Yarn (Store) Pr0n: Gauge

Once upon a time, I thought Austin's yarn market was too full for any more yarn shops.

But after talking to other knitters, and listening to Stash and Burn talk about San Francisco and New York City's many yarn shops, I realized this wasn't true. I still have a lot to learn about the yarn business.

Gauge had it's grand opening last Friday night. Of course, I heard about it after midnight Friday and missed the whole thing. But I did manage to get out there Saturday afternoon. And again on Sunday, when I went with Lyndsey.





Gauge is located just off 2222, making it the closest yarn shop to my new apartment.

This what it looks like on the outside...











...and this is what it looks like on the inside.














Here's some of the yarn. I think this would be the "heavy worsted" to "chunky" display.



















It's sad how long it took me to figure out that the yarns were arranged by gauge. (Imagine that, a yarn store named "Gauge" that is arranged by gauge.) The little signs referred to stitches per inch. (Or at least I assume so. What would you do with yarn that is 1-3 inches per four inches?)







This is the lounge in the back. (Everyone in this picture looked up at me, confused, when the flash went off.)

There will be knitting groups and classes back there. Once the class schedule is set, there will be official "scheduled" knitting groups. Of course, as long as the room is free, anyone can come hang out and knit.

Also, see those books on the bookshelves? That's the "library." You can check out those books for two weeks. They also have Wi-Fi.


The owners have taken a lot of care to decorate the place. This display greets you at the door, including some jewelry that's for sale. (They have some t-shirts for sale, too.)











This little display shows some of the notions they have for sale. They have some ribbons and tape that will be perfect when I get around to knitting the Everlasting Bagstopper.












Here's another cool display of buttons and notions.














Here is a display of yarn by the sofa in the back room.














This was the only problem I found. I want to touch the Vegas. But can I? If so, how do I get it out? (This is the first place I've seen it, and I didn't see it available in the other parts of the store.)


(Another yarn I saw, but somehow didn't get a picture of, was Peace Fleece. It was the first place I'd seen it other than online. They even had their needles.












Speaking of yarn, this was on the front table display, and was also for sale. Vintage yarn! The label says 90% Virgin Wool, 10% "Vinyon" (I think.) Apparently, Vinyon is an early version of Rayon (Viscose.) Did I mention that I love old yarn labels?













Someone described Gauge as a "boutique" yarn shop. Not packed to the gills, but offering carefully selected brands. I was worried this meant I wouldn't be able to afford anything. But look, Lion Cotton and Cotton Ease! (I imagine they're mainly for beginners and classes. Everyone needs dishcloth cotton, and Cotton Ease is probably better for garments than Wool Ease in this climate.)

But if you are a true fiber snob, never fear. They also have...




...100% Mongolian Cashmere and...














...handspun yarn by Jamie Harmon (one I haven't heard of before) and...














...Claudia Hand Painted Silk Lace. This is the same stuff Lynn used to make her Icarus shawl.












Finally, this is Carly, the owner. (I hope I spelled it right.) She's "checking out" my copy of Handknit Holidays. (I had to look at it after listening to the Stash and Burn review of it.) Carly used to work at Hill Country Weavers. She remembered me before I remembered her.

I guess that's it for now. When I went with Lyndsey on Sunday, they all loved my latest "mystery" project. (I can't post it because it's for a Knitty submission.) I couldn't afford to buy anything this time around, but I'm looking at the handspun and the Claudia's Hand Painted for my next trip.

Oh, and there are some pictures of the official grand opening that I missed here.

Blast From the Past (or what is the opposite of blocking?)

Have I mentioned that I love old yarn labels?

A couple of weeks ago, my friends in Sumter County sent me a large box of yarn they found while doing some cleaning (along with a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card that I managed to turn into two knitting books.)

Tonight I decided it was time to pull out some of the acrylic for a charity project my knitting group is participating in. The box was sitting right there, and I grabbed a couple of skeins and started looking at the labels.

Some of the yarn in the box is quite new (there's a ball Bernat Eyelash in there.) But some if these are obviously part of someone's stash from long ago.

I think my favorite is the Wintuk label. Caron now owns Wintuk. So either at one point Caron was named "Wonder Art" (which used to be Gold Bell, according to the label) or Wintuk has been sold a couple of times. I also like the fact that the label proudly states "100% DuPont Orlon Acrylic." as if it were some fancy space age material. I also love the Eckerd's price tag. I think CVS bought out Eckerd's a couple of years ago, but more importantly, when was the last time you saw a drugstore selling yarn?

But the best part of the Wintuk label is the directions for "automatic blocking." Apparently, this refers to the fact that after drying, the yarn will snap back into shape. Isn't that actually the opposite of blocking?

The other Sayelle yarns are apparently branded to the stores they were sold at, including TG&Y and K-mart. They also tout the "Orlon" acrylic, and the yellow skein also talks about automatic blocking. I guess you really can't block acrylic (although I've tried.) And this was once a selling point.

The box also included someone's abandoned UFO (or possibly a couple.) There are some crocheted granny squares and the beginnings of a ripple afghan, all in white. I may try to finish it someday. I did that once when I was 12 with an old granny square afghan that belonged to my great grandmother. I gave it to my grandmother as a gift. When she passed away, I think my cousin took it (I couldn't bear to bring it home with me.) I'll have to see if I can find a picture of it.

I may keep these skeins for another project (I think the white goes with the UFOs anyway) and use the more recent looking brown yarn for the charity project. (I think it may be simply soft. The label is missing.)

In Ravelry news, there are only 262 people ahead of me in line. We're getting closer!