SEX in Ukraine

SEX in Ukraine is wonderful. For those who don't know, SEX = Stash Enhancing Expedition = buying a shit-ton of yarn for super cheap. Yesterday Colette took me to this yarn shop on Sumskaya in Kharkiv. Angora, mohair, alpaca, merino...all for less than $4 a skein. I was like a kid in a candy store, literally. I walked around saying "oohh this is nice! I think I'll have 2 - no, make it 3! - of those! And oohh pretty! 2 of those, too!" You could tell that the shopkeepers (and the customers) were looking at me, big fat American tourist with lots of money, like I was crazy. They kept asking what will I knit? Who knows! But do you really need to have a project in mind when you can get a ball of off-brand Kid Silk Haze for $1.50! I spent about 280 grivnas, or about $56. I can understand why they would look at me strangely - that's about half of what a professional (e.g., teacher) makes in a month. I would look at someone strangely, too, if they walked into the Sow's Ear and bought $500 worth of yarn in 20 minutes.

Here's most of it...there were 24 balls total. I'll be back for more.


Being here has made me realize how rich I am as an American. I can walk into a grocery store and buy luxury food without even thinking twice about it. (Like the 11 gryvna, or $2 box of muesli that I bought yesterday...) Or buy $50 worth of yarn.

Here's a picture of Saltovka, where were are staying. This was taken from the balcony of our room. Today brings more walking around the city. I'm lugging my big blue Timbuk2 bag around so I can bring a 2 liter bottle of water with me. Unfortunately, I got the "with gas" kind this morning! I really need to learn how to read the labels!