The Yarn Gourmet Important Information

Location: 2915 Mishawaka Ave, South Bend IN 46615 (across from River Park Furniture)
Phone: 574-232-9276
Email: yarngourmet@comcast.net

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10 - 5
Friday: 10 - 8
Saturday: 9 - 3
Closed Sunday & Monday

Thursday, March 31, 2011

More good news about Stitches Midwest

I am pleased to tell everyone that the admission price at Stitches is only $8!  This gets even better as I am trying to get everyone discounted admission tickets at $6 each!  The folks who organize this event are bending over backwards to be helpful - they are really great.

More new yarns at the shop - Himalaya Yarns Duke Silk, 225 yards of hand-dyed 100% silk decadence.  And Wisdom Yarns Limerick, a self-striping DK weight superwash.  Only three colors right now - lots of backorders.

Purls of wisdom: fall seven times, get up eight.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Stitches bus?

Greetings Knitlings!  I am trying to get a firmer head count for the bus - those of you who are sure you are going to Stitches with us, please email me with your name or post it here so I can put you on the sign-up sheet.  The list is first come, first served, FYI, so I do not recommend waiting too late.  Also, I am offering a $5 discount for payment before 01 July.  Anyone who has not paid by that date may be subject to being "bumped" to the bottom of the list by someone with cash.

Purls of wisdom: No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Cool new stuff!

Greetings knitlings (it's like earthlings, but different)!  New at the shop as of today:
  • Fortissima Mexiko Cotton stretch, a self-striping / patterning cotton sock yarn in 8 luscious colors
  • Aloo by Himalaya  Yarns, made of Himalayan nettle, this yarn is used to make market bags, placemats and table runners.  I have a free market bag pattern available.  Available only in a natural color that varies slightly from batch to batch.
  • Pagadi Silk - made of un-used warp threads from a silk fabric mill, this yarn is a great trim, such as on the edges of cuffs, collars and lapels.  The colors are brilliant and unpredictable.
  • Maharaja Silk - a lace weight silk, 800 yards of hand-painted decadence, and reasonably priced.  I have 5 delectable colors on hand.
Cool new find - eraseable highlighters!  Made by Pilot, they are called Frixion, and can be bought in packs of 3 colors at Staples.

Purls of wisdom: Once the game is over, the king and pawn go back to the same box.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Stitches Midwest Bus update

It is official - we will have a bus to Stitches Midwest for Saturday, 27 August.  I am looking into having it depart from the former Barnes & Noble parking lot.  This will allow more space for parking cars, as there is not a great deal of that at the shop.  Please sign up now so we can figure out if a second bus will be needed.  And please spread the word; I am going to ask a few other places about putting up posters with the trip info.

The price of the tickets will be $50 per person.  I know this is higher than the $35 I was hoping for, but with the rising cost of fuel it is still a bargain, and at the rate the price of gas is rising it will be an even better bargain by August.  Everyone will also receive a free tote bag and a free Knit Kard listing yardage estimates for various projects, so when you are at Stitches you will have a better idea of how much yarn you need to purchase for the project you have in mind.

Purls of wisdom: a person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Count 'em! 53!

As I was putting away a Cascade shipment this morning, I decided to do a count of how many shades of 220 I have at the shop.  Not counting hand-paints, tweeds and superwash, I have 53 shades of Cascade 220 in stock.  Which is about 27% of what is available.

My camera needs to go to the camera doctor, so no images of new things.  Nonetheless, I am pleased to announce that there are, indeed, new things at the shop.  First is the 60 Quick Baby Knits a book utilizing Cascade 220 Superwash.  Some very cool patterns - I especially like the hat with the ram's horns on the sides.

Also new - Pagewood Farms Felted Silk Scarf Kit and Felted Flower Kit.  The former allows you to make your own unique wearable work of art using their silk scarf as a foundation.  The latter can be used to make anything your imagination can come up with, from felted flowers on a sweater to embellishing your own scarf.

And I got a  bunch of glorious new colors in Malabrigo Worsted.  It is the yarn of the month, so come check them out.

Ordered this morning: I found another source of magnetic chart holders (thankfully).  These are harder to find than one might think.
Off to teach a student - later!

Purls of wisdom: alcohol and calculus don't mix; never drink and derive.