First Spinning Sunday

      We held our first Sunday afternoon spinning group last weekend and we were fortunate to have Bonnie from Orange stop by with both her spinning wheel and a drop spindle.  Bonnie will be teaching a drop spindle class for us this fall and it was a real treat to see how knowledgeable she is about using drop spindles and also what a good teacher she is.  Although the event was purely social, Bonnie happily answered questions and demonstrated techniques and the time just flew by.  

Bonnie demonstrates a drop spindle at our first Sunday spinning group

      Although the date isn’t set yet, the drop spindle class will be held on a Sunday sometime in September or October.  If you’re interested, make sure you’re on our mailing list.  Our first newsletter should come out around the beginning of August and our first class list will follow soon after. 

Bonnie and her spindle

      Our fun event from this weekend was a Saturday visit by a group of ladies from the River City Knitters in Richmond.  We’ve been so busy getting the shop up and running that it’s been hard to drive to Richmond for the monthly meetings so we really enjoyed seeing everyone.  After spending several hours in the shop the group headed to It’s About Thyme for lunch and then explored the shops on Davis Street.  

      One of the ladies is the very talented Christina from TG Designs.  Christina and her sister make stunning necklace pendants, earrings, buttons, and a variety of plates from colored glass.  While Christina was here we picked out a number of the pendants which are now available in our jewelry case.  We will also be adding some of her pretty buttons.  We now have jewelry from three artists and all of it plus our cute little animal stitch markers are handmade. 

     Our last piece of news is that we have decided to close the shop on Sundays during the month of August.  It’s vacation season, almost time to get ready for school again, and it’s HOT so we thought we’d take a little break.  Sunday hours will resume again in September, including the third Sunday spinning group which won’t meet in August. 

     Here’s hoping for some cooler weather soon.

Meet the Sock Creature

      Linda from Misty Mountain Farm dropped by to deliver one of the cute little sock creatures that daughter Leanna uses to display the latest colors for her Blue Ridge Yarns.  The long-legged fellow travelled to Ohio last month for the big needlearts trade show where Leanna’s hand-dyed yarns are always a favorite with yarn shop owners around the country.  This year, she introduced six new colors for her popular Footprints collection, and then added two old favorites to this unique line of sock yarn. 

Blue Ridge Yarns Sock Creature

      If you’re not familiar with Footprints, it’s a combination of 300 yards of multi-colored superwash merino with 100 yards of a solid color of the same yarn.  Leanna designed the paired colors so that they coordinate or contrast so that sock knitters can create socks with solid color toes and heels.  Thinking beyond socks, the pair can be used to knit or crochet gloves with multi-color hands and solid wrists or colorful scarves or hats with a solid border, or any other project you can think of.  What a great idea! 

Blue Ridge Footprints

      Come by and take a look at this year’s new colors and help us decide if the sock creature is a spider or an octopus.  We’re not sure what to call it, but it sure is cute. 

      If you’re interested in the Get Your Knits in Virginia Knit Kit, we only have a couple of them left.  The event runs through the end of July and 19 shops are participating.

Calling All Spinners

      Are you a handspinner?  You’re invited to stop by the shop on Sunday, July 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. to sit and spin with us for a while.  Bring your wheel or a drop spindle to our first Sunday afternoon spinning social.  Although the dates  may occasionally change to accommodate other events, our spinning day will be the third Sunday of each month from 1 to 3 unless we post notices here and on the website about a date change. 

     If you don’t have a wheel or drop spindle but plan a purchase, we have some lovely drop spindles in stock and can recommend two other shops that specialize in spinning wheel sales.  We will also offer a drop spindle class early in the fall and so far there has been a  lot of interest in our Kundert, KCL, and DyakCraft spindles.  We’ve already had to re-order from KCL and although we have several of their spindles available, there’s only one left with the lovely Russian lacquered broach whorl like the one in the photo, below.  They’re so pretty they just seem to fly off the shelves. 

Spindle with Russian Lacquered Broach Whorl

      If you’re in the area Sunday afternoon, stop by to see us.

Get Your Knits in Virginia!

      It’s hot!!!!  It was more than 100 degrees here in central Virginia today and if that’s not hot enough for you, I have a hot deal that runs for the remainder of the month.

      We are participating in the Get Your Knits in Virginia 2010 event.  This is the third annual statewide July yarn crawl where you can save 15% in your favorite yarn shops on merchandise other than needles, notions, and sale items.

      For the first two years the “ticket” to the event was a tote bag, but how many tote bags can one person use?  In my case it’s actually a lot because when it comes to knitting and tote bags I’ve rarely met a bag I didn’t like.  But, this year’s event is using a specially marked issue of the popular Knit Kit to let shop owners know that you’re participating.  The Knit Kit is a handy little plastic case that contains seven of the most essential notions used by knitters and crocheters.  For more information, you can watch a video on the company’s website.

       There are 19 shops participating and we’re all listed on the event’s website.  You purchase one of the kits at the first shop you go to and along with the Knit Kit and your discount on other items purchased on that visit you receive a list of the other 18 shops participating this year.  And, for every $25 you spend, your name is entered in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate issued by that shop.

       I went on the yarn crawl as a shopper last year and enjoyed having a reason to visit many new shops.  Now I know that you know that a yarn junkie never really needs a reason to visit a yarn shop other than the chance to sink their fingers into lots of luscious fibers.  But,  it sounds good to friends and family members who have yet to be initiated into the sister and brotherhood of yarn.  “I have to go now,” you say “or I’ll miss the big sale.”

      Come on over and say hello to us and check out the Knit Kit and plan your itinerary for the rest of the yarn crawl.  The event ends on July 31 and Knit Kit quantities are limited at each store.

We’re Open at Last!

      Did you give up on us?  Yes, it took forever for us to get open.  A task that I thought would take only days to complete ended up taking weeks.  

      I entered inventory into the computer for so many hours and put price stickers on so many things that I dreamed I was a robot doing these tasks.  Then we took a few days before we opened to sit on the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan where it was 76 degrees with a slight breeze.  We came home to a 100 degree day here in Virginia, and opened the store a couple of days later.  Weather like this reminds me that air conditioning is one of the greatest inventions to affect the South in the past century.  Just imagine what it would be like without it. 

      I’ll post photos on the blog later in the weekend, but I’ve updated the website with photos already. My friend Meg has been a great help in getting the shop open and she’ll be assisting you whenever I’m not available.  Here she is ready to greet you. 

Here's Meg!

      We’ve had several calls asking if we’re open on the Fourth of July and the answer is yes.  We’re open Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. and on Monday, the business holiday, we’re open our regular Monday hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  If you’re in the area, please stop by to say hello.