Hi Everyone

This past week we had our first session of kids Fiber Camp.  Our Assistant Store Manager, Leslie Ann once again ran a faboo camp that was enjoyed by one and all.  Since J1 was off at sleepaway golf camp this week, I thought our 1/2 fiber camp would be perfect for J2.  He had a great time.

He made felt:

Not sure if he was going with a Red Sox theme or if he was hungry and channeling a pepperoni pizza. . . .

He spun some yarn:

Since I have never attempted to spin, I cannot possibly offer any color commentary.

J2 did a GREAT job dyeing yarn:

Look at his finished skein – it’s really beautiful:

Now, his knitting, well, his knitting is another story.  And it’s not a good story.  Here’s his first attempt which we finally just cut off:

Most of the good parts you see are mine.

Most of this second attempt is also either my knitting or Barbara’s:

He’s suppose to have 20 stitches but he continually ends up with way more.  Between yarnovers, slipped stitches and who knows what else, he’s back to another bit of a mess:

Maybe I can sneak him into session 2 next week.  It’s completely full but I’ve got connections. . . . . .

Kathy

Hi Everyone:

On last week’s episode of Ready, Set, Knit we talked with Beth Casey, owner of Lorna’s Laces.  She’s one of those folks in our little industry that I consider a friend and someone I have a lot of admiration for.  Although we covered a lot of ground, the focus of our conversation was about her newest yarn, Honor.

We first saw this yarn at TNNA and in all honesty, it’s hard to keep all of the yarns we see at the show straight.  When Honor arrived the other day and I picked up a skein it was instant “oh my”.  It’s luscious.  It’s scrumptious. It’s 70% baby alpaca/30% silk.

Just look at it:

Honor has 275 yards in a 100 gr hank and knits at 5.5 sts on a US #5.  We have a lot of yarn come through our doors and folks, I have to say – this one is talking to me.  LOUDLY.    I covet this yarn.  Big time.  But here’s my problem.  We are getting the floors in our first floor redone which means my “working” stash and my “stashed for awhile stash” have to meet in my basement (my entire first floor of furniture, area rugs and stuff have to be cleared out but I will spare you all from the stress of all that).  This addition creates critical mass.  That freaks Steve out.  Now, I have no intentions of a big garment with this yarn- it’s a scarf, cowl-y/neck-warmer-y/thing but I think if I bring one more skein of yarn into Casa Elkins, Steve may freak out.

But this yarn deserves love.  It deserves a worthy home.  No pressure.  Just saying. . . . . .

Enjoy!

Kathy

The Yankee Candle Flagship Store (and their corporate offices) are located just 15 minutes north of us.  The story of Yankee Candle is inspiring whether you have entrepreneurial tendencies or not.  Steve & I are big fans of the store not only because we love their products but we love just walking through the store – watching and observing (I know -we’re a barrel of fun on a Saturday night, aren’t we?).

This morning one of J2’s baseball coaches sent along a link to a video that his son wrote, sung, directed, choreographed, and produced.  Tyler is also featured front and center in most of the video.  Producing a piece like this is no small feat and Tyler did a great job.

If you are like me, then the concept of a “mob dance” was not something I was familiar with until this morning.  In doing a little research, I found out this:  A “flash mob” occurs when groups of people come together for a spontaneous demonstration after an alert is sent out through a social network, such as Facebook or Twitter.  Obviously this video was pre-planned and not organized via any social media platform but I still love it.

How much fun would it be for a mob dance to erupt in our warehouse??

Enjoy!

Kathy

Hi Everyone

Sorry for the absence of late.  It’s been a busy couple of weeks here both with work and the kids.  I feel like I’ve spent the better part of two weeks dropping off, picking up, taking to, getting from here, there and everywhere.  Since returning from vacation we’ve been to VT, back to Cape Cod, to Hudson, MA and the Berkshires.

The day after returning from our lovely week on Cape Cod we headed to VT to drop Jackson at a week long hockey camp.  Steve & I went up on Thursday to watch him play and had the chance to spend the night in the lovely town of Stowe.  Even in the summertime, Stowe is a great place to visit.

His team lost that game and Jackson needed a bit of a pep talk.  He hates losing:

We watched another game on Friday, Jackson picked up a little piece of hardware and then we headed home.

Jackson was named the most improved goalie.  He attended this same camp last year and the coaches were really impressed with his development.  He’s been working all year to get that award and it was great to see it all pay off for him.

From there is was straight home to District Tournament for Jonathan’s team.  A weekend of baseball including two games on Sunday resulted in qualifying for the State Tournament.

As you can see, we take our sports pretty seriously around these parts:

Yes, that is his number shaved into the back of his head.  It’s already grown in a lot and will be completely gone soon.

Next up was the trip back to the Cape to a comedy show with Jackson and three friends.  It was suppose to be a family outing with one additional friend but when Jonathan’s team qualified for the State’s, he and Steve decided it was best to stay home as the first game was the next day.

So off Jackson and I went from Cape Cod to Hudson, MA.  Four games with only one win does not a state champ make.  Jonathan played well including an inning or so as pitcher:

The kids had a blast, felt a little heartache and learned a lot about playing at that level.  Watch out for next year’s U-10 team – they will be a force to be reckoned with.

After the last baseball game Steve & Jackson hightailed it from Hudson out to the Berkshires to drop Jackson at golf camp for the week.

You’d think with all the driving I’d have copious amounts of knitting to show you but since I was doing a lot of the driving there wasn’t a lot of  knitting time.  I cannot knit at my kids’ sporting events.  I’ve tried, but I can’t.

Stay tuned for more regularly scheduled blog posts!

Kathy

Hi Everyone

This week’s FREE pattern is a lovely Edie Eckman design.    The Summer Breeze Top is knit using Universal’s Cotton Supreme.

The flattering shape of this top is accented with lovely stitch details including a basketweave cable and diamond lattice.  This is a more challenging knit but not one that should intimidate you.  If you’ve never tackled cabling before I would suggest taking the time to do a practice swatch for the stitch patterns just to get the feel for them.

Cotton Supreme is 100% cotton and feels simply wonderful.

It knits at 4-5 sts/inch on a US 7-9 needle.  Each 100 gm hank has 180 yards and costs only $8.00!  That means this garment can be made for as little as $24.00 and up to $48.00 for the largest size.

Enjoy!

Kathy

Hi Everyone

Just a few things to share today.  This is been a crazy week at WEBS – both yarn and beads!

1.  I came across this great “yarn bombing” on Craftzine.com:

The photo was taken in Rome by Flickr user Start The Day.  It is just so cool and I love that it’s crochet!  No more tea cozies – it’s a car cozy!  This smart car looks adorable.  I don’t think my SUV would look nearly as darling and think about how much yarn I’d need!

2.  We recorded this week’s episode of Ready, Set, Knit and our guest is our lovely Berroco rep Andra.  She did a training session this morning for the staff.  The best part is getting to see many of the garments in person and to try them on.  While at the shop she picked buttons for a darling sweater she knit using Remix:

It’s on the cover of the dedicated Remix pattern book #303:

Andra owns her individuality with a fierceness I just love.  Here’s her “stamp” on this sweater:

I only wish my boys were small enough to wear it!  The buttons are from JHB for anyone who is interested.

3.  We’ve added a great selection of large-hole beads to the bead site.  These will fit perfectly on those cool bracelets that everyone is sporting these days and they are MUCH more affordable – only $6.99 each!  Be sure to check them out!

Enjoy!

Kathy

Hi Everyone

On Thursday evening from 6pm-8pm we will be hosting a fabulous event with our friends from Berroco!  Designer Cirilia Rose (and former WEBS associate) will be on hand, as will our fave rep Andra, to present the new Fall 2010 yarns and designs.  Come and learn about the gorgeous new yarns and see many of the new designs in person!

This is an informal event with the opportunity to ask lots of questions, try on garments and get the behind-the-scenes-scoop on how a yarn and garment collection come to life!

If you haven’t already registered for this FREE event, please do so on-line, by calling Customer Service or by stopping in the store.  You know how we feel about having enough food and chairs!

Kathy

Hi Everyone

Steve, the boys and I have been on vacation at the beach this past week which means no podcast!  We’ve had an awesome time.

Ready, Set, Knit will be back next week!

Kathy

Remember!  WEBS America’s Yarn Store AND WEBS America’s Bead Store are both CLOSED tomorrow, July 4th AND Monday July 5th!

I absolutely love July 4th!  I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday!

Enjoy!

Kathy