Uncategorized by Amy

Too sick to *knit*?!

I wouldn’t have thought there was any such thing. But as it turns out, there is. I present to you the sum total of my knitting in the last 11 days.

Oh, yeah. That hurts. Especially since almost all of the progress you see was from this weekend, when I finally started to feel a little better. When awake and conscious, I’ve been reading instead. It provides a much better escape from reality for me than knitting. And on the bright side, the Jhereg series (Brust) and David McCullough’s “Truman” were all pretty good reads. But lordy, am I ready to be knitting again. February’s sock plan seems somewhat derailed, but hopefully I can catch up by the end of March. Assuming I can stay well!

The sock is “Conwy” from “Knitting on the Road”, and it’s in Sundara sock yarn from the Seasons Club. My latest installment in the club arrived this weekend, and it got me thinking about whether or not I want to re-subscribe.

(Fingering silky merino, “Autumn Rose”)

I was admittedly nervous about signing up for a club where I couldn’t approve the colors of the yarn beforehand. The ability to pick a season eventually won me over–with her descriptions, I was sure that autumn would provide me with a nice, warm, deep set of fall colors. Without any pink or yellow, which I have a lot of difficulty wearing. Here’s the collection so far, at 4 months out of 6:

Now, let’s make no bones about this: Sundara is a genius with color, the yarn itself is incredibly high quality, and I’m sure I will knit something I love out of all 4 yarns. That said…

I don’t really think that either the autumn rose silky merino or the “copper over bamboo” silk lace are fall colors. In fact, maybe it’s just my hank, but I don’t see the copper at all in the silk lace. I’m currently knitting the cleopatra wrap out of it, and I’m sure it’ll be stunning. And I can think of several people who would look great in a scarf out of the silky merino (which is way too pale for me to be able to wear). But do I really want to sign up for more of this? I’m okay with the occasional stretch color, but I don’t think I’d be okay if I signed up for another year of this club and fully half of the yarn was in a color so outside what I consider to be seasonally appropriate.

(By the way, the description of the autumn on Sundara’s website is this: “warm, fall colors with some complexity, an emphasis on browns, greens, reds and oranges”)

Again, I don’t want anyone to read this as a bash on Sundara. She’s really incredible, and at least as far as the ravelry group is concerned I’m in the vast minority. Several autumn subscribers have listed the silky merino as their favorite colorway yet. And like I said, the yarn is scrumptious, and since I’m just not the type to browse to a website to buy yarn, I wouldn’t be very likely to knit with it unless I resubscribe to the club.

Ugh. Can you tell I’m conflicted? So tell me: What do you think? Are these fall colors? Am I crazy? What would you do, if you were in my shoes?

35 thoughts on “Too sick to *knit*?!”

  1. adrienne

    Your socks look great!!!!!

    Reply
  2. Pikku-Kettu

    Despite the fact that I would probably kill (or at least sligthly maim) for all those yarns, I can see your point. I’d call the brown and light pink ones Autumn but I’d class the other two as Spring.

    And if you haven’t been able to knit much, at least all that knitting has been concentrated on something really gorgeous like that sock!

    Reply
  3. knitography

    Wow, lovely yarn! I do see the copper in the copper over bamboo, although it is quite subtle. Maybe it’s easier to see because I didn’t have any expectations of what it should look like, or any disappointment over it not being what I was hoping for? Having said that, I would have the same concerns as you have regarding signing up for the club again. Do you do enough gift knitting that you can find homes for any yarn you receive in colours that are outside your chosen spectrum? If so, that might be a good use for the yarns that are not your cup of tea. If not, maybe this club isn’t for you. After all, there’s only so much yarn money in any budget, and it’s nice to spend on yarn that you can really get excited about! I bet if you put the word out via your blog or Ravelry you could swap the colours you don’t like for ones you do – maybe even for different Sundara yarn.

    Reply
  4. soknitpicky

    Sorry you’ve been sick and glad that you’re starting to be on the mend. Personally, I love all those colors and would consider them autumnal (I’m thinking of what colors I see on the trees!), but it’s your subscription, not mine 🙂 I say life is too short and yarn budget too precious to go on with something you’re that conflicted about. I agree with knitography that you could still salvage things with gifting and swapping

    Reply
  5. marjorie

    Those yarns are beautiful, and I’d be an “autumn” too. But for me, the green is too spring like (I can’t wear anything but forest green). But I’ve wanted some Sundara yarn for a while, and it seems as if I always get to the web site when most is sold out. But swapping might be a way that you can exchange yarns that don’t seem quite right for someone else–that is a good idea.

    Reply
  6. Janet

    More importantly than whether you think the yarns are Fall is whether they are what YOU want. And they aren’t. Just beacause a majority of people think it’s the dreamiest thing doesn’t mean that you should feel obliged to.
    Also, appreciating the beauty of something does not mean you have to find it useful or suitable for yourself.
    Well, I think, anyway.
    Ps. I love the sock

    Reply
  7. Gretch

    Your sock looks great. I was always going to do that one and I forget about it. You’ve made me want to put it on the needles.

    I belong to this yarn club too, and I’m rethinking it. My problem isn’t really with the colors being autumny – I think they are, even the green one, which so far has turned out to be my favorite colorway. I’m just so disappointed in that all the rest of them are some variation of the same reddish/brown theme. A rich brown would be nice, how about some deep bluey purple, but the lace weight, the sock yarn, and the silky merino that came this weekend are all, to me, essentially the same color. Sundara is a killer color artist. And you’re right – her yarns are fabulous. I guess I was just looking for a little color variety. I’ll be curious to see what you decide…I think I’d rather just take my chances and order them separately…We’ll see how the rest of the subscription turns out…

    Reply
  8. Jess

    I think the yarns are lovely and there is no argument there. But… this is exactly why I’m not in any clubs. While the yarns are lovely and nice, I can’t choose. I can’t choose a base that would be something I would use, nor can I choose the colors to be of my liking. So, while you get more of a shot at Sundara’s yarns, you’re not getting exactly what you might have chosen. It is a hard choice.

    Reply
  9. Jean

    So sorry you’ve been sick. But I’m glad to hear you’re on the mend. I was quite sick about a year ago. The friend who got us meds and ginger ale and left it on our porch then frantically fled from the germs asked me (over the phone), “are you too sick to knit?” When I groaned and said yes, she let out a long, slow whistle, understanding just how bad it was.

    I gravitate towards autumn colors, too. Colors that would fit the description from Sundara’s website. I think the green one and the coppery/orangey one on the right definitely qualify as autumnal. The new, autumn rose is borderline, but I still love it. I think it’s really soft and beautiful. But the one on the left that you’ve got wound into a cake is way too pink. It’s beautiful for what it is. I just can’t see calling it an autumn color.

    Reply
  10. Cheryl

    You’re right, those are all beautiful yarns! But maybe not so much what I would associate with autumn colors either. That’s really the dilemma I face with the clubs too, because in a way I think maybe it would be good for me to get colors and fibers that I wouldn’t pick for myself. I might find that I really can wear a color that I never would have considered. But then you have the flip side, of course.

    Reply
  11. tiennie

    I hope you feel better! I haven’t been able to knit much either.

    About the Seasons club – I’ve signed up for Autumn too. I do like all the colors that I’ve received and am glad I picked Autumn – although I agree with you – they aren’t the deep autumn colors I thought they would be. I’m happy though with it.

    Since it’s your yarn budget – you should do what makes you happy!

    Reply
  12. melissa

    oh, it’s such a bummer to be too sick to knit! i’m glad you’re starting to feel better. 🙂

    i went back and forth about subscribing to the season’s club, and in the end i didn’t. while i do think sundara’s a color genius, i think i would have been disappointed with some of the autumn color choices too. that’s the season i was most interested in. they’re all beautiful yarns, i’m just not sure the silk lace is very autumnal.

    Reply
  13. Lauren

    I think they are indeed autumnal. I think in general fiber clubs can be a bit hit-or-miss and if you’re really looking for something more to your taste and under your control, skip the club.

    Reply
  14. Kristy

    I’m glad you’re feeling better! I didn’t sign up for the Seasons club because the price tag seemed a little high– considering that you can’t choose what you get. But that’s been my opinion about most clubs recently 🙂

    Reply
  15. Anna

    I am sorry to hear that you have been so sick. I hope you are only going to get better now.
    All the colors are absolutely gorgeous and I would see them all as autumnal except for the pink one on the very left. Well and maybe the new Autumn Rose, which to me looks more like spring. OK, I can see what you mean. It must be so hard to fit into all the subscribers taste but I think if the yarn is not exactly what you want than you might be better off ordering it on your own. Even if you could get less yarn for the same money, you would be happier about it rather than disappointed. Sundara`s yarns are so beautiful. It would be a pity if you were not thrilled about what you get.

    Reply
  16. Wanda

    That’s a bummer about the sundara yarn. Because even if her color sense is gorgeous and it is, it doesn’t mean in a club that everyone will be satisfied. I’d suggest if you aren’t thrilled with what you’ve received thus far to not sign up again for it.

    Reply
  17. Lin

    I hope you feel better soon. The sock is gorgeous.
    I don’t belong to any sock clubs, although they do tempt me. I am so fussy with what I like that I would rather buy as I need. The trouble is sometimes its the only way to get hold of some of the really popular yarns.

    Reply
  18. Philippa

    Hope you are fully better now, and stay well!

    Personally, I don’t think those are particularly autumnal colours – although, as I said in my last comment, the sock yarn you’re knitting the Conwy in, definitely is. Years ago, a friend paid for me to have my ‘colours done’, and although I’m not sure it’s worth doing, it did teach me a lot about dividing colours into seasonal families.

    I don’t think it’s worth signing up again to something you won’t absolutely love – and since you will have experienced many of Sundara’s different yarns by the end of this installment, maybe it will enable you to buy from her website more confident in what you will be getting, with greater control over the colours? Because as you say, Sundara yarn is so beautiful, it’s a shame not to absolutely love it.

    (I signed up to Sundara’s Petals Collection sock club a few years ago, and the yarn was all beautiful but much of it wasn’t in colours I would have chosen in a million years, and thus I spend more time fretting about what to do with it than enjoying it, which is a total waste of some wonderful colourways just because they are not to my taste, amongst other wastes).

    Reply
  19. Serenknitity

    The yarn is beautiful, no doubt, but I think any club or subscription will find you not absolutely loving everything. I’ve never been tempted to join a yarn club for the same reason I cancelled all my magazine subscriptions – there’s pressure there, and someone else has chosen. Now, if I want to buy a mag or some great yarn I can – but it’s not plopping through my letterbox with me thinking on some months ‘Oh no, more to do’. I’d stick to buying Sundara on line if I were you (and I must say your pics have tempted me!)

    Reply
  20. ann

    I too favor the autumn colors — the only one I would not consider within that range is the pink center pull ball on the left side in the picture. I might sign up again, but with the idea of trading some on Ravelry.

    Reply
  21. stacey

    I guess they could be considered fall in that they are not bright and “springy” pinks…that is actually one of the few clubs I have thought about joining – maybe you could trade the skeins you don’t particularly like?

    Reply
  22. Donna

    At the risk of being the millionth person to say something like this, I think it’s not somehow contradictory to say you like Sundara’s yarn, but not every colorway. I can see the “autumn” in those shades, but I can easily see why anticipating something different could leave you disappointed. Clubs sound like such great fun, but I’m with Jess and the others – I’d rather pick my own colors.

    Reply
  23. Lindsey

    I don’t think you’re crazy at all, the colors are beautiful but I don’t think that they’re very autumn-y. When I think of autumn I think of reds, yellows, golds and browns, and generally deep, rich natural tones. The yarn all looks lovely but I agree that they probably aren’t what you expected.

    Reply
  24. ann

    First – thanks for posting the yarn pics — I’ve always wondered what I missed out on by not signing up and now I know. So. Our coloring is fairly similar (though I envy your red hair) and I would’ve signed up for the autumn too. And I would not have been very happy with that silk lace. I think that the silky merino looks more fall-ish — reminds me of the hues of some of the fading flowers in the mid-Atlantic. And I suppose (though it’s a stretch) that the silk lace color is like fall azaleas, or even some flowers in the fall. BUT. As far as expectations, I agree that this one went beyond the scope of expectations. While part of the purpose of a yarn subscription is to push your own boundaries, I think this goes beyond what’s reasonable. But holy cow, I LOVE that sock yarn colorway. Swoon.

    Reply
  25. Julia

    I hear you on the too sick to knit thing! I finally feel better now, but I’m so tired from being sick that I am still slow.

    I have pretty broad definitions when it comes to these things, but I see fall. Some could cross-over into other seasons, but I don’t think that excludes them. I think what it comes down to is whether you truly want to be surprised. I am pretty schizo when it comes to that – I’m either extremely spontaneous or I plan down to the last detail. I joined Amy Boogie’s fiber club to expand my horizons and I think it will – new colors, new fibers, new spinning challenges. But I was in the mood for that. Sometimes you just want what you want. If that is what you are feeling, take a club break and come back when you want to mix it up a bit. I’m sure you can easily unload the unused yarn on ravelry – Sundara Yarns are coveted and someone out there will like the “copper” color.

    Reply
  26. Ashley

    Ah, see, they look very fallish to me, but a Texas fall, not a New England fall. That said, I’m definitely not a sock club person, because I don’t like not having control over my yarn–I’m not a big surprise person.

    The good news is you can unload all of those on Ravelry in like 10 seconds flat, I bet.

    Reply
  27. Elin

    Love the sock!

    Personally, I love all the Autumn colours, even if they aren’t the deep colours you usually associate with the season. Even though I adore the silky merino (and I’m pretty sure I can wear it), I agree with the comment that it’s bascially just a variation on the silk lace colour. One thing I would have wished for was that the more luxurious yarns stayed within a “safer” palette (say, a deep red and foresty green for autumn) to meet everybody’s expectations for the particular season since I think most people are a bit more adventurous when it comes to what colour socks we wear than shawls or scarves. I’ve also seen quite a bit of overlap between the seasons and I’m a bit disappointed in my summer subscription, which has had several colours I would consider spring colours.

    But as everybody else said, it’s your money and you decide what to do with it. You could always try a different season next time. At least we all have a better idea of what to expect of the next round.

    (I hope this all made sense. I’m very good at rambling.)

    Reply
  28. kelp!

    I want to eat those yarns. Or possibly run over to your house, bonk you on the head, and steal them. Kidding! Well, I wouldn’t bonk you too hard.

    That being said, I can see what you mean about the colors. Together, the palette does feel autumnal to me, but individually, those pinks are definitely spring-y. I can understand why you’d be hesitant to resubscribe.

    I’ve never joined a yarn club because I’m totally and absolutely picky about the colors that I buy. Also, yarn clubs are so! expensive! That being said, I just joined a fiber club because, for some reason, I feel less controlling about my fiber selection. Go figure.

    Reply
  29. Marie

    When I cover the orange ball in the shot with my hand the remainder strongly evoke spring to me.

    I started a pair of charcoal black men’s knee high socks last November and actually felt sad and depressed while I worked on the first sock. I had to wait until the light started to improve here in Toronto in January to begin to enjoy the project even a little.

    I’ve decided I will knit with colours I don’t enjoy for the sake of knitting requested items in requested yarn for my immediate family but other than that only in colours that really excite me. No clubs for me I guess!

    Reply
  30. Brenda

    So sorry you have been sick, but I’m glad you are getting better. The sock is gorgeous.

    Clubs are pretty expensive, and I like being able to choose the colors I want. I belonged to the petals collection for 6 months; I knit one skein up and gave the socks as a gift, and the other two skeins are sitting in my stash. My husband had bought me the 6 months as a gift, and I felt pretty terrible not liking the colors I got considering the expense. You should do what you want and not worry about whether it’s bad not to sign up again. Would you buy a Monet if what you really liked was a Picasso? Buying the Picasso wouldn’t make Monet a bad painter or you a bad appreciator of paintings.

    Reply
  31. Jessica

    I think the yarns do sort of fall within her description although I can understand why you wouldn’t feel that way depending on your image of “fall colors”. If I had fall leaves in my mind, those yarns definitely wouldn’t work. This is also why I didn’t re-up for my one and only sock club I ever joined (Blue moon). I don’t think I’ve used a single skein of the yarn that I got and it’s just way too expensive to not have the choice in the long run in my (not so humble) opinion. Great stuff, but not very “me”.

    Love the sock! Hope you feel well and stay that way!

    Reply
  32. luckylily

    I have had the same reaction to the Sundara club. I love the club because it isn’t all sock yarn, but the colors have not been what I expected. I selected Summer because the description said it would not include pastels, but I would have called 2, possibly 3, of the 4 yarns I’ve received so far pastels. I realize the interpretation of the term pastel is pretty subjective, but I was expecting really vibrant, saturated colors.

    All that said, I do plan to resubscribe. Sundara is a genius w/ color and because I’ve been able to trade for the seasonal color I preferred really easily through the Ravelry group. Either way, you should do what works best for you. A club is a big expense to only feel so-so about the yarn you receive.

    Reply
  33. rach

    I wandered over and held my Charade sock (in Bronzed Sienna) up to my husband and said, “I think she knit the same sock I did!” I looked closer and that wasn’t the case, but obviously we have the same season, so here goes.

    My “Copper over Bamboo” is currently becoming a wimple for my best friend. She’s Asian, and with her beautiful black hair and yellow undertones in her skin, will look much better in that color than me, with my blonde hair and pink undertones. “Mossy” became Jaywalkers. I’m wearing those right now, actually. “Bronzed Sienna” is becoming Charade socks for a friend of mine. “Autumn Rose” is with a lady who I assume is very nice in California. Her “Winter Sky” is sitting in my stash. “Autumn Rose” is too peachy to look good on me, but I think the pale purple of “Winter Sky” will bring out my eyes nicely.

    I’m not going to be renewing my subscription. I simply do not want to pay $50 for a grab bag every month. The dyeing is superb and I feel incredibly spoiled whenever I touch the yarn. It’s so soft, so rich. It really is the nicest yarn in my stash. I dabble in dyeing and eventually want to start my own business. I look at my Sundara skeins and say to myself, “Some day, I’m going to be that good.” I was just hoping for more of an emphasis on greens and browns. I am very picky about what I knit, and I tend to knit accessories (socks, hats, handwarmers) and I like them to be green and brown.

    Reply
  34. Jodi

    Hmmm… you have a good point about the colors. Even though I did the Petals Collection, I didn’t sign up for the Seasons Club because it was just too much of a gamble with the colors.

    Reply
  35. Flaxytemeka

    order an for less , just clicks away

    Reply
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