of the 3 yarns we sampled that had silk in them and the 3 yarns that did not (without looking at the sheets that were passed out) WON 2 skeins of this yarn.    And I won.   Yippee!  I think mostly because I don't care much for wool, so am always looking for yarns that have other fibers in them, especially silk.

Anyway - I'm very excited - $52 PLUS a free skein of yarn ($10) PLUS cake and chocolates PLUS a glass of wine.  Plus of course, hanging with people who are even nuttier than I am when it comes to knitting.