HUGE revealing secret!

So I have something of a confession to make...a secret to let you readers in on, so to say...ok, are you ready for it? This will blow your mind...you will wonder if you ever knew me at all. Here goes...I love animals. :) Ok, ok, ok....so maybe it's not that great of a secret, but I am reeeeeeeeeeallllllly excited about something combining my love of knitting with my love of animals. Browsing recently on Etsy, I came across this wonderful designer named Cheryl (ceCreations) who creates custom-made DPN holders. And I thought that maybe, just maybe, she could recreate my babies to hold those DPNs that I struggle with so badly- and that just maybe, I wouldn't be able to hate knitting with DPNs quite so much with Mondo, Maverick, Odie and Stewie so lovingly holding my needles together. And guess what? She did it!!! Here's a sneak peek, because that's all I've gotten so far. Rest assured I am positively bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet waiting for them to arrive....

Current Projects...

What have you got on the needles/hook right now? I have such a variety of projects going, and I am happy to report that one of those is using some stash yarn! :) (Isn't that always such a good feeling?) My stash yarn is some leftover Berroco sock yarn that I'm using to make a pair of very low cut ankle socks (perfect for the warm weather coming up- my toes always get cold inside air conditioned buildings, though). I'm making a biscuit blanket (Biscuit Blanket) for my boyfriend's mother out of Lily Sugar 'N Cream. As a relatively new knitter, that pattern has challenged me a bit with picking up strands from rows below- that took some getting used to...

And finally, the project I just started today and am positively giddy about, the Haruni Shawl (Haruni Shawl). I have had my eye on this shawl for months, but I just haven't felt confident about casting on. However... :) ...a couple of nights ago I had a dream. You know the type. It was about a beautiful, complex, knitted shawl, and it was teal. So I woke up knowing it was time for another knitted shawl adventure. So today I picked out some yarn (Cascade's Heritage sock yarn) and cast on...I'm in the honeymoon phase of the project right now, where nothing will deter me. :)

Until next time, happy stitching!

It's that time of year- time for the bees to start buzzing; time for snowdrops, hyacinths, and tulips to start opening up and showing us their beautiful colors. A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook, "God opens millions of flowers without forcing the buds. It reminds us not to force anything, for things happen in the right time.♥" How true this is, and how well I would do to be reminded of this more often...

This picture of tulip fields in the Netherlands struck a deep creative chord in me- can you imagine what this would look like up close, to be overwhelmed with this much color? It's a beautiful patchwork quilt of breathtaking colors.

I'm grateful for springtime each year to help dig me out of my deep-winter habits and hibernating moods. I am unable to refuse the creativity that bubbles up in me at this time of year- I see color combinations that I would never put together otherwise...I see geometric shapes...I dream of crochet flowers...How are you motivated by spring?

Fall is here!

Wow...it's been way too long since my last post. I apologize! Sometimes life gets crazy, and it takes something dramatic and life-changing to slow things down. I cannot believe this is the second fall since we made the life-changing decision to open the shop- I'm so glad we made that leap of faith! Not only has it allowed my mother and I to develop an even closer relationship, it has allowed us to develop friendships with others so different (wonderfully!) from us. The way life moves is often so unpredictable...

I am so excited about being able to offer our very own line of wool and wool-blend roving! It's beautiful stuff, if I do say so myself. :) We hope to start offering spinning wheels very soon...

As for current projects- whew, I've got waaaaay too many going on. I am still (very slowly) working on the Goddess Shawl that I started back in August (crocheted with Berroco's Vintage). I am working on a shop model- a blue baby sweater knit out of Green Mountain Spinnery's Sylvan Spirit. And of course I have a pair of socks on the needles (can't seem to stay away from that sock yarn)- a pair for my cousin Stephie, who is moving with her husband to Australia for 6 months at the end of October. I'm knitting them out of Cherry Tree Hill's Supersock Select Semi-Solid in a purple color called Iris (not my color for sure, but definitely Stephie's!) And last but certainly not least, I'm working on the Entwined Shawl, out of Universal Yarn's Classic Shades. Slowly but surely...

Much fiber love,
Robin

Finished Boteh Scarf, anniversary sale, and customer trunk show! :)

Well I finished my Boteh scarf and if I do say so myself, it turned out very well! Thanks to everyone who voted on the Mountain Colors colorway- I think it was perfect! :)

We are spending the day gearing up for our big ANNIVERSARY SALE next weekend- everything in the store will be on sale! I can't believe it's been a year since we were cleaning and painting over the horrendous wall colors, getting ready to open our very own shop! I've had such a blast, this shop truly has become my "happy place." I've met some great friends- honestly, some friends I probably never would have met otherwise!

At the TNNA Market earlier this month we came across so many ideas from other shop owners on how to celebrate an anniversary, but all of them somehow missed the mark. It seemed like it was celebrating OUR achievement, and we feel very strongly that it's our customers' achievements, not our own, that have supported us this past year. So we decided what better way to celebrate that than to showcase the beautiful and inspiring projects that our wonderful customers and friends have completed in the past year! And to have a big sale- who doesn't like to save money?!? And the response has been tremendous! Seems like you guys like to show off your achievements as much as we want to see them! So keep them coming! I'd love to take ALL of our models down for the month of July- and have only customer creations hanging up!

Robin ;)

Market Exhaustion...

Where to begin? I'd forgottten how completely physically and mentally draining this trade show is! Today was the first day the Market floor was open and I feel like we've been through the ringer! It's overstimulation to the extreme. So much yarn to feel, so many hooks and needles to sample, so many options to consider! It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, but gosh!
On a very positive note, we placed orders for all sorts of fabulous stuff: new, gorgeous shawl pins, brand new Schaefer yarns and Laura Nelkin patterns (we've come to know her- she's a really cool gal), new books, super luxurious yarns from Buffalo Gold, etc... We're planning some really cool things for the near future- a super cool program from Kollage Yarns with some really challenging and rewarding classes to build your knitting skills (AND we ordered Kollage square needles!), and an unveiling of a new yarn with a beautiful shop model. We're also talking to some fiber suppliers that have yummy fibers and colorways! More orders to come tomorrow...there are about 500 booths/vendors to go!
Guess who we met today? Debbie Macomber (got some signed patterns from her- Grammy will love that!), Norah Gaughan, and Cirillia Rose! Very exciting! I took a yarn dyeing class this morning- surely I have got to get better at this with practice, right? Mom took a class by Lily Chin- I'll let her blog about that later. :)
More to come!

Robin ;)

WWKiP Day and more...

Hello Friends,

Do you all know what amazing event is coming up? WorldWide Knit in Public Day (which is actually nine days in 2010) is a global opportunity for knitters to get out of the closet and find a comfy, public place to hunker down and knit a while. Started in 2005 by Danielle Landes, WWKiP Day was designed so knitters could come together and enjoy each other's company. Knitting can be a solitary activity so between June 12th and June 20th, WWKiP Day encourages local groups to organize and find a cafe, park, shopping mall, or any safe, public location where you can show the public that knitting is not just for "grannies". Show the world that knitting is an activity that can be shared by the community, and beyond.

Recently I had the opportunity to share a fascinating conversation with a delightfully talented lady (no names here, but you know who you are, SK). The discussion began with the general topic about knitting in public, then naturally transitioned to WWKiP events, and finally morphed into a plan to unite knitters around our great country to call attention to the peaceful pastime that we call knitting. Imagine the possibilities! Who could not benefit? Which brings me to the question of the week - What more can the knitting community do to promote our passion? SK and I came up with many fantastic ideas - what are yours?