Fall is here!

Wow...it's been way too long since my last post. I apologize! Sometimes life gets crazy, and it takes something dramatic and life-changing to slow things down. I cannot believe this is the second fall since we made the life-changing decision to open the shop- I'm so glad we made that leap of faith! Not only has it allowed my mother and I to develop an even closer relationship, it has allowed us to develop friendships with others so different (wonderfully!) from us. The way life moves is often so unpredictable...

I am so excited about being able to offer our very own line of wool and wool-blend roving! It's beautiful stuff, if I do say so myself. :) We hope to start offering spinning wheels very soon...

As for current projects- whew, I've got waaaaay too many going on. I am still (very slowly) working on the Goddess Shawl that I started back in August (crocheted with Berroco's Vintage). I am working on a shop model- a blue baby sweater knit out of Green Mountain Spinnery's Sylvan Spirit. And of course I have a pair of socks on the needles (can't seem to stay away from that sock yarn)- a pair for my cousin Stephie, who is moving with her husband to Australia for 6 months at the end of October. I'm knitting them out of Cherry Tree Hill's Supersock Select Semi-Solid in a purple color called Iris (not my color for sure, but definitely Stephie's!) And last but certainly not least, I'm working on the Entwined Shawl, out of Universal Yarn's Classic Shades. Slowly but surely...

Much fiber love,
Robin

Finished Boteh Scarf, anniversary sale, and customer trunk show! :)

Well I finished my Boteh scarf and if I do say so myself, it turned out very well! Thanks to everyone who voted on the Mountain Colors colorway- I think it was perfect! :)

We are spending the day gearing up for our big ANNIVERSARY SALE next weekend- everything in the store will be on sale! I can't believe it's been a year since we were cleaning and painting over the horrendous wall colors, getting ready to open our very own shop! I've had such a blast, this shop truly has become my "happy place." I've met some great friends- honestly, some friends I probably never would have met otherwise!

At the TNNA Market earlier this month we came across so many ideas from other shop owners on how to celebrate an anniversary, but all of them somehow missed the mark. It seemed like it was celebrating OUR achievement, and we feel very strongly that it's our customers' achievements, not our own, that have supported us this past year. So we decided what better way to celebrate that than to showcase the beautiful and inspiring projects that our wonderful customers and friends have completed in the past year! And to have a big sale- who doesn't like to save money?!? And the response has been tremendous! Seems like you guys like to show off your achievements as much as we want to see them! So keep them coming! I'd love to take ALL of our models down for the month of July- and have only customer creations hanging up!

Robin ;)

Market Exhaustion...

Where to begin? I'd forgottten how completely physically and mentally draining this trade show is! Today was the first day the Market floor was open and I feel like we've been through the ringer! It's overstimulation to the extreme. So much yarn to feel, so many hooks and needles to sample, so many options to consider! It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, but gosh!
On a very positive note, we placed orders for all sorts of fabulous stuff: new, gorgeous shawl pins, brand new Schaefer yarns and Laura Nelkin patterns (we've come to know her- she's a really cool gal), new books, super luxurious yarns from Buffalo Gold, etc... We're planning some really cool things for the near future- a super cool program from Kollage Yarns with some really challenging and rewarding classes to build your knitting skills (AND we ordered Kollage square needles!), and an unveiling of a new yarn with a beautiful shop model. We're also talking to some fiber suppliers that have yummy fibers and colorways! More orders to come tomorrow...there are about 500 booths/vendors to go!
Guess who we met today? Debbie Macomber (got some signed patterns from her- Grammy will love that!), Norah Gaughan, and Cirillia Rose! Very exciting! I took a yarn dyeing class this morning- surely I have got to get better at this with practice, right? Mom took a class by Lily Chin- I'll let her blog about that later. :)
More to come!

Robin ;)

WWKiP Day and more...

Hello Friends,

Do you all know what amazing event is coming up? WorldWide Knit in Public Day (which is actually nine days in 2010) is a global opportunity for knitters to get out of the closet and find a comfy, public place to hunker down and knit a while. Started in 2005 by Danielle Landes, WWKiP Day was designed so knitters could come together and enjoy each other's company. Knitting can be a solitary activity so between June 12th and June 20th, WWKiP Day encourages local groups to organize and find a cafe, park, shopping mall, or any safe, public location where you can show the public that knitting is not just for "grannies". Show the world that knitting is an activity that can be shared by the community, and beyond.

Recently I had the opportunity to share a fascinating conversation with a delightfully talented lady (no names here, but you know who you are, SK). The discussion began with the general topic about knitting in public, then naturally transitioned to WWKiP events, and finally morphed into a plan to unite knitters around our great country to call attention to the peaceful pastime that we call knitting. Imagine the possibilities! Who could not benefit? Which brings me to the question of the week - What more can the knitting community do to promote our passion? SK and I came up with many fantastic ideas - what are yours?

Yummy...New Sock Yarn! :)

This absolutely beautiful sock yarn came in a couple of weeks ago, and it's been tucked back in our "sock corner." It's made by Mountain Colors, which hasn't always been my favorite yarn company (nothing against their yarn- it's gorgeous), just a bad experience with a sales rep. It's called "Crazyfoot," and it's 100grams of handpainted goodness! 425 yards to the skein, 90% superwash merino wool, 10% nylon. Needless to say, I'm a sock yarn junkie and can't resist bright colors that call out to me, even if they are tucked away like gems. Well, I'm done resisting- what's life about if you can't give in to yarny temptations every once in a while (okay, maybe more often than that!)?
There's a crocheted scarf pattern on Ravelry (the Boteh Scarf, by Kathy Merrick) that I've been dying to try- just haven't found the right yarn for...until now. My only question is which of these beautiful colorways do I choose? I will probably spend all day with these three hanks in front of me, asking everyone who comes through the door for their opinion!

"Mountain Tango" "Goldrush" "Mountain Lights"

Make sure to take our poll (------>) and put in your two cents about which colorway I should choose!

Robin

Fruit Stripes

I finished spinning what I've dubbed my "Fruit Stripes" superwash merino the other night- but had to wait until today to get it off the bobbin. Why "Fruit Stripes?" Remember the gum? For some reason that is ALL I could think of while spinning this- the yarn has the same stripes as the gum- yummy! Decided to leave it as a single- didn't want the colors to get too muddled together. A little too much overspin, but oh well- maybe it will come out with the beating! :)