New shawl pins!

The nice folks at Paradise Shawl Pins have done it again!  I have just received three new shawl pins, photos at right.  The sheep and cat are both hand-inlaid mother-of-pearl, and both perfect symbols of a love of knitting.  The Celtic swirl is a type of ebony wood referred to as "tiger ebony" - elegant and functional.

The Pagewood sock yarn still isn't in - but I'm on the(ir) case.  Same for MadelineTosh.

Progress continues on the retreat details - I will post more next week when more should be finalized.

Purls of wisdom: it's never good to be the weakest link in anything, but especially in the food chain. 

New info on the Melissa Leapman retreat

Many of you know  Melissa Leapman is coming in March  to do a retreat for the Yarn Gourmet!  Lots of details need to be finalized, but I can tell you that the dates are March 24 and 25, the venue is The Boulevard Inn and Bistro in St. Joesph, Michigan, and the cost will be all-inclusive (classes, gourmet meals, hotel room). 

I am still crunching numbers and waiting for a few estimates before I can issue a final price, but I want to open registration in October, so these details will be forthcoming very soon.  Stay tuned!

Sooner than expected!

The Interlacements yarns are here!  They arrived yesterday (if you got the text alerts you would have known already) and they are delicious!  These yarns are very comparable to Mountain Colors in both colorways and yarn types.  I have Toasty Toes (DK, 100% wool), Rick Rack (sport / fingering, 100% rayon), and Mikado (nubbly, 97% wool, 3% nylon), as well as 16 ounce braids of hand-painted wool superwash top.  I have a limited selection right now until I see customer reaction.  If it is as good as I expect I will be getting a LOT of Interlacements yarns in.

Purls of wisdom: never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and makes the chops tough.

The Ladybug is in!

Happy Wednesday!  The Schacht Ladybug spinning wheels have arrived!  The Ladybug is Schacht's entry-level wheel for the spinner who wants to get spinning but can't afford the price of most wheels.  Each Ladybug wheel is unique - somewhere on each one is an enamel ladybug, and each wheel's ladybug is in a different place.  This wheel comes with 3 bobbins, medium and fast whorls, threading hook, and a poly drive band.  It also comes with scotch tension, but can be set up for double drive.  Assembly is quick and simple, requiring only a Philips screw driver and a 1/2" wrench.  Other accessories available for the Ladybug include: Lazy Kate, high speed bobbin, and a bulky flyer package.

If you want a more versatile and sophisticated wheel, the Schacht Matchless spinning wheels will be here in about 3 more weeks. 

Also arrived from Schacht - niddy noddies that adjust from 1.5 yards to 2 yards; curved carders (72 psi), and belt shuttles for the Cricket Loom.

REMINDER: I am now offering an option to have text messages sent to your cell phone whenever I get something new and exciting at the shop.  Simply

Send:    txtrs  yarn

To:        368638

Then reply with a  yes   to the confirmation message.  For people who sign up for this feature there will be a 5% discount offered on whatever merchandise I sent the text about if you come in, show me the text I sent you and purchase it that SAME day.   For example, if you had this feature on your cell phone yesterday, you could have saved 5% on a Ladybug wheel.  That comes to about $35, or almost enough to get a Lazy Kate for the Ladybug.

FYI - Madelinetosh yarns now have a 10 - 12 week lead time for ordering.  I have an order placed, and it could arrive any time from now, but I am in the unusual position of having to re-order Tosh yarns before I receive my first order if I want more before Christmas.  If there is anything in particular you want from Madelinetosh, please let me know by the end of this week (Sep 16).

However, the Interlacements yarn order should arrive by Friday this week, and the Pagewood Farm sock yarns should also be here this week!

Purls of wisdom: never assume a determined kitten cannot escape from anything you use to confine him.

Diary of a Mad Housecat, Part 3

Hi Everyone, it's me, Elwood.  Big news at our house - just over 2 weeks ago Dad found a kitten in the parking lot where he works.  He brought him home, woke Mama, and she sent him out for kitten formula.  He was too weak to stand on his own, and his eyes were barely open.  Mama said he was only about 2 weeks old.  The poor little thing was covered with tar, oil and parking lot grit, so the next morning Mama gave him a bath.  Turns out he really is a black cat.   They named him Igor, but frequently call him "The Kracken".

On the second morning Mama took Igor to the vet to get some nasty larva removed from under his tummy skin.  Igor had to have a shot in his tummy, and then the vet cut his tummy skin to get it out!  Mama said it was a disgusting thing the vet removed and the rest of us should be grateful we live indoors.  Igor had to get medicine twice a day for a week, and I don't think it tasted very good. That night Mama got Igor what she called a kitty corral so he wouldn't have to live in a cardboard box.  Now he has his own litter box (with paper towels in it) and his own cat bed!  Lorelei is the only one of us that has her own bed; the six of us have to share with Mama and Dad. They had to bottle feed him every meal for the first ten days.  Now he has canned kitten food, kitten chow, and still gets his kitten formula, but he gets it in a bowl (warmed up, no less).  I tried it, and I think he's getting a bad deal, but he seems to like it.

The other cats really weren't sure what Igor was, but I knew.  I was a kitten not too long ago myself.  At first everybody hissed and growled at him, even Jake.  Now Jake doesn't growl at him, and if he's out of his kitty corral when one of the girls growls, Igor just chases them.  It serves them right, picking on such a little kitten, but he isn't afraid of anything (except the coffee grinder).  I really like playing with him, and try to make sure he doesn't get near the stairs. Sometimes he runs right off the edge of the couch, so I know he'll hurt himself on the stairs.  Mama and Dad say I'm a very good big brother.  Here's a picture of me and Igor on his second day at our house. 

Igor has gotten much bigger and livelier in the last two weeks.  When Mama or Dad let him outside the kitten corral he likes to run.  Sometimes his hind feet get going faster than his front feet and he flops onto his face.  But he gets right back up.  He likes to chew on things, too, especially Mama, Dad, and my tail.  Yesterday we were wrassling in the kitchen and he bit me in a very personal place.  I had to put a firm paw on his head and hold him still for a few seconds till I could breathe again, but I know he didn't mean to hurt me.

Purls of wisdom: milk teeth are sharp.

Reminder for this Friday night

Greetings!  This is just a reminder that this Friday night from 6 to 8 we will have a Wind & Wine at the shop.  For $5 per person you can come in and wind the yarn you got at Stitches or the Fiber Festival and enjoy appetizers and wine. 

I am now offering an option to have text messages sent to your cell phone whenever I get something new and exciting at the shop.  Simply

Send:    txtrs  yarn

To:        368638

 

Then reply with a  yes   to the confirmation message.  For people who sign up for this feature there will be a 5% discount offered on whatever merchandise I sent the text about if you come in, show me the text I sent you and purchase it that SAME day.  So if I text you "Yarn Alert: just got MadelineTosh Sport in", and you come to the shop that day with your text message, you will receive 5% off the MadelineTosh sport.

Note about the blog's appearance: I'm trying some new things with the overall look of the blog, please bear with me while I sort it out.  Thank Bast I have technical help this time.....

Purls of wisdom: you can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd