19 March 2010

Hooray! I've been waiting for the color book from Wagtail Yarns of Australia. It has finally arrived. If you want to see beautiful colors of smooth spun mohair this yarn is for you. Not fuzzy and not itchy.

The yarn comes in several combinations: 100% mohair, 80% mohair and 20% wool, and 60% mohair and 40% wool.

In the 100% there are three weights: lace, sock (fingering) and double knitting (DK). In the 80%/20% there are two weights: sock, and DK. In the 60%/40% there are three weights: sport, worsted and heavy worsted. Of course Australia uses plys instead of weight of yarn so these are approximate but close. You do have a bit of leeway to knit up or down a stitch or two.

Stop by and have a look. This weekend will be beautiful for a day out and a trip to the yarn shop.

12 March 2010

The rainy day blahs. Well, it doesn't have to be like that. Come down to the shop and sit and knit. It's pleasant here and there is great conversation – as always.

The water-based fabric glue has arrived. I have been waiting awhile for the distributor to get it in. Took long enough!

Now the problem of woven ends isn't a problem anymore. Just a small drop of the glue and the end is permanently locked. This glue does not create a hard spot and is clear. Mistakes can be removed with water before it dries. And, once dry it is machine washable.

This is the answer knitters have been looking for, especially with slippery yarn. No more woven ends coming out or loose! Hooray!

5 March 2010

I was getting desperate! I had not been able to get my shipment of Paternayan Persian needlepoint wool that I ordered in October of 2009.

Well, yesterday a pleasant surprise. My order finally arrived! I am told that the distributor is now attempting to fill back orders and orders. The problem was caused by the supplier of the raw material (the three-ply yarn). The distributor needed 3000 pounds per shipment and were only getting 100 pounds at a time.

The yarn is dyed here in the US so dyeing wasn't the problem. The distributor said that they are working overtime to dye colors to complete their back orders and should be up to speed with regular shipments very soon.

Those of you that have orders with me should be getting a phone call as soon as my other back orders are filled.

Sorry for the delay but it was beyond my control. Thank you for being so patient.

Good news – I may have a solution for needle storage. Needle Pockets!

The pages fit into standard three-ring binders. You can organize your needles and have quick access at the same time. Have colorful binders to indicate the needle type stored!

The pages are made of a heavy vinyl. There is a fold-over flap to keep the needles in and you can mark the pocket with the needle size (and length in the case of circulars).

For those of you who have been searching for a way to organize you needles – this just might be your solution. No more digging for needles!

4 March 2010

I am glad to announce upcoming Phillipa Turnbull workshops. Phillipa is well known for her historical British crewel work. The workshops will be held on June 9, 2010 in The Plains Community Center.

The store carries Phillipa's crewel kits and has several models in the store for you to see. If you ever wondered about crewelwork this will be a workshop for you. You can view some of Phillipa's work on her website The Crewel Work Company.

Phillipa also has designed a seat frame to make stitching easier. The frame has three different hoop sizes and the turn screw is made of polymer, not wood, so it does not strip-out. I carry the Elbesee frame.

We are taking advance registration (seating is limited). Please call the shop to place your name on the workshop list.

I will post more information about the types of workshops soon.

26 February 2010

Hi Folks

I did sneak away for a short while and I told myself no business while I am suppose to be relaxing. Well, relaxing wasn't exactly in the cards but it was a change of scenery.

Just so you know, I do work on my projects while I am away. This is my island project. It is a counted needlepoint on 18 mesh. The challenging work is named Fresh Water Pearls, and is Sandra Gilmore's chart designed for DMC. I have talked with Sandra many times at trade shows and asked her about this work. The difficulty (which may be hard to see) is that there are as many as five colors per row per colorway. I have tried many ways of keeping the back neat but have finally given in.

I work with as many as 30 threaded needles at a time. These needles cover working just one quarter of the canvas (you can see that I am working on the bottom right-hand side). I attempt to have several of the same colors in one area to minimize the travel on the back side of the canvas.

When talking with Sandra I asked about how she solved the problem of working so many colors that are dotted along a row and do not have a corresponding placement above. She laughed. She told me that there was no way to keep the back any neater than I had, given the complexity of the design's colors. She also added that she was never going to do another image like this.

I work using the chart that has been enlarged 400%. The original design is done on an 8.5 x 11" piece of paper. Enlarging it in pieces gives me a workable size so the symbols for the colors are easier to read. I also use a Magni-Clips magnifier to see the chart and the stitches. I've tried working without the magnifier but after working for an hour I find that I loose my place on the chart too easily. The other necessity is the portable Ott Light. Don't know what I would do without that!

Sandra designs beautiful stitch-matched needlepoint that make her canvases a bit easier to work.

11 Feb 2010

Hi Folks

I made it in today. Hope you are all well and the digging out process has not been too overwhelming. We had about 35" at the house and Wednesday added another 2-3". We had no power for two days but I do have a generator so the vital systems (heat and well) were powered.

The streets are clear to the curb here in The Plains, and Old Tavern Road (exit 31 from 66) is clear. So if cabin fever is your problem, we're open. The sidewalks are clear and there are no mounds of snow to climb over to get into the shop.

5 February 2010

I'm glad I came into the store today because our UPS driver delivered the two newest colors of Stuff from Prism Arts.

Laura has out done herself. The first is Maui (Cool Stuff) and I'm not even going to try to describe the color. Cool Stuff contains no yarns made from wool, alpaca, mohair, etc. and knits at 4.5 sts/inch.

The other color is Coral Reef (Light Stuff). Light Stuff is thinner that the other "Stuffs". It too contains no hair and knits at 5 sts/inch.

I don't think that your computer screen will ever do her yarns justice. When you have time, stop by and ask to see the new colors.

I don't know if I will be at the shop tomorrow. It depends if I can get out of our road. Call the shop. The message will let you know if I am here. I will try to be here on Sunday for sure.