Knit Night: A Review

Thank you, Warren, for inviting me to contribute to your blog. This is a much appreciated honor.

I freely admit that I am often not at a loss for words, but tonight at Knit Night at Marin Fiber Arts, I was at a loss more than normal.

First, Judy showed off her new weaving project with was done with...(wait for it)....sock yarn. Austermann Step in color 08 (which in case you don't have the color number translation in front of you is a delicious combination of grey, off white, and rosey pinks -- Yes, I have my skein, why do you ask?). Warren has the resulting woven scarf in the shop for a limited time (I will remember my camera next week to take photos -- please forgive me for lack of photos).

Next, Renee showed off these socks -- well, in the interest of full disclosure there was a complete sock and about half of the second sock. It is a pattern from Cool Socks, Warm Feet and a tweed sock yarn (also in stock, Warren reminded me). The pattern has a rib that twists arou the foot and ankle (complete with a garter stitch heel). It made the self striping yarn appear to be entraloc without the extra ends to weave in. Yes, it took my breath away and I had to sit down before I fainted.

Our own, 'Kiwi' was working on an entraloc scarf and again -- I was speechless. Now, mind you watching her weave in the ends made me a little happy it wasn't me, because we ALL know that I'd be forced to felt it and clip lest I go nuts with the darning needle. However, for both Kiwi's and her gift receipt's sake, I'm not knitting this one -- so it will be both outstanding AND done in time. She has talent for such things.

I also witnessed our Vegan Knitter making a gift with baby alpaca yarn. She was, as always, was trying new skills with two mittens on two circs at the same time. I'm seriously impressed as she worked through how to keep the two balls straight, fought the floppy needles, and even came up with a quick reason for the two different types of needles on the fly. I think by the end, she was feeling rather confident with the skills. Hey, it is something I haven't tried yet.

Me? I was working on the never ending Christmas sock. I have a mere 12 days to finish sock one and get sock 2 done. Yes, I'm feeling the pressure. And yes, I'm over the grayness of it all.

And in case you've missed the e-mails, let's review the happenings of Marin Fiber Arts.

1. Jo Sharp Trunk Show. Awesome sweaters to see and 15% off Jo Sharp Yarns during the show!!!
   
2. Stash for Cash. Donate a pound of yarn, get $5 in credit for the store. See Warren for details.
3. Anniversary Sale. There is a sliding scale of savings. Spend a little, Save a Little. Spend Alot, Save alot.
   
4. Wall of Savings. There are even sale yarns!!
5. Bring a Friend. Introduce someone new to MFA and get a $25 class AND some Soak (which is the BEST wool wash I've ever tried.)

So, I promise in my future updates, I'll have some photos. So, what did I miss while I was K2P2ing on my grey sock??

First Knitting Retreat a Smashing Success

I'd like to thank everyone who attended our first Knitting Retreat in San Anselmo - a great time was had by all! There was much food, drink, and of course playing with yarn!

One of our attendees, Meredith, has given me permission to post a link to her online album of pictures taken at the event. I've snagged a few of them to post here as well. Enjoy!



Hmm... maybe this is Hogwarts?



The Victorian house in which we stayed. Do we have to leave??



A sampling of the yarn provided by Unicorn/Lana Grossa... what a lineup!



Can you have yarn for breakfast? Certainly!



Sittin' on a Victorian porch knittin' with friends... paradise, anyone?



After walking the seminary's labyrinth, we paused for photo ops. Cheese!



Ok, these weren't knit with Lana Grossa yarn, but who cares when they're THIS cute!

As promised, here is a link to the full photo album:

Retreat Photo Gallery

Retreat Update

A quick update on our retreat and spa scheduled for November 3-5, 2006: all single occupancy rooms are sold out; we still have double-occupancy rooms available as well as 'sleep-over' and daytime slots. The deadline to reserve is soon: September 15th, one week from today.

Here are some pictures of the lovely house at which we will be spending the weekend in early November...







I've arranged to have Sheila Sparapani from Butterfly Skin Studio provide a "Knitter's Spa" on Saturday afternoon. Sheila will offer a complementary class on handcare for the knitter (demonstrating and practicing hand exercises, giving out free samples of hand creams, etc). Additionally she will offer individual 15-minute nourishing hand treatments for a $15 charge which will include hydration, stretching, a parafin wax treatment, and an accupressure/massage. Attendees will be able to sign up for the individual treatments on Saturday morning.


Look here for detailed information about the retreat, including pricing.

Knitting Retreat & Yarn Spa

Announcing the first Marin Fiber Arts Knitting Retreat and Yarn Spa... read all about it here!

Also, new fall yarns continue to roll in. Check out the latest from Rowan, RYC, Tahki/Stacy Charles, Karabella, and Cascade, with more to come! We are extremely busy stickering and shelving bag upon bag of soft, terrific yarns for your knitting pleasure. We've also put together the Great Wall of Sock Yarn, complete with offerings from Lana Grossa, Opal, Skacel (Trekking and Step), in addition to sock yarn from Claudia Hand Painted Yarn.

Wanted: Knitters & Teachers

We are currently looking for experienced teachers to teach intermediate knitting classes (how to make your "first" sweater, etc) and also experienced knitters to make models (ie. store samples). We are about to be inundated with new fall yarns and we can't keep up with all the knitted we need to do! Items to be knitted include baby items and adult sweaters.

Please contact Warren at the store, either by email (yarn AT marinfiberarts DOT com) or call 415.459.4600.

New Fall Yarns: Tonalita & Yosemite

Early response has been overwhelming to some new yarns that have come in during the past few weeks: Tonalita and Yosemite, both from Trendsetter yarns.

They are both composed of wool & acrylic, are extremely soft and lofty, and come in a wide range of beautiful multi colors. Tonalita actually stripes.

Tonalita is worsted weight and comes in 7 colorways:



The sweater was provided by Trendsetter, and is a super-simple asymmetrical cardigan. The pattern is available for purchase. Here is a closeup of the sweater - notice how the yarn naturally stripes:



Yosemite has a similar fiber composition but is a bulky thick & thin - I'm thinking it will make great scarves and hats as well as cozy sweaters.





We will be getting a cabled sweater out of Yosemite very soon.

Sockanon's First Sock

A few weeks ago (pardon for my tardiness in posting), Jen, one of our first Sockanon members, completed her very first sock out of Nature's Palette Fingering wool.

Here it is! Yay Jen!



Remember, all Sockanon members have a chance of getting their sock photos posted to the Marin Fiber Arts blog.

July Newsletter & Sale!

Just thought I'd share a picture of our lovely Maya, Resident Bundle of Creative Energy, as she models our Goa summer tank.



I just sent out the July 2006 newsletter, but for those of you not on the mailing list, here it is.

ps: What mailing list you ask? Go here to subscribe: MFA mailing list

********

Greetings Fiber Friends,

Warm and sunny days are here, but that means things are kinda quiet at the ol’ yarn store. As you head out to the beach, Lake Tahoe or the picnic, consider taking along a small project to keep your hands busy. Baby hats and socks make great summer projects. We have a constant inflow of new sock yarn in the store, from Germany’s Opal sock yarn to the hand-dyed wonders of Schaefer Yarns and Claudia Handpaints (both of which are due in the store soon). And of course, don’t forget Shepherd Sock from Lorna’s Laces... new colorways of sock, worsted, and Lion & Lamb just arrived!

If you’re not yet a sock enthusiast, we teach sock knitting at our Tuesday evening workshops.

Midsummer SALE

Believe it or not, now is the perfect time to start on your holiday knitting. Is your gift list long? Get a head start now. To help you out we’re offering our huge Midsummer Sale - all in-stock yarns are discounted at least 30% off! Have you been waiting for-EVER to buy that cashmere to make your hubby a warm and cuddly scarf? Now’s the time! Mark your calendars because the sale is on for a very limited time... Friday through Sunday, July 28 - 30.

Sample bags of yarn have started to arrive. What are these? I’ve requested early shipment of single bags of most new yarns due this fall so we can play with them in advance of their arrival. Ask us about these latest arrivals... you’re more than welcome to sit down at the front table and knit up a swatch with these new yarns.

For example, recent arrivals include Grignasco’s 100% cashmere (yumm), Reynold’s Whiskey (a soft, lovely earthy tweed), Jo Sharp’s Alpaca SIlk Georgette (alpaca/merino/silk), Schulana’s Merino-Cotton, Garnstudio’s Silke-Tweed (silk/wool), and Ornaghi Filati’s Zingara. And yes, you can swatch with these yarns for FREE.

100 Colors of Cascade 220 - a dream come true?

Yes, it is a dream come true. I’m happy to unveil one of the largest selections of Cascade 220 in Marin County... a total of 138 colors! A shipment of 100 colors just arrived this week and we are feverishly applying price stickers and shelving the yarn.

Sockanon - allow us to enable your pleasure

Sockanon is the club for sock knitters. With a $35 annual membership fee you get a punch card (buy yarn for 10 pairs of socks & get a 20% discount shopping spree), admission to monthly sock meetings, free patterns and door prizes. For a $150 annual fee you also get mini-skeins of sock yarn as well
as full skeins of yarn - enough for 4-5 pairs of socks - throughout the year.

New Accessories

I’m happy to announce that I now carry a small but growing selection of terrific buttons and knitting-themed notecards. My favorite buttons are little sheep with feet that wiggle - too cute! Buttons range from $1 to $7.95 each and are located at the register in a great big bamboo bowl.

Tours and Retreats

I am in the early stages of planning a Yarn Retreat for mid to late October of this year. The price should be between $150-$200 per person for a two-night (Friday & Saturay) retreat in a lovely Victorian house located in San Anselmo. A large amount of free yarn will be provided for your swatching and knitting pleasures. Please call the store at 415-459-4600 for more information. Final details should be ironed out within the next two weeks.

One of our favorite Knit Nighters, Patricia, is a cruise planner, and she has organized a wonderful five night Sock Knitting cruise for all you sock enthusiasts. The dates are April 29 - May 4, 2007. The cruise embarks in L.A., stops in San Francisco and Victoria, B.C., and disembarks in Vancouver, B.C. There will be sock knitting workshops, classes, excursions, and a tote bag full of goodies for all attendees. Prices start at $475 per person. Contact: seasocks.blogspot.com, 888-286-9827, or pbabischkin@cruiseplanners.com.

That's all I have to share this month - as always, thanks for all of your
kind support.

Warren
Marin Fiber Arts
415.459.4600

More sock yarn just arrived...

Another small shipment of Opal sock yarn came in. Included in the shipment is a snazzy handpainted colorway (#20) along with some Mosaic & Elements colorways, 4 solid colors, and a bag of miscellaneous self-patterned colorways - too many to list here.

The next big collection from Germany is due in the store next month... stay tuned for more info. As a reminder, join our new SockAnon club to get advanced notice and first chance at the new yarn as it comes in!

SockAnon

People addicted to Sock Knitting need assistance. Sock addiction sneaks upon oneself suddenly and unexpectedly. As owner of Marin Fiber Arts (and suffering from the addiction myself), I feel the need to give back to those addicted to sock knitting. What better way to enable - I mean serve - the sock knitting community than to provide a fun, exciting, and social club filled with sock yarn, patterns, discounts, and an exclusive meeting place!

SockAnon is Marin Fiber Art’s exclusive club for sock knitters. For the basic annual membership fee of $35 you get admission to SockAnon meetings (second Saturday of the month), discounts (20% discount after you buy yarn for 10 pairs of socks), free sock patterns, and early notification of sock yarn shipments.

For $150 you also get sample skeins of sock yarn (enough to swatch with) throughout the year as well as sock yarn (enough for a pair) at least four times per year.

Stop by the store to sign up or call 415.459.4600 for more information.

Allergy season...

...has hit me _h_a_r_d_. I took Sunday off and let Maya guard the kingdom while I stayed home and got some rest.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the National Needle Arts Market put on by the TNNA. It's where shop owners go to buy merchandise for their needlework stores. My good friend Grenadine Girl tagged along... we had much fun. You can read her humorous account of our madcap romp through the skywalks of Indianapolis here.

So what did I order? I promised myself not to buy too much yarn since I've done the bulk of my ordering already as the yarn reps have been visiting me during the past month. Nonetheless, I found lots and lots of goodies to tempt you with this fall.

A brief recap:

1. Lots of Lorna's Laces yarn in Shepherd worsted, Sock, and the new Swirl DK.
2. A new line of hand-dyed yarn from Conjoined Creations, two wacky but sweet ladies. Hand-dyed laceweight Soy Silk, anyone?
3. A lovely bulky thick-n-thin from Nature's Palette - I'm excited about this one!
4. Gobs of yarn from Karabella, including cashmere blends that will make you swoon.
5. Buttons and more buttons... cute, moderately-priced buttons from Muench as well as a new line of limited production ceramic buttons not yet available in the bay area.
6. Purse handles
7. A new line of wool wash available in three scents.
8. Two lines of knitting bags, from Namaste' and Susan Todd.
9. Several yarns from Aurora Yarns, a distributor of Scandinavian and Italian yarns located in Moss Beach, CA. The owner Frederikka is possibly the nicest person I've ever met!
10. Several yarns (including a beautiful chenille) from Fonty, a French company distributed in the US by Russi Sales. The Russis are possibly the nicest people I've ever met!
11. I had the pleasure of meeting Kirsten Muench, head honcho of Muench Yarns (who also distributes GGH yarns). Kirsten is possibly the nicest person I've ever met! GGH has some exciting yarns coming for fall but I haven't firmed up my order as of yet. Ran out of time!
12. Last but not least: we got to meet Australia's Jo Sharp! She is definitely the nicest person I've ever met.

Ok, so I met a lot of really-really nice people. Yay. I had lots of fun and even though people tell me I'm crazy, I can't wait for the winter trade show in San Diego so I can do this all over again. Go Yarn!

Warren

First Shipment of Opal Sock Yarn is here

Just received my first shipment of Opal sock yarn. For those of you who following Opal, these are not new colors but rather previously available colorways. The next 'collection' is due out in July.

For pictures of the following colorways, go here.

Petticoat: 1297
6 ply: 1254
Handpaint: 17
Elements: 1072
Dreamcatcher: 1236
Masterpiece: 3701, 3704, 3706, 3708

They are all wool/nylon blend, fingering weight (except for the 6 ply which is sport weight). The colors are really really cool.

Check them out!

Sock Obsession

Something strange and wonderful happened to me a few weeks ago.

I caught Sock Obsession.

I've been knitting socks for a long time - long before self-patterning sock yarn. It was fun. Occasionally I'd make a pair of socks - and usually mess up the sizing somehow. Some were too tight at the cuff, some were too loose. Never wore the socks I made. But they were fun to make.

Since opening the store last October, I've knitted a few socks to demonstrate yarns I carry, including a self-patterning Lana Grossa yarn. I taught myself the short row heel. They were fun to make - but not any funner than any other kind of knitting I do.

Then, one day a few weeks ago, I decided to teach myself how to knit socks with two circular needles. I chose a nifty skein of coral-colored Fortissima Socka (wool/cotton) yarn which I assumed had gradual color striping judging by the look of the ball.

To my amazement and delight, this yarn *did* self-pattern, and in a very cool way... it was hard to set down the sock and give my fingers a rest. In addition, knitting with two circulars was a revelation! I always liked working with 5 double points but I never *loved* working with them. I *love* working with two circulars - the process is so much more fluid.

I made the first sock in three days. I completed the second sock three days after that.

I am now on my third pair of socks... I'm trying every color of Sockotta I carry.

My first pair was knitted with Susan Bates circulars needles, knowing full well that the needle of choice for many sock knitters is the Addi Turbo. After completing the first coral Fortissima Socka sock, I felt Sock Obsession permeate my being, and I knew I had to carry Addi Turbos if I wanted to spread the Obsession. It's kinda like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, really. Once obsessed, I must spread the obsession to everyone I know and love.

I now carry Addi Turbos. I'm also excited to be an official Opal sock yarn dealer - my first shipment should arrive today. I've ordered plenty of sock yarn for the fall. And, last but not least, I am planning a Sock Knitters' club - members will get lots o' sock yarn and plenty of discounts. More details will follow later in June.

It's here: Lorna's

Today I unpacked a small shipment of Lorna's Laces hand dyed goodness.

What I got:

1 bag (8 sk) of Shepherd Sock in Tahoe (already sold: 2)
1 bag (8 sk) of Shepherd Worsted in Rainbow
2 sk each of shepherd sock in the following colors:
daffodil
happy valley
watercolor
glenwood
manzanita (solid)
charcoal (solid)
sunshine (solid)
china blue (solid)

2 sk each of angel (angora/lambswool) in the following colors:
daffodil
cool
mineshaft
irving park
purple club
uptown
tuscany

This stuff sells out quickly, so hurry in if you see something you like.

Incoming: Lorna's

The nice folks at Lorna's Laces were kind enough to heed my pleas ("haalp! I'm low on sock yarn!") and send me some goodies that were sitting on their shelf. I'm expecting a small shipment of yarn on Friday. Not sure what's in the box (UPS says it's a 7 pounder). I'm guess it's a mixed bag of sock yarn, a mixed bag of Shepherd Sport, maybe a bag of sock yarn in Tahoe, and who knows what else. Stop by the store this weekend to find out what I got!

Warren

ps: I also placed a sizeable order of Shepherd Sock, Shepherd Worsted and Angel, along with a small sampling of Grace (boucle), Shepherd Sport, and Fisherman). It should arrive in eight weeks. Oh the pain.

Did you say sale?

In case you didn't receive the newsletter, let it be known that there's a sale goin' on at the store.

Print out a copy of the newsletter to receive 10% any non-sale yarn in the store.

Rowan Big Wool is 40% off (Rowan is discontinuing some colors) Check out some of the stuff I'm making. Big wool is super soft, 100% merino. It's bulky, but there are so many beatiful patterns to make. Take advantage of the sale!

Some Blue Sky yarns are discounted, as well as Cascade 220 SUPERWASH. Rose-Kim Knits just made a pair of socks with the cascade superwash. Warren has some very beautiful heathered colors on sale. There's much more on sale, you've got to get to the store to see it all.

See you there!

Grenadine Girl

Join The Knitting World Cup

Hello again Everyone,

In case you forgot, tonight is knit night. Come on by this evening, even just to say hello. We're always happy to see new and familiar faces.

Also I'm organizing The Knitting World Cup, a knit-a-long that starts on June 9th and runs during the Soccer World Cup. Not only will we be checking out the hot international soccer players we'll be knitting for a cause. Participants are required to either knit something for a knit charity or knit a personal project that can be sold on ebay with all proceeds going to Oxfam.

I'm going to buy one of Warren's Knit-for-her-cure kits from GGH. Proceeds from the sale of these kits go to the Gynecological Cancer Foundation. Eventhough the organization no longer producers these bags, Warren carries a selection of the kits designed by celebrities and noted knitware designers.

See you tonight,

Grenadine Girl

New Contributor

Hello All,

Grenadine Girl here. You may know me from my other blog The Crafty Girl is a Happy Girl. Anyhoo Warren has asked me to contribute from time to time with updates of stuff that's going on around the store and with fellow Marin Fiber Arts knitters and the like.

Considering that MFA is my second home, I think I'll have a lot to say about it. It's amazing how much the store has grown. Our first Knit night meetings were in Warren's living room!

Have you been in the store lately? Warren's sellable stash (aka W.S.S.) has been multiplying. He got in some variegated colors of Takhi Classic Cotton, some variegated colors of Cascade Sierra (the cotton/wool version of 220), and some lace weight yarn in the yummiest colors. There are also some new pattern books from Jo Sharp, Takhi and GGH.

If you haven't visited in a while, stop by on Thursday nights for the free knit night. The San Rafael Farmer's market makes parking a little difficult, but it's well worth the effort. Not only can you get the freshed local produce, flowers and international treats, but you can pet yarn.

Marin Fiber Arts is the Cheers of local yarn shops. It's the place where everyone knows your name and they're always glad you came.

Stop on by...

Grenadine Girl

Fruits of One's Labor

I have been hard at work designing and knitting garments for the store. My first fully-completed garment is pictured below. It is made out of Bouton d'Or's New Bamboo, a wonderful new yarn for spring/summer that comes in an amazing range of vibrant colors. This bamboo yarn is unique in that it's a viscose, which results in a stronger yarn that is highly resistant to wear and pilling. Because it's 100% bamboo, the garment has an amazingly silky feel and drapes beautifully.

The garment is a cap sleeve round-neck summer top with lace detailing along the bottom edge and the raglan sleeve edges. It's knit almost entirely in the round with virtually no seams to sew. The pictured top is a Small and took 7.2 balls to knit on size 7 needles. A knitter with intermediate skills should have no problem knitting this top.



I am currently proofreading the pattern and hope to have it finished by early next week.

As I wrote previously, my spiffy new sign is up and happily announcing to the world that I am here. Here you go, a spiffy picture of the spiffy sign.


Pretty spiffy, huh?

PS: the sign isn't really pink, it's burgundy.

Six Month Anniversary!

Yes, can you believe it? Marin Fiber Arts turned 6 months old on April 25th. It's been a fun ride so far, but not without a few bumps along the way, namely: the sign.

It took about 5 months to get a friggin' sign up, which went up about a month ago. The timeline goes something like this:

(NOTE: fictitious sign company names have been used to avoid public humiliation.)

The first company (The Disinterested Sign Company) was contacted back in early October and took forever to get us a quote for sign and installation. It seemed like once they found out how small the budget was, they lost interest.

They recommended a very small sign company (Joe Bob Signs) who again took a long time to ultimately lose interest and not return our calls.

We finally ended up with Slow Signs, who seemed willing to do the job. Several people (including the building management) recommended this company. But again, it took forever to get nowhere (seldom returning phone calls or emails, etc).

Then One Day in Late December, in the middle of a signage funk, a guy left his business card under my door - Local Psychotic Sign Guy. I called him up and he seemed VERY eager (I mean VERY eager) to make me a sign - at a good price. Cool. He needed the reference and was willing to do the job at a discounted price. We were in contact constantly. Once we firmed up a design, I had to get it approved by the City and the Landlord. That took about two weeks - smooth sailing. Meanwhile, Local Psychotic Sign Guy became increasingly vexed. 'Have you gotten approval yet? I want to get this done before we start work on The Big Job which will take all month.' Then Local Psychotic Sign Guy offered to provide the sign at half the quoted price if I developed a website for his small and growing sign company. Sure, trades are good! I worked up a small proposal and budgeted only $400 for my sign - what a deal! Yay. A week later, the guy tells me his boss changed his mind. He found someone else to do the website for free. In other words, he backed down on our verbal agreement. The sign will now cost me $750. Argh, there goes my budget! I was upset. On the other hand, I needed a sign. My response was OK but I'd have to hold off on the sign for a few weeks until I knew I had the extra cash. But I was fuming. A few days later I get a frantic phone call from Local Psychotic Sign Guy: "Can I come over and pick up the deposit NOW? I really need the cash!" Uhhhh, wassup with dat? Are you on the brink of bankruptcy? Need to pay off the drug dealer? Doesn't sound like a stable company, so I basically told him to go away.

What now? I decide to give Slow Signs a second chance. This time I marched into the darned place in person and said "Look. I need a sign NOW. Here is the design, exactly how I want it. Here is the city permit. Can you do it?" Astonishingly they said "Sure, no problem. We can have this up in a week. And it's only gonna cost $500." Uh, ok.

Yah riiight. It took about a week to simply MAKE the sign. A week(ish) later they come out to hang it, only to realize they need to rethink their plan. Not gonna work. Need to make a metal frame for the sign and mount the frame to the overhang. D'oh. Gonna take another week and another 500 bucks. Umm, have you _ever_ done this before? I'm beginning to hate sign people. But it will only take another week, they say. Two to three weeks later (groan), the installation guy comes to drill the holes in the overhang. He's up there on the ladder *trying* to drill holes into metal while the drill bit screeches and seizes up in the holes. Umm, have you _ever_ done this before? Are you really a professional sign installer? Doesn't look like it from my angle (a look of abject terror freezes his face as a drill bit flies out of the drill and hits the storefront window). Maya had to leave the building because the screeching sound of metal against metal made her small intestine seize up.

Magically, the next day, Friday, at 5:45 pm, the sign guy returns to install the sign! He wanted to get it done before he goes on vacation. Hurray, it's up in 15 minutes and it's beautiful! Now the world knows I'm at the back of the City Plaza in downtown San Rafael.

And there was much rejoicing.

Lorna's Laces Sale, New Bouton D'or, Interweave

New things in the store this week...

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky yarn is 25% off. Get it while it lasts!

Two new yarns in from Bouton D'or...

New Bamboo (a beautiful silky 100% bamboo) and Mango (50% Cotton, 50% Modal) in bright springy colors. Great for your summer tank top projects.

Also, the new Spring 2006 Interweave Knits is here! Better yet, the store is listed in the Yarn Shop Directory on page 124. Yaaay.

Sale on Rowan Yarns

From now until April 30th, all Rowan "big" yarns are on sale for 25% off. The sale includes:

Rowan Big Wool
Rowan Biggie Print
Rowan Big Wool Tuft
Rowan Big Wool Fusion
Rowan Chunky Print

As always, all sales are final on discounted merchandise.

Start the new year with Class

Happy New Year everyone!

We had a very good holiday season. Lots of little balls of yarn went home with new owners and undoubtedly were transformed into scarves, hats, mittens, and other small projects for gift giving.

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to think about yourself again. It's sweater weather and we have the goods to get you fitted out in style. We have "sweater quantities" of many, many great yarns, including Aspen, Davos, Jo Sharp Silk Road, Goddess, Cool Wool 2000, Baby Alpaca, Samoa, Solitaire, Trina, Paloma, the list goes on.

If you've never knitted a sweater before but want to try, you're in luck! We can teach you how.

Speaking of classes, I've just added a new class to the schedule:

Drop-In Knitting Workshop (4 sessions for $80 or $25 per session)
Tuesdays (Feb 7, 14, 21, 28), 7 pm - 9 pm
Bring your own project or start a new one! This unstructured class is for those who need professional help on whatever they are working on. All skill levels are welcome. Whether you need to learn the basics, tackle your first sweater, or learn a new stitch, you may sign up in advance for 4 sessions at a discounted rate of $80, or you can just drop in whenever you need help for $25/session.