Happy New Year to you all

Here's a quick recap of our New Year's Holiday in Saranac Lake, New York. Relatives are arriving and food needs to be prepped so I'll be brief.

This is my son-in-law Matthew modeling his Christmas gift, knitted on size 2 needles and sock yarn. It's done, he's wearing it ~ yippee!

And here's our ski day at Whiteface Mountain - I hadn't skiied since the shop opened ( 2 seasons) so I was a bit nervous but it all came back. Well, mostly.....


That night we had a lovely dinner at a German lodge/restaurant Homyer's (?) Lodge on Lake Clear. Their beer list is 7 pages long. The food is awesome! Like being in the Alps!

We slept in this morning and went cross country skiing this afternoon (in the kid's back yard that backs onto a state forest). We skiied for 2 hours and only saw one or two others. Lots of deer tracks and other little animal tracks - they're very lucky have this out their back door.

We'll be back home on Wednesday. We hope you all had a lovely holiday and we look forward to a wonderful 2008. Laura & Terry

Sally Melville's Visit

This icy Monday morning I dropped Sally Melville off at the airport after the most perfect weekend. Sally taught 2 technical workshops and 2 non-technical classes. We certainly are blessed to have her visit us! She can easily take complex material or techniques and break them down into simple, understandable steps. No wonder she designed the Einstein Coat. Maybe they're related.

*
Saturday morning was First Choices - Basic Shapes. Students calculated the perfect length for their sweaters besides having some fun while learning from the master.

they're measuring the length of their heads!

*

*

After lunch we dug into Stripes that Are and Stripes that Aren't

Sunday morning was all about Finishing our projects.

*

*

And Sunday afternoon was dedicated to dealing with Emergency Measures.

All of us learned much more than we ever anticipated. We laughed, we learned, we said goodbye to this dear Canadian knitting wizard.

Sally Melville Book Signing

Saturday December 1st 4:30pm

Sally Melville will be at the shop signing her books.

Book 1: The Knit Stitch (features Einstein coat)

Book 2: The Purl Stitch

Book 3: Color

Styles

Purchase any of her books at a 10% discount (Saturday only).

Moving Mud, C*EYE*BER FIBERS and ButtonJar Knit Designs

Having recovered from our lovely B&B weekend I wanted to let you know that we now stock Moving Mud buttons, closures and shawl sticks.

Aren't they beautiful? Each one is handcrafted and makes a statement.

While the buttons are very special they are not to be outdone by the delicious new hand-dyed yarns that we recently received from Mama E's C*EYE*BER Fiber. She sent us all 48 colors in her sock yarn and spinning fiber and they are flying out of the shop. Lovely to knit with and the colors......the computer does them no justice.

We received Seasonal Solids (tonal blends ), For the Boys (pictured left) the Elements (variegated earth, wind, fire and water colors) as well as Coordinates. Couldn't snag a photo of Coordinates so this is the deal. You get a total of 430 yards in a variegated color and a second small skein in a solid color that matches for the cuff, heel, toes. Very cute!

*

All are 80/20 superwash merino and nylon.

*

We also received 50/50 merino/Tencel tonals (again, sock yard) and last but not least, spinning fiber in your choice of 100% merino, 100% blue faced Leicester and 50/50 merino/Tencel. All are hand-dyed by Erin in the most lovely colors.

Our own Julie Cashin has a line of patterns called ButtonJar Knits. Some of you have already knit one of her fabulous cotton or felted bags (Cotton Tote, King St., Doctor's Bag) or one of her sweet baby sweaters (Baby's First jacket, Koigu Kimono, Top Down Cardigan - think Malabrigo).

*

We now have her Nutmeg (fingerless)Mitts pattern. Add a touch of pure angora to the edges and you have a very sweet gift for yourself or others.

Sorry - I couldn't figure out how to rotate it.

It's been a busy fall here at the shop. I came in early to work on the new class schedule and newsletter but as always, I got distracted. I think I'll make a cup of tea and REALLY buckle down on the scheduling task. Laura

Bn'B Knitting Retreat Weekend

This past weekend was our 2nd Bn'B Knitting Retreat weekend. The Chesterfield Inn in New Hampshire was our home away from home and 15 lovely women joined Julie and me for a couple days of knitting, relaxation, fine dining, learning new knitting techniques, finishing projects from the stash and, of course, time for friendship. Oh, yes, there was that little Saturday afternoon walk as well. You know, to build up an appetite for dinner Saturday night. The chocolate dessert was just perfect!

The weather cooperated and we didn't get any of the nasty weather that came up the coast. Just a little bonus. In fact, the weather was so pleasant that we never needed a fire in the living room fireplace. The inn is just so comfy and inviting; several asked me what the next "date" is. I'll work on that just after our big Sally Melville event December 1st & 2nd.
I promised the 2-Timers and the First-Timers first dibs on the weekend.

Julie taught the group how to make her adorable Nutmeg Mitts. You can see how attentive the group is when she demonstrated her "surround and capture" technique. We saw three completed mitts by the end of the weekend and several "in progress". I even managed to finish one for my daughter as a Christmas gift. If our Saturday afternoon stroll was a bit shorter, I might have finished the second one as well.

By Saturday lunchtime, the living room was a mass of knitting bags, yarn and needles. You would have thought we owned the palce! Most of us are in this photo to the right, although a couple folks left early to get on the road. The inn is just a wee bit over one hour from Creative Fibers but we had two adventuresome ladies from New York City.

We hope you will consider joining us for our 3rd Bn'B Knitting Retreat Weekend next spring.

Thanks to all who came, and a special thanks to the Chesterfield Inn for making us feel like we were home.

Rhinebeck: New York Sheep & Wool Festival

For those of you that missed the Rhinebeck show I have created a mini tour for you. The weather was gorgeous; the perfect day to be outside and amidst the many others who were there to enjoy the sheep auctions, sheep herding events, fiber, yarn and jewelry for sale, food, Ravelry get-together, special events and meeting cool folks.

*

I wore my mystery stole (photo) and everywhere we went I got stopped and asked about it (mainly those who haven't completed theirs - keep going I'd say, you'll love it when you are done). I was even interviewed for a pod cast so when I know when it will be broadcast, I'll let you know.

Terry wore his " I Work So She Can Knit" shirt

(photo) and he was an absolute hit.

He must have been asked by a dozen ladies if they could take his photo.

*

Terry and I started in Barn A so I could look at Golding spindles (yes, I bought one - I am almost too scared to try using it). Since we had to pass Socks that Rock (and there was no line to speak of) both Terry and I bought a skein or two. I must say the yarn is as soft as I imagined and the colors are terrific.

*
Terry purchased a lambskin for the baby booties project he is working on (photo).

Let's see, I also purchased a lovely shawl pin from Moving Mud, and a bit of fiber to spin.

We toured the barns to view sheep, alpaca, goats, rabbits (photo) and then got off our feet at the sheep auction. Careful! Scratching your nose might mean going home with a ewe.

*

After lunch I had the pleasure to meet "Mama E" (Erin) of C*EYE*BER*FIBERS (photo) who is shipping us her gorgeous sock yarn and spinning fiber TODAY! You will be amazed at her colorwork. Of course we ran into several friends and customers. Next time I'll remember Lisa's great idea of bringing a small cooler so I can buy cheese. And wine, organic bread, dip mixes, cookies, etc.

We got off our feet again watching the border collies herd sheep (I forgot to take a picture). If you ever watched the movie Babe, this is the real thing. The dogs are incredible, even with the most stubborn of sheep. Later, there was a dog/frisbee event but we missed that.

The drive to and from over the back roads of Connecticut was a treat as well. The foliage was delightful and just being together on a day off from work was the perfect date.

Back to work! Laura

Starts & Finishes

This has been an incredible October! I finished Matt's Christmas gift sweater (photo) made out of sock yarn on size 2 needles. I love it! I hope he does too. (I don't believe he reads my blog so I'm not worried about spilling the beans...)

*

Berroco Jasper coat - I have one more sleeve seam to sew up (it's done - Deb was there) and it' s done - I'm liking it more and more. It's basically 5 rectangles sewn together; very freeform. The yarn is sooooo soft and the color only gets better and better. And I've heard that this yarn actually brightens when you felt it. But I don't think I'll be throwing my coat in the washer to see if this is true.

*

Rowan Kid Classic cabled pullover - it's all put together; I just need to pick up the neck stitches and do the turtleneck. This is a winner with lovely waistline shaping and large, lazy cables. It will be a class after the holidays (are you ready Val?).

*

Starts:

Ravelery! I finally received my invite and actually set up three projects before I noticed that I misspelled my username. I don't know how to (or if I want to) delete my username as I might have to get back in line and wait a kazillion months to be re-invited. So maybe I will stick with my (now) silly user name. It's amazing what a difference one little letter can make.

*

Koigu, lace and wristlet - well, it was going to have beads but I couldn't find anything I liked so I knit a lace pattern instead.

*

Boxy Jacket - my own design! Half the back is done; more work tonight. It needs a kicky name, not Laura's Boxy Jacket. Well, I could call it the LBJ Jacket and then folks would ask what the LBJ stands for. Any ideas (sight unseen?)

I think that's enough for one month at this point. I need to get some of it into Ravelry. And if you haven't joined, what are you waiting for?

Later, Laura

Cat Bordhi's Coriolis Sock

While I've been busy knitting the Berroco Jasper coat (blocking as we speak), I've kept busy with a couple of Julie's Nutmeg Mitts trimmed in luscious angora for that special touch and.....my second Coriolis sock.

(I'm having the darndest time getting "spacing" to work. Can someone give me a hint on how to do this in my blog?)

I used a new sock yarn, Maxime Print, from Tahki Stacey Charles which has flecks of pink scattered throughout. Since I adore bead knitting, I added rose beads to the Coriolis swirl. No, I won't wear these with shoes, they are strictly "feet feeling yummy" socks. For the first sock I used a traditional toe up cast on (figure 8). For the 2nd sock I used Cat's moccasin cast on just to challenge myself into learning something new. The second sock goes so much more quickly once you've got the hang of the design. Oh, and I did an attached Icord bind off at the top to be consistent with the swirl.

If I were to do another Coriolis pair, I think I would lean towards a more solid color; I think a variegated yarn would hide the Coriolis too much and after all, that's the beauty of this sock!

Next up! Spindle spinning.... I took the plunge and enrolled in one of our own classes. After the first session I got, well, um, very frustrated and picked it up two days later. I am proud to say that I am no longer spinning super bulky thick and thin. In face, I have a nice little lace weight strand going at the moment. So, keep tuned; I'll show you some of my progress next time.

Matt's Christmas present

My wonderful son-in-law will finally receive his Christmas sweater present! I'm finishing up the final touches (neckband and hem). As you can see, I used self patterning sock yarn on size 2 needles and he is a healthy 6ft 3in sort of guy. With the shop and all, it's been a couple years in the making. I'm very pleased with it (Terry tried it on last night and the sleeves will be perfect) and I'm also glad it's almost on its way.

I include a bit about my (sometimes) need to knit perfectly; I started striping the sleeves to match the body of the sweater. This meant that I knit 2 rows, broke the yarn, and started the next two rows with the next stripe as the sleeves (at the wrists) are no where near as wide as the body of the sweater. Call me nuts!

Mystery Stole 3

Here it is! I am so pleased with the results; really, my first serious lace knitting. Sure I've incorporated lace into sweater patterns in the past, but this is the real thing.

The theme is Swan Lake; one end of the stole representing the long neck and beak (top right); the center section (right) and the other end being a wing (bottom right). While the two major characters in Swan Lake would best be represented in white or black, I chose these beautiful colors of Helen's Lace by Lorna's Laces. Some have suggested they are peacock colors. Hmm, that fits into the theme.

Anyway, we have been working diligently to get the new newsletter and class schedule out, class samples ready for photos and placement on the project board, summer yarns rearranged so we have show you the yummy new fall selections and on and on. I can't say it is all done yet but I had a tiny break between sending out emails so I wanted to get this updated for you all to see.

If you are the "least" little bit interested in lace knitting, I have to tell you it is addicting. And knitting along with others on this project was just so much fun. To get you ready for MS4 next year, we are offering two lace classes. One is a one skin scarf if you are the type that just wants to tiptoe into the topic of lace. The other is a triangular shawl that Ellen M. designed. Although it looks complex she has designed it quite simply; it should be done and ready to wear this fall. So, I am off to the land of email and resuming the sending of newsletters, etc....

New Sock Yarn that I hope you will love...

I forgot to bring in my camera with the pictures of my most recent (vacation) knitting so I thought I would sneak this bit of news in.

I recently ordered sock yarn (and some spinning fiber) from C*EYE*BER FIBER and expect to receive it in early September. Erin hand-dyes her yarn and I do believe she has a keen eye for color. Here's a preview of the order:

sock yarn - 80%superwash merino, 20% nylon in all 48 colorways
sock yarn - 70% superwash merino, 30% Tencel (adds a nice little shine to the yarn) in 12 colorways
fiber - Blue Faced Leicester - assorted
fiber - 100% Merino - assorted
fiber - 50% Merino, 50% Tencel (nice to practice with before moving on to silk) - assorted

As so many of you enjoy knitting socks I am always on the lookout for new sources of quality yarn. The bad news is that Blue Moon Fiber Arts (Socks that Rock) informed me earlier this summer that at their current production level they would not consider me for their yarn until at least the end of this year. That is why I picked up C*EYE*BER Fiber. If you have other sock yarn favorites, Please let me know and I will hunt them down.

Now, back to composing "what I did on my summer vacation" complete with photos.

Summer Vacation

OK , it was more like "summer long weekend" but I did manage to get away with my devoted husband "Terry", our dear friends and thier two adorable children who happen to be my god-children. When I woke up this morning I seemed to be thinking (or was it dreaming?) about what my essay would be had my teacher asked....what did you do on your summer vacation?

I guess it was a mix of playing with D. and V. (my 6 year old god-children; whose identities are to remain anonymous) , knitting and eating lots of great food and not necessarily in that order as you will soon see.

D. and V.'s parents (who are non-knitters) were constantly amazed when I pulled out yet another knitting project. Actually, I packed 5 projects for this mini-vacation:

1) my mystery shawl

2) sleeves for a Rowan cabled pullover that Val wants as a class project

3) a fingerless mitten in new yarn - Llama/Silk

4) my Berroco coat with the new Jasper yarn (getting too big and warm to knit on these days)

5) sleeves for my son-in-law's Christmas or birthday gift - whichever is closest to when I finish this project.

More on these projects later....

We had a blast watching the kids learn to swim in the lake, go tubing, fishing with Terry while the rest of us slept, hiking a mountain with the best view ever, and making smores on the campfire. While they have so much more energy than we do, their enthusiasm kept us going. Our little guy is an amazing story! He was adopted at 5 months when he was nothing but a grey/blue skelaton with chronic bouts of pnuemonia. He would truly not be alive today if he hadn't been adopted and received the help he needed. Now he looks like a little model for J. Crew or some other All-American advertisement. You should see him get excited over catching a fish. You can't help but get excited yourself. His sister has no fear when it comes to the water and would swim across the lake if you let her.

OK back to knitting projects.

my mystery shawl (stole) - I'm loving this lace proeject and I promise you, if Melanie does another one next year we will advertise it like crazy. This year there are about 7000 knitters worldwide making this shawl. She has the directions translated into 9 or 10 languages. Several of us meet on Friday nights after the shop is closed and work on our stole. Desserts are shared along with the eventual mistakes we all make bacause the conversations distract us from our yarn overs, knit 2 together.....

sleeves for my son-in-law. You are going to learn a little bit about me in this and you might even recognize yourself. I once thought that a pullover sweater made out of self patterning sock yarn (on size 2 needles) for a 6'3" guy would be a cool project and it was, until....the sleeves. Think about the striping for a minute. The front (and back) are both about 22 inches wide while the sleeve (at the cuff) are about 7 inches wide. That means that the striping on the body of the sweater is 1-2 rows wide but on the sleeves the stripes are much wider (more like 5-6 rows each). And I am being so anal about this that I am cutting the yarn every 1-2 rows so the stripes match! Am I certifiable nuts??? Yes, but I do have one sleeve done and the second one is almost to the elbow. THERE IS HOPE that I can finish this sweater. I just hope he likes it after all this effort.

To break up the delicacy of the lace shawl and the size 2 sleeves I knit up a fingerless mitten using Plymouth's new yarn Royal Llama Silk. I love the tweedy effect and it is so soft (but not limp and there is none of that "silk" smell). The pattern is free with yarn purchase.

I mentioned the other two projects but they don't look like much in the photo so I'll save them for later when they take more form. I will say that I am enjoying the new Berroco yarn, Jasper as it is so soft (100% merino) and easy to knit with on size 9 needles.

I expect my teacher would have lots of material here to critique. I hope you enjoyed my vacation, Laura

Vermont Day Trip

mom and cria (baby alpaca)

curious alapca (click on image)

Yesterday, several of us (32 to be exact) spent a wonderful summer day in Vermont. A guided tour of Green Mountain Spinnery was fascinating! We were all amazed at how many steps and hard labor is involved in turning sheep's wool into beautiful knitting yarn. I heard several comments along the line of "I'll never complain about the cost of nice yarn ever again". A little bit of shopping in Putney, lunch at the Putney Inn and then on to our adventure: IBIWISI Alpaca Farm. Our motor coach couldn't make it up the driveway (a very steep and narrow dirt road) so we walked off our lunch and then some! Cathy who owns the farm (Now she's an interesting lady..a Midwesterner who moved east to work in Manhattan only to give it all up to move to Vermont alone to start her farm. Well, she met a nice gentleman, who happens to be very handy and they are celebrating their first wedding anniversary today!) I digress... Cathy has a herd of about 30 alpacas and there were 2 crias (babies) that were only 2 and 4 days old for us to adore. Some of the women hand dyed their own alpaca, others meandered the farm and we all relaxed under a perfect summer sky. It was a lovely day indeed!

the boys...check out his eyes!

Sally Melville is coming to Creative Fibers

Mark your calendars for Saturday & Sunday December 1st and 2nd. Sally will be teaching four different workshops in addition to a book signing; maybe an evening talk on Sat. as well. Or, would you be interested in having dinner with her? Let us know so we can structure her time with us.

Workshops being offered:

Saturday December 1st 9am - noon

First Choices/Basic Shapes - no matter how advanced or accomplished we are, we run the risk of producing garments that look awful! Why? We make a decision in the first 20 minutes of the project that dooms it to failure. What are theses decisions? Yarn, color, stitch pattern and silhouette. Skill level - anyone

Saturday December 1st 1:30pm - 4:30pm

Stripes and Stripes that Aren't - Stripes...oh so easy to knit, but who can wear them? The truth is that everyone can both knit and wear them. This workshop explores the ways to build stripes and match stripes. And then you'll play with simple stitch patterns that knit like stripes but don't look like stripes! Skill level - intermediate.

Sunday December 2nd 9am - noon
Borders & Buttonholes explores the best techniques for these finishing that make such a difference in our knitted garments. The class covers basic maneuvers, four or more basic edge stitch patterns and the very best buttonholes. Participants will never again struggle with instructions to "pick up and knit 137 sts along right front" nor with the question of how to make virtually invisible buttonholes. Skill level - beyond beginner

Sunday December 2nd 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Emergency Measures - sometimes the most insight comes from the struggle one faces when something goes REALLY wrong! But there are remedies for most any kind of disaster in knitting. Using these can turn a problem into a wearable garment while teaching us to be more intuitive and more confident knitters. Skill level - beyond beginner

Workshops are 3 hours, $75, and may include pre-work. More details to follow.

Mystery Shawl Progress

Last Friday evening we hosted a CastOn party for several knitters who are knitting the 3rd Mystery Shawl. We had a great time, mistakes were made, Lucy's invaluable "forensic" knitting skills put us back on the right path and yummy desserts were shared. Ann came the furthest from Danbury, although, Lucy came from Massachusetts so it may be too close to call. We decided that to keep the momentum going we are meeting each Friday evening in July from 6-9pm. If any of you would like to join, please visit the Pink Lemon Twist website. I believe Melanie is closing off membership (free) on July 6th so you do still have time to join the fun.

In the upper right corner you can see my progress. That's 99 rows of lace knitting on size 4 needles. The piece is approximately 8 x 12 inches - we obviously have many more rows in front of us. That's the fun of it; we don't know what's next until Melanie posts the new set of directions. We can't wait for Friday's!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysterystole3/

Mystery Shawl

For those of you who have not heard about this, there is still time to join. Designer "Melanie" of Pink Lemon Twist Patterns has designed a shawl - her third mystery shawl. Each week (starting tomorrow, Friday June 29th) she will provide instructions for part of the shawl. Each week you will receive more directions until, (voila!) your shawl is completed. It is sort of like making a jig saw puzzle without seeing the picture. For more information, I have included Melanie's website where you can get more info and join the group. There is no fee.

And, tomorrow night from 7-11pm Creative Fibers is hosting a Cast On Party so we can all get the first piece of the shawl going successfully. Bring you yarn and needles, your beverage of choice and a snack to share. It should be great fun to unite Mystery Shawl knitters in our area; I look forward to seeing you. Again, no fee.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PinkLemonKnits/message/9

Limited Edition Tofutsies

We just received one bag of the Limited Edition Tofutsies yarn from Southwest Trade. We have 10 skeins of June although I would call it raspberry. It comes with a free sock pattern and we are offering it to you. When it is gone, it is gone for good (well, for at least one year according to SouthWest Trade). You also have access to a yahoo group dedicated to this sock yarn.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tofutsies_sock_club/

PS: the color featured in the photo appears more purple than what is in my office.

TNNA Trade Show Extravaganza

Last week, Terry (devoted husband and knitter), Julie (employee and designer) and I visited Columbus, Ohio for the fall preview of knitting products and toys.

My mind is a muddle. I attended 6 classes (more later) and there were 2400 exhibitors. OK, we didn't visit them all but there was lots to see.

But first, TRENDS. In the Friday night fashion show (and repeated on the exhibition floor) we saw was the pendulum swinging back to traditional beautiful knitting. Cables, pattern stitches, lots of socks, and coats (great for New England and if you don't want a coat, stop earlier for a brilliant sweater.) Gone are the extravagant novelty yarn garments. Also, luxury fiber blends abound. Yarns featuring alpaca or llama paired with merinos or silk were everywhere.

Classes - well I started out with a 6 hour class with Cat Bordhi on sock architecture. Truly, this woman is brilliant and an excellent teacher. In a nutshell, until now, there have been two sock architectures: eastern (a tube knit from the toe up; later slit at the heel so stitches can be picked up and a heel created. Handy if the heel wears out. Just unravel and knit a new heel). Then there is the western method with heel flaps and gussets. Now we have Cat's 3rd architecture which can be top down or toe up. It all has to do with placing increases/decreases to create the right shape. In class we knit baby socks; one in each direction. And the best part for you 2 circular needle knitters or Magic Loop folks....the Addi circular lace needles are the best! So, what could make me happier? The UPS man just delivered our recent lace needle order; 24in size 1 and 2. (we also have other sizes but this was the first delivery of the 24inchers).

I spent 3 class intervals with Sally Melville. Like Cat, Sally is a brilliant designer with strength in design, construction and knitting technique. With Sally I learned multi colored knitting with multiple hands. We knit with 2 yarns held in the right hand, or the left, one color in each hand, 2 colors around the neck, one around the neck and one in the right hand (or the left). Which means we learned the Portuguese Purl. I'm not certain but that may also be the Peruvian Purl.

A class with Lily Chin is always fast, fun and fanciful! We did lots of little tips and techniques.

Lastly, a class on the modified continental knitting method and I think I have exhausted knitting technique for some time. They all have their purpose, and especially if you have arthritis, you may want to consider a different knitting/purling method. I'd be happy to teach you.

Terry and Julie also took classes that I won't go into right now. Maybe they should have a blog?

Well, the list of yarn, needles, notions and books to be published is daunting. I think our best find of the whole show though is a portable washing machine (that requires no plumbing) so we can felt items right in the shop. We ordered one and are so excited to give this a try. Keep an eye out for this new addition. Maybe it needs a name....any ideas?

Oh, and one last highlight. Seeing Debbie Bliss and Louisa Harding was a treat. Debbie visited our shop last yearin June; we were honored to host her. Louisa Harding is a dear and we love her Mother and Babies book featuring natural yarn selections.

Lots of new items ordered for the fall. We will keep you updated!
now, back to the mountain of paperwork generated by these orders.....

Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock yarn

I forgot to mention in the previous email that I have been diligently trying (for over a year) to get Blue Moon sock yarn into the shop. And I will keep trying. I know that many of you love to buy this yarn. You can buy it online but wouldn't it be nice to see it and hold it before you buy it? (Internet colors just aren't representative of the real thing). So I will persist in getting Tina to make us the 1st East Coast shop to sell Socks that Rock! Stay tuned!

Rainy Day

Did I say rainy? There is a tornado watch here in Connecticut and the store is empty, so...I am going through the Retailer's Convention Guide (first week of June) and deciding which vendors to check out for the shop. This year there are 2076 vendors, big small, old, new...so many to select from. If there are any vendors that you are familiar with and would like to see in the shop, please let me know. I am always on the lookout for new offerings and you are my best resource!

One that I know I will be checking out is Moving Mud, from Stowe, VT. Seems ironic that I am travelling to Columbus, Ohio to speak with them. Their glass buttons and shawl pins are so unique!

By the way, more Addi Lace needles arrived today in sizes 32 and 40 inches. Size 24 inch needles are still on order; hopefully they will ship soon. I think you will like them for knitting socks if you are making 2 on 2 circular needles.

Learning (and Knitting)

I came across a page I had ripped out of Woman's Day 9/14/2004. Here are some excerpts from that article that you might enjoy.... (my additions in blue)

"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere" Chinese proverb

In general we retain:
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear and
90% of what we teach someone else to do So next time you want to learn something, trick yourself by saying you are learning it so you can teach someone else. That will get/keep your attention.

4 Ways to live and learn (and knit)
1. Second guess what you already know - things around you will always be changing, so just accept that you'll never have all the answers.
2. Read (or Knit) a lot! Books, magazines, patterns. The resources are never ending and fairly inexpensive.
3. Embrace your mistakes. Most of us learn more from our failures than our successes.
4. Stop thinking there's an end in sight. There will always be more to know (especially with knitting). That's the beauty of it.

Try learning one new trick or technique during the month of May! Laura

Join Us for a Day Trip to Vermont - Saturday July 14th, 2007

Green Mountain Spinnery - Lunch - Ibiwisi Alpaca Farm Tour
This should be an educational and fun day for those who spin/knit/crochet and those who just haven't learned yet. Board the bus at the shop and enjoy the day. We'll tour Green Mountain Spinnery and make purchases at their shop in the morning, then enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Putney Inn before heading to Ibiwis Alpaca Farm. Besides touring the two barns and seeing these adorable creatures up close, you may want to paint your own fiber to create your own custom yarn.

Well behaved children are invited to join us on a trip that should be educational and fun.

$80 includes the bus, lunch, taxes and tips.

(Children under 12 years who select from the children's menu are $65)

Fiber purchases at Green Mountain and Ibiwisi are on you.

Departure time is 9am - estimated return time is 5pm.

http://www.spinnery.com/

http://www.alpacanation.com/farmsandbreeders/03_viewfarm.asp?name=10686

Photo of the Spring Fling Bag

Here's my first attempt at adding photos to the blog. This is the Red version of the Sping Fling bag; there's also a green version. Check it out.

I broke down today and created our shop blog. Probably because I came back from our 1st Annual B&B Knitting Retreat Weekend on such a high that I wanted to share it with others.

Fifteen guests joined Julie, Terry and me at the Nutmeg Inn in Wilmington, Vermont for a weekend of knitting, relaxation, yarn shopping and indulging in delicious food. We all left knowing each other better (Elizabeth came from NYC not knowing anyone other than me) and lots of knitting (and crochet) got done. Someone said (on Saturday afternoon) "if I were home right now, I'd be cleaning" which brought several nods around the room.

Julie from J.Knits came and shared her lovely hand dyed yarns with us. We shopped!

Julie from Creative Fibers taught a crochet lesson on the Spring Fling bag. Ten adventurous knitters tried their hand at that and made excellent progress over the course of the weekend. About half the group had never lifted a crochet hook before the class so we were all quite impressed with the progress.

Photos are coming and yes, there will be another weekend; I'm working on it. Until then, I've booked a Day Trip to Vermont on Saturday, July 14th. Hop the bus at the shop and tour Green Mountain Spinnery, have lunch at an inn and then tour an alpaca farm before heading home. Sounds like fun and the alpacas are soooo adorable. We might even see a cria (baby alpaca) if we're lucky.