Now anyone who knows anything about yarn knows that the finest, most luxurious yarns in the world are made in Italy. The place where I live. So what am I whining about you say. Just go to your local yarn store and buy some for cheap! Therein lies the rub. There is no yarn in Italy. Well, that's not exactly true, there is yarn, just not the spectacular selection of fibers and colors and textures we are used to seeing in the US. In fact, the yarn is all plain, ordinary and completely without character. Nice quality of course, but boring. That's because there are no knitters in Italy. At least none that will admit to it.
Nice, boring yarn (actually, this is pretty gorgeous stuff)
Yesterday, when I was sitting in the post office or Poste Italiane, waiting to pay my gas bill (definitely a subject I will be posting on later), I had occasion to pull out a sock I'm working on out of some gorgeous green and magenta sock yarn, and started to knit. You would have thought I'd pulled out an Uzi from the expressions on people's faces. Knitting! In public? Are you crazy? But once again I digress. I do that. Get used to it.
Anyway, I have found that I need to buy yarn. Especially hand painted sock yarn. So to the internet I go. There must be hand painted sock yarn somewhere in Italy, right? Wrong! It is possible there is a law against hand painted sock yarn in Italy because there sure isn't any here. Rather, I must rely on my wits and go back to my US source and order yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I love Blue Moon, I have always loved Blue Moon, but they're in Oregon. It's expensive to ship. And, if I buy from them, I'll have to contend with the dreaded dogana. The dogana is customs. It's a 20% tax on consumer goods imported into Italy. It sucks. But again, this is an obsession we're talking about. So yesterday, at exactly 6:07 pm my package from Oregon was delivered. I had to pay the delivery guy an additional 27 euros to get my hands on it, but its here in all of it's glory. I am content...for the moment.
That's what I'm talking about!
Beauty.....Unicredit bank puts out a calendar and January's photo is a basket of yarn. I love it!.
ReplyDeleteI haven't gotten mine yet!!!
ReplyDeleteHehe. You sound like a friend of mine, whose ambition is to retire and own a yarn shop where she can knit to her heart's content. In the meantime, however, she is busy taking over the world with graffiti knitting, and running Stitch 'n' Bitch London.
ReplyDeleteGreat video. I wonder how that would go over in Italy ;)
ReplyDeleteHmm - maybe you should try it and see ... ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are just insane as I thought you were. But at least you aren't more so.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. It is beautiful!! I wish I could knit! Have you tried to find any UK or French sources? I buy stuff from the UK all the time and save on dogana and time. Sadly, I don't know where to buy yarn though.....there is another Italy blog that talks alot about knitting.....I'll see if I can remember which and send you the link....
ReplyDeleteSince I first started thinking about this article, I have found some beautiful yarn in Germany and the UK. France also has some wonderful yarn. I just need to work out my issues with paypal.it. Talk about bureaucracy!
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteAt most italian banks, they have prepaid credit cards. I suggest using that or your american credit card for internet purchases over the italian bankomat/credit cards which have less protection.
Thanks Amber. I'm tearing my hair out trying to get things on the internet.
ReplyDeleteSo, I am a friend of Joanne's and a yarn fanatic. I love making socks and hot water bottle covers and scarfs. She may have sent you a link to my German yarn supplier and lots of the yarn sold there is made in Italy. Go figure!!
ReplyDeletewww.bastelundhobbykiste.de
Hi Sharon, yes Joanne told me about you. I am obsessed with socks. I can't start anymore until I finish what I have...no more needles!
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone! There are quite a few knitters in your midst. Check out groups on ravelry.com. It's a great resourse for patterns too. Here is a great shop that has some intersting yarn. It's over here Lombardy but they do ship. http://www.unfilodi.com Also, you are close to France and they have a more crafty stores and are more into DIY. Take a drive and check it out. I found a great JoAnn Fabrics kind of place near Grasse so there must be something in Nice or even closer to you.
ReplyDeleteI once pulled out my knitting while waiting to get blood work done and the reaction was the same. So funny.
Thanks for the link. I will definitely check that out. By the way, Ravelry is my rock! I've joined a number of groups. Also, now that my husband has his PdS, I'm planning our trips to France and Germany around knitting stores;)
ReplyDeleteHi there. I have been reading your blog. I am an american living in Florence for the past 3.5 years doing jewelry making. I also have a yarn obsession!!! i also have a knitting machine that i dragged all the way from maryland..that i havnt used! there is a good chance i will be in portland this summer working with a natural dyer of yarn in her workshop. if i go I may be able to be your transporter of blue moon yarn!
ReplyDeleteI can´t belive that it´s not common to knite! Here in Argentina, is very common, you have thousands of different yarns and many women love to knite. My mother loves to knite for me in winter. I´ll take you beautiful and colourful yarn when I go there.
ReplyDelete