june 1, 2013

i got to see my beautiful daughter last week so suffice it to say my week was over the top.  and for paula and maryann, here are a couple of pictures of deni passing out the goat food you so graciously save for us:

i told you there isnt enough time to get everything out of the bags with them pushing and shoving!!

not a whole lot of new stuff arriving at the shop these past two weeks except some new handspun yarns from canada.

sheared the sheep may 19th.  what a relief!  shearers are so hard to find.  the year before last we couldnt find anyone to shear and when cris (our current shearer) sheared them the following spring, the fleeced were practically felted from the little kids standing on the backs of the ram and wethers consequently making it very hard work for the shears to cut through.  when the fleece is heavy like that, it pulls on the sheep's skin and causes the shears to cut on their skin.  i decided to keep gidget's fleece, wash it, and spin it and am excited to see how it turns out.  gidget is a southdown so the fleece is cotton-ish - no curls or crimps.

today's beaded pendant class went very well.  as i had taken this class before from dotty westerveld, i had an idea of what i was doing, but the other girls struggled to sew those tiny beads around the button.  eventually everyone was on their way to a beautiful finished project.  

maia had just returned from nicaragua but was able to join us and bring her mother-in-law, roz, along to keep us company.  roz was knitting a cute little bib for her first great-grandchild due in july.

dotty showed us her many beautiful beaded projects and we decided we wanted to learn a spiral necklace pattern.  stay tuned to the website to see when this class will be scheduled.  dotty is a well-known beader who teaches at many different bead shops and colleges.

as for me, i currently have two projects on my needles:  first i have a sweater pattern called 'lily - the softest leaf' out of the book essentially feminine knits.  it is a garter stitch sweater with a leaf pattern on the yoke and i am knitting it out of the natural off white raspberry hill alpaca yarn.  in addition, i am also on a pair of lady finkaas (a swedish shoe/slipper). last week i had made a different slipper/shoe pattern meant for my son, anthony, in portland.  however, they felted up a bit too small for him so i'm off to try again.  anthony loved the felted clogs i made for him a couple of years ago and requested another pair.  he also loves the year-and-a-half socks i finally sent to him last year:

this photo was taken on angel island, just outside of san francisco just prior to his moving to portland, oregon.  angel island was referred to as the ellis island of the west.

please remember to sign up for the blog.  i understand a couple of people indicated they were not able to.  has anyone else encountered a problem?  remember when you sign up and post a comment, your name will be chosen to win a gift certificate to RaggZ!

dates to remember:

tuesday, june 4 6:00 close knit girls (panera murrysville)

monday, june 10 2:00 fiber art meet up (panera greensburg)

tuesday, june 11 1:00-7:00 KA (raggz)

thursday, june 13  noon purlin girls (bean)

saturday, june 15 FREE broomstick lace class (see website for times)

fridays shop hours are 10:00-6:00

may's prize winner was our own donna charlesworth!!

birthday wishes to norma r and maryann w!  i hope your day is special!

and remember girls, my shop is air conditioned, so some hot sticky friday (or tuesday) head on over and cool off with us!

may 15 2013

hey everyone!  i know mother's day is over but i have something to say about it.  it occurred to me with all the mother's day hype that i am in the phase of my life where most of my friends unfortunately no longer have their mothers.  i tire of the commercialism that goes along with it and every other holiday anymore.  yes, moms are special but so are sisters, aunts, nieces, friends, etc.  plus, i have quite a few friends who are not mothers and i dont appreciate them being left out.  obviously, every day of the year we should treat people we care about special - not just a day set aside by Hallmark, florists, and jewelry shops.  lets stop the madness!

happy birthday wishes go to maia olivenstein on may 23rd.

Maryland sheep and wool was a good time.  turns out only two of us ended up going but this year we knew exactly where we wanted to go.  basically, all i was looking for was the out-of-the ordinary yarns and i found loads of beautiful handspun from rainbow rapunzel, carolina fibers, hobbeldehoy, and pucker brush farm.  

WHAT'S NEW YOU ASK?

pagewood farm rug bumps and huge handmade circulars size 35 and 50 to go along with the rug bumps.  note the coffee mug in the center for size comparison.

my rug still needs blocked but is very pretty - too pretty to put on the floor!!

new colors in lambs pride have arrived including prarie goldenrod, frosted periwinkle*, lime sorbet, royal purple flutter, and mustard.  new colors in burly spun as well and new additions to the seconds bin and the sale bin. 

frosted periwinkle is the final color i am using for my sun motif placemats fashioned from the sun satchel pattern.  

May sale is still on - 10% off everything in the store!

and congratulations go to our own cathy peters who was the april door prize winner.  cathy won a copy of elizabeth zimmerman's book 'knitting without tears.'

dates to remember:

thursday, may 16 noon purlin girls

wednesday, may 22 2:00 freeform crochet at raggz

wednesday, may 22 6:00 close knit girls 

thursday, may 23 1:00 dolly llamas  

tuesday, may 28 KA 1-7*

thursday, may 30 noon purlin girls

shop open fridays from 10-6*

*extended hours

for those of you who dont know, there's a chance i may be a vendor at the pgh knit and crochet fest in 2014!  i'm eagerly anticipating this event and am considering which yarns i will take, which patterns, which samples to knit, etc.  my plan at this time is to sell not-so-ordinary yarns, such as mountain meadow, imperial, pagewood, lopi, and all the handspun stuff i've been shopping for. if anyone has any suggestions for me, i would appreciate your input!

rhonda's crochet edgings class was fun and we are looking forward to her freeform crochet class may 22.

upcoming classes:

saturday, june 1 1:00 beaded pendant class

saturday, june 15 FREE broomstick lace class

check website for details (raggzfiberart.com)

more classes for this summer will be posted soon, as soon as i get my vacation schedule figured out.  dont forget, ligonier country market starts this saturday.  i will not be there as a vendor until august this year.

waynesburg sheep and fiber festival is this weekend, may 18 and 19 from 10-5.  a much smaller festival than maryland but much closer and a nice way to spend a few hrs.

for those of you who are techies, please go to your yelp app and post a comment about my store.  i am new to this but i was told it is a good marketing tool.  if you do not have a cell phone, you can go to yelp.com.  thanks for your support!

also please please sign up here on the blog to receive updates.  remember that a prize will be given to one of you who sign up and comment on the blog.

i will sign off with a great quote from paula massa today:

"markers are your best friend!"

til next time!

t

i think it really is spring - i'm sitting outside in the beautiful sunshine under blue skies writing this blog!  now that we are milking goats again, the girls have been keeping me busy trying to utilize all this fresh milk, so i've been making yoghurt, ricotta, and mozzarella.  just what i needed - something ELSE to do.  i was busy planting flowers the other day as well.  you will notice that while he was home last weekend, zach removed those huge bushes that were crowding the planter out front and it looks so different.  now my flowers will finally get some much-needed sunlight.  i got the front of the house washed down and i'm ready to do some painting out front and get my new storm door installed.  tom also got the new light put in the dining room so its nice and bright in there as well as the living room!  phew...

i've been feeling an organizing bug lately and have finally gotten my office space and studio tidied up.  at least now i have half an idea where things are and dont have to step over anything to get in!  i have made myself a new 'to do' list, which is way longer than i had hoped and this time i'll try not to lose it.  today i was able to cross two things off that list. (happy happy joy joy!) 

so along that line, i have decided to do some spring cleaning and for the entire month of may, ALL yarn will be 10% off, including yarn in the bargain bin (which has been added to) and seconds yarn (i am expecting a big shipment from brown sheep within a day or two).  also all needles, patterns, books, buttons, roving and accessories will be 10% off during may.  so this includes just about everything except items sold on consignment.

what's new?

ICE yarns, that's what!  direct from turkey and none of which i have seen before.   

also new - extra cords for the hiya hiya sharp sets, which come in handy when your wips are getting out of hand.

check out new beautiful colors of roving for your wet and needle felting needs, new artworx handcrafted buttons from north carolina, and new books by elizabeth zimmerman.

UPCOMING CLASS REMINDER

wednesday, may 8 crochet edgings at a new time 2:00

wednesday, may 22 freeform crochet also at 2:00

saturday, may 26 pagewood garden path silk scarf 1:00

saturday, june 1, beaded cabochon 1:00

in june, i will be holding a free class on broomstick lace - check the website for details on this and all the other classes.

happy birthday greetings to melissa marasia and sylvia elliott!

amazing stitches class at the bean went well considering there were 15 students.  as i have said to many of you, i have a newfound appreciation for real teachers with large classrooms.  it was a little overwhelming for me, but i hope most of the ladies went away with an understanding of bumps, beads, and bobbles.  i know several of you are working on the pattern i supplied for the class utilizing all three stitches. 

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

thursday, may 2 purlin girls meet at the bean at noon

saturday-sunday, may 4-5 maryland sheep and wool

thursday, may 9 naughty knotty knitters meet at raggz 1:00

sunday, may 12 is mothers day*

monday, may 13 fiber art meet up group at panera gbg 2:00

tuesday, may 14 KA 1-7

shop hours friday 10-6 

*every day is mother's day, isnt it?

please remember to submit your email address on my blog page - this will allow you to receive bi-monthly updates.  there is a box on the right side just above old pictures and postings.  just put your email address in there.  after the next couple of months, i will not be sending out the updates via email, as my list is growing too large for me to send.  when i see you have signed up for the updates on the blog, i will remove your name from the list i send out so you dont get them twice.  thanks for your support!  also beginning in may, i will be having contests and prizes given to those who sign up and/or post a comment!  may's blog prize will be a copy of elizabeth zimmerman's book 'the opinionated knitter'.  

i'm very excited to be heading to maryland this saturday.  i have two seats left in the car if anyone would care to join us.  departure time is 5:00 a.m. from here at the shop and we will return home around 9-9:30 totally exhausted, deliriously happy, and probably a little sunburned. 

see you soon!

t

raggzfiberart.com 

tax day 2013

hi everyone!

are we getting things off the needles, as we planned?  i, myself, have finished and felted my sun satchel by stephen west, which allowed me to start the brady scarf made with the kauni yarn.  so, one off and one on..... not too bad.

 

paula was the first to try the kauni yarn and the brady scarf but in a different colorway and i cant wait to see how it looks.

WHAT'S NEW AT THE SHOP?

new colors and weights of nightfall have arrived!  sport weight shawl balls arrived in cherry, deep turquois, midnight blue, and ivy; sport weight sock ball sets arrived in bengal orange and bottle green; and nightfall worsted shawl balls in olive and deep purple.  very pretty!

also new are more leather and pewter closures from JUL.

lets talk about linen for a moment:  who doesnt love the qualities of linen? it starts as a spindly, delicate flower that is stronger than it looks, is stronger when it is wet, gets softer as it ages, has hydroscopic qualities (meaning that it absorbs water quickly—keeping you cool in the summer), and is also hygienic (it resists bacteria—that's why it was used for medical bandages until disposable bandages became the norm). i have only begun to knit with linen myself, but seasoned knitters swear by it.  new to the shop is claudia's handpainted linen yarn in beautiful colors.  again, check out ravelry's pages to see how others are using this wonderful fabric.

WHAT'S ON SPECIAL THIS MONTH? 

ALL accessories 10% off

ALL cotton yarns 10% off

ALL patterns and books 10% off

belated april birthday greetings to lisa stewart, susan blose, erin crust, and monte peters and happy upcoming birthday to laura tepke!

in my last blog i told you of the bowl of cherries class i was holding at the shop as a private birthday gathering of four friends?  well check out the picture below of their finished bowls and vessels. left to right:  connie with her vessel, laurel and linda with their bowl of cherries, and alice with her vessel and needle

felted flower --

each one as beautiful and as individual as their creators!

  

DATES TO REMEMBER:

thursday, april 18:  purlin girls at the bean at noon             immediately followed by their amazing stitches private class

saturday, april 20:  machine felting class 10-5 at raggz

                     there's still time to sign up!

saturday, april 20:  storyworks radio hour to benefit the

                     murrysville community library

tuesday, april 23:  KA from 1-7 at the shop

fridays shop open 10 - 6

photos from the amazing stitches class at the shop attended by cathy and diane (pictured) as well as ardis and brigita (not pictured) - forgot to take pictures until they left!

will post pictures of their finished products soon.

                                                

the last of the babies were born on the farm.  welcome blackeyed suzy's triplets: (the two black/brown kids are female and he reddish/tan is a male and has been named angus after my friend jackie's grandson with beautiful red hair)

NOTE:

This year is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival's fortieth anniversary. On May 4–5, spinners, knitters, weavers, and felters will not only have vast retail opportunities, but can also see a wide range of fiber animals and fiber arts competitions. 

very exciting news:  marlene greutter, an internationally-acclaimed felter has agreed to teach a 'pod' class on june 29 at raspberry hill alpaca farm.  as soon as marlene sends me a photo, i will post it, along with the cost of the class.  laura and i were in ohio taking a class at her studio two weekends ago learning her shambolic method of felting with silk and bits of wool.  

ps:  the bunnies are multiplying at the purlin girls meeting AGAIN!

remember:  i am now having unannounced specials from time to time at the shop but you must stop by to take advantage of them.  and please dont forget to check my website at raggzfiberart.com for complete information.

april fools 2013

thanks to a great suggestion from kim mcguire, april is now 'everything off the needles month'.  this is a great time to finish up your works in progress collecting dust and with a clear conscience begin to knit some much-anticipated warm weather tanks, skirts, or light wraps.  OR if you are really ambitious, time to start thinking about christmas gifts.  i cant even begin to tell you how many wip's i have because, frankly, i dont know!!  so many, in fact, that 75% of the time i need a certain needle, its missing from the case!  so kim, thanks for the inspiration - i'm going to give it my best shot.

with anxious anticipation for spring's arrival, i redressed all of my mannequins with their summer garb.  what a job that was -- it was like having to get dressed a dozen times and then decide which knitted sample coordinated with which outfit.  this is something i am definitely not good at, as you all know by the way i dress, but i did my best.  it was actually kind of fun, like when you get to dress your kids (before they decide for themselves what they will and will NOT wear).  lucky for me, cathy rosensteel gave my 'girls' a much needed boost by re-arranging some of their outfits.

check out this photo of the craftique fiber art group happily knitting and crocheting away every saturday morning.  many of them are working on hitch hikers in different yarns, including nightfall.

speaking of nightfall, the 

remainder of my order has been shipped and will be arriving next week.

Toni H. (lovingly called OT for 'other toni') crocheted the cutest granny square with sock yarn, folded over the top corner and added ties to it by picking up and knitting and made the cutest ever little neckerchief.  it is her own design and we are calling it 'the cutie' and that it is!

WHAT'S NEW AT THE SHOP?

kauni (pronounced like 'connie') from estonia, a small lowland country bordered by the baltic sea, latvia, and russia.  look it up on ravelry and see the beautiful patterns knit with this yarn.  i have patterns for sale as well but by checking on ravelry, you will see how the colorways change.  kauni retails for $29 per skein but you can get it here for $22!

homestead heirlooms handles and gate rings; zippers, stitch markers and every color of full 'o sheep.

noni kits and patterns have arrived by storm.  when i saw nora bellows and her beautiful purses, sweaters, kits, and accessories at the pgh knit and crochet festival, i knew i just had to add noni to my list of items to be offered. for example, i ordered lipstick and change purse kits (includes yarn, handle, purse frame, bag feet, stiffner, pattern, and beads...) which retails for $50 but you can get them here for $40.

unannounced in-store specials will be run from time to time but you obviously have to be at the shop to see what they are.  for example, on Good Friday, i hid easter eggs with a prize inside each one, such as owl stitch markers, buttons, a $5 gift certificate, and 10% off your total purchase.  

DATES TO REMEMBER

dolly llamas: thursday april 25  noon at panera bread   

purlin girls: thursdays april 4 at noon at the bean

close knit girls: wednesday april 3  6 pm at panera bread 

craftique fiber art group:  saturday apr 6 & 13 10-12
knitters anonymous:  tuesday april 9 from 1 to 7 (*note later hours!)
shop open every friday from 10 to 6

CLASS REMINDER

amazing stitches class saturday, april 13 1:00*/**

silver stitch marker tuesday, april 16 1:00*

machine needle felt class saturday april 20 10-5*

*pre-registration required in person or via email and payment must be made in advance
**about a week before the class, i will email everyone with what they need to bring with them, as there is some pre-knitting required

be sure to check out my website for additional information and more info on classes.

as a community service, i would like to announce that on saturday, april 20 there will be a fundraiser to benefit the murrysville community library.  performances will be held at the murrysville community center (724/307-8679).  there will be a children's matinee at 2:00 pm ($5 per child - accompanying adults free) and an evening performance ($10) at 7 for adults only.  one of my knitting students is one of the storytellers and tom and i are looking forward to attending!

i've lost track of one of my books:  knit 'n felt.  can those of you who occasionally borrow a book check and see if you have it lying around please?  thanks!

congrats to mary ann wolf for winning march's doorprize.

and last but not least, all the babies and mamas are doing great!

thank you for taking time to read my newsletter!

february's babies are getting big! however, march has brought us NEW babies!  SEVEN NEW KIDS!!!!!  annie, our alpine goat, gave birth to twins the morning of march 14 (see photo).  annie is a full-blooded alpine and the father is full-blooded alpine as well, although he is all black.  these will be our first animals which will have papers.  i looked but couldn't tell, but tom assures me they are a boy and a girl.

portulaca gave birth to TRIPLETS and violet gave birth to twins just today.  so seven kids in two days.  will have more photos on my next edition.  tonight after the knit and crochet fest, i went up to see them and all five born today were hanging around together, some cuddled up and sleeping together, while the moms were out eating.  i was wondering when the moms come in how they will know which is which? 

pgh knit and crochet update:  an enjoyable time was had by the seven of us today.  i'm sure the festival made a nice profit today.  all kinds of new patterns and yarns i had never seen.  definitely worth the trip and you still have time - it will be on saturday and sunday as well.  i am certain i will be contacting several of these yarn manufacturers to offer their yarns in my shop.  my first official ad was in the program and it looked really nice.  i am talking to them about the possibility of my having a booth there next year.  

the other big news is that MY WEBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING!  check it out at raggzfiberart.com

it has tabs for classes and this blog.  my etsy shop and facebook page are linked to the site.  reminder:  please check the class schedule and let me know if you are interested in taking any classes.  rhonda pegg has agreed to hold her crochet classes during the day, as was requested.  advance registration is required.

happy birthday greetings go out to diane prues and kathy acita!  and happy st. paddy's day to all of you of irish descent!

dates to remember

thurs, march 21 purlin girls meet at noon at the bean

thurs, march 21 dolly llamas meet at noon at maia's house

saturdays, march 16 and 23 craftique fiber art group meets at craftique in greensburg 10-12

tuesday, march 26 knitters anonymous 1-5

fridays shop open 10-6

the craftique fiber art group is doing a knit along - the hitch hiker in the nightfall sock yarn.  and some of them are very beginning knitters.  kudos to the beginners who are stepping out of their comfort zone and giving this pattern a go.  this group is also covering an old rocking chair with knitted and crocheted handiwork.  its coming along nicely and when its finished, i will post a photo.  i would really like to copy this idea and cover some kind of chair for the shop and make it a group effort.  stay tuned for details.

our friend, romayne, took the rustic spun shawl pattern and did something totally her own by mixing a variety of yarns with way out colors and textures.  check out her beautiful photo at the left. of course, she looks beautiful in anything.

my most recent beginning knitting class at franklin ended last week and i was sad to see it end.  joyce was coming along nicely knitting a sublime baby jacket in pink and salmon, tammy tried her hand at one of the new ruffly scarves (thanks to monica), joanna almost finished her scarf but decided to start a shawl reminiscent of the old days to go with a costume she wears for her storytelling adventures, monica felted several purses, and lane was trying her hand at a little felted clutch as well.  i hope we can keep in touch and do some knitting together!  thanks girls for making the class so enjoyable for me and getting to know you better.

whats new?  

hiya hiya 9" sharps in sizes 0 through 8.  great for avoiding dpns on cuffs, hats, etc.  i am a firm believer in knowing how to use dpns but most of us arent too fond of them so this is a great alternative at times. 

pagewood farms swagger light yarn:  218 yards of 100% merino wool in gorgeous monochromatic colorways.  

hand made stitch markers with beautiful beads, some made of copper, and some owls. new sheep mugs have also made their way to the shop. 

i finally finished my noro sweater made with their silk garden sock yarn.  it turned out nice, and thanks to the cold spell, i was able to wear it today to the pgh knit and crochet fest.

my very first private 'party' was thursday march 14!  connie, a lady i met while in ligonier has a group of friends (all retired teachers) who get together and do something fun to celebrate their birthdays.   i had mentioned to connie last summer how i wanted to do a wet felted 'bowl of cherries' class.  now somehow that stuck in her mind and she said she thought they would like to do that.  of course, i said yes even though i hadn't actually made one yet.  well after fretting a little and worrying a l0t, the class went off without a hitch.  the first class had everyone wet felting their bowl over a balloon and also making the cherries.  in a couple of weeks they will come back to cut the bowl to shape and do a little needle felting and putting the stems on the cherries.  thanks to these ladies, i feel more confident to teach another class!   

just wait til you see the finished product in april!

be sure to pop in on the 2nd and 4th tuesday or any friday and join in on the fun.

and last but not least is another creation by one of our friday knitters.  cathy started out making a cowl then changed direction, added large opague beads and made it into a beautiful necklace which she wore to the festival today.

so long ladies, happy easter, and happy knitting!

pittsburgh knit and crochet

remember, the yarn shop will be CLOSED friday due to our attending the pittsburgh knit and crochet festival.  sorry for the inconvenience!