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Oodles of inventory & gobs of inspiration... |
We update our new merchandise & colors MOST weeks, and usually on Thursday
so check back frequently to see what's new...
June 2...
Some new colors of Bliss Rialto d.k. , Baby Cashmereno & Rialto 4 ply arrived this week...I'll try to get them up for next week.
Sir Dar's Baby Bamboo arrived as well...perfect for babies, but also an incredible drape for a shawl.
Two new colors of the popular Bamboo Ribbon by Southwest Trading arrived. The Mariposa Shawl remains popular, but I've got some new contemporary top patterns by Art Yarns that work beautifully with it as well.
How cute are these little guys? If you need to knit for an upcoming baby shower, I've "kitted" a skein of Indulgence d.k. weight self patterning sock yarn (so so soft!) with one of these patterns to make it really simple for you to knock off something special for every baby in your life.
Painted Desert is a replacement for another yarn I was stocking. This version is also machine washable wool and has the long repeats of the Jo Jo yarn, but is put up in 100gm balls, seems to be stocked a bit better and has a really nice "spring" to it so the shawl I have knit out of it drapes well and just feels lively.Really nice.
I knit up the popular Color Affection shawl from Ravelry using 2 solid colors of Bliss Rialto 4 ply and a long repeat striping (i.e. Painted Desert, Taiyo Sock, Silk Garden Sock for example). I chose these colors wanting something to throw on with jeans and for a casual affair and am pleased with it.
May 15th...the latest Knits and Noro Magazines arrived, along with a new book on Seamless Knitting. Plus 3 new inventory items shown below....
Neysa has designed 3 great new kits for needle felting. Everything you need is included and it is all packaged nicely so these make a fabulous gift idea - or treat for yourself!
Handy tool every handspinner should have! Get your singles the right thickness so your plied yarn comes out EXACTLY how you need/want it!
Apparently not all pearls are of a quality that warrant setting into jewelry....so they are pulverized and the "dust" spun into fiber!
April 30th....
I've posted some new photos of silk paper on the "classes" page of the website and have added a weaving class, based on popular request. We are working on some other fun classes for the fall/winter and hope to have them all posted by the end of May....for the time being, check out the Silk Paper and Weaving classes.
Before heading off on vacation, I dyed up a few new colors of the Vermont Border Leicester but didn't get them online until today! We now have 30 available.
While on vacation, I took a new yarn we're stocking - raised, dyed & spun in the US - to knit up. It is Columbia wool. I started off knitting a simple garter stitch, top down shawl but got so bored with it on our trip to Iceland that on the plane home I started adding a lace pattern to it. And just to do something a little different, last night I used a crochet bind off to add loops to the edge... similar to what I saw on some shawls in Iceland. In this photo,the shawlette is still blocking, so check back to see it on a manneguin. This prototype is a nice size (even tho' you'd have enough yarn in the skein to knit it half again as large since I had almost a half skein leftover when I finished this model) and stays around the neck nicely. Although it was warm enough out I didn't need it, I wore it around my neck/shoulders last night walking Chloe just to see how it "fit" and it was perfect for a little something around the neck, but since there was quite a bit of yarn left over, you could easily make the shawl larger (this one measures 16.5 inches deep at the V).
New colors of Lavold's Hempathy have arrived for spring....fun colors great for a summer cap sleeved top or tank....quick knits, great drape, machine washable.
Amity Print is on clearance while supply lasts.
April 3rd...
Vermont Shetland.....just back from the mill.....I'm really pleased with this yarn.....it was challenging to get the range of colors and it came out with a gorgeous hand, nice luster and great color range if you're interested in doing some fair isle knitting in all natural colors. Help me choose a pattern for the store model and you could win some naturally dyed Vermont merino!
Neysa knit this shawl using 2 sks of the 100% Mink we have in the store.....it is so lightweight, cozy, drapey (sp? - or is this even a word?!) and oh so soft. She used a Fiber Trends pattern we have here at the store for which there is a "scarf" option too, that would only take 1 sk.
Lontue is a linen/cotton hand-dyed yarn that is perfect knit in simple garter stitch on a large needle...throw the tank on over a tee to dress it up a bit. LIght, airy, textural...great drape.
Mar 27th...
Targhee Pencil Roving arrived .... Spin it , Knit it, or Felt it!
The weekend's Felt Jewelry workshop was lots of fun....very inspirational. Be sure to check out the Gallery for some photos of the fun!
New colors of Taiyo cotton blend by Noro
KAP Wool -really short staple....great for felting
Mar 19th....
Plans to travel this summer? Whether it is to the beach or the ballgame, this hanging accessory pouch will keep all your knitting accessories organized and simplified for you. I've packed everything I need for knitting during our trip to Iceland in it, so all my carryon needs to hold is some chocolate and my yarn. Easy to clean, durable, efficient (4 zippered clear pockets make it easy to find things), lightweight, etc. A must if you pack your knitting to go anywhere.
Perfect for the little girl in your life! These fun sun dresses for girls (18 months - 6T) come all kitted up with yarn, pattern, buttons etc. There is an assortment of styles, colors and sizes.....On special this week: usually $48....now just $36.
Some new colors of the popular Debbie Bliss Eco Baby organic Cotton arrived....No price increases, so still the same great value....organic, soft, great pattern support and lovely range of over 20 colors.
Mar 6th....
Several new colors of this popular bamboo/merino yarn, Pediboo, arrived this week. Great for scarves, shawls & socks!
Easter Egg Kits.....$5.99
In anticipation of Sally Melville's classes here next month, I was looking thru her book, The Knit Stitch, and was reminded of how great, versatile and classic a simple garter stitch is. And with so many new knitters in recently, I wanted to highlight some easy garter stitch projects. So I pulled out this alpaca jacket model for Show & Tell. Knit in Frog Tree's sport alpaca yarn, this is an easy project that you'd get TONS of wear out of for YEARS to come.
Feb 28th....
Lots of show & tell in the Gallery!
Jeanne Worsted arrived from Plymouth....this is a great choice for any baby knitting you might have on the docket....it's a great value, soft (cotton/acrylic), machine washable and tumble dry!
For other baby knits you might have coming up, be sure to check out Debbie Bliss's Eco Baby Cotton (pictured left) for an organic 100% cotton alternative and also Debbie Bliss's Rialto 4 ply (pictured right)- 100% extrafine, machine washable merino. More colors of both of these gorgeous baby yarns are on their way....even now, the palette is so spring like!
Feb 21st....
I'm running a contest thru Facebook for felters and spinners this week....three lucky customers who "shared" the contest post with their facebook friends will win a free Art Batt....we just got a new shipment of them in and even after adding a separate display unit for them, had 3 that didn't fit in!). If you missed out on this contest, be sure to "like" the store's Facebook page (you can do so from the homepage) because we'll be running more random drawings, contests and offering exclusive savings thru Facebook in the future! Next week.....one for knitters!
We also received our first 13 colors of a short stapled merino from Germany that we are now stocking......beautiful for felting - both needle and wet. The batts are thick and uniform so we've packed the new fiber in 100 gm increments for you wet felters that want to quickly & easily lay out large areas, but also we've packed 15 gm packages for those of you needle felting or making smaller items like jewelry.
Feb 14th...
I got all twisted around trying to get this crocheted skirt (from Noro Crochet book) started about a month ago, when my friend Lou-Ann stopped by for a visit and some inspiration. As she was in between knitting projects herself and I was behind on mine, she offered to take the project home as a challenge. She brought it by yesterday and says she LOVED working on it .It is so CUTE (sorry...new camera and I'm trying to figure out it's settings!). The skirt will look great over leggings and the diagonal striping is flattering. Her husband loved it. Her twenty-someting daughter loved it. Everyone at her work loved it. She and I (both 40-something!:)) love it...so it seems appealing to a whole range of tastes! And now that she has assured me it was a brain spasm on my part and no reflection of the pattern (isn't it weird how you can look at a pattern sometimes and just totally misinterpret it?!) I wanted to bring the book to your attention! There are so many fun projects in the book, it is worth buying (I know that with so many books on the market today and so many "been there, done that" being repeated over and over again in new books, it is refreshing when one is published and there are more than 5 or 6 projects in it that you'd like to do! And we'll have some colors of Silk Garden and Kureyon on sale Saturday.....so come on by and take advantage of the savings!
Feb 6th....
No new yarns, but more buttons arrived this week. And grommets too! Oh, and also some lovely satin frogs (sorry, forgot the picture of these...but we have them in several colors and sizes)! The frogs can really nicely finish off a handknit sweater or jacket (anyone knitting the Kimono jacket from Painter's Palette?) and the grommets are great for adding some polish to your felt bags or felt boots!
Jan 29th....
Spring babies are on the way, so this is the time to start knitting for the showers you'll be attending in April and May! I knit these little booties up for a new grand nephew and when picking a pattern, was reminded how many great pattern books we stock for babies. From the fabulously popular Sublime pattern books, to the 50 Baby Booties to Knit book that was the inspiration for these booties, to the always classic Debbie Bliss books for babies....you can't go wrong. So thru this weekend.....come on in and pick up any of our baby pattern books and the yarn to knit a project in the book and enjoy a 15% discount on the book.
This warm and lovely cowl is knit using many of the 10 natural colors of Juniper Moon's Herriot alpaca yarn.
Jan 24th....
still having trouble with the camera....so sorry about the off-colors here. I guess it's time to retire it and buy anew!
This Maria Diaz alpaca yarn, Helena, arrived a couple of months ago and it took a while to find a place for it on the floor. Now my sister has had a chance to knit up a skein......with 1 skein she knit this great slouch hat and a pair of long wristwarmers....and there is enough yarn left to make a head band. It feels really nice...softness but with some structure....shows stitch definition well, and at $27.99 per skein is a reasonable value given you can knit so much from it! The patterns are free with the yarn purchase.
We've had Findley Dappled in the store for a year now. Being a true lace weight gauge, it is not everyone's go-to yarn for a quick knit! But this new model shows how nicely the variegated colors work even in lace patterns. And this is an intriguing garment....a long shawl with short sleeves....so many ways to wear it!
Thru Saturday, enjoy 25% off Plymouth's Loden Tweed!!! A great classic tweed yarn.
Jan 16th...
Sorry for the missing "gallery" photo of BJs Faroese shawl. I shot the picture, cropped and edited it, but couldn't find what file I put it in last week!
Just pulled the Treacle Tart out of the oven for tonight's Downton Abbey Knit-Along social....if the batter is any indication of what the finished product is like, I'm going to love it. Why have I not pursued finding Lyles Golden Syrup until now!! It is so tasty. And, although I found many Treacle Tart recipies using just Golden Syrup, I ended up using a recipie that includes a bit of molasses too, since that is what I always remember my dad talking about in relation to Treacle Tarts. Anyway.....if you're looking for an excuse to knit (who needs that!) come on by tonight at 7. You don't have to be a Downton fan to join in!
So, new this week:
I used a skein of the new Marlowe (silk /wool) by Juniper Moon to knit a cowl. I'm providing the pattern free with the yarn purchase....so soft and silky....this yarn has been a real eye catcher and finger fondler at the store!
We just received a new yarn....in fact of a totally new fiber...in yesterday. . Soft and warm, like cashmere, this 100% mink Mimi is less expensive than cashmere. Shorn from minks raised for their fiber.
100% reeled Silk, hand-dyed threads in 28 colors for embroidery/surface design on felt. After stitching on the cuffs and yurt bags we made when Annimie Koenen was here this last fall, and given the machine embroidery I've been working into felt since Christine Fries offered her expertise to us the year before, I decided it was time to add some specialty threads to the store. So far, these lovely little skeins for hand stitching and surface design have arrived. Soon, Valdani threads for machine and hand stitching!
Jan 10th...
II heard or read someone explain over the holidays that if you really want to feel rested in 2013, that instead of planning a 1 or 2 week vacation, you should plan several shorter 4 day weekends....because when you are closing/vacationing for 2 weeks, you hustle extra hard for 2 weeks leading into the vacation and then are so swamped the week you reopen, that your vacation is lost in the stress of preparation and re-entry!
I understand their point!
12 new colors of Corriedale by the Yard arrived yesterday and as I was photographing it all a few minutes ago I realized that I never got the last 4 new colors that had arrived in November, loaded online....so here are 16 new ones to add to the group!. I also received some Vermont Coopworth back from the mill.....lovely for spinning! And a nice assortment of Lantern Moon Needle cases, tons of new buttons (and more on the way)....quite a bit!
For now....just time to get the Corrie by the Yard up... 
Dec 19th:
A new shipment of silk scarves for nuno felting arrived.....new colors of irridescent scarves plus 7 new colors of a less expensive silk chiffon.
The new Sample It loom by Ashford arrived last week. Great for experienced weavers wanting an easy, lightweight loom for sampling and taking to workshops as much as it is a great choice for someone just wanting to get into weaving!
We've had the large bags of replacement loops in stock, but this week, a new shipment of the smaller bags arrived too....great stocking stuffers!
Dec 13th....
For those of you who enjoy the Flounce- and Flounce-like scarf yarns, we've had them on clearance here at the store and I've finally just put them online on clearance....just $6/ball
The latest in the popular Noro hardcover books came out a couple of weeks ago....it has some great designs for crocheters. A fun skirt...several cute hats, wristlets, etc. And one of Noro's newest yarns, Kama, offers a soft (it has alpaca in it) alternative for some of the projects.
Juniper Moon is a relatively new company. I'm not always a fan of their choices for dyed colors, but Herriot is a new baby alpaca yarn they have that features 10 natural colors of alpaca. And there is a great pattern book for this yarn, too.
I've been slow to update some pages, but the arrival of Debbie Bliss's Angel Print, prompted me to update the solids as well....both feature that lovely soft kid mohair/silk blend and now you have a long repeat variegated that will give you a festive striping effect that shows off feather/fan stitches so nicely.
Marlowe is another of Juniper Moon's yarns. A luscious silk/merino blend that features 153 yards.....1 ball is enough for a really lovely cowl.
And I almost forgot.....Debbie Bliss's new Blue FAced Leicester Yarn arrived.....
Dec 6th...
Ashford just shipped me 2 of their new SampleIt looms......a great price on a simple Rigid Heddle Loom. This is a perfect gift for the child that has expressed interest in weaving that allows you to "test" out the level of interest without breaking the bank! They should be here by tomorrow....or Monday at the latest!
And if you're thinking about a drum carder or wheel for the holidays....don't delay since I've been getting the new 2013 price lists and some of these items are going up in price with my next order!.
Some new shawl sticks/scarf pins arrived and are a nice accessory if you're looking for a knitting-related gift for a knitting buddy. A few are pictured here.... they start at about $9 and range up to about $35.
We have a ton of new buttons arriving right after the holidays, and that got me thinking about some fun and interesting ways to use buttons.. So I've scheduled Button Madness for March 9th....check events for more details.
Nov 15th
We've been working on organizing and reformatting patterns and are just about ready to release a bunch of the most requested ones, but in the meantime, we've posted a couple of new freebies online.
We've also posted details on the Sally Melville classes here this coming spring. And want to remind you of a nuno felt scarf class here in two weekends, so be sure to check the classes page for details on these classes. And the next online Felt Boot class will begin in January, so if you're interested in that, be sure to check this page out.
Nov 6th
Hope everyone had a chance to vote!
Plymouth Aire, baby alpaca, lovely and soft...perfect for a lightweight sweater and cozy for a cowl!
Lovely new colors of this Blue Heron yarn arrived....perfect for a holiday knit...
New colors of this lovely alpaca tweed, Loden, arrived..
UPDATE on the Dangling leaves shawl shown below! About a half dozen customers were in over the weekend who commented on how much better this shawl looks in person than in the photo. So, my apologies for such lousy photography. Quite a few have said they were not at all interested in it based on the website but ended up leaving the store with the yarn and pattern because it was so eye catching in person!
Oct 30th....what a month....tons to update but only 5 minutes to do it...so here's the start
Art Yarns Rhapsody Light has been in the store for a couple of months and people have oohed and aahed....here is a model (Dangling Leaves) that shows a great way to use 1 skein. The pattern is free with the yarn purchase.
Grandiosa, by Plymouth is a chunky knit in a soft palette of handpainted colorways.
New colors of Pasea - a 50% alpaca/50% wool - have arrived....
Oct 1st....
Yikes....where does the time go! 
Some fun new titles arrived this week...stop by to peruse them and be inspired for some fun new accesory knits!
I drove down to Bristol to pick up some fiber on Thursday and on Sunday my friends and I biked the rail trail up north that goes from St. Albans to Richford (you must check it out if you enjoy biking) and there were some glorious spots of color, but I'm afraid that perhaps the draught is affecting it a bit this year, so I didn't see the expanses of color I expect in the fall. But maybe, its just still early? Anyway.....if you're a spinner, this new fiber I picked up on Thursday is beautiful....Vermont BFL pin drafted...and I have a lovely rich dark brown and a white! 
And Luna Sparkles arrived this week....wonderful carry along for a festive shawl. Pair it with Debbie Bliss's Angel. 
And be sure to check out the gallery this week....I messed up with the photos of Sara's bag two weeks ago and now BJ has brought in much for show & tell!
Sept 20th....
I
I didn't realize how long it had been since I last updated the Cascade 220 colors! We did get about 8 new colors in a couple of weeks ago, but since I must have missed the previous shipment as far as updating the website, you can now find about 15 new colors in stock....for a total of over 60 colors!
And I've updated Plymouth's Alpaca Grande and Cascade's Baby Alpaca to reflect the new shipments and colors for this fall, including both Hand-painted versions.
Sept 13th....
My sister knit up this popular Ravelry pattern, Wingspan, using one of my new favorites for socks...Indulgence dk. She just barely had to go into a second skein....so there's plenty left to make a pair of socks too! It's soft, washable and the colors blend beautifully.
The Art Yarns shipment arrived....100% cashmere, Rhapsody Light, Beaded Rhapsody. All luscious and supported by free patterns with the yarn purchase.
A new alpaca-wool blend yarn arrived from Plymouth. Paseo knits up in big bold stripes and I love it for hats and scarves. Taking just 1 skein and a quick evening, this hat is a quick holiday gift idea.
Although everyone, including myself, complains about how quickly Malabrigo's worsted weight yarn pills, you just can't get nicer colors. So I've started stocking Arroyos by Malabrigo now. It knits at 5 - 5.5 sts per inch and is plied (so it will wear better) and it is machine washable too. Rios and Rasta should be in soon, along with a restock of my Malabrigo Lace colors.
Kathy knit this hat (I believe from Weekend Hats) using Trendsetter's Shadow Merino. This subtly mottled/variegated machine washable merino knits at 4 sts/inch and has a really nice structure to it. So I thought it would be perfect for this type of hat.
We seem to be knocking off a lot of hats...here is a hat knit using Cascade's LanaGrande. A big chunky knit in quick cables, the hat pattern is a free download from their website.
Sept 8th....
We're moving to our winter hours next week....so we'll be open Mondays again.
Mon - Thurs 10 - 6; Fri & Sat 10 - 5
New yarns continue to arrive. Highland Duo, a dyed version of the popular natural colors of Eco-Duo by Cascade arrived this week....same INCREDIBLY soft and silky hand as Eco-Duo.
My sister knit up a hat using the 220 Sport by Cascade. Many new colors of it arrived last week. . I had picked out & put aside these 5 colors to knit up last year but never got around to it and this project sat in my queue all winter! It is so soft and what a great buy. You'll have enough yarn with the purchase of 5 colors (what was used in this hat) to knit either 2 hats or a hat and pair of wristlets. I just wrote & charted the pattern for the hat out this morning, so I'll make it available free of charge with a 5 skein purchase of this yarn.
I'm running an online Felt Boot Workshop (this is traditionally felted, not knitted and felted) from mid-Oct - XMAS. More information and registration for the class can be found here.
August 30th...
New yarns are starting to arrive....here is a new Cascade yarn for us, Lana Grande (for those of you who enjoy big chunky knits...this is a great deal at just $7.99/ball for a chunky)
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Many new colors of Cascade 220 Sport, Eco Wool Bulky and 220 Superwash arrived (and regular 220 too, but I didn't have time to get that updated yet) . 
Knit in the 220 Superwash!
And some new fibers arrived too....Karakul and Cotswold....along with a restock of Fine Shetland, Grey Gotland, and Wensleydale (both sliver and top).
And I discovered that I never got these next fibers featured, even tho' we've had them here for a couple of months (that's summer for you!)...
Polwarth Medleys-felts great and these colorful medleys are fun for spinning novelty yarns too!
Blue Faced Leceister/Silk-this felts nicely and comes in both the full color spectrum as shown here and just a range of jewel tones!
Merino Spectrum & Gradients-like the BFL/Silk, this comes in just the jewel tones as well as the full color spectrum as shown here. Great if you want small amounts of the entire color wheel of merino to play with!
August 13th....
Where does the summer go? New yarns will begin arriving for the fall in another 10 days (and continue thru Sept & October), so we're busy trying to reorganize the shop with new store models and display areas. Here are a couple of new ones that have gone out in the past couple of weeks....
This is a fun knit and is flattering to all sizes. Knit it sleeveless or with short sleeves. There's still plenty of warm weather to enjoy this Art Yarns cotton project.
The first issue of the new Noro Magazine hit the shelves about a month ago. I've got several more projects from it dog-earred....but here are two already knit: the hat is done in 2 colors of Silk Garden and the short row cardigan in 2 different colors of Silk Garden Sock!
July 21st....So much for my weekly update schedule this summer! Just too many distractions between vacation and gardening!
The class schedule is about 75% complete and what is definitive so far, is posted online (the whole of it should be finalized by mid August). I'm excited about some of the new workshops we're able to offer this fall and winter, so please check them out!
My annual knitting retreat with friends at our family summer house on the shores of Lake Sebago Maine last week was wonderful. I did get a lot of knitting done (and if you enjoy a fascinating read, I highly recommend both The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!). Anyway, I had a chance to use the new magnetic Pattern Holders and highly recommend this one (I have others, but this one is a self contained unit which is a really nice feature and the fabric cover is a nice addition for looks).
One of the little projects I brought with me to work on as a break from the larger knitting projects, was .a quick little cowl to crochet using Araucania's merino yarn, Panguipulli. The photo doesn't do it great justice....be sure to blow it up for a closer look at the rich fabric. I originally stocked this yarn thinking of men's knits, since most of the colors were neutrals, but as it has become popular, I introduced more blues, greens and purples so there is a color for everyone!
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The other little orphan yarn I brought to work up was Rhapsody silk by Art Yarns. I say "orphan" because I hadn't decided what pattern to knit with it. I had originally started knitting this yarn while on the Outer Banks of NC this spring but ripped out what I'd done of that pattern because I just wasn't feeling "inspired" by it. So I cast back on and started a new shawl pattern thinking I could complete it with 1 skein, but about a third into it, I realized I would need a second skein. And since I was trying to make a model that would use only 1 skein, I ripped that out and had started a third lacy pattern that I thought was really interesting. But my friends (who are very competent knitters but like to knit for relaxation) said it looked to complicated for them to want to take on as a project....so thinking they were a good proxy for many knitters, I ripped that pattern out as well! Anyway, it speaks well for the yarn that this was knit up and ripped out 4 times and still in good shape when I finally settled on a simple but elegant triangle shawl.....but with short row shaping at the top so it stays on the shoulders better than I usually find triangle shawls do.
Most of the new fall inventory will be arriving in August, but a few new inventory items arrived while I was gone....
Four new colors of Knit-Col . If you haven't knit with this yarn yet and have some hats, mittens, socks or sweaters for kids to do, be sure to give this one a try. It is a 100% wool that is machine washable and with a nice twist so it will wear well, and comes in some fun colorways that self stripe in a festive way for kids.
Three of the neutral colors of the Corriedale by the Yard arrived. If you're a spinner or felter and just want to work in a bit of some colors, this is a great way to buy it. It is sold by the yard so you don't have to invest in 3-4 ounces if all you need is a bit.
And as always, you can find some updates on some felting projects on the blog.
June 29th....OMG...where does the time go! I thought I only missed one week....but it's been two. I really haven't been sitting around eating bon-bons (tho' I did get side-tracked by an advance copy of Louise Penney's next Inspector Gamache mystery that was passed on to me).
Anyway, I've been trying to catch up on some unfinished felt projects, reorganize the workshops, get the class schedule for (the fall/winter figured out (tho' not yet finalized), tweek the orders for the coming season and I have been busy working on a new online Felt Boot Workshop that we're launching this fall!
Otherwise a few new project idea and inventory updates to share...
A new line of Art Batts for spinners/felters arrived from Bricolage Studios. 3.5 ounce batts in lovely soft colors and featuring great textural elements. No two are alike so it's best if you can stop by the store a choose directly.....if not, you can call and we can walk you thru some of the color options.
June 5th...The rain is making it hard to wash and dye fleeces, but I'm gradually making some headway.
Having some raw fleece around has given me a chance to play with a new item at the store - Peasant Combs. Although these combs can be used just like the St. Blaise Combs for basic fiber preparation, I used these single row combs this week for blending colored locks. Because the comb is about 6.5" wide you can pack a lot of fiber on them, which gives you great advantage if you're wanting to blend colors...or fibers. Next...I have some lovely latte colored pygora drying that I intend to blend with a very fine, chocolate colored Teeswater X lamb fleece I found at Maryland Sheep & Wool. For more about the fleeces from Maryland Sheep & Wool, check out the Blog.
June 1st....gosh... I haven't had a lot of time to knit in the last couple of weeks (1250 sq foot vegetable garden and about 1000 sq feet of perennial flower beds have had me busy), but now that we've moved to Summer Hours now (Tues - Sat 10 - 5), I'm counting on getting to some knitting, felting and spinning projects that have been on my list for the last couple of months.
And it's spring so I've been busy dyeing and washing fleeces and trying to get it all dry before the rains this weekend. Toby, who has been working on getting the web site straightened out (running more efficiently) has had a great breakthrough so I hope the site will be running more smoothly for you all very soon!
In the meantime, here are a few new items that arrived this week....I'm particularly excited to offer the Corriedale by the Yard to spinners and felters....
Twenty three colors of corriedale wool arrived today (more coming!) and we're selling it by the yard.....so needle felters who want only a small amount of lots of colors have an option of other than a 3 oz bag or the 6 color pre-packaged multi packs. PLUS, this is great for spinning too....especially if you want to make some funky colorful skeins with lots of small amounts of color like the wrap yarns I spun here...
More fibers coming soon, so stay tuned!
A couple new colors of Eros arrived as well....