I can't knit. Not because I don't know how, but because Michaels and Jo-Ann's have both decided that they don't want ANYONE to knit. Wal-Mart's in on the action too.
Spent a good portion of my evening running about trying to find 16" circular needles in sizes 7 and 8 and DPNs in sizes 7, 8 and 9. Yesterday the local yarn store was cool. She told me they were out, but were expecting them in any day now. Actually, they were just out of the DPNs, not the circulars. They're easy enough to find, no? NO.
Michael's has 29" circulars and one set of size 6 DPNs. Wal-Mart has 29" circulars and 32" circulars, no DPNs. Three stops and I got a little wiser. I called Jo-Anns. I tried very hard to speak to her like she was an intelligent human being but I did tell her twice, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, the sizes I was looking for. I didn't even say anything about the double pointeds. She went to check and then someone hung up on me. I called back and they wanted to know if they could call me tomorrow. No. She already went to check so she probably already knows the answer.
SalesDrone: "Oh, but we're really busy."
Me: (silence)
SalesDrone: "Well, let me check"
Drone#2: "Yeah, I've got a 7 and a 9, no 8."
Me: "Excellent! I'll be there in 5 minutes."
At this point I was actually in the parking lot watching the "crowded" store. I waited 5 minutes to go into the store. And good thing I did to, cuz those two salesgirls would never have gotten to finish their conversation about their weekends!
I go to retrieve my needles. Lo and behold! They're 29" NOT 16". I call the other nearby Jo-Ann's and they keep me on hold for almost ten minutes but she at least didn't cut me off or have me drive to Timbuktu for the wrong item.
Next stop. Michaels. It's on the way. No needles. But the yarn I need for a scarf is on sale. I buy 2 skeins. I go to the register. No one there. Free and clear. I'm at the register when this new drone goes, "uh, I said I would help the next person in the other line." Fine. Only almost all the people in the other line come over (that so should have been a clue) and clog up the aisle between the 2 registers so I can't even get to the other line without going up an aisle.
I stand behind a woman who's all YELLular on her phone:
"Omigod! I'm so in Michaels right now! No! I'm not kidding! Yeah! She's here with me! I'll be home in 15 minutes! Yeah! I'll give you a call in 15 minutes! Okay! Yeah! uh huh! Right!"
She's buying those little baggies that are made of...what's that gauzy kind of tulle-y fabric? You know what I'm talking about, right? Good. So just when the cashier rings up every single flower (and there were lots-all exactly alike) separately (honey - 12 x's *scan*! I'm going through the change waiting on you!) the girl goes:
"Do you have any more of the bags? I need more."
Drone: "Um, maybe. On the top shelf"
Nothing. She keeps ringing until she's done.
Drone: "You want me to check?"
Bride: "Um yeah. That would be great."
Drone makes a semi-coherent announcement on the loudspeaker, at the end of which she giggles.
Guy approaches. He goes to look for the baggies. He's on a ladder digging through a box. I'm still waiting. The drone looks around, probably trying to remember how to spell her last name. Five minutes go by. Guy comes back with some bags.
Brides (orgasmically): "Oh! He found some! Oh Thank You! Thank You!" Guy hands the bags to the bride who hands them to the cashier. She rings each one in separately. Bride swipes her card and we wait a good 30 seconds for the approval and receipt.
I'm next! Drone looks at me like I'm a horrible person when I don't wish her a good evening.
The thing about this is both Michaels and JoAnn's are crawling with yarn, knitting books and crochet hooks up the wazoo. The are patterns for things that require 16" circular needles or double-pointed needles or both. Why doesn't one store out of...6? have these needles? Who is the stupid moron doing their buying? They've obviously picked up on the knitting thing cuz they keep getting flocks of yarn in.
Had I known I was looking for the Holy Grail of knitting needles I could have called the other local yarn shop and they would have waited until I got there. But I didn't want to inconvience anyone. I thought one store was bound to have what I needed.
I've had such rotten service in Michaels and Jo-Ann's lately. I really ought to write them a strongly worded letter. Have you ever seen a picture of the President of Michaels? Here he is in all his crafty glory. You always suspected, didn't you?
So I ended the evening at Best Buy where I finally bought Love Actually, so I could come home and enjoy it. And I ended up playing Sims2 for about 2 hours. It's really cool! Only I spent all this time working with a family only to have the kid (and she was a cute kid, too!) flunk outta school and get taken away by the social worker. I'm definitely getting that next month!
