Weaving in Some Loose Ends
Whew! The blog has been a hopping place recently! Thanks for the continued feedback on the videos – more to come there and I’ll continue to work to improve their quality.
Steve and I are headed west this week – to Stitches West to be exact and I’ve got several loose ends that I haven’t had the chance to blog about over the past couple of weeks, so I’m going to toss them all together here in this post. Let’s jump right in!
1. Aussie Wildfires – I cannot imagine anyone who has not heard of the devastating wildfires that have rampaged in Australia. We have many, many customers in Australia, one of my favorite podcasts, Sticks and Strings, is based in Australia and hosted by David Reidy and our warehouse manager Nick is originally from down under. It has been a very worrisome time. There are many efforts going on, most of which have been neatly summarized here on Ravelry and also here by the lovely Suzanne. Times are tight all around so if any of the initiatives suit you, I encourage you to help out. If not, just send some good thoughts and vibes Down Under as I am sure they will be appreciated too.
2. Knitting in the news – a report via the BBC came out this past week that indicates that knitting, along with other activities such as quilting and reading can help delay the onset of memory loss. So, just like keeping ourselves moving at any age, exercising our brains can have a positive, long-term affect! Are any of us surprised? No, but it’s nice to have the validation.
3. Interweave Press announced a new on-line community for hand-spinners earlier this month. I am not a spinner and I will honestly tell you I haven’t spent much time on the site. If you are a hand-spinner or fan of Spin-Off magazine, I encourage you to take the time and check out the new site and community. I’d love for folks to report back in the comments their thoughts!
4. Just a reminder, there are a few days left on the contest we are sponsorign on KnitPurlGurl’s site! If you haven’t visited her site, please do so! Also, her blog post today is very interesting and I’d love for you all to give some feedback!
5. I never did give much of a TNNA recap, other than the weather reports. Sorry! I’m sure most of you have read accounts of the show on other blogs, so I’ll refrain from rehashing. I did want to share this photo with you. Steve & I saw this on our first day and it just made us giggle:
The car wasn’t parked in a spot that would make us think this was a vendor – which is even funnier from a yarn point of view 🙂
Then there’s the beauty of Malabrigo:
6. For those of you who listen to the podcast, Steve has been lamenting about the size of the snow piles in our parking lot. He wanted to share this with you:
Looks like this:
It has been a tough, tough winter.
7. We have a cool new event that we’ve added to the schedule. I will blog in more detail about this, but I wanted to get it out to everyone in the area. Barb Parry, owner of Foxfire Fibers and the most pampered flock I’ve ever known will be at WEBS on Saturday, March 21 from 10:30-5:00 with a trunk show of her yarns and garments. She does several regional sheep & wool festivals (including Rhinebeck) and sells her yarns on her website. For the first time, she’ll be at WEBS with many of her yarns available for sale. You can talk to Barb directly about her process, the sheep and more! What makes this event even more special is that she’ll be hosting a slide presentation at 11:00am about the Adventures in Yarn Farming – a peek at the secret life of sheep and the lengths to which a shepherd will go – all for the love of yarn! Special prize give-aways. I didn’t even realize there would be special give-aways! Awesome! Barb is a dear friend and her yarns are just spectacular. I encourage you to make some time on 3/21 to come in and visit with her! If the date simply doesn’t work, Barb will be a vendor at our annual Fleece Market on Saturday, May 16th. You can check her yarns out at www.foxfirefibers.com and keep up with life on the farm with her Sheep Gal Blog. Just wait – we’re only weeks away from the Lamb Cam!
8. Two of our dearest customers were in the other day and as they were visiting in the back offices (yeah – I mean it when I say they are dear to us – they get free hall passes) I noticed they were each carrying armloads of a new closeout Poems. They stoppped by our office to chat and I asked what they had going on and the lovely Mary showed me this:
Are you gasping? You all better be gasping at the beauty that is this bud of a project. Just look at what Mary is turning this yarn into!! Just a basic crocheted hexagon recipe, finish each hexagon leaving a long end and join each finished hex as you go. Not necessary if you prefer the finishing all at once. Mary is a pro and opts to join them as each is finished. Poems is a lovely yarn – we have some discontinued colors for $3.99 a skein. I have no idea how much an afghan will take, but I’ll keep you posted (and maybe even do a little math for you all as well and give you an estimate). For those of you thinking “Bah, crochet, I don’t crochet”, well you could if you wanted to but if you still resist, there are many a knit square options or even a Log Cabin with a couple of complimentary colorways. . . now I’ve got you thinking, don’t I?
There. Done. Ends woven in. Blog Post finished. Thoughts, questions, comments? Better yet, what are your loose ends this week?
I’ve got a Stitches preview coming tomorrow! I’ll also be doing my best to update from the show. Plus – just wait until next week – we’ll be ruffling our chicken feathers in a big way!
Kathy
- Top 20 Finalist in the “This Is Retail” Video Contest! - April 3, 2012
- Knitter’s Pride Needles & More - September 12, 2011
- Pilgrimage to Portland - July 27, 2011
Tags: crochet, Fleece Market, Stitches West, TNNA San Diego
February 24th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I was on knitpurlgirls blog and was sent to Webs to enter the contest. This was my first visit I love it. I will definitely be back Thanks for sponsoring a giveaway and being willing to listen to customers feedback.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
WOW – scary snow piles indeed! And I can say that with some authority, as I live in Minnesota! Thank you for your lovely blog, and I can’t wait to visit you (and enjoy warmer weather) at Stitches West this weekend!
My sister had a brilliant idea, and bought a sample of each skein of the various types of Valley Yarns, so that she’d have them at home to swatch, and check her gauge, when considering them as yarns to be used for favorite patterns – I’m hoping to follow her lead and do the same this year
February 25th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Hi there! I saw the contest you are sponsoring on knitpurlgirls. What a fantastic idea! I’ll def. be back to WEBS to shop for my next project 🙂
February 25th, 2009 at 5:41 am
All that Malbrigo makes my mouth water and my fingers itch to stitch. LOL I think I could lose alot of weight just sitting day after day and staring at yarn instead of eating..
Hope that Steve was able to make it back into the store before it got dark out. We had snow like that In Montana but nothing like that here in Oregon. Thanks for letting me check out your blog. I will be back. Hugs. JoyB
February 25th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Listen to your podcast and enjoyed pictures of the snow. Finally figured out how to follow blogs in google reader so keeping up the blog as well. Hard to imagine that much although we had more than our share in December. The www site is looking great.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Thanks for the contest, Kathy, and for the podcast as well. Have fun at Stitches West—I already have the Stitches East in Connecticut marked in my calendar for October 09!
February 25th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I was also on knitpurlgurls blog, and ended up here. Thanks for posting about the Interweave hand-spinners community–I just got given a wheel and will be trying to learn to spin in the upcoming weeks and months. Nice blog! I will be back!
February 25th, 2009 at 11:35 am
comment.
Steve’s snow pile? That’s after a whole winter of melt and compression. Just imagine – no, wait, don’t – what it would look like without the melt. (akkkkkk.)
February 25th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I hope Steve was careful up there. Not only is it a big pile of snow, it’s icy. And the Poems crochet looked even more wonderful I person. I immediately wanted to go buy an afghans worth of Poems, but then I remember I have three afghans worth of yarn at home.
February 25th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I am posting a comment to enter the contest that you are sponsoring at Knit Purl Gurl. It is great of you to sponsor blog contests. I enjoy your store quite a bit and love having the chance to win some of your things!
February 25th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
knitting can help delay the onset of memory loss just another comfirmation that knitting is good for me;)Hugs Darcy
February 25th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for sponsoring the contest on KnitPurlGurl’s blog. I’ll be checking back her often. Thanks!
February 25th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Hi Mary – be sure to stop by and say “hi” this weekend! I’ll be at the register all three days. Your sister is smart and we’re actually planning to offer samplers of our Valley Yarns soon.
Travel safely! Be sure to leave the cold weather at home!
February 25th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
OMG – if there were such a thing as a Malabrigo diet that would let us knit with it and lose way – I think we’d all look like supermodels!
Thanks for checking us out!
February 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Glad you like the new site! I’ve got to take some time and figure out Google Reader. Bloglines is just not doing it for me.
February 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Excellent! We’ll see you in Hartford!
February 25th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I have not learned to spin yet, but from what everyone who does tells me is it’s highly relaxing and addictive. Send me some pictures of your yarns once you get going!
February 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
We may have to hold the tent sale on pontoons 🙂
February 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I know! Isn’t that Mary O somthing else?? I have many afghan quantities here in my stash but some Poems is going into as well.
February 25th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Thanks for sponsoring the contest at knitpurlgirl’s blog!
Lovely pic with Malabrigo, I’d love to try taht yarn someday!
And about the snow piles… Yes, I can understand that they can be annoying, but I still miss snow. I’m originally from Finland and live now in Mexico, and I miss snow a lot! Those piles would be great for kids to play.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I came from knit purl girl’s blog and the contest via Webs. Wow what a store. Do you want to open one in Australia.?
Thanks for sponsoring the contest.
Lynda
Australia.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Wow and my hubby was complaining about our 3 foot high piles of snow!!
February 25th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Thanks for the heads up on the KnitPurlGirl’s contest. Love your blog and the podcasts. They’re dangerous to listen to as Steve talks about all of that wonderful yarn! 🙂
March 1st, 2009 at 3:49 pm
i came over from Knit Purl Girl…got aught up in all the beautifully colored fiber…and then laughed at the snow pile…sorry, but the snow pile won out! So glad ours here is finally dwindling.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:20 am
Love that yarn pic **drool**
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
That Poem hexagon thing is quite beautiful, please post pictures when she is done. It’s sure to be a stunner.
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:01 am
all that yarn hanging there, looking beautiful… way to make me drool.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:06 am
Thank you for sharing this. Its very interesting and informative.