Tinned meat

I was rather thrilled and flattered to log on to my email this morning and see many, many blog comments. I was slightly confused, and a little irrated when they all turned out to be spam. Spam in the form of poetry, but still spam.

Does anyone else remember that episode of Clarissa Explains It All where Clarissa and Sam were conducting chemistry experiments using the "gooky stuff off the outside of spam"?

My mind is working in some strange days today. I blame it entirely on the fact that I completely overslept this morning, resulting in having to get from bed to front door in ten minutes. Things have been a little fuzzy on the edges ever since.

That, and my experience with scary Dora last night.



This is scary Dora. She is no ordinary Dora doll.
Take a look at the photo on the bottom right of the box. That's a 5 year old girl standing beside this ginormous doll. Age on box says 3+, but I think that all this doll would so is scare the living daylights out of the average toddler. Sure there's endless comic potential, but really....it creeps me out. Kind of like the Good Guy dolls, only bigger.

Moving swiftly along...

Tonight is Knit Night in This is knit. To avoid the risk of being thought of as the crazy lady who only knits socks, I've brought something else along this time.



This was my train knitting this morning. A little cumbersome, but I really want to get this thing done soon. Time is not entirely on my side. It's another of the genius One Skein Wonders from Stefanie Japel - the difference this time is that I'm turning it into a vaguely long sleeved number.

The yarn is the delicious Dyed Cotton from Blue Sky Alpacas. It's heavenly. I didn't think it was possible for cotton to be such a pleasure to knit with. It comes in some fabulous colourways as well. This particular lot was bought in Purl Soho at the beginning of the year. I got three skeins, which is perfect for making the long sleeved OSW with. Might even have enough left for a calorimetry.

While the dyed cotton is now available over here in Europe, like many other American yarns it is stupidly expensive compared to retail price in the States. This vexes me. I am a big "support your LYS" person, but it can be hard at times when it's literally half the price for me to order and have it delivered from the U.S.

I realise that all LYSs need to turn a healthy profit in order to keep being a LYS and not another empty building. That goes without saying. I also realise that shipping large boxes of yarn to another continent is expensive, as are import duties. (Books, in my experience, have exactly the same problem). Something is not balancing somewhere along the line.

My mother had her own business for years. Some of the stock that she was buying cost her more at wholesale prices than I saw it on retail shelves in New York. I'm not talking a few cents either.

Is tax really to blame for the discrepancy?
If it is, then the government are getting a bloody ginormous slice of the pie, aren't they?