Busy, busy, busy

The days are flying so quickly that I cannot seem to get everything accomplished. I am very happy to say that my evening hours are generally filled with knitting projects -- some for models at Main Street Yarn and the others as Christmas gifts.

My husband returned home from a trip last night and walked into the living room that is filling with boxes of yarns for fall and winter. I am very pleased with the new lines that will be making their way into the shop right after Labor Day. Remember, if I have a yarn that interests you and the color you want isn't on the shelf, please ask. I can order it.

I am so enjoying knitting with Wandering Wool. I have restocked and added new colors to the fingering weight and in a month or so will be ordering worsted weight. The yarn bases are extraordinary and her color saturation is among the best I have ever seen. Rich, deep colors. Oh, but do they bleed when on the needles or being soaked prior to blocking? Not at all. I have knit with numerous skeins and earlier this week finished a shawl in a gradient blend, soaked it and blocked it. Not a bit of color in the water, either. Oh and this yarn blocks beautifully.

Heads up: Below is a photo of the shawl in a gradient. It was blocking at the time...obviously. Dyeing gradient colorways is a very time-consuming (translation time costly) process and at this point gradients are not available to yarn shops. You can get them from her Etsy shop. I will be getting solid color worsted weights. I will display this shawl/large scarf in the shop so people can ooohhhh and aaaahhh over the softness of the yarn and the color saturation.

Until next time....

A Lesson Learned...and Some Unique (to me) Yarn

Keith and I had a great weekend at the LPGA in Sylvania, Ohio...near Toledo. The heat and humidity were intense so I opted to stay at the hotel on Friday. I almost melted on Thursday. Of course I had some great knitting hours. I started a pair of cabled fingerless mitts for a birthday gift for a friend. I completed about 2/3 of the first one on Friday.

Saturday I took my knitting to the golf course. I always take my knitting (used to be counted cross stitch) to the golf course. I was knitting on the mitt making the approach to the gusset increases when two guys plopped their chairs next to mine. They said hello. I responded. One had too many beers for any time of day, but considering it was before noon and his condition he must have started drinking the night before. He scowled at me so I ignored him. He then rudely said, "why are you doing such a ridiculous thing at a golf tournament." I said to pass the time and I went back to knitting.

They were quiet for a few minutes. I leaned down to the left to pick up my bottled water and I thought my knitting fell off my lap...that has been known to happen. When I straightened up I discovered the drunk had my knitting, had pulled out the double pointed needles and unraveled a good part of the project. I was furious but since there really weren't others around knew I needed to keep my cool.

I stood up and asked why he did that. Answer: So now you will have to watch the golf tournament. His buddy saw the look on my face and said he thought they better get out of there. I told him that was the smarted comment I had heard in the last few minutes. They left and I reported them to an LPGA official. But they were nondescript  so could not easily be found in a crowd.

The mitt is at the thumb gusset stage and will be finished by tomorrow. Then on to the second one. Knitting in Public can be hazardous to your progress.

On a happier note, today I was on the road working and saw a Farmer's Market with a sign "fresh lemonade." Wow I needed one. I pulled in, got my beverage and glanced around. Lo and Behold I came across this....

...worsted weight Llama yarn. It is so soft and the cream is gorgeous as is the medium grey. Now off to consider patterns. Happy Knitting....

Fabulous Grand Opening!

Several hundred people visited our shops today. Forefathers Book Shop and Main Street Yarn were kept very busy. Thank you to our new and not-so-new customers. We so appreciate you.

A big thank you to Celeste, Cathy, and Martha for handling the cooking of the hot dogs and pouring of the lemonade. People loved the free food and beverages on a hot day!

Katherine Dashner and Libby Beiler entertained and educated people about the process of yarn making -- from the sheep to the skein of yarn. They were in the shade but handle the hot outdoor temperatures with grace. They are members the team that won the 2013 PA Farm Show Sheep to Shawl competition. This team has won a number of times in the past few years. Quite a talented group!

Libby demonstrated carding

 

Katherine spins on her traveling wheel

 

Team members working together



Yarn Dyeing Class

Last Saturday 7 fun women (I include the teacher in that group!) met at Main Street Yarn for a yarn dyeing class. They had such a terrific time and their finished products are absolutely gorgeous. I cannot wait to see what they knit from their hand-dyed fingering weight skeins of yarn. I know we will have a calling for more classes especially since Libby practiced another process this week and has an even more gorgeous product, if that is possible. Here are some photos and brief captions. Unfortunately they cannot capture all the fun, laughter and making or strengthening of friendships.

The yarn was soaked in water for about an hour before class began. Then the excess water needed to be wrung out. The yarn needs to be damp but not saturated for the dyeing process. Looks like a muscle builder!

There seems to be 3 ways to apply dye....

The Spoon Dab on Method...

The Squirt Bottle Method...

 The Pouring Method...

Wrapped in Plastic and Ready for the Microwave

The End Result...but I Suspect Not the Last!



Needles and Project Bags

The Karbonz knitting needles continue to be popular. Restocks went up today. There were advance orders for interchangeable sets so I got one for the shop. Needles are sizes 2 to 6. Additional size tips can be ordered. Our supplier is attentive and ships all in-stock items immediately.

The Hag Bag collection is expanding at Main Street Yarn. These lovely bags in sizes medium and large will go into the shop later this week. The colors are outstanding!

Knit in Public Fun Fun Fun!! And new merchandise, too...

Worldwide Knit in Public Day (actually week) began yesterday and Main Street Yarn and its following were not to be let out. The overcast skies cleared in time for a free workshop to teach the Sweet Tomato Heel for a sock. Folding chairs came out on trunks, hatches and backseats of vehicles and participants had a great time.

Look how nice this heel turned out! I was handling the indoor duties at the book shop and yarn shop so now I need to get some instruction on this fabulous heel that all just raved about!

Congratulations to Cathy who won a lovely door prize donated by Universal Yarn Company.

In other news: New yarns and bags went on sale this past week and to say some of them "ran out of the shop" is not an exaggeration. Just look at the goodies...and, yes, many remain for others to purchase.

Rich colorways from Desert Vista Yarnworks! Knitters thought it was difficult to select which one (or ones) to purchase. Ha! The toughest part was deciding which colorways to select for the shop.

The Hag Bag collection made its way to the shop. Sorry the photo is blurry..I took it with my phone. The seamstress is another woman-owned small business. I am pleased to say that she joins company with Wandering Wool and Desert Vista Yarnworks. As a small woman-owned business I am proud to support others. Working together is the root of success for each of us. And thank you to those who support Main Street Yarn because you are supporting all of our efforts. We are dedicated to our fiber adventures!

Karbonz Knitting Needles Have Arrived!

Karbonz Knitting Needles -- made from high-tech carbon fiber -- will be for sale at Main Street Yarn beginning tomorrow mid to late afternoon. These New Age Needles are very popular so some sizes are back ordered. We do have a selection in 6" double points and 24", 32" and 40" circulars. Stop by and check it out.

Also, a new really FUN yarn from Universal will be on sale beginning tomorrow afternoon. Hope to see you!

Time to Catch Up....

I cannot  believe that it has been almost two months since I wrote a blog post. Opening a yarn shop, while trying to keep up with life in general, makes one really busy but it is a good type of busy.

Let's see what I have done since I last checked in:
-- Traveled to MD Sheep & Wool Festival with a busload of fiberholics and met up with my good friend Roberta. We had not seen each other in 3 1/2 years. The day flew and too soon it was time to say good-bye but we had a ton of fun
-- Got a case of "startitis" -- translation I've begun and not finished a bunch of knitting projects. Goal now is to complete them soon!
-- I'm learning to use Constant Contact which is a great newsletter program and have sent out two newsletters -- the next one will be later this week
-- Gotten very active on the Main Street Yarn Facebook page
-- Launched the website yesterday -- check us out at www.mainstreetyarn.net The blog updates are available on the website
-- Began investigating yarn companies I don't stock. One big issue in adding most of them is their high opening order minimums. Yikes! $2,000 is more than I planned for an opening order with one in particular. Purchasing from them might get put onto the back burner for a while.
-- Have been giving medical care and fluids under the skin to my older Golden Retriever. Fortunately, his stomach issues seem to be settling down. Now if he only would quit licking the front of his leg. There is nothing wrong with it. I think it is just nerves.

Whew! It has been a busy few weeks.

There are a lot of fun classes planned at Main Street Yarn including how to dye your own yarn, more Magic Loop Sock Classes, and some others we will soon announce.

No photos this time but I will post new photos of a summer yarn and the Karbonz knitting needles in a new blog post later in the week. The timing is all up to the UPS man.

A sneak peek! Opening day April 11

Main Street Yarn
121 E. Main Street
Rebersburg, PA 16872
814-349-2611
Website under construction
Check us out on Facebook
Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Here are a few photos to peek your interest. Hope to see you soon!

Opening Day: April 11

Just a quick note with a couple of photos from yesterday...work continues:

The sign is done! Isn't it gorgeous? A smaller version will be by the door near the parking lot.

If your yarn escapes like mine does...here are two solutions to keep it under control...hand thrown knitting bowls and handmade wooden yarn caddies. Either -- or both! -- are good choices.

Just one angle of the room dedicated to fingering weight yarn. This is just one angle of the space. Some yarn is backordered but is scheduled to arrive this week! Also lots of knitting and crochet patterns.

See  you soon with more photos....

Yarn Comes Out from Hiding

This is the weekend...the yarn starts to be put out, models get displayed and needles and accessories will be put into their designated spaces in Main Street Yarn. Opening day is just around the corner -- April 11. Our hours will be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m. The shop address is 121 E. Main Street, Rebersburg, PA. The shop phone will be installed next Friday. Once I'm sure of the phone number I will add it to this post.

Main Street Yarn will have a website, Ravelry page and Facebook page. There also will be a monthly newsletter emailed to all who are interested.

Here are just a couple of photos from today to peek your interest. Hope to see you soon! Kim

"The Singles Bar" of fingering weight yarn is is just ripe for all sorts of projects -- from socks to shawls to hats and more!

The JoJoland Yarn Wall! A fabulous twist of color in worsted weight. Look at that gorgeous shawl! Yum.

A closeup of the gorgeous shop model knitted by Libby Beiler. Just think of the lovely items you can knit or crochet from Jojoland.

They Match!

This is a quick post to show you my lovely yarn bowl and the sock yarn I currently have on the double pointed needles. I chuckled at the coincidence of the nearly matching colors of the yarn bowl and the yarn. Aren't they lovely? I'm going to the shop tomorrow to dust and clean  the small room and the middle room. Hopefully I can actually get some yarn and other items in place. If so, I will take photos and update tomorrow night.

Please if you read my blog posts leave me a note, at least occasionally. I took off the blocks so leaving a message should be quick and easy. If there are still issues, please let me know. Thanks!