Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Dear Fiber Friends,

After an unusually hot June, July turned out to be cooler than normal, which is actually quite good for the obsessive knitter. I've been spending the month testing out new yarns and planning our fall schedule. Where do I begin...




147 Knitting Days until Christmas



Michaelmas Mitts from Knitscene Fall 2008

Time to plan your gifts!
Do you plan on knitting or crocheting your gifts for the holidays? Now is the time
to start planning your holiday knitting schedule. Scarfs? Hats? Felted Bags? Sweaters? At this time of year it's ALL doable. The shop is loaded with yarns in all weights, fibers, and colors to make your gift making possible. Take, for example, the lovely Michaelmas Mitts by Cecily Glowik (pictured above), appearing in the current issue of Knitscene Magazine. I've just completed a sample worked up in Invernal, a luscious blend of angora, merino and nylon. Both the magazine and yarn are currently available - and the mitts are fun to make! Invernal sells for $17.50 and only one skein is required to make a pair of mitts.




Summer Knitting - the Market Bag

Are you in Holiday Denial mode? Still want a warm-weather project? We have just the thing - a quick-to-knit market bag that can hold all your farmers market purchases.

Worked up in a cotton or cotton blend, this 1-2 skein project is super easy and can be completed in a day or two. It requires large needles (size 13) and untilizes an attractive net stitch to create a simple bag (you choose one of three sizes). The pattern is free with purchase of yarn.




New Products in Stock Now




Vogue Knitting Fall 2008


The new Fall 2008 issue of Vogue Knitting just arrived and I must say I'm impressed. There is something for everyone in this issue - yep, garments for REAL people, not just talking sticks.

Also just in: a great collection of needle felted scarf kits from Pagewood Farm. Each kit contains a hand-dyed 50 inch felt scarf "blank" plus a bag of poofy stuff - wool & mohair fiber plus a little metallic bling. Armed with a needle felting tool (sold separately), you mindlessly punch the heck out of the scarf, laying bits of fluff here and there, creating an abstract work of art. Come in to check out the scarf-in-progress! Extremely easy to do, quick to make, and a bargain at $37.


Acquerello is the sock yarn. Whisper is the lace yarn. Frederikka is the hand dyer. After her visit a few weeks ago, Frederikka left a bunch of beautiful hand dyed yarn in her wake. I still have many shades of both the sock and lace weight yarn left for your consumption. Unlike many hand dyers, Frederikka's color sense is quite subtle and sophisticated... mysterious is the best way to describe her work.




As always, thanks for reading. Don't forget, when you're thinking of yarn locally, shop at Marin Fiber Arts first. When thinking of buying yarn online, turn to us yet again; our website at http://marinfiberarts.com/shop/catalog is continually updated with goodies, including yarns and colors not available in-store!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

WWKIP Day Recap

We had a great time yesterday knitting in public. The sun was shining, a band was rocking out in the distance (Italian Street Festival) and for those of us who needed it, shade was abundant thanks to scaffolding attached to the building.

It was the perfect day to sit outside and knit and to show the public that people everywhere knit!

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Click on one of the photos to see the entire Flickr album!

Happy Knitting!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

WWKIP, Mini Maiden, Moving News

Greetings Fiber Friends!

The summer months may be quiet in the knitting universe but things are anything but quiet here at Marin Fiber Arts. Exciting yarn shipments, special events, and new about our upcoming move. Yes, we are moving.

Mini Maiden in the House!
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Many of you covet the yarns produced by Canadian hand dyers Fleece Artist/Hand Maiden Yarns. Many of you also covent Mini Maiden, their wonderfully fine and lustrous blend of silk and wool, perfect for lace projects.
Our long-awaited shipment of Mini Maiden arrived today in 10 lucsious colors: nova scotia, periwinkle, capri, bronze, rose garden, lily pond, monarch, blackberry, vintage, and sangria. Fingering weight and approx. 500 m / 550 yards per 100 grams. Stop in or call to purchase yours today... it won't last long.

World Wide Knit in Public Day - June 14th
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World Wide Knit In Public Day (or WWKIP) was started a few years ago as a way to 'spread the word' about our beloved craft. People are encouraged to literally knit in public - the park, your favorite cafe, on the bus, at the mall. Be proud of what you make and maybe you'll convert a new knitter!
We will be celebrating WWKIP on Saturday, June 14th in front of the store. It is partially shaded but I suggest bringing a hat/umbrella/sunscreen. Water will be provided. As an added bonus, mention WWKIP (that's the secret code) and get 20% off your in-stock yarn purchases for the entire day! The event kicks off at Noon on Saturday, June 14th.

Go to the WWKIP website

Class: Lace Edgings for Garments
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Renee wraps up her summer lace kntting series with a 1-session class on how to turn an OK garment into a fabulous one by adding a knitted lace edging. Learn how to make your garment sing! The class is on Saturday, June 14th (WWKIP Day!), from 10 am to Noon and is $30.
Please call to reserve your spot today... space is limited!

Details of Lace Edgings Class


MFA is Moving
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After much hunting around and soul-searching, I'm happy to report that I've found a terrific new space to house Marin Fiber Arts... and it's only a few feet away from the original location! If you turn right after leaving the front door, go up the stairs, turn right and continue going up the stairs, you will find our new location.
The big move is slated for the weekend of June 21st (Friday - Sunday). I am currently looking for able- bodied people to help with the move - either schlepping yarn or hauling furniture. We have a lot of shelving to move, so if anyone can bring along a strong husband/boyfriend/partner/son to help, all the better! Note: we will be CLOSED during the actual move. More details will follow.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Marin Fiber Arts' Spring Cleaning

Greetings Fiber Friends!

Spring is around the corner and that means big changes are coming to Marin Fiber Arts.

As I mentioned in a previous post/email, we had planned on moving into a better space in a few months. Unfortunately the deal fell through, so we will be staying at our current location for the time being.

Instead of moving, we will be totally revamping the store - clearing out existing inventory, restocking with brand-new items, rearranging, and redecorating. Think of it as Spring Cleaning at Marin Fiber Arts.

The first step will be a huge Spring Cleaning SALE. All yarn in the store will be on sale at deeply discounted prices. See the bottom of this e-mail for a sampling of what's in store.

The sale will start tomorrow, Wednesday February 27th run for a week or two (yet to be determined). Once you all have emptied many of our shelves, we'll be closing for a week or two to restock and redecorate - think of it as a yarn store makeover. When we reopen we'll have a big grand reopening celebration.

Stay tuned for more details!


Lucy Neatby
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Thank you to all attendees of Lucy Neatby's workshop last week. Much educational fun was had by all! Lucy is a sweetheart and won over the class with her charm and humor - not to mention her amazing color work examples! Let's all hope she returns next year!

In stock I have a selection of two of her hand-dyed sock yarns, Celestial Merino (100% merino) and Cat's Pajamas (Cashmere blend) - to dye for! I also have a large selection of Lucy's wonderful instructional DVDs - it's like taking a workshop in your own home at your own pace! Each DVD sells for $30. NOTE: these products are NOT included in the Spring Cleaning Sale mentioned above.


GARNSTUDIO
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The Garnstudio closeouts I introduced a few weeks ago are selling very well, especially the Alpaca! I am expecting a HUGE shipment of drastically reduced Garnstudio yarns by the end of the week as part of the Spring Cleaning sale... make sure to check it out!


SPRING CLEANING SALE
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Here are some examples of the huge savings that start tomorrow, Weds, Feb. 26th:

50% off: all Aslan Trends, all Jo Sharp, all Cascade, Mission Falls 1824 wool, all Anny Blatt/Bouton d'Or, all Alchemy Yarns, GGH Bel Air, and much much more.

40% off: all Karabella Yarns, all cashmere, Rowan Felted Tweed, GGH Goa/Samoa/Bali.

30% off: RYC Cashsoft, all Lorna's Laces, all Fibre Company (including Road to China), Jade Sapphire silk/cashmere lace weight, and more.

20% off: All silk, Plymouth Encore, Rowan Calmer, GGH Tara, Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande Paint, and more.

15% off: all books, all sock yarn, Fiesta Boomerang, and more.

Garnstudio Bag Sale: drastically reduced bags of high-quality Garnstudio yarns.


As always, thanks for your continued support.
Happy yarning!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Garnstudio Shipment

Starting today, I will be posting every email newsletter I send out to my growing list. To sign up for the newsletter, go to my homepage at marinfiberarts.com and click on the mailing list link.




Greetings Fiber Friends!

I’m happy to announce that I have just accepted a special shipment of discounted yarns by Garnstudio, a Norwegian yarn company which makes a wide range of beautifully soft yarns in an inspiring color palette. The same yarn company produces the DROPS line of patterns.

The longtime distributor of Garnstudio in the U.S. has ceased distribution and is offering me their yarns at a significant discount; I am passing these savings on to you. As such these yarns are very hard to find in local yarn stores. Shipments will be arriving almost weekly - what follows is a list of what I currently have in stock. I am able to place special orders at the discounted price as well. Keep in mind that when the U.S. warehouse runs out there will be no more.

1. Garnstudio Alpaca (24 colors) - truly the cream of the crop. A sport weight 100% alpaca that feels like baby alpaca although the label says just “alpaca”. Touch this yarn and moan softly. Delicate pastels, vibrant primaries and amazingly subtle heathers are the highlights in this collection. Regularly $8 on sale for $6.40.

2. Garnstudio Eskimo (10 colors) - a super-soft 100% wool bulky single ply. Great for quick-knitting scarves & hats and really great for felting. Regularly $7.50 on sale for $5.20

3. Garnstudio Karisma (12 colors) - a lovely 100% superwash wool in light worsted weight (5 st/inch) - great for anything from sweaters to fingerless gloves. Regularly $6.5 on sale for $5.00 for 121 yards!

4. Garnstudio Cotton Viscose (14 colors) - a gorgeous blend of cotton and viscose - great for those with wool sensitivities and for warm-weather garments. This yarn truly looks and feels like silk! Sport weight. Regularly $8 on sale for $6.40

5. Puddel (4 colors) - a light and frothy mohair boucle, super soft and great for trims, edgings, and fun scarves. Regularly $9.95 on sale for $7.50

Check out the garnstudio website - http://garnstudio.com and click on the ‘english’ link along the bottom. Their website is loaded with hundreds upon hundreds of high-quality free patterns ready for immediate download!

Stop in soon to check out these new yarns. They are selling fast and won’t last long at these prices. Stock up now!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Lucy Neatby Comes to Marin Fiber Arts

I’m thrilled to announce that renowned knitter, designer, and teacher Lucy Neatby will be teaching a color workshop on Tuesday, February 19th from 9am - 5pm at Marin Fiber Arts. Lucy hails from Nova Scotia, Canada and has made a name for herself by publishing books (Cool Socks, Warm Feet), DVDs, patterns, and teaching sold-out workshops at such events as Stitches and local yarn stores across the country. Lucy will be in town in conjunction with Stitches West and agreed to teach a workshop at my store.

Please click here to get details about this exciting workshop opportunity!

Thanks for reading,

Warren