november 2011

thanksgiving is just around the corner! at long last, the rep from crystal palace yarns will be here soon. i cant tell you how excited i am to be able to carry their variety of yarns. and i want to thank so many of you who have been helping me with ideas for my new shop. the many yarn shops you guys have visited may give you ideas that may work for me - i know i'm always on the lookout when i am at a yarn shop as to how to display yarns, incentives to offer, etc., so keep the suggestions coming please.

oh my where do i start? october has been a really fun month and very busy for me. our sock class has been a big success - twelve students in all, including our youngest student ever - taylor (10 years old)! denise, taylor's mom, is taking our class and her daughter wanted to come along with her and is doing exceptionally well, especially for being a beginning knitter as well. to be honest with you, after that first class and i had about 3/4 of an inch done, i was seriously having second thoughts about this whole sock idea and what kept going through my mind was OMG OMG OMG OMG. but i decided i had to plug on to set a good example and because i probably have been knitting the longest out of any of us, soooo on and on and on and on i knitted that ribbing.. plus i didnt want a 10 year old to beat me! FINALLY it seemed like i was making some progress and it was going more smoothly and all of the sudden i had about 4" under my belt! and i actually started to ENJOY IT! monte shared with me that she wanted to have both cuffs done before the second class and i really thought that was a splendid idea so that was my goal as well, that way when we got to the heel-turning class, we could do both so it was fresh in our minds.

i have finally come up with a name for my shop. i have decided to go with RaggZ & FriendZ because we have all become good friends as well as good knitters. thanks to all of you for allowing me to have this wonderful opportunity and i want you all to share it with me!

on october 18th, andrea, the rep from JUL designs visited my shop and showed me the wonderful pieces they make. check out their site at http://juldesigns.com/. their purse handles, pedestal buttons, shawl pins, and one of a kind closures will dazzle you. look for the display at my shop in november. believe me, these are items you dont find just anywhere and will give that hand knitted finished project the special touch it deserves. she will return november 3rd to show me a line of wool yarns that is not carried anywhere here in pennsylvania! it's called mountain meadow yarns and is out of wyoming. http://www.mountainmeadowwool.com/ check out their site - its worth looking at! their motto is 'Mountain Meadow Wool Mill is committed to building a company with respect for nature, ethics and sustainability.' this is right up my alley. i hope to have their beautiful yarns available in the next couple of weeks.

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH: i will be offering a special each month of the year and our first special for november will be this: any orange or brown yarn 10% off, excluding sale yarns.

i am also going to feature occasionally a raffle prize. every time you make a purchase (minimum $10), your name will be put into a cookie jar and one name will be pulled out on the last day of the month. november will be our first month for this and the prize is a 2012 knitting calendar - a pattern for every day of the year! the name will be drawn on november 30th and the winner will be announced in the december newsletter.

NEW STUFF:

red heart yarns will be added to my list of choices this month. i have recently placed an order with them and should be receiving it soon. i realized that, due to the fact that i was predominantly felting my end products that i was featuring wool more than any other yarn. excuse me for saying this, but red heart used to be what i call your 'grandma' yarn because it was cheaper and all the grandmas made afghans out of it - remember all those colorful afghans in granny squares or in a wavy pattern? yes we all had at least one of them. but red heart has listened to demands and have developed some beautiful yarns - acrylics, cottons, and blends and the colors are absolutely gorgeous. the first saroyan shawl (the one with the leaf edge) was knitted in red heart boutique treasure (color - abstract). you can see the sample at the shop.

also new -- knit-ins will be normally be held the 2nd and 4th tuesdays of every month from 1 in the afternoon to 8 in the evening, so drop by and we can knit together on any project you may have going at the time. november will be the exception to this rule due to the sock class finishing up on the 2nd tuesday, so for november only, open knit-ins will be tuesdays november 15th and 29th. in december we will go to 2nd and 4th tuesdays with the same hours.

i want RaggZ & FriendZ to feature unusual items as well, including Mountain Meadow (mentioned above), special yarns by elisabeth drumm and possibly some yarns from local spinners.

UPCOMING CLASSES - schedule has not been determined yet but there will be a thrumming class coming soon, as well as our first amazing stitches $5 class. sorry didnt get things squared away before this letter went out. also coming after the first of the year will be a class on the saroyan shawl (leaf edge shawl on display). everyone is getting busy now with thanksgiving and christmas quickly approaching and most of us are finishing socks and working on projects for christmas, so i will send out a separate announcement when the class schedule has been determined.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

thursday nov 3 dolly llamas meet at eugenia's 1:00 - 3

thursday nov 10 purl'n gurls latrobe coffee bean 12:30 - 3 (last scheduled coffee bean appearance til 2012)

saturday november 26 ligonier country market christmas show at the Y in ligonier

nov. 25, 26, 27 10-5 log cabin christmas show, 117 hay lane, murrysville

december 1 purl'n gurls at raggz shop

courtesy of stormy blue, here is a link to a great resource from classic elite: http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/WebLetter/Stitches/Stitches.php

i asked my FriendZ for some reasons why people should come to my shop instead of other yarn shops so here are the results. these are not my reasons - thanks go to paula, monte, cathy kable, kathy acita, maryann, laura, nancy, linda, sally, and eugenia.........

TOP TEN REASONS TO SHOP AT RAGGZ AND FRIENDZ:

10. Homey atmosphere

9. no city traffic and free parking

8. extensive selection of yarns and specialty materials, such as leather straps, closures & shawl pins

7. fun classes

6. the best coffee in town (old linn run coffee roastery coffee located in rector, pa)

5. friendly, helpful service

4. raggz the dog

3. the owner loves what she does and it shows (that's ME!)

2. a fun place to sit and knit

1. best prices in town!

quote for this month: 'you can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them.'

--malcom forbes

mary's cowl and those darn bunnies just keep multiplying!!

circle of purl'n gurls

october 2011 newsletter

hello everyone! sorry this newsletter is late this month. my mother's passing has left a quiet, empty room and an empty space in my heart and i thank everyone for their support, prayers, and kind words.

TIP OF THE MONTH:
well-known knitter and author, elizabeth zimmerman, and i have something in common besides a love of knitting - a hatred of purling!! so much so for me that if i find a pattern i like, if there is too much purling going on, i will pass it up! i have been liking the garter stitch lately but to do it in the round calls for purling every other row (ugh). i worked a few inches on the first purse when it occurred to me i could do a simple wrap and turn and knit the purl rows from the inside. woohoo so for those of you who dont care to purl, try this tip while knitting in the round!

last month, the purl'n gurls from latrobe were making cowls - different stitches, different yarns and all so beautiful. check out the new pictures of the gang happily knitting at the bean and mary modeling her cowl.. now i am itching to make a cowl too!

if you havent had the pleasure of trying any of the new mesh yarns, by all means try a skein. i bought several different kinds from WEBS and it's really interesting. try this link: yarn.com i purchased knitting fever flounce, filatura di crosa moda, filatura di crose moda lame, and katia triana lux. they all have their own nice qualities. some only have 16 yards but believe it or not, it makes a nice size scarf! check out their video on how to knit with it if you are interested. the video is on the page along with the yarn. i will be carrying a limited selection of this yarn at my shop within the next week or two. great for holiday gifts!

the FIRST class held at my new studio has just completed! seven ladies learning to knit and felt. it has been a lot of fun and i have been blessed to meet another nice bunch of girls. another class of girls going nuts on clutches and wine totes as well. october 6 was our last class but we are hoping to continue on. also my beginning knitting class at franklin was briefly interrupted but one more week to go and having a ball! i have been so blessed to met yet another great bunch of ladies.

i have a new love - THE SEED STITCH!! in the past any time i saw a pattern that contained the seed stitch, i would pass it by. (again refer to the purling paragraph above) i just completed a pattern called 'the evening shade vest' in the fall 2011 issue of love of knitting magazine. it is knit from side to side on a bulky yarn and knits up very quickly. so now i have to dig out all those bypassed patterns with the seed stitch and try them out! it really has a lovely, unusual look, especially sideways! so now i'm re-thinking the whole 'hating to purl' thing but as i knit continental, i have found it flows very smoothly.

DATES TO REMEMBER
thursday, october 13 12:30 purl'n gurls - latrobe coffee bean
thursday, october 20 1:00 murrysville gang get together at raggz
thursday, october 27 12:30 purl'n gurls - latrobe coffee bean

October is national breast cancer awareness month. knit something lovely in pink and donate it to someone you know who is a cancer survivor or donate it to a hospital or cancer center! http://www.nbcam.org/

UPCOMING CLASSES
become addicted to felting:
4 classes held on consecutive thursdays beginning October 20th from 6 to 8 at my shop. 8 hrs of instruction and the cost of the class is $40; class size limited; materials needed given before class; kits will be made available for $15.

learn to knit socks finally!
3 classes to begin tuesday, october 18 at my shop from 6 to 8 pm. october 18, october 25, and november 8 (see below); 6 hrs of instruction and cost will be $40 per person plus your materials, which you are responsible for bringing.

class will cover basic sock construction: ribbed cuff, heal turn, foot length, and toe. Students should be comfortable with both the knit and purl stitches. Learn to interpret your knitting so you don't get "lost" with where you are in your project. Class will meet for three 2-hour sessions with a week break between classes 2 & 3. This will give the student more time to complete the required knitting before learning how to finish the sock and complete the toe. Students should bring a set of 8-inch BAMBOO double pointed needles (size 1) and at least 415 yds of sock yarn. I recommend the bamboo needles because they are very light and therefore do not fall out of your project easily. If the student would rather make a "house sock" which is a coarser sock that is not really wearable with shoes, they can bring size 3 needles and worsted weight yarn. The house sock will knit up a lot faster because of the heavier yarn, bigger needles, and less stitches, but it is not nearly as nice as one made with the finer yarn on smaller needles. It is the choice of the student.

and FINALLY coming in november will be the first in a series of amazing stitches classes. stay tuned!

new yarns added this month: limited variety of mesh yarns for the ruffled scarves. next month i will be adding a large selection of crystal palace yarns.

i do not have regular hours as of yet but pop in to check my progress or call first to be sure.

"every artist was first an amateur." ralph waldo emerson

toodles and happy knitting!

september 2011 newsletter

GOOD NEWS! i have decided to move my yarn shop and classes next door. i will have three big rooms to have my yarn displayed and plenty of room for sitting and knitting. tom is going to put some track lighting in for me and i have a few other things to work on. i plan on aiming for a january move-in date after market is over as well as the holidays.

since i will have three times the room, i will be meeting with the crystal palace rep to begin carrying their wonderful, varied line of yarn. there are so very many to choose from. i have been a fan of crystal palace yarns since i began knitting and am very excited about this. i also plan on offering more purse hardware supplied by a small two-person company located in maryland. they make beautiful leather purse handles and exquisite rings and buttons -- i just received my first order and am very excited about carrying their products as well. i am happy that their products are made in USA, as is brown sheep yarn made right in Mitchell, Nebraska.

i recently placed three (YES THREE) orders with brown sheep. when i got my first order with some new yarns i hadnt used yet, i was so thrilled i wanted more. i placed the second order on a friday and was assured it wouldnt go out til monday, at which time i could add to it if i wanted to. of course i wanted to but when i called monday morning, the order had already been shipped. oh well my mistake, but you guys have to see some of the beautiful verigated lanaloft yarns. they change color often enough so as not to make an actual stripe but enough to flow nicely.

i ordered some cascade yarn last week as well and to my dismay when i looked my invoice, they increased their prices on cascade 220 35%!! needless to say i was not a happy knitter. their other lines only increased less than 1%, as they know their 220 line is their most popular. no fair!

UPCOMING CLASSES

Beginning knitting to felting: in this class you will learn how to do basic knitting and the project will be a one-skein clutch. many of you have already taken the class but some of you are new and may be interested. the class will be held thursday evenings beginning september 15 from 6 to 8 pm. classes will be held sept 15, 22, and 29, and the last class will be october 6. the cost will be $40 and will be held here at my shop. those of you who are interested, please email me and i will give details on materials needed. there are no makeup classes.

in the spirit of always learning something new, this month i learned a couple of new stitches, while sitting with my mom. one was called a split stitch and it gives the fabric a sturdiness and a bit of an unusual look on the right side, which i admire; however the going is slower than i'm used to. the pattern is a sweater/jacket so the sturdiness will come in handy. i like the look but have found out that fixing a mistake is a little tricky. (what? me? make a mistake??) here is the link to this sweater pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTrevolution.html

i also stumbled upon a big-knit wrap by debra norville with a different stitch look. here is the link to this pattern as well: http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/67436.aspx

wip (works in progress): i normally dont have more than one or two projects on my knitting needles at one time but for some reason, while spending a lot of time watching tv with mom, i have had as many as six (yikes) at one time. the fun thing about that is slowly but surely you finish one project after another and all of the sudden you have several things completed. the method to my recent madness is this: the slip stitch sweater project mentioned above is a long-term one -- and it requires thinking, which i hate. also because the stitches are split (thus making it slow going), its a little harder on my hands. this is when the scarf kit enters the scene -- a smaller needle and the pattern is k1p1 for the entire scarf. well those of you who know me well enough i will have nothing to do with a k1p1 for an extended project. i modified it to k2p2 (not much better but still half the work). there again it took a little more attention than i wanted to give for much time, soooo enter project three - the big knit deborah norville wrap. goes along quicker and requires a little bit of thought. project four -- a carpet bagger bag which is nothing but knitting in the round. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee just my style! the fifth project, which is on the back burner right now is the boho style sweater i am designing as i go and forget all about that one til i get my brain back. i walk past it a hundred times a day sitting there on the church pew in the livingroom and look at it longingly but i know this isnt the time as of yet. and last but not lease is a pair of yoga sox on size ZERO needles - needless to say i have to be in the mood for that one.

this month's pet peeve of mine: patterns that dont give the yardage - only the type of yarn used. most of us dont use the yarn suggested on the pattern so we have no way of knowing how much yarn we will need! or how about the label will list grams. GRAMS? the scarf kit i mentioned above came with two balls of yarn (one for the body of the scarf and one for the ruffle which gets knitted on the ends) and pattern; however the yarn label had NO indication of how much yarn was on the ball. the pattern says to knit a six or eight inch ruffle on the ends. well with only one ball of ruffle yarn and no idea of how much you have used, i knitted a six inch ruffle to insure i would have enough for the other side. only to find when i knitted the second six inch ruffle, i had a bunch left over, so i actually could have possibly knitted two eight inch ruffles....... sorry to ramble but this so frustrating to me because i hate having small bits of yarn that arent enough to do anything else with!

IMPORTANT DATES:

Monday, September 5 labor day

Thursday, September 8 purl'n gurls meeting at the coffee bean in latrobe

Friday and Saturday, September 10 and 11 mountain craft days in somerset*

Friday and Saturday, september 10 and 11 flax scutching festival in stahlstown*

Thursday, September 22 purl'n gurls meeting at the coffee bean in latrobe

Friday, September 23 first day of Fall!!! woohoo

*these are two very wonderful annual festivals. mountain craft days has artists set up meandering through the woods and fields, many of whom re-enacting the old-time crafts. flax scutching is a smaller festival set up more like ligonier market, with vendors set up in tents. both festival feature artists dressed in period clothes, offer civil war re-enactments, and great food.

as you murrysville girls will notice, there are no meetings scheduled as of yet, as some gals are on vacation and eugenia's son just had a new baby. as soon as everyone is back we will make plans to get together.

since our button class was cancelled last month, i will check with laura to see if we can get it rescheduled for an evening in october.

quote for this month: "life is like a ten-speed bicycle. most of us have gears we never use." -- charles schulz

well friends, happy september and hope to see you soon!

augut newsletter

happy summer crazy knitters

as you all know, the past few weeks have been trying for me but things are gliding along a little more smoothly now. i appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and well wishes.

the button class ended up being postponed so i am hoping to be able to schedule another class with laura at the crafty shack within the next month or two. i personally am excited to make my own buttons. i will keep you posted when the next available time will be.

ligonier is in full swing and it does my heart good to see so many of you beebopping around taking advantage of the outstanding food and enjoying the work of many talented artists.  i have been having a wonderful time myself!

i have decided to hold some 'five dollar' classes. nothing earth shattering - just some more advanced stitches that are handy to know. i will call them 'amazing stitches'. some examples of things we will learn provisional cast on and picot cast on; how to make bumps and bobbles; different ways to increase and decrease; two versions of double i cords for handles, and much more. details to come when things settle down with my mom.

 

try to keep an open mind with your knitting - especially you beginners.  try new knitting patterns - never stop learning and get into a rut. almost every pattern will have something to teach you. for example, after 27 years of knitting, i finally learned the provisional cast on and i love it. i made a conscious decision this year to knit out of my comfort zone and learn some new things and i have kept my promise to myself. for example, i have learned not only the provisional cast on but the picot cast on, and two types of double i-cords. (i know there were a few more things i learned but it's 3:32 in the morning and they have escaped me at the moment) there were only two things on my list i havent learned yet - how to knit with wire and the mobius cast on - and i intend to do it before 2011 is over.

dates to remember

august 11 12:30 latrobe gang coffee bean

august 11 1:00 murrysville posse at eugenia's

august 25 12:30 latrobe gang meets at cathy peters' house - directions to follow in an email closer to the date

 

my pet peeve of the month: the teeny tiny printing on the labels of yarn... even WITH my glasses on i can sometimes not read the yardage or content! freebie patterns as well sometimes have printing so small that i dont even want to attempt to read them.

 

we are still planning a day trip to a yarn shop or two in the fall, so anyone with ideas, please share.

"the only place where housework comes before knitting is in the dictionary." --m. kurtz

Friday July 1, 2011

happy july!

the summer is steadily sliding by and as always on memorial day i think soon it will be the 4th of july, then labor day; and doggone next thing i know, labor day has passed, the garden is winding down, and i'm muttering to myself 'wasnt it just memorial day?' my mom always said time goes faster as you get older and she was sure right.

our needlefelting class with sharon yoder was a big success. we reached our limit of ten and a good time was had by all. sharon is so creative and artistic and we will use this knowledge to embellish and personalize many of our lovely felted items. i have previously done some needlefelting but was never comfortable with my work. she showed us things i had never known about and i, myself, am looking forward to trying some new designs.

a gaggle of us knitters (ardis, eugenia, laura, kathy, melissa, and myself) took the wool flower class on june 23 at wccc taught by nan loncharich. we fought a torrential downpour to get there but were rewarded by a huge double rainbow hovering over the school! we learned so much and can take this information and use it to embellish many of our own knitted projects. nan has agreed to teach a class here with some advanced techniques so those of you who took the class may want to learn a little more. those of you who were not lucky enough to get in on this class can still sign up to learn the basics and advanced techniques. i will be contacting nan in the near future to see what dates she is available, so keep your eyes open for this upcoming class as well. her book just out and will be available at our class. so if you are thinking of taking the class here, please consider buying it directly from her. some who took the class are already scouring local thrift shops for wool fabrics. eugenia said "my house is starting to look like a hoarder's paradise." we are discussing the possibility of a play date to do some overdying and swapping of colors, so get with the program and join us!

TIP OF THE MONTH
this is a new feature that i would like to feature monthly. when any of you learn a new trick, please send it along to me so it can be shared with the others. thanks go to monte peters, president and ceo of the latrobe purl'n girls gang, who sent us this tip.
* * * * * * * * ********************************************************************
a simple hint for making neat edges -- to make a neat finished edge on your knitted garment, just try this
little tip. after casting on, knit your first row. turn your work and slip the first stitch, knit to the end of
the row and knit into the back of the last stitch and turn. repeat throughout the garment. you will love
the neat appearance of your salvages.
*********************************************************************************

YOU KNIT HOW YOU LIVE

i read somewhere that 'you knit the way you live.' in my experience, i have found this to be very true. you probably know that i am a very non-anal knitter. (is non-anal a word?) some would call it lazy, lackadaisacal, or laid back and they would all be right. i have friends (you know who you are) who are very 'particular' about their knitting and they are usually very particular about everything else - their houses, their car, their hair, etc. and as you are probably thinking right now, just looking at me and knowing what my house looks like, you can see i fall into the non particular category in just about all aspects of my own life. are you chuckling to yourself right now?? its ok if you are because i am laughing too!

my point is that there is not always one way to do things. for example, when i taught myself to knit continental and then tried to purl continental, i found that the purling was awkward and subsequently incorrect, for when i turned to the knit side, my stitches were twisted. i tried to teach myself the 'right' way to purl continental so that my stitches werent twisted. however, i realized that all i had to do was knit into the back of the stitch on the right side (another thing monte taught me) and the stitches were as they are supposed to be. so instead of trying to purl the 'right' way (which was difficult for me), i decided to do it my way and correct it on the knit side, which is easier and saves me aggravation.

life is too short to get stressed out about things, let alone knitting - it is supposed to be relaxing and if it isnt relaxing for you, you need to look at the light side of knitting or find another hobby. in summation, dont worry if the 'books' say it should be done a certain way. if the end result is the same, do it however it works for you and simply consider it your own unique style.

JULY KNITTERS ANONYMOUS CLASS

thursday, july 21 from 1-3 we will be making ceramic buttons at the crafty shack on harrison city road. it will be a 2 part class for one cost - $20 - it includes the clay, 2 firings, and glazing. as most of us know, buttons are not cheap anymore and if you're like me, you buy those expensive buttons with your coupon! for those of you who were at sharon yoder's needlefelting class, you saw some samples of the buttons which laura tepke made. you can make as many buttons as you like out of clay. after that class, they will be fired and some time in early august we will go back and paint and glaze them, after which they will need to be fired one final time. this is a great chance to be really creative and innovative and make special one of a kind buttons for your creations! for the latrobe/greensburg girls, we can carpool. anyone who is interested, please contact me. there is a seven person minimum for the class and we will need to know prior to july 14th.

FUTURE KNITTERS ANONYMOUS CLASSES

these classes will most likely begin early fall, as everyone is busy in the summer months. once it begins to cool down, we are more likely to want to think of learning something new or to perhaps begin working on gifts for the holidays.
-felted wooly lamb class - in this class you will learn how to knit and felt a lamb with the option of needlefelting

wool locks after felting

-basic sock class - learn how to knit a basic sock on a 9 or 12 inch circular needle (not dpns)

-amazing stitches - this class will include simple stitches, including increases, decreases, yarn overs, ssk

as well as more advanced stitches, including bobbles, picot edge, slipped stitch colorwork,

beads, and more - all things you may run into written into a pattern but hadnt tried yet

-nan's wool flower advanced class

DATES TO REMEMBER

monday, july 4 independence day

friday, july 15 12:30 to 3 latrobe coffee bean

thursday, july 21 1:00 to 3 button class

friday, july 29 12:30 to 3 latrobe coffee bean

every saturday raggz will be at ligonier country market from 8 to noon

i was ecstatic to accompany beth and monte to oakmont to visit yarns by design, a local yarn shop. it was amazingly beautiful and inspiring and the lady who owned it was super helpful. i had already been toying with the idea of how much fun it would be to take a road trip, perhaps in the fall. after our short jaunt to oakmont, i am convinced it will be a good time! beth sent the following link as a possibility so check it out           http://needlecraftbarn.com/products.html
it looks like an interesting place with tons of different yarns and probably only a little over an hour to get there.  interested?  i am going to contact the shop for directions and further information and will keep you posted.

what's new at our store? i was lucky enough to find a manufacturer who makes reasonably-priced shawl sticks. they come in light, medium, or dark wood with various shapes at the top. the price is $7.

diane and ardis at the needlefelting class

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