Knitters For Critters

Thursday night Knit Night regular Renee came up with a great idea last week - a fundraiser to support the organizations which are responding to the recent oil spill in San Francisco Bay.

Last Thursday's gathering took the idea and ran with it and as of this weekend the Knitters4Critters website is up and running!

Initially, K4C is taking on two fundraisers -- Sale of knitted ornaments (check out the sample above, knit by the fabulous Judy) and a raffle of super-fabulous yarn and yarn-related goodies. All the details are at the link above.

Warren and MFA are very generously supporting these efforts - Thank you!

Online Shopping!

Yep, it's taken two whole years and a lot of work from some very fine volunteers. I'm happy to say that the Marin Fiber Arts online store is now open for business. Click here to take a browse. We will be constantly updating the site with more and more products... the selection online represents only a fraction of what's in the brick 'n mortar storefront. Check back often!

If you find any weirdness please let me know... pictures that don't match the descriptions, broken links, and the like. It will probably take a few weeks to iron out all the little kinks that I haven't been able to unearth on my own.

I want to send out a special thanks to the volunteers that made this site possible: Maya, Patricia, Angela, and Meredith. Umm, I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

Link to online store: http://marinfiberarts.com/shop/catalog

MFA to Host Red Scarf Project Knit-In!

Are you familiar with the fabulous Red Scarf Project?

I lifted this description from the website: "The Red Scarf Project, a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org, collects red (and other unisex-colored) scarves to send in Valentine's Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. These brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college. The care packages are welcome tokens of encouragement to young people who otherwise receive little to no mail. "

The deadline has been moved up significantly this year - all scarves need to be received by the Orphan Foundation of America no later than October 15. Yikes! This means we need to get right on it!

Marin Fiber Arts is pleased to support the Red Scarf Project in several different ways:

• We'll be hosting two different knit-in sessions at the store - one on Saturday, September 15 from noon to 2 pm and a second one on Sunday, Septmber 23, again from noon to 2 pm. Come to either or both - enjoy the company of other knitters, along with the SNACKS! which will be provided.


• All red yarn purchased for Red Scarf Project scarves on those days will be discounted by 10%. (Feel free to use your stash yarn too!)


• And finally, if you return your scarf to the store on or before October 10, MFA will package it up and pay the postage to have it delivered to the OFA.

We'd love to have you join us for this worthy cause. We'll have some completed scarves for you to admire, a variety of patterns you can choose from (in the event you don't already have a favorite go-to scarf pattern) and all kinds of fabulous red yarns to choose from.

Please check out the FAQs and other information at the Red Scarf Project site and call the store if you have any questions about the MFA knit-ins. Hope to see you there!

Pagewood Farm Sock Yarn Just Arrived

We just received a small shipment of sock yarn (Merino/Nylon blend) from our favorite hand dyer, Robin at Pagewood Farm in southern California. Each skein is 4 oz/450 yds, plenty for a pair of socks. Her yarn always sells quickly... stop in soon for the best selection!

Cotton On Sale, Cash For Stash, Felting News

Hot off the press - the 2007-2008 Knitter’s, Needlepointer’s, Crocheter’s, Weaver’s, and Spinner’s Travel Guide. If you like to travel you’ll find this hefty book indispensable; it lists thousands of shops across the U.S. and Canada. Detailed maps
are provided, helping you locate each store on your itinerary. Get your
copy now for only $15.95!

July Special - cotton yarns

Believe it or not, the arrival of July means that summer knitting is nearly at
an end! Very soon you’ll need to start working on your fall/winter and holiday projects in order to get everything done on time. There is still time, however, to squeeze in a little more summer knitting. In order to help things along, I’m putting all cotton and cotton-blend yarns on sale for 20% off from now until the end of July. This special includes *any* yarn that has cotton in the fiber content!

Think of it... Tahki’s Cotton Classic (100% cotton). GGH’s new Tara (stretchy cotton/nylon blend). Even SWTC’s Tofutsies sock yarn, which has cotton as a component. All 20% off until the end of July.

Cash for Stash

Last
year we ran a pilot program designed to collect unwanted yarns for charitable donations. It was a big hit so we’re running it again for the month of July. We call it Cash for Stash.

Here’s how it works: raid your stash and bring in all your unwanted yarn. Got some
beautiful extra fine merino in a color you just can’t stand? Got some bargain-basement acrylic that was cool when you first learned to knit but now find it to be icky-plasticky? Bring it all in. For each pound of yarn you turn in, you will receive a $5 merchandise credit. The credit must be spent during your visit, and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. For example, you cannot use your Cash for Stash credit to take advantage of the cotton yarn special mentioned above. The limit for Cash for Stash is 5 pounds per visit. We will turn around and donate your unwanted stash to local worthwhile charities.

Remember: $5 credit for each pound of yarn you donate, 5 pounds maximum. Credit
must be spent when you drop off your donation. Program runs until July
31st, 2007.

INTERWEAVE FELT is here!



I just received shipment of Interweave’s new special magazine, Interweave Felt. Talk about cool felting projects! Take a listen to some of these articles: Felting or Fulling Your Knitting? Fat Baby Booties, The Lock Nest Hat, Weekend Getaway Satchel,
the list goes on. There are also multiple articles on wet felting and needle felting, so thisisn’t just aimed at knitters. Run in and pick up a copy before they’re all gone!

We also have a limited supply of Needle Felting Kits from Louet... for $28 you get everything you need: 2 needles, 6 oz of fiber, a sample bottle of Meadows Wool Wash, and instructions to make a cute felted pumpkin.


Wrapped In Comfort - Autographed Copies In Stock



The lovely and gracious Alison Hyde stopped by on June 30th for a book signing
to celebrate the release of her first book, Wrapped In Comfort, a collection of 12 beautiful half-circle and full-circle shawls plus four scarves. You can find projects for beginning to experienced knitters, the patterns feature leaves, clovers, flowers, and other classic lace motifs. We have a limited supply of autographed copies... at $24.95 this book won’t last long on the shelves.

Retreat and Yarn Swap Update
There’s still time to register for our 2nd Annual Retreat and Yarn Swap in San Anselmo... click here to view the details:

http://marinfiberarts.com/retreat_2007.html

Closed on July 4th, 2007

We will be taking a much-needed rest on Wednesday, July 4th. We will be open during regular hours the rest of the week, however! Keep in mind the store in AIR CONDITIONED... it's gonna get hot this week! Join us any time for some cool air-conditioned knitting!

Looking for a Quick Gift Idea?

We've got a new pattern available at the shop - haven't you always wanted to knit a wine cozy?!

These were made with Naturwolle black forest yarn - but you can substitute any bulky yarn that gives you 3 stitches to the inch. They knit up really fast (instant gratification!) and make a great hostess gift.

This is our first Marin Fiber Arts exclusive pattern - free when you purchase your yarn at MFA.

Hope to see you soon!

Book Signing This Saturday!

The fabulous Alison Jeppson Hyde will be at MFA this Saturday, June 30 at 2 pm to sign copies of her new, hot off the presses, book:

Alison was at the shop earlier this year with a number of the shawls from the book and not only are the shawls gorgeous, Alison herself is warm and funny and lovely.

We've got lots of copies in stock, waiting to go home with you. And just in case you're dying to start a shawl right away, we've got all kinds of beautiful lace yarns in stock:

• Fiddlesticks Zephyr (wool/silk - 630 yds - $14.50)
  
• Karabella Lace Merino (100% merino fine - 255 yds - $8)
  
• Conjoined Creations Pastimes (100% soy silk - 530 yds - $11.50)
  
• Merino Oro & Cashwool (100% extra fine merino - 1450 yds - $16.50)
  
• Karabella Lace Mohair (Superkid mohair/Polyamide - 540 yds - $16.50)
  
• Euroflax Sport (100% Linen - 270 yds - $20.25)
  
• Frog Tree Fingering Alpaca (100% alpaca - 215 yds - $6.25)
  
• Kidsilk Haze (Superkid Mohair & Silk - 229 yds - $14.25)
  
• Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 2 ply (100% cashmere - 400 yds - $32.50)
  

Hope to see you on Saturday - come early and stay late!

Mission Falls, Sock Special, new Programs

Blue Terra Cotta from Claudia Hand Painted Yarns

Greetings Fiber Friends,

Summer is almost here and things are pretty quiet at your favorite local yarn store. In order to weather the slow season we've come up with some exciting programs and promotions to stimulate your creativity. On tap: two new arrivals (1824 Wool and Limited Edition Tofutsies), we have a vacation knitting special on sock yarns (25% off), and we're announcing two new programs: Marin Fiber Arts Patrons and a Yarn Discount Program. Read on....

NEW YARN

We recently made a special one-time purchase of Mission Falls 1824 Wool, a splendid superwash merino (read: machine wash & dry) that knits at 4.5 st/inch - a very versatile gauge! This yarn comes with great pattern support in the form of pattern booklets (for kids and adults). 1824 is an extremely popular wool - great to knit with, very forgiving, sturdy enough for kids wear, and very easy to care for. We are offering approximately 30 colors of this yarn at $6/ball (85 yds) and quantities are limited. This is a one-time special... once this yarn is gone it's gone!

We've also added a bunch of colors in RYC's Cashsoft Aran, Cashsoft DK, and Rowan's Cotton Glace. Sunshiny yellow, fashionable lime green, and subtle sage are just a few of the new colors for these perennial favorites.


VACATION KNITTING IS HERE!

The school year will be ending soon and vacation season is about to begin! Don't forget to plan for your vacation knitting: small projects easily stowable in your purse or under the airline seat. Socks and hats make great travelling projects and we have an excellent selection of hand-dyed and self-patterning sock yarns to tickle your fancy. We have well-known hand-dyed sock yarns from Mountain Colors, Claudia Hand Painted Yarns and Lorna's Laces as well as yarns from indie dyers Pagewood Farm, C*EYE*BER Fibers and Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks. In the self-patterning department we
stock yarn from Opal (including Hudertwasser and Rainforest II), Meilenweit/Mega Boots, Skacel/Trekking, Regia/Bamboo Color, Austerman Step, and SWTC's Tofutsies.


Opal's Hundertwasser

Don't want to make socks? We have Not Just Socks, Not Just More Socks, and Not Just Socks for Kids - three pattern books that open up the world of self-patterning sock yarns to items such as hats, gloves, dog sweaters, kids sweaters, adult vests, and more!

News Flash: we have just taken shipment of a new limited edition color of Tofutsies Sock Yarn (you know, the one with crab shells). We are one of a few select stores participating in SWTC's Tofutsies Sock Club. 6 colors will be released in the coming year, never to be repeated again. The first color is a stunner: red/magenta with candy-cane stripes of pink and black. Each ball comes with a free pattern especially designed for this colorway. We only have 10 balls in stock and they are sure to sell out quickly!

SOCK YARN SPECIAL

As a special incentive, all sock yarns will be discounted 25% off regular price until June 17th (a week from this Sunday). Bring in/mention this email to take advantage of this offer. You may also order by phone (415.459.4600) as we will ship anywhere in the U.S. Just mention this post for the special offer.


NEW PROGRAM: Marin Fiber Arts Yarn Discount Program

I haven't come up with a catchy name for this program yet, so bear with me. Basically we open an account in our computer system into which you deposit money for yarn. You can then purchase regularly priced yarn at a discount until your account is empty. The more you pre-spend the more you save:

1. Pre-spend $100 and get an extra 10% (or $10) in yarn
2. Pre-spend $200 and get an extra 15% (or $30) in yarn
3. Pre-spend $300 and get an extra 20% (or $60) in yarn
4. Pre-spend $400 and get an extra 25% (or $100) in yarn

For example: if you deposit $400 into your account today, you can take home $500 worth of yarn! There is no time limit in spending your dollars, and this applies only to regularly priced in-stock yarns.

I will be posting again in a day or two announcing more classes and special events for the summer, including a booksigning with lace shawl designer Alison Hyde on June 30th. Stay tuned!

Knit Night 6/7/07

The hot topic of conversation last Thursday was "So You Think You Can Dance". With the exception of Angela and myself...


Patricia shows off her day glow sock pre knit night.


Adorable sample baby hat...


and matching sample sweater.


Sit back and relax...


Warren to the rescue!


Angela is working with some bright green cotton.


Lisa LOVES "So You Think You Can Dance"--literally.


Hi, Suzanne!


Emily is really concentrating.


Hi, Renee.


Angela also brought these antique knitting needles to show--lovely.

Good times were had by all. Hope to see everyone next week. If we're lucky, maybe the guy in the red jumpsuit will be performing in the square again ;-)

Knit Night 5/31/07

It was a regular shawl-a-palooza and FO (finished object) fest at knit night last Thursday.


Patricia arrives early and is working on a gorgeous shawl.


Shawl detail.


Patricia also finished her clapotis (aka the clap) - love the colors!


Angela was here with her Icarus :-)


Judy poses by the fountain with her finished Icarus - not a mistake to be had


Judy's Icarus detail.


Judy spun this yarn herself - lovely!


Jo shows off her lovely pale blue shawl.


A lovely, spiraling scarf in pinks


Emily's working on a sock.


Renee is working on a sweater from "No Sheep for You"


Patricia wears one shawl whilst finishing another.


Hi, Leslie! Love the purple.

Hope to see everyone next week! And, don't forget that next Saturday is world wide knit in public day! Hope to see you in the courtyard in front of the store to knit up a storm :-)

WWKIP, Hand Felted Bag, Knitting 202

Hi Folks,

Just a few quick updates on upcoming excitement...

Hand Felted Bag Workshop - learn how to create felted fabric from roving (ie. unspun hand-dyed wool) and fashion it into a fun & funky tote bag! No knitting or crocheting! At the end of the class you will have a finished bag that only needs to be dried. Space is limited and filling up fast!
Sunday, June 10th, 10 am - 4 pm; $120 (includes all materials)

Knitting 202 - if you've ever wanted to learn how to knit, assemble, and finish a sweater professionally, take this four-session class with master knitter Sheila Thall. It takes place every other Saturday morning starting June 9th, giving you plenty of time to complete each section of the class project - a simple kids sweater.
Saturdays June 9, 23, July 7, 21: 10 am - Noon; $75

Details on all our classes can be found here:

http://marinfiberarts.com/classes.php

World Wide Knit In Public Day (WWKIP) is fast approaching: Saturday, June 9th. We are hosting a WWKIP event out in the plaza in front of the store starting at Noon. Bring your knitting (or crocheting) projects, sun screen, a wide-brimmed hat, or other sun projection, and a bottle of water! It will most likely be sunny and warm during the afternoon. There will also be lots of activity: the annual Italian Street Painting Festival takes place a mere block away at the intersection of 5th and A streets. Extremely talented artists from around the country converge on San Rafael to create amazing works of art in the middle of the street using sidewalk chalk! There will be food vendors and live music throughout the weekend. More importantly, downtown will be filled with creative-minded people admiring other people's creativity. Let us show our community what a great past time knitting and crocheting can be!

Details on WWKIP can be found here:

http://wwkipday.com/?page_id=174

Knit Night 5/17/07

Show and Tell - new scrumptious Alchemy yarns in amazing colors!


Smile, you're on knit night camera!


Suzanne seams up an adorable baby sweater.


Tabby models her toe-up sock.


Here's Tabby.


Yes, I really am taking your picture, Patricia :-)

Good times were had by all. Hope to see everyone again soon!

They Came, They Saw, They Shopped!

MFA hosted the First Annual Sea Socks and Yarn Expedition Cruise on Tuesday this week. Some sixty knitters, led by our own beloved Queen, descended on the shop for four hours. It was a little wild, but in a good way. Everybody appeared to have a good time and a lot of sock yarn found new homes!

Thank you so much to all the knitters from all across the country who made it to San Rafael that day - it was wonderful to meet you all and to have you with us. We hope you'll visit us again!

Special thanks to Darlene Hayes, creator of Nature's Palette Yarns and Muench Yarns' Kirsten Muench. They brought yarn and patterns and samples and other goodies for all the Sea Sockers and spent the day sharing tips, new yarns and good cheer. Thanks, too, to Alison Hyde, whose book Wrapped in Comfort, is scheduled for release this summer. We got a chance to meet her, pre-order the book and see a number of her gorgeous shawls.

And of course a big shout out to the fabulous MFA regulars who spent the day helping out. There was NO WAY we could have handled the crowd (knitters are just so rowdy :-) without the excellent help of Elaine, Jo Ann, Marcia, Kimberley, Phoebe, Valerie, Judy, and of course the Queen. You all totally rock!

(There were people taking photos, but we haven't seen them yet. If it was you and you could email them to Warren - yarn (at) marinfiberarts (dot) com - we'd love to post them!)

New Patterns!

MFA is carrying some new (to us) patterns from Second Nature Design. Looking for a quick and easy gift? Try these baby booties: This pair was knit in Bunny Hop from Crystal Palace, but the beauty of the pattern is that it's written with instructions for several different gauges, so you can use virtually any yarn. There are samples at the store knit up in Rowan's CashSoft Aran and Anny Blatt Super Angora, too. The booties are knit flat and then seamed up - so beginners aren't fiddling with DPNs on a small project. Seriously - you can complete a pair in an afternoon. Great for a last minute shower gift. Or use up those partial balls of yarn you've got and make a few pair to have on hand or to donate to LilyBugs, wonderful MFA customer Leslie's charity knitting group.

Also from Second Nature Designs, MFA has a great pattern for a beginner fair isle project - your choice of a hat or a bag:

and a cute little linen stitch purse:

Hope to see you soon!

Knit Night 4/12

The Farmer's Market didn't scare everyone away this week. Thankfully the courtyard band was quiet enough for us to enjoy our knitting. No Rolling Stones cover this week. Though they did play Stevie Ray Vaughn. Should have seen that coming. I'm betting that next week it will be Fleetwood Mac. Does anyone want to put any money on that?

Warren and Sue have rearranged the store. Just by moving arround some bookcases and pushing back the sales counter they have magically made the store look bigger and more full of yarn. It looks great and feels like there's more space.

On to the knitters.

Tabby's working on a gorgeous shawl too, and she has the cutest stitch markers for sale. I bought a set. Support your local artist.


Patricia wove in the ends of her Boise Shawl so she could "get Tabby off her butt".
It's a beautiful shawl, but we were all amazed by the Claudia Handpainted Boucle Mohair shawl she was wearing.



What a nice coincidence that Warren just got some in for us to drool over. I couldn't help myself. I bought a skein to make the Manta Shawl from Yarn Play.

Lisa's working on a shawl made with Lorna's Laces Helen Lace. It's beautiful. And of course the colorway is Vera, which is what I think that Lisa will eventually name her first child. Either that or Lorna.





Judy and Renee were here, discussing social justice and Easter.


I was knitting with the Schaeffer Anne, that yummy superwash sock yarn with a hint of mohair. Check out the Go Bag in the background. Warren just got a bunch in. It's a very useful thing. It keeps my sock project from getting messed up in my purse. Snap one up before they're all gone.



Leslie is working on blanket with the Blue Sky dyed cotton. Love the stitch pattern even if she claims there's tons of mistakes!


Patricia's friend Barb was here, knitting with something handpainted. It looks sweet!


Warren as always happy to see us.


And the magic candle, in Warren's favorite color.


see you next week (if I'm not in LA)
Grenadine Girl