In about a week, Berks County is moving to Yellow status with regard to the virus. I’ll be allowed to open the store again, and I’m doing some hard thinking about how that will happen. After being cocooned and isolated since March 14, it feels unthinkable to just turn the sign to Open and let the world in on June 5.
So I think, for a while at least, I’m going to keep it cozy and just between us. Let’s ease into it. And let’s keep everyone safe.
Since I live close to the store, it will be possible for me to meet you by appointment. You can call the store at 610-373-1622. I’m not there all the time, obviously, so leave a voicemail. Tell me when you’d like to meet. I’ll get back to you to confirm or to suggest another time.
At the store, masks will be required, of course. If you want to do some shopping, I’ll ask you to wash your hands before you touch any yarn. Hand sanitizer won’t do, I’m afraid, because who wants to buy yarn with residue all over it? If you’re just in for help with a project, you don’t have to wash up, but I will, before and after I touch your project. So please make your visits count.
There will be some other changes, I’m afraid. The store’s finances are in dire shape, of course. Before we knew a shutdown was coming, a lot of new yarn came in that still must be paid for, and rent still had to be paid whether or not the store took in a dime. So I’ll be suspending the Frequent Buyer program. I’ll honor any cards you may have, whether they’re full or not. If you have a full card, you’ll still get the full 10% discount. If you have a card with, say, 7 stamps, you’ll get 7% percent off, and so on. No new stamps will be given.
Gift certificates are not affected by this change and will be honored as before.
Special orders will be handled differently. If you need 6 balls of something for a project, but it comes to me in bags of 10 balls, you will need to purchase 10 balls. A 50% deposit will be required at the time of ordering, and you will be responsible for the freight cost at pickup. This is standard practice and something I should have been doing all along, but while the store could pay its own bills, I could afford to put the excess inventory on the shelves. That won’t do now, I’m afraid.
I hope very dearly that as fall comes into view, we can see a way to begin classes again. For now, one person at a time feels safe for all of us, and I hope you won’t hesitate to call for an appointment.
Now, let’s talk knitting! Last time I showed you this sad sweater, Seguin, where the armholes were nearly to my waist (if I had any, which I don’t; in fact I now have the opposite of a waistline, whatever that’s called.) So, after I cussed a bit and waited for a week, I ripped the whole yoke out and compressed the raglans and now it’s definitely better.
Before:
After, 1 – 2 inches shorter in the yoke and much more in proportion:
I also finished this little riff on my Boxy Tee pattern, with seed stitch edges and a split hem, in a new ribbon yarn from Lang:
Simple, yet interesting because of the yarn.
And I’m working on this v-neck tee now,
with a yarn from my stash, because when I finally found a pattern I wanted to make, it was late and I didn’t want to run to the shop. If it turns out to fit as well as other people’s projects, there are at least 2 more yarns I’d love to have this tee in. The slip-stitch details and the options for sleeve length and hemline make it very versatile.
So keep on knitting! There’s hope I’ll see you soon; in the meantime, stay safe – I miss you!
