CALLING ALL FIBER ARTISTS! The fiber arts community needs your feedback. With just 10 minutes of your time you can take  the TNNA Fiber Arts 2016 Survey,  a major study of U.S. knitters, crocheters, needlepointers, cross-stitchers, weavers, and spinners. This survey is anonymous – you will not receive marketing spam.

By taking this survey you will…

–  Help fiber arts organizations and businesses serve you better

–  Tell retailers and brands what you want

–  Explore your fiber arts life

–  Get the chance to win one of five $100 fiber arts store gift cards

The results of this survey will appear in the fifth edition of the TNNA State of Specialty NeedleArts Study. The survey results will be available to non-profit fiber arts advocacy groups and TNNA members in mid-2016. TNNA is an association of hundreds of independent and family-owned fiber arts brands and retailers.

TNNA Fiber Artist 2016 Sweepstakes Rules. You have from Jan. 25th – Feb. 13th to complete the survey. Please give your feedback and thoughts as a fiber artist by taking the TNNA Fiber Arts 2016 Survey today!

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This week Kathy talks with Courtney Kelley, of Kelbourne Woolens, about her new role with TNNA.

Learn about what TNNA does for the fiber arts industry and for you as a consumer, and be sure to take the 2016 TNNA Survey today!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! The first ever WEBS Knitting Retreat will happen this Fall on the UMass Amherst Campus,  Sept. 16-18 2016. Registration will open February 8th. Look for classes with Cirilia Rose, Bristol Ivy, Amy Hendricks, Kate Atherley and Anne Hanson! We’ll have more information for you in the coming weeks.

Steve’s Yarn Picks of the week:

It’s always nice to think about the next generation of knitters and crocheters. Who will they be? Where will they learn?  Well, the National Needle Arts Association isn’t waiting to find out, they’re making it happen through their Needle Arts Mentoring Program. This year they’ve teamed up with Custom Bee for a unique fundraiser that will certainly appeal to many fiber enthusiasts.

An exclusive cell phone case cover is on sale through Monday, December 7th. You can choose from over 30 case styles with this print for only $20.00 ea. Buy one for yourself or as a gift! A portion of proceeds from each sale will go to purchasing needle arts supplies for The Needle Arts Mentoring Program.

WEBS is proud to work with The National NeedleArts Association in promoting their national campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer. Knit or crochet a chemo cap and you can mail it in or drop it off at our retail store at 75 Service Center Rd, Northampton MA. Choose your own pattern or use the patterns that TNNA had designed just for this promotion – and they’re FREE!

You can download your free knit or crochet cap patterns here.

We’re happy to be a drop-off point for caps knit and crocheted which will be sent on to those in need, or you can mail your caps directly to TNNA at:

The National NeedleArts Association
Attn: Chemo Caps
1100-H Brandywine Blvd
Zanesville OH 43701-7303

The October issue of Woman’s Day magazine has been on sale since September 9, and the promotion will run through January 1, 2015.

And don’t forget, our 11th annual Knit and Crochet for the Cure is happening on Sunday, October 5th from 1-4pm! The event is always popular and fun as dozens of crafters sit in groups of chairs spread throughout the store, chatting and stitching, creating beautiful, soft and cozy gifts for those living with cancer. Our partner in this event is Cancer Connection and they will distribute the finished projects to the community they serve at their haven at 41 Locust St in Northampton. The event is Free but we do ask that you register in advance.

Spinzilla 2014 is here! Spinzilla is a global event in which teams and individuals compete in a friendly challenge to see who can spin the most yarn during Spinning and Weaving Week, October 6-12 2014. It is organized by TNNA (The National NeedleArts Association) for the dual purpose of raising money for their Needle Arts Mentoring Program, and to promote handspinning.

WEBS is hosting a team this year and we’re looking forward to seeing what our spinners create. It’s going to be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to not only create connections in our local spinning community, but to encourage our team members to build their skills and enjoy the camaraderie and creativity of spinning together. Spinning expertise is not required, just the desire to spin yarn, have fun and enjoy the team spirit of the event.

The focus for Team WEBS is to motivate and inspire each other to become better spinners–and who says that won’t be fun? Do you need a nudge to push through your fear of spinning fine yarns? Want to try your hand at a new fiber? We are planning some meet-ups and a free workshop before the event, and some spin-ins during the week. Of course we will have goodies and team prizes! We’d love to have you join our team. It’s even possible to be a ‘virtual’ team member if you don’t live nearby.

Sign-ups for the team are open until September 22, or until our team is filled (max of 25 spinners). Go to spinzilla.org to sign up, and look for Team WEBS.

We will keep in touch with our team through email and through our thread on the Spinzilla Ravelry group. Watch for information about scheduled meet ups and more. And please, introduce yourself to the team. Team Captain Leslie Ann Bestor, Weaving Manager at WEBS, can be reached at labestor@yarn.com.

Play Now:

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Guest: Kathy talks with Veronica from Dream in Color about how their line of yarns got started; from the small yarn shop that she and her partner Nancy used to own to the company it is today.

Veronica talks about how they choose their base yarns and colors as well as her favorite yarn, Dream in Color Everlasting Sock and Kathy’s favorite, Dream in Color Starry.

They also discuss the line of Herdy products that they distribute. Did you know that the adorable sheep image is based on the Herdwick breed of Sheep that is so plentiful in the Lake District of England where these products originate?

Steve’s Yarn Picks

• Plymouth Yarn Capetown Collection Toria
• Plymouth Yarns Capetown Collection Johanne
• Plymouth Yarn Colca Canyon
• Plymouth Yarns Revel
• Plymouth Yarn Monte Donegal
• Plymouth Yarn Bamtastic
• Grignasco Knits Camel Hair
• SMC  Tweed Montage – Closeout
• Rowan Kidsilk Creation – Closeout
• Rowan Purelife Renew – Closeout
• Regia Hand Dye Effect, Discount Colors – Closeout

The 3rd Annual I-91 Shop Hop is happening this weekend – make sure you have your passport!

We are closed next Thursday, July 4th so our Staff can spend the holiday with friends and family.

We will be open Regular hours, 10:00am to 5:30pm on Friday, July 5th and Saturday, July 6th for your shopping convenience.

No show next week.

Upcoming Events: 

The New England Weavers Seminar (NEWS) is happening July 11-14, on the Smith College campus.

Sweater Basics and Finishing class with Ann Budd, July 13-14.

 

Play Now:

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Kathy and Steve talk about some of the new yarns coming our way that they ordered at TNNA. Make sure you listen to the blog and watch the site for the new yarns to arrive. There are some really special yarns coming your way.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, February 6th – Super Bowl Event 12:00pm-4:00pm. Come knit, hang out at the store, and be home in time to watch the game.

Saturday, March 5th – Rosemary Drysdale will be here teaching an entrelac class and she’ll be signing books later in the day.

Yarns

• Misti Alpaca Tonos Carnaval
• Classic Elite Cricket
• Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace Hand Paint
• Aslan Trends Litoral
• Nashua Creative Focus Superwash Special Purchase
• Regia 4 Ply Galaxy Saturn Color Closeout
• Nashua Paradise Closeout
• Gedifra Milena Closeout

Hi Everyone:

The National Needlearts Association is in the process of conducting an industry-wide survey.  Both wholesalers and retailers have been asked to participate and now it’s your turn!

Please complete the 2010 NeedleArts survey at www.Needlearts2010.net. The needlearts community needs your advice and opinions, whether you are a beginner or an expert! This survey is only conducted every few years. Your input is very important and will be included in a published national report.

Your answers are anonymous. No one will use your survey responses to market to you.

In return for your participation, you will receive valuable benefits:

• Gain a chance to win one of five $100 needlearts gift certificates.
• Ensure stores and suppliers provide what you want.
• Explore your needlearts interests.

Your valuable input will help the needlearts community, too:

• Advocate for more programs to support the needlearts, such as Helping Hands Needlearts Mentoring, Stitch N’ Pitch, and Stitching for Literacy.
• Help independent retailers and family-owned suppliers succeed by giving them the customer feedback they need.

As a thank-you for completing the survey, The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) is offering the chance to win one of five $100 needlearts store gift certificates. To enter the sweepstakes simply fill out the survey at www.Needlearts2010.net and then click on “Sweepstakes Entry” on the page you see after submitting the survey.  The sign up for the contest is separated from your responses to ensure anonymity.

The 10-minute survey asks about your experiences with the needlearts you enjoy: crocheting, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, or needlepoint. Let us know which types of projects you prefer, the kinds of new products you want, and what you’d like to see needlearts shops do better.

The survey is sponsored by The National NeedleArts Association, a business organization dedicated to supporting the needlearts community. Hart Business Research is conducting this survey for TNNA and compiling the results into a major national report, The State of Specialty Needlearts 2010. Please complete the survey right away at www.Needlearts2010.net. Survey closes April 19, 2010.

We are members of TNNA and we have already completed the “retailer” survey.   Please consider taking a few minutes to complete the survey and enter the contest!

Thank you!

Kathy

I just love the sound of that phrase!

I realize that the knitting/crocheting content has been a bit light as of late. General yarn talk has been missing as well. Just want to make a quick post today about my WIPs and then this week I plan to catch you up on new yarns, projects, etc., that are happening at the store.

My top down sweater from the knitalong is still going. I’m working ’round and ’round the body. I’m probably about 1/2 way there. I’ve figured out a trim for the sleeves and bottom edge which will take no time at all. As long as it’s done before it gets cold, I’m not stressing about this project. It’s perfect, mindless knitting which is great for all of the sidelines I’ve been sitting on lately.

My newest project is this sweet apron. I fell in love with it the second I saw it on crochetme.com. I swatched feverishly when I had no right to be swatching anything! I’m using our Valley Yarns Southwick, a lovely pima/bamboo blend which is the absolute perfect gauge. It’s also the perfect fiber blend and is a dream to work with. I’m crocheting this in all black, which isn’t nearly as tough as I thought it would be. The reality is I wear a lot of black. Anyone out there remember the kids’ line called Garanimals? Just match the tags and your outfit matches? Well, I’m a zebra – lots of black and white. Makes getting dressed easy and I can easily spice up outfits with a fun wrap or scarf. I cannot wait to finish this project. I’m 12 rows in and about to start the first set of darts. The piece is not difficult, it’s smartly designed and I just love it! I want to be done with it so I can wear it to the TKGA Show next month in Manchester, NH. We will be there exhibiting/selling, so be sure to stop by!

Since we’re talking crochet, I want to show you one of my prized possessions from TNNA. As I said in my last post, we came home with plenty of schwag – lots of treasures among all the schwag, but this ranks right up there:

It’s my Crochet Revolution wrist band that i got at the Interweave Press booth. It ties in with Kim Werker’s new book and her mission with Interweave Crochet. Plus, I discovered it has a fabulous duel purpose:



The perfect Blackberry cozy. Love it! I bet I could knit/crochet a bunch of these out of Fixation!

Once this is done, then it’s onto Log Cabin. I have the yarn, the colors, the design, everything ready to go. But I promised myself a crochet project after completing the catalog projects. I’ve also got to come up with the next knitalong project. Before Pixie left for France, she emailed me that she would like to do a Nordic Shawl design (her own for a class she teaches at the store). Not sure that’s speaking to me. Any ideas? Suggestions?

Honestly, I have way more WIPs floating around here. It’s way too embarrassing to share. Seriously. Plus I have Melissa chomping at the bit to get me going on socks. There it is, admitted to the world, I have never knit socks. My MIL says that you are not a real knitter until you’ve turned a heel. Well, I’m sure we could have quite a lively debate about that, but given that she is the founder, she wins. I think I prefer the word “accomplished” to “real” myself.

Oh, by the way – look who got published on Knitty! Guess I couldn’t ask for a better teacher! Congratulations Melissa!

The boys have that glazed over look about them – I think it’s time to make some dinner.

Kathy