knitting is so mainstream

I mean, when IKEA fashions a little room as a yarn shop, what has the world come to? Average folk who cruise the Ikea looking for inspiration–Ikea has decided they are potential LYS owners!

365.119 • @ Ikea

The demo yarn is all Lion Brand, and it’s all mounted to appear as if the bins are overflowing. This totally cracks me up.

As for me, I got a new lamp for the living room that I have high hopes will transform my living space. I’d been hating how dark the room was; though it’s light out I can tell it’s making a difference. I also got new curtains, but they’re not up yet. Instead I did the whole “winter out / spring in” wardrobe switch, which literally just took me an hour and a half. I have limited space and am prone to messiness, so I had to refold all the winter stuff. It’s done though!

Knitting-wise, I’m working on the blue and brown koigu socks–just a simple stockinette with a regular stripe. I considered fancier colorwork, but ultimately realized that I need a commuting project that I don’t have to think about much. I knit on the way to Ikea.

MD Sheep & Wool is this weekend! And because I did my taxes so late, I just got my refund! So: YARN!!

31 Responses to knitting is so mainstream

  1. Stephanie says:

    Maybe I’ll see you at MDSW! Too bad you didn’t succumb to the yarn store idea for your living room. It would be cool to shop at home!

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  2. Kristen says:

    I have yet to visit an Ikea. When you say “demo yarn”, does that mean only the shelving is for sale, not the yarn? Because even if it’s LB yarn, they don’t need to taunt us with fiber. Honestly. Why not be like every other furniture store and make a cardboard cut-out that looks like yarn?

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  3. pamela wynne says:

    This is hilarious! Do you think LB has a product placement contract with IKEA? I hope so. Because that’s even funnier.

    Have fun at MDSW!

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  4. stacey says:

    I love that Ikea has come around to my way of thinking – overflowing yarn rocks! Even lion brand:) Good thinking on a commuting project – I need a “stand at soccer practice” kind of project – stockinette socks – good plan!

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  5. Annie says:

    Hahahhaa! I love it. I’d love to turn my “loom room” into my own personal yarn shop. It almost is…maybe with some shelves from Ikea…

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  6. Specs says:

    Oh, I want to go to MDS&W so bad…my family went every year when I was in elementary school, but stopped once the kids started getting social lives that interfered with our festival going.

    When I read the last line of your post, I was thinking of that Red Stripe beer commercial that aired a while ago. (The one with the guy saying “Hooray beer!”)

    YARN! Hooray yarn!

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  7. Suz says:

    Oh. Fabulous timing on the tax refund, can’t beat that!

    We just realized that we don’t have any big bills due for the next two weeks so i’ll be planning to spend mad amounts of money at MD S & W! WooHoo!!!

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  8. Amy says:

    Hilarious! I kind of want to trek to my local Ikea just to see if they’ve done this also… I guess I could check out some tables too while I’m there?

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  9. Jenn says:

    Too funny – we were just at our IKEA today, and ours doesn’t have a yarn store – I’m jealous, apparently we here in texas don’t want to own our own yarn store!

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  10. Lolly says:

    Very interesting! I wonder if that is at the IKEA down here…
    Your new lamp sounds cool :)

    Show us these brown/blue socks! I wanna see!

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  11. Meg says:

    Hey, I just did summer out – winter in at my house – everything except hanging up the winter curtains! (spooky music…)

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  12. modjac says:

    Jeez, here in SF I forgot all about the whole summer out/winter in switch-off. Haven’t needed to do that for the last five years, as summer/winter switches happen every few days here :)

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  13. Dee says:

    Can’t wait to see a picture of the socks. Have fun at the Wool-fest! It’s great that Uncle Sam will help foot the bill. ;-)

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  14. nova says:

    Now I want to make the trek down to New Haven to see if that Ikea is yarnified as well, funny. I hope I see you at MDSW!

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  15. Brenda says:

    Maybe IKEA thinks all knitters have stashes that large! I wonder how often the yarn rolls off the shelves the way they have it stacked in the first picture. My guess is they didn’t actually go to a LYS.

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  16. Heather says:

    That Ikea story is too funny. I’ve always been fascinated with the installations they do, all of those duplicate Swedish books that they cram onto the shelves to make it look ‘realistic’. Can you imagine if they put out Koigu instead of LB?!!

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  17. monica says:

    Hey–maybe the Ikea person who did the display knits! It would’ve been funny if they had some swatches knitted up too.

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  18. catrin says:

    Nice display – my local IKEA in Stockholm, Sweden has not that display :( But I managed to to spend a lot of money today without the yarn dispaly at IKEA..

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  19. Rachel says:

    The new LYS that just opened near me is entirely outfitted by IKEA. It looks really great! Still, it is hard to imagine that the IKEA store is generally teaming with potential LYS owners. I guess if you were going to think of a sample store-type to set up to attract shopkeepers as customers in general, yarn is nice and bright and attractive and makes for a nice display.

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  20. knittingphilistine says:

    Whoa, I just went to IKEA yesterday and failed to see any such yarny installation… I feel so gypped! I know that Loop has lots and LOTS of yarny IKEA cubicles… hmmmm, I need to go to Loop…

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  21. frecklegirl jess says:

    I also just went to my local Ikea yesterday and there was no pretend yarn store- pout. That is too funny. Were the skeins secured to the racks? I loved a purse I saw in there but it was roped to the display. They should at least tell you where they got them. ;)

    yay Maryland! I can’t wait!

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  22. Lynette says:

    that’s hilarious! smart of them. knitters are so mainstream. i did get my shelves from IK and it’s loaded with yarn. so maybe they copied from me. ;)

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