raggz fiber art: 2014 has arrived

well the holidays are officially over and 2014 is here. "twenty fourteen" sounds weird. so futuristic - like some B movie i would have watched as a kid, thinking it was so far away….

my favorite holiday memory was the party at the shop the friday before christmas. elf donna entertained us all and we had homemade cookies, mulled cider, and unadvertised specials.

i decided last minute to whip up a hat and fingerless mitts for tom's 7 year old granddaughter, elizabeth out of her favorite color - LIME green. she LOVED them and now wants them in all different colors! i had no pattern and just guessed so i breathed a sigh of relief when everything fit her perfectly! isn't she adorable?

i want to say thanks to all of you who helped me through my 2nd year in business. i certainly had loads of fun. i am going to give the shop five years before i decide whether to move forward with it or not. i am working on inputting my info in quickbooks now and i'm always amazed at how much money i've spent. haven't done receipts yet but they are nowhere near what i've spent…… but i am hoping that being a vendor in the upcoming pittsburgh knit and crochet festival (march 14-15-16) will make fiber people aware that i am indeed here!

speaking of the pk&c fest, i am looking for suggestions as to which yarns i should take, patterns, kits, etc. i only have a 10x10 space and i have to figure out how on earth to get all that yarn displayed as efficiently as possible. i plan on not taking average yarns, as they can be found just about anywhere, although not at my great prices. i will definitely take pagewood farms, all my handspun yarns, lopi (hard to find), kauni, imperial, mountain meadow, and all my handspun… not sure what else yet. so if you have any suggestions, by all means, please let me know.

the past three new year's eves have felt a little sad, reminded of my losses, which i try not to dwell on - life is fleeting and temporary and goes oh so quickly. this year also brought some new grand babies to my friends - i see their faces beam with joy and i am reminded that things are constantly being renewed. twenty thirteen was a memorable year for me, as i got to take a 6600 mile trek with the kids, having them all together, seeing some of the most beautiful sights i've ever seen (colorado river, bruneau dunes, crater lake, columbia river gorge) but none of those sights tops seeing the three beautiful faces of my three children all in one place! for that i am eternally grateful. add to that the horrific scene of watching my daughter's car overturn in front of my eyes yet walk away unscathed - this still gives me a chill - but i thank God every day for the good fortune i've had all of my life. none of us are without bumps in the road and losses but we all endure and each experience teaches us and makes us a better person.

five years ago i was perusing the lion brand website and found what was called 'stainless steel' yarn. so i purchased two cones and never did anything with them (surprised??). i'm wondering if any of you out there have tried it as of yet? recently i was scouting ideas out on the internet and found some patterns and info on stainless steel yarn so i purchased more and a corresponding pattern and am very excited to see how it knits up. i will keep you all posted.

i finished the holden shawlette (free ravelry pattern i spoke of last newsletter) using kauni yarn with its subtle color way changes. it wasn't what i expected to be honest with you but i can now move onto that stainless yarn i've been wanting to play with.

UPCOMING CLASSES

*Knitting Socks on Circular Needles (3 day class) cost for the class is $60
instructor: laura mcguire (aka the crazy sock lady)
Dates: Tuesday, January 28, February 4, & February 11

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Place: Toni’s Shop
OR
Dates: Saturday, February 1, February 8, & February 15
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Place: Laura’s House: 212 Roxbury Drive, Greensburg

What to bring: Size 6 (16”) Circular Needles and
Yarn of your choice to match needle size. Toni has some wonderful selections!
Join me for this advanced knitting class for socks! Socks can be fun! We’ll be doing a boot sock over three classes. Stitches we’ll use: k, p, k2tog, p2tog, ssk, and kitchener.
Week 1: Cuff and heel
Week 2: Heel turn, gusset, and decreases
Week 3: Body and toe
Class size is limited. Pre-registration and payment for the class is required.

CONFIDENT COLOR
instructor: catherine rosensteel cost for the class: $40
date: wednesday, january 29th
time: 1:00 to 4:00
A new project—Yay! What colors—Oh no! Discover ways to make your color choices easier and your next projects glow. Explore color harmony and ways to add WOW! to your next projects.

Open to crafters, fiber artists, and painters who want to strengthen their confidence in color selection.
Catherine has been a painter, art teacher and a fiber artist throughout her life and wants to share her love and understanding of colors with you.
Helpful materials will be provided. Class size limited. Pre-registration and payment required.

working on a new class schedule which will be posted in the next newsletter january 15th. included will be more amazing stitches classes, knitted, felted sheep, small wet felt projects, just to name a few!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO: january 1 cathy p, january 7th ardis m, january 8th eugenia s, and january 10th linda j! happy day ladies!

upcoming dates to remember

saturdays, jan 4 and 11: craftique fiber art group 10 to noon
thursday, january 9: purlin girls meet at the bean at noon
fridays, january 3 and 10: shop open 10-6
tuesday, january 14: knitters anonymous at the shop 10-6
friday, sat, sunday MARCH 14, 15, and 16 PITTSBURGH KNIT AND CROCHET FESTIVAL IN CRANBERRY - SAVE THE DATE! check out their website for class info and other fun events and make sure to pre-register or get your advance tickets!

clementine's jump ring bracelet class was loads of fun with us all learning a wonderful new technique. diane mogul stopped by and saw what we were working on and mentioned that she may want to take the class, so we'll see if Alisa is available to do an encore performance soon. check the website for more details: raggzfiberart.com

bobbi, another customer, who is an excellent knitter and weaver, purchased some brown sheep cones of lanaloft in a variegated teal color. the variegation wove into a beautiful plaid which she was very happy with! she wove the fabric then sewed the jacket together and stopped in to get a JUL shawl pin. gorgeous, isn't it?

for those crocheters out there, i found this cute cute video crochet strawberries: http://crochetmore.blogspot.com/2013/08/strawberry-stitch-tutorial.html (uh oh i am afraid monte has run out of animals so fruit and veggies may be her next obsession…)

good news - two of the baby squirrels i found in the summer were raised up and released into the wild! and speaking of animals, last month i promised to put in a few picture of my critters, so here they are wishing everyone a happy 2014 and thanking paula and mary ann for all the yummy goodies! MORE MORE MORE!