New Supplies

For some reason, buying new knitting supplies is almost as rewarding as finishing a project.

Today I ventured into town to go to John Lewis to buy some much needed stuff.  The haberdashery department at the Oxford Street store is incredible.  I don’t know where I’d find something like it in America, if not a proper sewing shop.  I just don’t think our department stores do things like this anymore.  It’s like taking a step back in time and being firmly rooted in the present too…  It has everything from sewing machines, to walls of needles to every possible type of scissor you could possibly need.  They’ve moved since the last time I was there and now it’s on the 4th floor rather than the basement.

The other beauty of this department is that even on Saturday it’s almost completely empty and there are a plethora of salespeople to help you out.  This is most definitely NOT a typical service experience in Britain.  Last night I went out with an American friend of mine who lives in Portugal.  She couldn’t imagine a country with worse customer service than Portugal.  I am absolutely, 100% positive that England has much worse service.  I regaled her with stories about the diabolical service I got from the Manager of the Scullery in Muswell Hill and about the time I asked for masking tape at a hardware store (also in Muswell Hill) and the guy just looked at me blankly and shrugged his shoulders.  He couldn’t even be bothered to speak.  (And I don’t think this is just a Muswell Hill thing — I’ve had plenty of other bad experiences, these just stick out in my mind.)  There will only be two things that will ever send me packing back to America — customer service and a potential burning desire to have a massive house.

So, today I bought the following:

1 crochet needle
1 pack of knitting needles, size 4.0
1 pack of knitting sewing needles
6 balls of yarn (for various projects)
1 large stitch holder