Karen and Cassy

Colleen and I celebrated our birthdays this summer and are now in the midst of some required physical maintenance. While we are recuperating and Sarah Jo is apprenticing in Ohio, we are relying heavily on the talents of Karen and Cassy. If you haven't met them yet you will really enjoy them. Both are U. of A. students with different backgrounds and talents. They are both hard workers, very responsible young women and great enthusiastic knitters. Karen is KKPwnall on Ravelry and has a blog http://www.stitchonezoomin.blogspot.com/ and Cassy is casystotyle on Ravelry and her blog is http://www.knitthehellout.com/. Two cool girls, two cool styles.

So, Block Ave. is getting a tune up, Colleen and I are getting improved parts and knitting goes on! Karen and Cassie are minding our continued "sidewalk" sale to make room or new yarn. It's starting to arrive along with new ideas for fall, holiday projects and gifts.

I hope you hang in there with us - your support is so precious. Drop in and have a chat and a knit with Karen and Cassy!

Love ya,
Joy

Knitting challenges

Last night we convened for our weekly wonderful customer social knitting/crochet group at the shop. We meet from 6:00 - 8:00 every Thursday. Karen took a picture of the gathering. We had birthday treats, some wine, and some great people.



Ideas, inspiration, and skills were shared among the range of novice to experienced knitters. One topic that came up was the notion that there are some folks out there who are intimidated by our shop's specialty - they don't know enough about knitting or crocheting to be one of "us". That makes me sad, 'cause I've always thought our mission was to provide, not only quality materials and tools, but the help with that stuff - no experience required. We provide the support that a general craft store cannot: learn to knit and crochet classes, project classes, drop-in help, answering quick questions, hand holding, as well as bringing together a community of knitters and crocheters that help one another.



For example, I was sitting next to Amy who was finishing up her summer lace, a fabulous form-fitting Vogue cover-up, and she needed help on the crochet edge. Tracie coached her on the first step and she then asked me if she was doing the crab stitch correctly. Well, I can't crochet my way out a paper bag, so I went to get Knitter's Companion for a reference. Sadly, we were sold out. So, I asked Barbara if she knew how to do that stitch. She sat with Amy for the duration and then Amy modeled the finished garment! Voila!



In addition, Jane was teaching how to knit lace, while I coached Andrea, who knows how to stand on her head (which is much harder), on some new stitch patterns. These are just of few of my observations. My point is that all it take is the desire to learn. Knitting and crocheting are not "hard". Life is hard and we're all doing that successfully - sometimes better on a particular day than the next - but we can do knitting an crocheting together and help each other along the way with all the rest, too!



Love you guys!

We're Having Fun Now

Despite what it looks like in this picture of Sarah Jo,we worked really hard at Market. Sarah Jo got her feet wet in the design world before she left for her apprenticeship with Shannon Oakey. Joy and I combed the vendor booths for the best of all the yarn choices for fall and winter. It's always so exciting to see all there is out there. We feel really confident that we made some really great buys this season. We also met some fabulous people, including Grace Anna Farrow, and Amy Butler. We had lunch with Amy, and are very excited to be offering her complete line of new yarns and designs this fall. Just stay tuned for an upcoming event featuring it. Amy gave us lots of ideas and in addition to being inspirational, is a very nice person. That goes ditto for Grace Anna . We will be featuring her designs also and are going to add Isager wool that she uses in her most recent book. It is a wonderfully dyed, incredibly drapey , lightweight wool, that makes the most of her spectacular shawl designs. If you have been around the shop lately you've heard many of us ooing and aahing over her designs.

Though the heat is raging, my mind is on fall and all the shop goings on that will be upcoming. We have some wonderful classes planned so don't forget to check our website and newsletter for updates. We are in the midst of updating our website so if it seems lacking or you can't get there for a little bit, try again. We will soon have a new webmaster and despite my lack of web knowledge I feel confident it will be more up to date and easier to view.

World Wide Knit in Public Day was over 90 degrees in this part of the world but a few brave souls showed up on the Fayetteville Square and showed all the Farmers Market crowd how portable and beautiful knitting can be. We held a raffle that day for a Knit Kit and the winner was one of our new knitters. That was just perfect, because she can now move on to her next project with a lot of new tools to help her. For those of you who don't know the Knit Kit is a compact little case that has wonderful things included in it like stitch markers, scissors, point protectors, tape measure, and much more. You just throw it in your bag and end the constant searching around for the tools you need.

I hope you all make it down to the shop this season and start planning those Holiday knitting gifts, as you know ,it's never too soon to start. And I promise you will be pleased with the selections we have made for this fall.

WWKIP Day

Join us on Saturday June 19th for World Wide Knit in Public Day. We'll be swarming the Fayetteville Square during the Farmer's Market - no particular gathering place, just form groups as you please. Bring a chair, your knitting and a friend, and don't forget to stop by Hand Held to enter a raffle. We had lots of fun last year, so come by!


Also, our yarn of the month is Koigu!


It's 20% off for the month of June, and we have lots of lovely colours - and some great patterns from Churchmouse. There's a Linen Stitch Scarf, a cute Beaded Beret, and a ruffle scarf.

Knitting Art

Knit graffiti!

Go check out the Fayetteville Square (i would suggest soon, as we don't know how long it'll be up). We covered 3 sides of the Square and all the light poles in front of the Towne Center.


The Tuesday Stitch 'n' Bitchers and Hand Held coordinated on this, as well as a First Thursday display in the shop of Cynthia Parker's mad knitting skilz. We're convening at Hand Held for that and partay tonight from 6-8.

See you there!

March in Seattle

Don't I look happy? And why shouldn't I? I'm on a ferry going from Seattle to Bainbridge Island to see Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. That was just one of the wonderful things that Joy and I did while visiting Seattle for the Yarn Market News Business Conference. We saw and learned lots. Hopefully you will see some of the things we've learned in a future trip to the shop. We are always trying to find ways to make our shop and your shopping experience a little better. Our collective minds have been buzzing about the upcoming season and we will be letting you know about some of the classes and events we will be having soon. Meanwhile remember there are a few more days left of Noro Month and we have 2 yarns featured this week.

Tiedyed Colours and Travel Plans

Behold, the contents of the 3 giant boxes that came in Tuesday!

Louisa Harding Mulberry, a 100% DK weight silk (along with a book full of gorgeous patterns)


Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool, a worsted weight 50/50 wool/cotton blend in an array of colours


Supersocke from On Line, a self-patterning sock yarn that's 20% angora. The photo can't begin to convey the buttery softness


And that's not even all of it!

This week's 25% off Noro yarn is Sekku, a classically-Noro-striping lace weight


Joy and Colleen are off to a Yarn Market News Conference in Seattle this Saturday through Wednesday, but i'll be holding down the fort til they get back. Colleen's taking along a vest made from a new Araucania cotton laceweight