When most people think about Spring Training, they’re picturing their favorite baseball team getting ready to start the season. Here at WEBS, Spring Training means getting warmed up for all of our fantastic spinning events, like Tour de Fleece and Spinzilla! Dust off your drop spindles and wheels, grab that fiber you’ve been hoarding since Rhinebeck, and join us on Sunday, March 12th for Spring Training from 10-4!

We even have an exclusive Rookie or All Star fiber pack from Louet, which includes all the fiber you’ll need to get started AND the 2017 Spring Training tote bag!

Choose two clinics, one in the morning from 10-12, and one in the afternoon from 2-4. In between, you’re encouraged to bring a lunch and join us for some Sunday shopping, and yoga for spinners, taught by our very own Amy Greenman! Check out the full list of skill-building workshops, here!

Planning on joining us and haven’t signed up yet? Click here. The more, the merrier!

We’ve asked one last bunch employees what’s on their personal wishlists. After all, if it’s on the wishlist of a WEBS employee you know it’s a good choice for the fiber enthusiast in your life!

Hi, I’m Kirsten and I’m a designer! Kirsten is our Valley Yarns Design Manager.

My holiday wishlist includes:

1. 1/20nm Wool Cashmere Mill End – I’ve spent most of my life working in yarn stores, so believe me when I say this stuff is special! It’s an amazing value and a great thickness for weaving, lace knitting or crocheting, or for plying into a thicker yarn. Closeouts like this don’t come around much anymore.

2. Run Run Run Italian Shopper – The more sturdy tote bags in my life, the better. Since this one can fold up and go in my purse, I’ll never be without a shopping bag.

3. Lavishea Lotion Bars – So important for keeping my hands in good condition in the winter. Make mine lavender, please!

4. Debra’s Garden Needle Gauge Pendant – I have a number of inexpensive needle sizing tools, but they’re never to be found when I need them. I bet this awesome pendant would solve that problem.

5. Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Crochet Hook Set – It feels like I’m discovering a new use for crochet hooks every day: threading garment tags, fixing knit stitches, weaving in ends, actual crocheting. Time to ditch the hodgepodge of hooks in my toolkit and grab a great, color-coded set.

Hi, I’m Bonnie and I’m a knitter and spinner. Bonnie is our Assistant Store Manager.

My holiday wishlist includes:

1.Knitters Pride Symfonie Rose Interchangeable Needle Set– I’m in love with the needles.  They are light weight and have a great point for working with lace weight.  I also love the nice case they come in so they are easy to store and keep organized.

2. Highlighter Tape is a must-have for any project.  It helps me keep my place on projects, whether it be with charts or just keeping my place on a pattern.  This has been a life saver for me because I tend to have many projects going and I know right where I left off, because I have it marked with the tape.

3. Madelinetosh Merino Light – This would be a great gift for me because I have many scarves/shawls in my Ravelry Queue.  This yarn is one of my top choices for yarns in this weight.

4.Camel Down– One of my favorite fibers to spin up.  Feels like cashmere but half the price.

5. Artyarns Ensemble 4– wonderful high end yarn that is a blend of silk and cashmere.  I would NEVER turn this yarn away!  Hint Hint!

Hi, I’m Stephanie and I’m a knitter and spinner. Stephanie is one of our Store Co-Managers.

My holiday wishlist includes:

1. Schoppe Zauberball Starke 6 – This is sport weight sock yarn,  which is not all that easy to find, and it comes in a gorgeous array of colors. Since I’m a frequent sock knitter, I’m partial to color #2082 if you want to buy me a present.

2. The Field Guide to Fleece by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius – I love reference books and this would be a welcome addition to my bookshelves.  100 sheep breeds and their fibers are featured in this small volume, in addition to clear photos and suggestions for best uses of each fiber.  A must for fleece shopping at wool festivals.

3.  The Reisenthal small Allrounder – Like many folks, I can’t have too many bags and these are well-made, reasonably priced and come in a variety of bold prints.  It can be used as a project bag and a purse with lots of roomy pockets for doodads and necessities.

4. Bobbins for my Schacht Matchless and my Lendrum DT. Since I don’t get around to plying my spun singles very often, this way I can have as many unfinished spinning projects as I do knitting projects.

5. New fiber from Sweet Georgia – 100%  superwash Blue Faced Leicester, caught my eye as soon as it arrived. Rich saturated colors ensure a spun yarn with lots of character and interest.

Hi, I’m Dena and I’m a knitter who wants to be a better crocheter. Dena is our E-Commerce Marketing Manager.

My holiday wishlist includes:

1. 6 oz of Jaggerspun Zephyr in Turquoise – So I can knit the Shetland Trader Laar cardigan.

2. Clover Soft Stitch Ring Markers – My stitch markers are always disappearing. I think my sofa is eating them.

3. Knitter’s Pride Karbonz Interchangeable Circular Starter Set – I love my Knitter’s Pride interchangeable needles. And this Karbonz Starter Set would be a nice addition to my collection.

4. Unexpected Afghans by Robyn Chachula – I love so many of the blankets from this book and think it would be a fun way to expand my crochet skills.

5. Be Sweet Skinny Wool – Surprise me with 3 colors so I can make a stripy shawl. But it can include the Sea Green color, I would be extra happy.

If you’ve been reading this blog you know it’s Spinning and Weaving Week. We’ve had some fantastic demos and the store has been filled with new faces. I barely have time to take classes these days, but I remembered a favorite class from a few years ago, Introduction to Rigid Heddle Weaving with Leslie Ann Bestor. I had a lot of preconceptions about weaving–the looms are gigantic!! You need a ton of fiber!! It takes months to make a napkin!

Leslie Ann proved all those things wrong. I had the most gorgeous scarf ever in less than two hours, and in Madeline Tosh Pashmina Worsted, to boot! Using it as both warp and weft resulted in a very cool plaid-like fabric, and I wear it all the time now. Weaving on a rigid heddle loom is very manageable, it sits very neatly on a tabletop and barely takes up any room at all. There’s no warping board necessary, no intricate warp-winding, no cones of yarn rolling around. The back-and-forth action of the shuttle is very satisfying, as is the way you slam the heddle down on your fabric to make it nice and firm. And did I mention a scarf in 2 hours? with lovely tasseled ends?

Check out our looms–we have some very un-intimidating rigid heddle looms and if those are too much for you, check out these cuties.  Bonus: if you buy a loom (or a spinning wheel) within a week of taking a class, you get a 10% discount.

Check out our weaving and spinning class schedules. I know we have one that will get you looking at fiber in a different way.