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As I took it off to try on a new brown top (one of the pitfalls of working in a yarn store that also carries clothing) I giggled and said to Karen
"This shawl has a funny story behind it." (Actually, many of my knits have funny stories behind them.)
The shawl story started many years ago at the KW Knitters Fair. I saw the shawl on display at the Mary Maxim booth. I loved the pattern and asked the clerk if I could purchase just the pattern.
She replied with that common Mary Maxim 'maxim'
"The pattern is free with the yarn purchase." The yarn was nice, but what I really wanted was the pattern.
"How much is the yarn?" I asked.
"$12. per ball."
I looked again at the little shawl, then asked
"I wouldn't be so lucky as to have that shawl be a 'one-ball-wonder', would I?"
"No. It takes two balls." I really didn't want the yarn. I just wanted the pattern.
Hmmm. Am I 'dumb' enough to spend $24 for a pattern. ??
Turns out I am.
I was smart enough though, to get started right away on the shawl. When my two balls were almost gone, I decided I would prefer a shawl just a bit bigger.
I called Mary Maxim to ask if they might have an extra ball of the yarn in the same dye lot. Lucky me, they did. It could be mailed out that day.
Now, $36. And I really only wanted the pattern. Of course, I didn't bother to ask the cost of the postage. After all, the yarn was a weight-less, ethereal mohair packaged in 25 gram balls. How much could that cost?
$7, it turns out.
So - $12 +$12 + $12 + 7. A high-priced pattern.
"This shawl has a funny story behind it." (Actually, many of my knits have funny stories behind them.)
The shawl story started many years ago at the KW Knitters Fair. I saw the shawl on display at the Mary Maxim booth. I loved the pattern and asked the clerk if I could purchase just the pattern.
She replied with that common Mary Maxim 'maxim'
"The pattern is free with the yarn purchase." The yarn was nice, but what I really wanted was the pattern.
"How much is the yarn?" I asked.
"$12. per ball."
I looked again at the little shawl, then asked
"I wouldn't be so lucky as to have that shawl be a 'one-ball-wonder', would I?"
"No. It takes two balls." I really didn't want the yarn. I just wanted the pattern.
Hmmm. Am I 'dumb' enough to spend $24 for a pattern. ??
Turns out I am.
I was smart enough though, to get started right away on the shawl. When my two balls were almost gone, I decided I would prefer a shawl just a bit bigger.
I called Mary Maxim to ask if they might have an extra ball of the yarn in the same dye lot. Lucky me, they did. It could be mailed out that day.
Now, $36. And I really only wanted the pattern. Of course, I didn't bother to ask the cost of the postage. After all, the yarn was a weight-less, ethereal mohair packaged in 25 gram balls. How much could that cost?
$7, it turns out.
So - $12 +$12 + $12 + 7. A high-priced pattern.
3 comments:
Again those nice colours. Expensive shawl but I am sure you're worth it!! It looks very nice.
You could recoup some of your costs by making it again.
Weren't you tempted to just try and figure out how it was done by just studying the sample?
I can totally relate to your story. During the time I was dating my husband I made him a lemon meringue pie - at his apartment - that cost $50.00! Why so much? He had to buy a set of electric beaters so I could whip the egg whites!
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