Thursday, July 22, 2010

22 July 2010

I just got in some beautiful alpaca yarn from Frog Tree Yarns. The Brushed Suri is just so soft that I can see a beautiful scarf or a light-weight sweater being knit from this.

I also brought in the Sport Melange which would be perfect for one of Penny Straker's sweaters. These colors are just so beautifully blended into soft color shades. Penny's patterns have been around since the 70's but they are so classic they haven't aged a bit.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

17 July 2010

Don't forget that the month of July is the Anniversary Sale month for the shop. Each week the sale items change. You can get up to 50% off of selected items!

We also have shop model garments for sale. This is a great chance to get the model that you have been looking at and wishing that you had the time to knit - at a great price!

Nex weekend is the Middleburg Humane Foundation's "Dog Day in The Plains". All of the shops are donating a percentage of their day's sales to MHF. We have raffle tickets for some great items and the tickets only cost $2 each or three for $5. The raffle items are posted at www.ThePlainsVirginia.com. There will be lots 'o pups looking for a good home. Maybe you have room for one?

I have been buying some great items for the Fall. There are some great yarns coming in over the next several months. The newest item that I am excited about is "Drift" from Rowan. A beautiful yarn in great colors and there is a super pattern book loaded with some fabulous sweaters.

And, for you sock knitters, several new sock yarns have been ordered and one is from Virginia. We ordered "Footprint" from Blue Ridge Yarns. It is just plain fun. The heel and toe have their own special color yarn, dyed to match the body of the sock. Now you can go crazy with color.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

4 July 2010

Happy Fourth of July!

Just a note for the less fortunate furry folks out there. The Plains is going to have a Dog Day on July 24th from 11-3 pm. We invite you to join us in activites that will help us support Middleburg Humane Foundation's (MHF) efforts. MHF will be on hand with plenty of dogs that are available for adoption, so come and fall in love with one that needs a home. In addition, we'll have two book-signings from local authors: Kathryn Kadilak who wrote "Tommy Finds His Forever Home" and Leigh McMillan who wrote "It all Started With A Dog". It's sure to be hot that day so we'l have plenty of ice cream on hand to cool you off. Other activities are still in the planning stages so be sure to check www.theplainsvirginia.org of the proceeds from the sales at all of the stores in The Plains will be donated to MHF.

See you all for at least ice cream.

Friday, July 2, 2010

2 July 2010

This is the follow-up to the problems of moths in your yarns.

If you put your knitted goods and yarns away in a sealed container, there will be no moth problem. If the container is not well sealed then there is always a chance that a moth can get in and lay eggs.

If you are not sure whether your container seals well enough, then your only choice is mothballs. Mothballs work because they create a heavier than air vapor that is poisonous to living things - including moth eggs. The container still needs to be closed for the mothballs to be effective.

If you don't like the thought of mothballs your only other choice is a freezer that is -50 degrees for at least 24 hours. Anything less than -50 degrees just over winters the eggs and they hatch - if there are eggs present. So your home freezer doesn't work! And then it is back to a sealed container.

The best way to avoid all of this hassle is to have your sweaters and yarns out in a well lighted room. If your yarn and sweaters are out and are being moved about then moths will never be a problem. Think of your yarn collection as visual display of color and texture that should be enjoyed just as you would a painting.

Remember, moths like warm, dark and undisturbed places. If your yarn is on display, moths will stay away.