nightfall has arrived!!!

today i was pleasantly surprised to receive a partial order of the fibro fibers nightfall yarn i have been anxiously awaiting since i ordered it in november!  here's what i received so far:

4 pair of the sock sets (2 in cyan and 2 in copper)

8 balls of nightfall in the DK weight (2 balls of each color)  cyan, deep teal, royal blue, and robin's egg blue.

these are going to go pretty fast.  i am under the impression that the worsted and sport weight will be arriving in a couple of weeks.  the hitch hiker or any shawl can be knitting in any weight.  if you remember the cyan hitch hiker i knitted (check out the last blog entry) was in cyan and it was sport weight.  all you do is use a different size needle.

don't dilly dally if you're interested in any of these.

correction

oops!  friday hours are 10 to 6!  my baaaaaaaaaaad

well if you believe that groundhog, there's a light at the end of the winter tunnel.  its also time to tap those maple trees.  i am very excited about it this year since i missed out last year due to an early thaw so i got the trees tapped today.  since it was too cold this morning for the sap to run, nothing was coming out but later in the day i had about 1/2 inch or so in the bucket!  woohoo

monte brought up an interesting point the other day at the purlin girls gathering.  she leaned over and said 'i want to thank you for the gift of knitting.'  i was taken aback by it to be honest with you and welcomed her and laughed it off.  

but later in the day, after i thought about it, i realized that the knitting truly has been a gift.  it is a great way to be creative as well as productive and the friendships which have formed through knitting will last forever, or at the very least for many years to come. we've been through a lot together and at our gatherings we have so much fun, the room is bursting at the seams!

monte has been stricken with duffer fever:

well my first ad was in the february 6 pgh knit and crochet email blast.  they didn't put in the text, only the photo and unfortunately it listed my shop as being located in pittsburgh but the phone number was right and when you click on the ad, it takes you here to the blog with the correct information.  already i received a comment from someone who saw it!  it has since been corrected.  also i do have a half page ad being placed in the festival brochure.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW!

loads of new cascade close-outs have arrived including baby folio, lampedusa, dolly, and prisma.  these yarns are $1 and $2 per skein and i'm sure they will go fast, so come on by and check them out.  they're on the porch with the other sale items.  

and in an attempt to reorganize, i've moved items from the regular price shelves to the bargain bin including a stash of cascade bulky leisure in select solids and variegated at an unbelievable price of $3.  the content is 35% superfine alpaca and 65% pima cotton.  other various yarns, including red heart baby yarns have been reduced.  these are all nice yarns and will make a great addition to YOUR stash instead of mine!

i am planning on phasing out acrylics and man-made yarns  to specialize in natural fibers.  i will be carrying some blends but for the most part i want to stick with my true passion - natural, mostly local, one-of-a-kind, organic and handspun yarns not readily found.  there are so many creative spinners out there and my plan is to help them out by purchasing their creations and offer them here. these folks rarely sell wholesale, which is totally understandable, as they are all spun by hand (not mass produced) so i wont be able to offer them at the discount my other yarns are.  at the present time, i carry willow mist acres, snowberry & lime, and a yarn from germany.  i'm hoping to expand my selection soon.

i am currently working on a noro sweater using sock yarn and a series of wrap and turns, thus making wedges in the sweater.  its beautiful so far.  funny story - tom was in the kitchen the other night and i heard him cursing about water being on the counter and floor and he called for me.  well, at that moment i was working on a wrap and turn and informed him 'NOT NOW I'M COUNTING!'.  if only i could have seen his face. 

SO WHAT'S BRAND NEW?

ARTWORX ORIGINALS - colorful, handmade one-of-a-kind buttons from north carolina in new colorways.  OZARK handspun - this yarn is right up my alley with its thick/thin, bit of sparkle, and loose curls here and there in unique color combinations and is dyed and spun in the ozark mountains.

NEW COLORS in noro kureyon and malabrigo rastita and FIBRA NATURA 100% LINEN.  also some new handspun yarn from snowberry & lime from the UK.

oh and before i forget - january's door prize winner was sylvia elliott.  sylvia is in florida presently; i'm sure she'll be pleased to know her name was drawn.

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:

thursday feb 21:  purlin' girls latrobe coffee bean 12-3

tuesday feb 26:  knitters anonymous 1-5 here at the shop

saturdays feb 16 and 23:  craftique knitters 10-12 at craftique in greensburg

thursday feb 28:  dolly llamas here at the shop

date tba:  close knit girls

fridays the shop is open from 1 to 6

REMINDER!  the pittsburgh knit and crochet festival is march 15, 16, and 17.  i have a full load in my car now but we could form a convoy for those who are directionally challenged.

birthday club shout out! 

february greetings go to:  linda lang, donna whiteside, carolyn and trish fiore, cathy rosensteel and holly holbein.  belated january greetings go to:  cathy peters, ardis mock, eugenia shipe, linda jones, marge jackson, jennifer le, tina blake, and rosemary abeles!  (sorry january girls for being late - it slipped my mind last month).  please be sure to pick up your $5 birthday certificate next time you're here if you havent already used it.  and if i dont have your birthday, dont forget to sign up.

next newsletter i will have a complete listing of my upcoming classes. so long for now! 

"knitting" around the world:  

french "tricot"

german "strikke" 

italian "maglia"

spanish "punto de media"

norway "strikke"

russian "trikotazh"

arabic "hayyak"

february 1 2013

"life is a stocking, grandma says and yours has just begun.

but i am knitting the toe of mine and my work is almost done."          (19th century rhyme)

the best four-letter word ever --  D O N E!!!  i finished anthony's socks! unfortunately, when i was doing the kitchener stitch for the toes, the unthinkable happened - the yarn broke!!!!!  un-kitchener stitching is not an easy task.  it took me a half hour just to undo it.  then i had to start a new strand to finish thus leaving me with two extra ends to weave in.  ah well after a mere 14 months, they are done and on their way to my son with a note stating that a little drop of love was knitted into each stitch. 

i'm so happy to have finished, i have decided to start another pair and teach myself the magic loop method doing both at the same time.  i will use a size 0 needle 40" long.  monte is rolling her eyes about now but its totally understandable. these will be for my daughter with a lovely rainbow colored alpaca tye dyed yarn i purchased several years ago to make socks for her but, as is my usual MO, i realized after a couple of inches that they were big enough for an elephant.  so off they went into the corner not to be revisited until now.  but this time, i'm not telling her that i'm starting them thus no disappointment when and if it takes me two years (or more) to completion!

february is here and with it we celebrate groundhog day, valentine's day, lambing season, and hopefully at the end of the month tree-tapping.  i am hoping those warm days havent tricked the trees into getting their sap running early - i missed tapping my trees last year because they budded in january and once they bud, the sap is bitter and rendered unusable.  this year you can be sure i'm keeping my eye on my maples.  2011 was only my second year tapping and i collected about 60 gallons of sap.  the ratio is 40:1 meaning 40 gallons of sap cooks down to 1 gallon of syrup but i had enough to last me all year and share some with my kids.

i am anxiously awaiting mathilda to lamb, which could be any time now but with all that fluffy wool, its hard to tell if its her fleece thats poofy or her!

upcoming dates to remember:

thursday feb. 7  purln girls at noon at the bean in latrobe

monday feb 11:  2-4 greensburg fiber arts meet up at panera in greensburg

tuesday feb 12   knitter's anonymous 1-5

tuesday feb 5   close knit girls 6-8 panera

fridays open 10-6*

*note now open til six

WHAT'S NEW AT THE SHOP?

from hiya hiya:  new circular needles in assorted sizes as well as some interchangeable sets in both metal and bamboo.  the new thing now are the shorter needles, formerly called 'lace tips' and they are really much easier to work with, especially with the short 16" cords.  hiya hiya also carries 'sharps' which have a sharper point.  its about time i carry a better variety of sizes.

what else is new?  pagewood farms has done it again with a funky, new thick yarn called 'mo puffs, pictured below along with a new shipment of flora fina in every color available:

also if you are a fan of pagewood's rustic spun (an especially thick/thin yarn which is not easy to find), they are discontinuing this line and i was able to secure 11 skeins of it, so when it's gone, its gone.

and last but not least, raspberry hill alpacas has added a heavy weight natural light grey alpaca yarn to their selection, which is still being offered at 50% off for a limited time.

in keeping with my intent to carry unusual and artful yarns, i will soon be carrying ozark handspun as well as knit collage yarns.  these yarns are not readily found and i am very excited to offer them.  also soon to arrive will be fibro fibers.  i picked up a couple of skeins in north carolina and just finished a hitch hiker using nightfall.  check out this photo below and see how beautifully the color changes - all hand dyed by a young woman in north carolina.  stunning!  

i'll keep you posted as soon as my shipment arrives.

as you may or may not know, i am a member of the pittsburgh fiber arts guild and they had a meeting and potluck last thursday at the pittsburgh center for the arts.  rhonda, cathy, donna, and roberta accompanied me and it was a lot of fun.  they had a stash-buster chinese auction and everyone brought things they no longer needed.  items ranged from yarns to fabrics to buttons and baskets.  tickets are purchased and you put them in the bag of your choice.  our darling donna kept complaining as we were perusing the tables 'i never win anything....'  well guess who walked away with two HUGE bags of yarn and a bag of fabric????  she was smiling from ear to ear, like the cheshire cat.  it took all of us with full arms to get the loot we won up the stairs and into the car - which, by the way was filled to the gills.  i was lucky enough to get to talk to barb grossman (founder of the pittsburgh knit and crochet festival) and we were able to talk about my upcoming ad.  i'm very excited, as this is my first adventure in advertising.

once the weather breaks (march-april) i am going to try being open one evening a week to accommodate those who work weekdays.  right now i'm thinking the evening will be wednesday.

my patterns have all been three-hole punched and filed into appropriate binders, so next time you stop in, check them out -- i have been collecting patterns for at least seven years and i am happy to share them with you. by the way, i'm still missing a few books from the lending library, so please double check to see if you may have one buried under some yarn somewhere.

my last completed project is a fair isle hat.  the hat will not be felted but seeing mary and paula's fair isle knitting bags gave me the urger to do fair isle again.  as is usual for me, even though i went down a needle size and actually did a gauge swatch, the hat is a little big even for my gargantuan head.  so now to decide what to do with it - perhaps lightly felt it or find someone with a bigger head than me if that's possible?

it looks like something out of a dr seuss book or perhaps alice in wonderland....  colorful though - keeping with my 'winter doesnt have to be drab' theme.  

i did learn something while making the decreases for the top of this hat.  instead of simply knitting 2 together, the pattern called for 'slip 2 stitches, k1, p2sso' thus decreasing two stitches at a time and it has a different look as well.  try it some time.  

also if you notice the blue picot edge?  that look is achieved by knitting 5 rows, doing one row of k2tog, yo,  then knit the next 5 rows and when the hat was done, it is folded at the yo row thus producing this picot edge!  

ok everyone, nuff said.  happy valentine's day to you all!

t

1.18.13 blog

oh my - i've been having so much fun that i forgot my newsletter was late! 

still working on the website and upcoming class schedule. i think you will be pleased with the variety of classes i have planned. my newest additions will be classes on crochet edgings, free-form crochet, an evening sock class, and an evening beginning knitters class.  may i remind you to please sign up for these blog updates by entering your email on the sidebar and please give me feedback to let me know how it works.  what happens is if the blog is updated, you receive notification; no new update, no new email.  my ad will be in the pittsburgh knit and crochet email very soon!

new this month:  

a sampling of handspun, hand dyed yarns from germany as well as the UK.  they are a little pricier but well worth it!

also new are some new colors in various funky yarns from crystal palace in shades of white/ecru and blue/green.  they are called 'treasure packs' and 2-4 skeins of various yarns in color schemes are put together.  there are a total of about 50 for each of the color schemes.  some really pretty stuff.

the newest member of our gift shop family is local zentangle artist and fellow knitter sylvia elliott. sylvia's knitting/sheep-themed cards are her original work on her own watercolor background.  

arent they wonderful?  you wont find them anywhere but here and the greensburg art center.

i was the lucky recipient of a visit from a new gang of fiber artists called 'the craftique fiber art group'.  these ladies meet at craftique in greensburg every saturday morning at ten and all are welcome to join them any time.  sylvia (who makes the zentangle cards), was kind enough to bring them over on saturday the 12th so we could meet.  so around ten, i was working on the computer (i was attempting to update my blog at that time) and heard this noise which kept getting louder and louder.  as i got up to see what the racket was, in pours 11-12 ladies!  what fun - it was just like when the tazmanian devil spun into a cartoon and back out again!  of course you all know i only have 8 chairs and have only had the pleasure of running out of chairs once before then!  wonderful ladies, all with different stories, knitting/crocheting experiences, but all fun-loving and wanting to learn more.  after they all left, the shop was much too quiet!  thanks ladies - now don't be strangers!

you'll also notice the next time you visit the shop, that i have a new handrail!  donna's husband constructed it for me and it looks great!

the tuesday night knitters club has decided on a name for their group:  they are now known as the 'close-knit girls'!  the perfect name!

laura mcquire showed me a new 'site' for knitting information.  its called new stitch a day.  check it out with this link, which you can sign up for daily updates: 

newstitchaday.com 

dates to remember:

tuesday, 1/22 1-5 knitters anonymous at raggz

tuesday, 1/22 6-8 close knit girls

thursday, 1/24 12-3 purlin girls latrobe bean

friday, 1/25 shop open 10-5

i am now the organizer of the greensburg fiber art meet up group.  we meet once a month - the second monday of the month at 2 at the panera in greensburg.  our first meeting was january 14. if you're interested, you can join the group at this link and be kept abreast of happenings.

at our last meeting, we had ladies who quilt, tat, knit, crochet, felt, stained glass, paint, knook, weave.....  it was a good time and we all learned something from each other.

today was a busy day at the shop and i had the pleasure of seeing monte (and dale), paula, and mary.  i've missed the last few purlin girls meetings so it was so nice to see them.  i hate to say that unfortunately i wont be able to make their next meeting on the 24th, as i will be at the pittsburgh center for the arts that day.  but i truly hope to be there in february.

something new that i will be starting in february will be pizza night one friday a month.  details to follow.  

the end is in sight for those socks i've been knitting for my son's 30th birthday (he is now 31) and plan on having them done THIS WEEK to send to him before he moves to portland.  thanks monte for your encouragement!

one last question:  if i knit fast enough, does it count as exercise??

1.1.13

“Oh, to be alive in such an age, when miracles are everywhere, and every inch of common air throbs a tremendous prophecy, of greater marvels yet to be.”  - Walt Whitman

Happy 2013 my friends - so we made it through the end of the Mayan calendar unscathed and here we are sailing happily into another new year.

Big news:  Raspberry Hill Alpacas 100% locally-grown natural colors only yarn is 50% off for the month of January (or until supplies last)!  It's as soft as butter and the fact that it's all natural AND local makes it my favorite.  If that isn't enough for you, it is a steal at this price so be sure to come in and check it out.

(This yarn has the honor of being displayed on my new/old bellows table.)

THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL:

10% off of ALL Cascade 220

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursdays January 10 and 24:  purlin girls at the bean in Latrobe at noon

Tuesdays January 8 & 22 knitters anonymous at RaggZ 1-5

Tuesdays January 8 & 22 Tuesday night knit club at Lisa's at 6 pm

Saturday January 12 Mardi Gras show at the Greensburg Art Center

Thursday January 31 Dolly Llamas at RaggZ at 1

open every Friday 10-5

Also mark your calendar for the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival march 15, 16, and 17 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh North in Mars - very easy to get to from the turnpike.  Check out their website at pghknitandcrochet.com and sign up for their emails to get updates on the festival.  I've gone several years and its loads of fun, new yarns, classes, patterns, etc.  I plan on going and have room for 4 people to ride with me so let me know asap.  They are going to feature my shop in an upcoming newsletter which goes out to 5,000 and, for the first time, I'm putting an ad for my shop in their brochure!  Barb Grossman (wife of ex-steeler Randy Grossman) is the creator of the festival and does a great job.  The website shows the festival schedule as well as a complete listing of all the classes.  Classes do fill up quickly so don't dilly dally if you're interested in taking one or more.  Last year it was in February and several of us went on Friday to avoid the crowded weekend.  Lucky for us we did because Saturday and Sunday snowed like crazy.  The plan for now is to go Friday again but since they moved it to March, that should alleviate the worry about weather issues.

Last month's prize winner was the creative, talented Kim McGuire.  Kim doesn't even know yet that she is the winner of a skein of organic Mountain Meadow of her choice.

I am looking forward to this new year and my new website and am diligently working on a list of upcoming classes and finalizing dates.  The following is a partial list: socks, a knitted wire/yarn/beaded necklace, a beaded cabochon, wet felted bowl of cherries, needle felted silk scarf, a knitted, felted sheep, fimo buttons, wet-felted flowers, free-form crochet, and crochet edgings.

stay tuned!

The bargain bin on the porch is bursting at the seams with new yarns added every week.  Also quite a variety of lamb's pride superwash has been added to the regular inventory as well as the seconds bin.  I've been busy!

Reminder:  there are several books outstanding from the lending library.  Please check to see if you have one. I know its easy to forget about it.

Oh and please remember to sign up on this page to receive the blog as it is updated, as once my website is up and running, I will not be mailing these updates out - they will come to those who signed up immediately after the update.  Please let me know how this works by commenting on this page, as the feedback is important to me.

 

Now off to shovel more snow and try to burn off a few of those Christmas calories...

Love to all and hope to see you soon!

t

what the?  nine days??  yikes!

Big News:  knitting thank you mousies have arrived and are the most adorable gift for that knitter who has everything.  lisa marie wilt has outdone herself with the little knitting outfits and i am happy to be the only place to get one (for now)!  

notice the details:  a necklace that matches the knitting and an adorable little skirt.  the picture doesnt really show how sweet they really are!

                         ***********

check out these two beauties!  coral is modeling a pattern she found on ravelry called bandana cowl that she fashioned with a stick pin and sheila is sporting a christmas scarf she designed using various christmas colors!  the pin on sheila's scarf is actually a skinny santa ornament she bought at a craft show.  

Lopi is flying off the shelves, as duffer fever has hit -- thanks to monte!  i have some beautiful new colors available.  There's still time to make a pair for that someone special with cold feet!  They truly are an evening project.  Another quick project (not quite as quick as the slippers but close) is cathy rosensteel's shoulder cozy.  she made one in a lovely lavender yarn with a mohair strand running through it for her daughter-in-law for christmas and i have since made two myself - one with cascade's lana bambu and a second one with colorful Gina yarn.  Our own Roz is visiting from new york and agreed to model the shoulder cozy made from the Lana Bambu:

this pattern is warm and doubles as a cowl and will be the first one i will feature on my website in january.

i also tried a new easy mitten pattern using some new fantasia yarn.  check out my sample at the shop.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursday, Dec 20    noon Dolly Llamas christmas party

Fridays, December 21* and 28    shop open 10-5 as usual

*the friday before christmas i will be serving monte's hot spiced tea at the shop (yum)

beginning within the next week or two, my website will be up and running.  it is there you will be able to link to this blog. i would ask that you sign up on the blog page to be notified when it is updated, that way i will not have to send them out as a link in the email.  the group email is getting bigger and bigger (thank you very much) and now its too big of a group to send all at once.  comcast must have a maximum number for groups and i am glad to have finally surpassed it.  and if you post a comment on the blog page, a prize will be given to one lucky post(er) every month.  i learned this from the marketing class i took in NC in October - the more people visit and post, the better the page gets around and the higher it shows up on a search engine.

dont forget my raggz fiber art facebook page as well, so please 'like' it so that i will have more options.

looking ahead, my website will have a 'Term of the Month' which will feature knitting terms, common and uncommon, that you may come across from time to time.  i also plan on featuring a new pattern at regular intervals.  the first pattern will be the shoulder cozy I spoke of above.

you will see that beginning in january my hours will be friday from 10 to 5, and every 2nd and 4th tuesday will be knitter's anonymous from 1 to 5.  i'm still toying with the idea of having an evening that i will be open but you working girls know i am happy to open especially for you to work around your busy schedule. 

please remember (and tell your friends), that if anyone is looking for some last-minute, handmade gifts from local artists and that the selection is growing at my gift shop.  I have more framed scherenschnitte, cross stitch, and photographs, wooden goodies by mr. jim, NEW watercolor zentangle knitting cards by sylvie elliott, wrist cuffs by sue hrubes, christmas cards, knitting calendars, whimsical sheep, lights with nuno flowers, cotton embroidered tea towels with knitting motifs, organic vanilla, local honey, knitted and nuno felted items, electronic row counters, christmas and knitting mousie with book, gift certificates for that knitter on your list, and i'm sure a few more things which have slipped my mind. 

my plan during the winter is to expand the gift shop, upgrade the lighting at the shop, put in a railing out front, and expand the parking facilities and then finally to have my 'grand opening' in the spring.  i wanted to have one last spring but i felt i wasnt ready but i am committing myself to it so i cant get!  i also hope to have more samples made up of the yarns i carry so i will be looking for ladies willing to make a small sample.  i will barter yarn for knitting samples, so anyone interested can see me about it.

well my FriendZ, have a very merry happy christmas, happy hanukkah and a healthy new year.  thank you all for being part of my life and please remember the reason for the season.  the next time i post it will be 2013, sooooo you wont be hearing from me again til next year!

love to all

t