Frolicking Some More: We Finally Arrive at Romni

For those of you who need to catch up, the story started with an idea and continued with an overview of the actual event. Details are given in part II and part III, with a foray into stash expansion on the side.

When last I left you, we were not yet at Romni. In fact we had just left Lush, if I recall.


Lush

Lush -- I didn't really describe what shopping at Lush is like. Lush is like the devil's amusement park, as envisioned by Kris Kristofferson ("admission's free you pay to get out") or the Eagles in Hotel California.

Seriously. Hotel California: "You can [approach the] check out any time you like, but you can never [get them to let you] leave."

I had some stuff I wanted to buy, and the girl at the checkout started talking to me about it (I had to ask the price of something) and when I professed my ignorance about the products she hijacked me, dragged me over to a strategically placed bowl of water, and proceeded to rub my hands with some sort of grapefruity-smelling scrub. So I told her I wanted to find a soap that smelled like that, but they (of course) didn't have one, so she took me over to some peachy-smelling stuff that cost more than double what I would have been willing to pay for it, even if it DID smell like grapefruit (which it didn't). And none of this was the original stuff I had wanted to buy.

Heather came along and asked if I was ready to go and I said, "Sorry, I was really trying to get out of the store. I was at the checkout trying to buy something. I wanted to leave but she hijacked me."

So Heather grabbed another girl and said, "Can you just ring this in for her really quickly?" and the girl smiled yes, and proceeded to take someone else's products to the cash register and ring them in.

I was next, though, but when the salesgirl told me the price of the three little bars of kids' soap I was trying to buy was going to be $25 plus tax, I said, "I'm sorry. I thought it was more reasonable than that. I don't want it anymore." I ran out of the store as the girl was trying to tell me they could cut the bars smaller for me until it was the price I wanted.

Um...no, thank you. I need to go now. Please! Let me out!! Aaaaaagh!!!

[Oh, and the next day my hands were burning. I can't say for sure it was that grapefruit scrub, but honestly, that is what I believe caused it.]

Americo Original

Our next stop was a store called Americo Original, which is a designer yarn store.



The yarn in there was expensive, not per skein so much as that the skeins were quite skimpy (short yardage). But it was all gorgeous yarn. I could not pass up the weird stuff with puffy bits attached to it. You can knit a garter stitch scarf out of one skein, 10 stitches on size 15 needles. The yarn only comes in "natural", but takes dye quite well, apparently.

Lingerie and Condoms

After Americo we passed the lingerie store with the models in the window. A pair of silly kids -- who else would subject themselves to the hot sun for hours on end to be ogled at by passersby. What a thankless job! I bet they aren't paid well for it, either.

Somewhere on the other side of the road Heather had to point out the condom store. I gather she is a bit wilder than her husband, and so she took great delight in saying something like, "Look dear, it's your favourite store."

Romni Wools Limited

Finally we arrived at Romni and... my jaw dropped to the floor. It was knitter's heaven in there. Well, for shopping. They had everything. (Not a cozy place to sit and knit, though.)


I headed to the Noro section to find my coveted Cash Iroha. I almost didn't find it, because it was in some plastic bin things off to one side of a whole wall of everything Noro.

Somewhere nearby I found this Araucania Loa.



And then, then I found the Kitten mohair. Perfect for my shawl, and $5 a ball. I got five colours.



After that I went downstairs to the bargain basement (yeah, that was fun with a cane -- man, I am dedicated when it comes to yarn shopping!) and got some, well, bargains. Mohair of course, for my shawl. A couple of balls of Marks & Kattens:



and a salmon pink from some long discontinued line with a label written in German.



The SMS Version

And now, for some amusement, I leave you with a verbatim SMS text conversation I had with my husband while all this was taking place.

25-Apr-09 10:50 AM
Made it in fine and met up with the girls

Cool. Have a great time! Luv u

25-Apr-09 2:08 PM
Kiss

I'm in a wheelchair on queen street

LOL I can't get [The Boy] to take the hint to leave here

Haha I sympathize

25-Apr-09 3:51 PM
We finally got out. There was no place to get good food there - renovations. [The Boy] and I are at Marche.

25-Apr-09 4:10 PM
I was sitting looko

Looko?

Looking at the Big Bop for a while

When I got your msg

We are driving along Queen St

Very slowly

Having fun?

Yes but I spent more than I meant to

And this should surprise me?

Maybe not - you should have seen Romni Wools

Romni Wools, a bunch of women high on yarn and dye fumes ... a store Manager's dream

25-Apr-09 4:47 PM
We are heading home now

25-Apr-09 5:06 PM
I think we are driving thrub

Thru

A tornado

Near the airport - did you hit that too?

Still on gardiner

25-Apr-09 6:10 PM
We're home

25-Apr-09 6:48 PM
We stopped for supper. Lyz will drive me home from Michaels craft store.

I figured you stopped somewhere.

Well, you always have to stop somewhere. And this is as good a place as any.