I came to China with a stash of yarn big enough to complete several projects--plenty to keep me busy for months I thought. Well, without a 9-5 job, it lasted all of about 6 weeks. So I've had fun exploring the indoor flea markets of Jiangyin in search of yarn. So far I've found 5 or 6 different yarn "stalls," the one in the photo below being the largest so far. This past weekend I was actually able to say how many skeins and what colors I needed in Chinese! And be understood! (Thus another upswing on the learning-Chinese-is-fun-versus-impossible roller coaster.)
While they don't have any of the luxurious yarns I'd drool over back in the States, they sure do use some interesting fibers: ferret, marten, and even
CORN! And wow, the prices are absolutely unbeatable! But then there are the knitting needles--most of the needles I brought with me are stamped "Made in China." Yet if I want to buy needles here, it's about the equivalent of going out and breaking a twig off a tree and peeling the bark off of it--just a tad bit warped and snaggy.
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| My current local stash--apparently I'm in a bit of a color rut! |
