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.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
In a mere 6 months...
...Stitches Midwest will be in full swing! Good news - we are looking into chartering a bus to take knitters to Stitches Midwest on Saturday 27 August! Current game plan is to have the bus depart from HERE at 8 AM and depart from Stitches at 4 PM. That should give participants 6 hours to shop, drool, and shop some more.
Advantages to taking the bus instead of driving include:
Advantages to taking the bus instead of driving include:
- it will cost less than if you drove yourself (round trip gas, tolls, parking come to about $45, at present gas prices);
- you can knit going there and back (not such a good idea if you are driving)
- you will be surrounded by other knitters
- you'll receive a free tote bag to put your loot in
Monday, February 14, 2011
just a reminder
Last year I lost my father and Katmandu. This week I am sending out three sympathy cards, one to a friend who lost her mother, one to a friend who lost her sister, and one to a friend who lost his son. Without evangelizing or waxing maudlin I want to remind everyone that today is all we have, so never miss a chance to say "I love you" to the ones you love.
Friday, February 11, 2011
still more about new stuff
This morning it was 13 degrees out when I left for the shop. Seems cold, until you consider that it was 24 degrees warmer than when I left the house yesterday.
The Artyarns Cottonspring has arrived and it is heavenly! It is selling very fast, too, so I will be ordering more soon. If you go onto the Artyarns site and see a color you would like me to order, I will be happy to do so.
The Interweave Knits and the Knitting Traditions Spring 2011 issues have arrived. I am going to add a new feature to the newsletter, beginning with the March issue: The Yarn Exchange. In short, it is a list of patterns in recent magazine issues and the yarns I carry that may be substituted if I do not carry the recommended yarn. I hope you will find this helpful.
Purls of wisdom: If it ain't broke, it probably isn't ours.
The Artyarns Cottonspring has arrived and it is heavenly! It is selling very fast, too, so I will be ordering more soon. If you go onto the Artyarns site and see a color you would like me to order, I will be happy to do so.
The Interweave Knits and the Knitting Traditions Spring 2011 issues have arrived. I am going to add a new feature to the newsletter, beginning with the March issue: The Yarn Exchange. In short, it is a list of patterns in recent magazine issues and the yarns I carry that may be substituted if I do not carry the recommended yarn. I hope you will find this helpful.
Purls of wisdom: If it ain't broke, it probably isn't ours.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
new stuff
Greetings fellow knit-cicles! New arrivals at the shop yesterday include Linsey, a cotton linen blend from Berroco. The solids are heathery due tot he different rates at which the cotton and linen fibers take up dye. The multis are self-striping (similar to TyDy). At 114 yards and $8.00 per skein, Linsey is a deal.
Pattern support for Linsey is fabulous! Not only does Berroco have some killer patterns in their new booklet, but I also have the Nora Gaughan volume 8, and this is packed with gorgeous patterns for Linsey. It also has patterns for Pure Pima, Berroco's 100% pima cotton yarn, which will be arriving at the shop later this spring.
I have several new individual patterns in, too, mostly for summery garments. A new pattern vendor is C2knit, who produces amazingly simple and classic patterns that are perfect for cotton or linen blends.
Lest the thought of summer-weight garments make you shiver as you look outside, I have also gotten in some very cool hat patterns from Nancy's Knit Knacks. These are Fair Isle patterns, and very classic. One is reminiscent of the hat worn by Flick in "A Christmas Story"; another has a thistle pattern that will appeal to anyone with a drop of Scottish blood.
Later this week a new shipment of Artyarns should be arriving - Cottonspring, the only cotton yarn I have ever lusted for. It is lovely, soft, and the Artyarns colors, of course, and to swoon over (does anybody actually swoon anymore?).
Any SciFi fans out there? I am a total scifi and fantasy geek. A customer ordered some bulky yarn for a hat and it turns out that the hat in question is the one worn by Jayne Cobb in Firefly! I got the free pattern on-line and am offering the yarn and pattern in kits for $30, including a pom-pom maker (the hat MUST have a pom-pom to be an authentic Mrs. Cobb's cunning hat!).
I am also pleased to say that last Saturday's Super Scarf Knit In and Potluck Lunch was a huge success. So many beautiful scarves being knitted, and so many really nice knitters. We had a blast - I may make this a regular event, perhaps on the first Saturday of every month. Of course it wouldn't be as elaborate, but I'm sure I could manage to bring in a crock pot of stew or chili or such once a month.
Well, off to the showers with me. Knit happy!
Pattern support for Linsey is fabulous! Not only does Berroco have some killer patterns in their new booklet, but I also have the Nora Gaughan volume 8, and this is packed with gorgeous patterns for Linsey. It also has patterns for Pure Pima, Berroco's 100% pima cotton yarn, which will be arriving at the shop later this spring.
I have several new individual patterns in, too, mostly for summery garments. A new pattern vendor is C2knit, who produces amazingly simple and classic patterns that are perfect for cotton or linen blends.
Lest the thought of summer-weight garments make you shiver as you look outside, I have also gotten in some very cool hat patterns from Nancy's Knit Knacks. These are Fair Isle patterns, and very classic. One is reminiscent of the hat worn by Flick in "A Christmas Story"; another has a thistle pattern that will appeal to anyone with a drop of Scottish blood.
Later this week a new shipment of Artyarns should be arriving - Cottonspring, the only cotton yarn I have ever lusted for. It is lovely, soft, and the Artyarns colors, of course, and to swoon over (does anybody actually swoon anymore?).
Any SciFi fans out there? I am a total scifi and fantasy geek. A customer ordered some bulky yarn for a hat and it turns out that the hat in question is the one worn by Jayne Cobb in Firefly! I got the free pattern on-line and am offering the yarn and pattern in kits for $30, including a pom-pom maker (the hat MUST have a pom-pom to be an authentic Mrs. Cobb's cunning hat!).
I am also pleased to say that last Saturday's Super Scarf Knit In and Potluck Lunch was a huge success. So many beautiful scarves being knitted, and so many really nice knitters. We had a blast - I may make this a regular event, perhaps on the first Saturday of every month. Of course it wouldn't be as elaborate, but I'm sure I could manage to bring in a crock pot of stew or chili or such once a month.
Well, off to the showers with me. Knit happy!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Groundhog Day 2011
Greetings knitterati! If, by some fickle alignment of the stars and weather satellites, the blizzard predicted for tonight actually comes to pass and we receive the 12+ inches of snow forecast, the shop will not open on Wednesday 02 February 2011. In conditions like that it is best everyone that does not absolutely positively need to be on the roads stay off them, including myself and my customers.
Should we not receive all this snow the shop will open as usual.
On the plus side, no groundhog will see his shadow tomorrow....
Should we not receive all this snow the shop will open as usual.
On the plus side, no groundhog will see his shadow tomorrow....
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Gorgeous George update
George came to the shop two weeks ago to be a shop cat. At first everything was fine, but Friday and Saturday he made two very serious efforts to get out the door when customers were leaving. He really misses his previous staff, and I think he thought he could get home to them if he got out. I simply cannot take the risk of him getting out on Mishawaka Avenue, he would probably be hit by a car in the first few minutes. So Saturday after work George came home with me to be a house cat instead of a shop cat.
So far the other cats have done a little hissing, but overall it has been a relatively peaceful transition. I think George will eventually end up as alpha cat, but he isn't pushing the issue. Mainly he just wants the other cats not to bother him while he checks out the new digs. He does enjoy sleeping on the bed with us, and apparently all cats recognize the bed as neutral territory because everyone slept close together peacefully.
George will miss his adoring fans at the shop, especially those who brought chicken, turkey, cheese and tuna for him. He is a much safer cat now, and does not have to sleep alone in a cold, lonely shop.
So far the other cats have done a little hissing, but overall it has been a relatively peaceful transition. I think George will eventually end up as alpha cat, but he isn't pushing the issue. Mainly he just wants the other cats not to bother him while he checks out the new digs. He does enjoy sleeping on the bed with us, and apparently all cats recognize the bed as neutral territory because everyone slept close together peacefully.
George will miss his adoring fans at the shop, especially those who brought chicken, turkey, cheese and tuna for him. He is a much safer cat now, and does not have to sleep alone in a cold, lonely shop.
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