October 2007 List of Classes & activities.

Saturday, Oct. 13th:
Learn to make a
SOCK-IN-A-DAY

Back by popular demand!
Go through all of the steps in knitting a sock in just one day. Also great for sock knitters who want to learn to adapt to any yarn/ foot size.
When: Sat. Oct 13th 10am-???
Cost: Workshop $45. Includes all
materials & handouts.

Join us for
The 6TH ANNUAL
FALL
SHOW & SHARE
Tues. Oct 23rd to Sat Oct 27th.
Bring in your favourite completed project to display for the rest of us to enjoy too. Participants receive a 15% coupon and join in the participants' reception on Saturday the 27th from 1-3pm. Don't miss the fun.

Saturday, Oct. 27th:
TRADITIONAL RUG
HOOKING Part II Finishing.
with Rhonda Kellett

Learn the basics of giving your rug hooking projects that professional finish.
When: Sat. Oct 27th 1-5pm
Cost: Workshop $45.
Participants will bring a piece that they wish to finish..

September 2007 SCHEDULE OF CLASSES & DEMOS

This picture shows the traditional craft of rug hooking as taught by Rhonda Kellett. Please read our exciting line up of classes, workshops and demos and feel free to contact us at the store (613)384-3951 or at wooltymekingston@gmail.com for more information.

Saturday, Sept. 15th 1-4pm:
Free Demo!
KOOL-AID Dyeing.
See a display of different yarns and techniques used to achieve a wide range of effects using Kool-Aid and a crock pot or the microwave oven for the dyeing process.

Saturday, Sept. 22nd:
Introduction to
TRADITIONAL RUG
HOOKING Part I
with Rhonda Kellett

Learn the basics of this traditional craft using wool strips, yarn and burlap as taught by one of the areas finest registered teachers of rug hooking. Kit provided to create a beautiful wall hanging/ trivet .
When: Sat. Sept. 22nd 1-5pm.
Cost: Workshop $45. kit $45.
Also required: 14” hoop or scroll frame available at Kingston.

How we have changed.

I wanted to show you a picture of all of the new colours of fleece that we've just gotten into the store. Of course because they are in plastic bags, the picture doesn't do them justice. But as I was taking the picture I was going over all of the new things that we've brought into the store in the past year.

This hand painted roving in the picture represents a lot of these changes in that our customers have discovered so many things to do with it: spinners use it of course, but also a lot goes to needle felting and wet felting to accompany so many of the exciting new books that are available for this craft. Customers have also discovered the gorgeous multicoloured thrum mitts and slippers that can be made using this fleece. And in the fall, we will be featuring a mitten pattern that can be knit from the unspun fleece itself.

Another aspect of bringing in this new locally produced roving is that it also represents all of the local artisans and producers that we are able to support. Topsy Farms' worsted yarns and wraps as well as their new premium lightweight yarn that is spun right down the road in Wilton are great additions to the store. Rita Young, one of our customers, sells her stunning carry bags in the store as they are just the thing for transporting craft projects (or anything else for that matter- I have 2 of them that I use all the time). Another customer creates our popular elegant stitch markers using beads of the most glorious hues.

We're also proud this year to continue our association with Rhonda Kellett, registered teacher or traditional rug hooking. We will be featuring beginner and finishing classes in this beautiful craft and will be carrying a stock of necessary supplies for those who love "hooking".

Beginning this fall, we will be carrying a selection of drop spindles and will host a class on Sat. November 10th for those who want to try their hand at this too.

In the spring I hope to introduce into the store the new Ashford Knitting Loom, which comes from one of the most trusted names in spinning and weaving and introduces the beginner to more great fun things to do with their stash or yarn frrom home, and all of the in-store yarns that they drool over but aren't quite sure what to make with them.

All this to say that it's an exciting life at WOOL-TYME Kingston, and certainly one that is only made richer by the presence, the encouragement and the enthusiasm of our great customers. Thanks to all of you!

The August Newsletter is on it's way...

I was born to be a teacher. It's a good thing that I was the eldest of a family of 5 kids, because I had lots of things to teach them all.

What this also means is that I am an insatiable learner as well. I love to learn new things, anything. I love trivia. I love listening to different kinds of music that are unfamiliar to me. I love watching TV channels that I've never seen before. etc. etc. etc.

BUT when I am faced with a steep learning curve and a time component is factored in, I am not the happiest camper in the tent.

I love putting out our monthly newsletter (and those of you who haven't yet signed up for it, you can do so to the right of this page.) but I'm still not overly familiar with the new program that I'm using to get it out. Today as I was putting the finishing touches on the last few sections, I wanted to verify something on the Internet and I went up to the "home" icon at the top of the screen. This did indeed bring me to the Google home page, but much to my horror it also kicked me out of the program where my newsletter was. As we all know, closing a program before saving it causes all your changes and additions to melt into cyberspace. An hour's worth of work, gone...poof.

I suppose that if that's the worst I have to deal with this week, I can suck it up. But my point is that although I hear constantly how patient I am with knitting projects that have gone amok, or with students who are having difficulty grasping a particular knitting technique, there are other areas of my life that leave me with a significant irritation factor.

Anyway, the newsletter is finished and scheduled to go out tonight, and I am free to start planning for our booth at the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials that we will be attending (as craft sellers, not as competitors) next weekend. This is such a great event. 3 days of great fun, the greatest collection of dogs in any given park, great people from all over the world, great food from all over the city, great crafts from all over the county, and lots of time to knit and chat with customers who are passing by.

It's just down Hwy 2 between Kingston and Gananoque, past the Joyceville Rd at Grass Creek Park. Drop by with your lawn chair and we can knit and natter for a bit.

BY THE WAY, you're probably wondering who the kid is in the picture. I DONT KNOW. He's some kid from New Zealand who happens to be modeling this month's featured pattern made of BUTTONS yarn from the Naturally company. I put him there because I wanted to tell you about some of the things that are featured in the newsletter, then I got distracted by my rant about loosing stuff on the computer.

Well, back to the task at hand: I'm so glad to feature this yarn and pattern this month. I loved it so much that we had the sweater made up as a store display. This is one of the nicest yarns we have. Machine washable wool and great kid colours. It took me a while to be convinced of it's desirability as a kid's yarn but now that they have such great adult colours as well, I'm right in there with the rest of the knitting world who loves it. Try it out on this sweater during the month of August and save 15%.

Too much to do (but that's no excuse!)

I'M AMAZED!

I wanted to upload an image of some buttons to explain that, aside from being away on holidays last week, I've spent this week catching up and researching new things to bring in for the fall, including these great new buttons. So I uploaded the picture and voila: it's a slide show... how cool! A selection of these great buttons will be in the store by the end of August.

Anyway, I hope that flashing buttons will impress you enough to forget that I've been falling down on the blogging tasks. I did however finish a baby cap with the hand painted yarn that I made with 4 colours of Kool-Aid a couple of weeks ago. We will be featuring the FREE pattern for the hat on the August newsletter so don't miss out. It will be available on the pattern site before August 1st.

By the way, if you don't get our WOOL-TYME KINGSTON MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, don't wait another moment but go to the location on the side bar of this site to sign up. There's always a few tips and interesting pieces of information from the fiber world, great news about what's new, what's hot, what's happening and what's on sale too.

NEW IN THE STORE:

Here's a little peak at what we will be covering in the newsletter next week (and a few extras too). A new batch of 4 ply self patterning sock yarn, new colours in SMOOTH, LANDSCAPE: a great DK, new colours in the self striping TOSCA (& the whole series of 10 sample scarves to drool over), the new colour range in WOOLY-BULLY and best of all, Estelle's new ALPACA CASHMERE TWEED which we have in stock in 9 gorgeous colours.

Click here to go to the Estelle site to find out more.

http://www.estelledesigns.ca/images/Estelle/AlpacaCashmereTweed/EstelleAlpacaCashmereTweed.htm

See you soon.

Blue Jays Stitch N Pitch Game

Okay all you Blue Jays fans, here's your chance to stitch away while enjoying the game (perhaps with a break for popcorn and hot dogs at some point.)

Important information for you to know:

What: The poster describes this event like this:"Come to a baseball game and knit, crochet, embroider, cross-stitch and needlepoint. Sit among friends, family and colleagues and cheer on your Toronto Blue Jays. Attendees will receive a Blue Jays knitting tote bag."

Who: Blue Jays VS Anaheim Angels

When: Wed. Aug 15th 2007, 7:07pm

Where: Blue Jays stadium 200 level outfield.

How Much: just $20.

WOOL-TYME Kingston is proud to participate in the Stitch N Pitch project. We will be taking orders for tickets beginning Wed. July 18th until Tues. July 7th. Tickets will be available for pick up at the store on Tues. Aug 14th or at the Call Window at the stadium before the game.

If enough interest is shown, we will look into transportation with McCoy's so let us know if this would be of interest to you too. Get some friends together and make a day of it.

See What's cooking

I got brave yesterday.

With the Kool-Aid dyeing experiments that I've been doing over the past few weeks, after you've been through the process a few times you no longer really need notes. So when one of my customers was in a couple of weeks ago, I cavalierly gave her my copy of instructions that I had downloaded from KNITTY.COM re the dyeing process.

Yesterday morning I decided that I would arm myself with a foil oven liner, a whole box of latex gloves, disposable cups and a pastry brush to try the "hand-painted" version of Kool-Aid dyeing that was described in the Knitty directions. At one point I thought what a good idea it would be to go to the computer to reprint a copy of the directions, just to review this new process but that sensible thought quickly got lost in the scramble to get myself ready and off to work.

I followed what I could remember of the directions, using 1 orange, 1 lime, 1 cherry, 1 tropical punch. (Don't be fooled, fellow fibre fans...although tropical punch comes in a beautiful deep blue envelope, it is RED and nothing but red.) I painted the dyes onto a ball of Mission Falls wool that I had wound (not very proficiently) into a skein. I then gingerly lowered it all into the crockpot, waiting for my lovely creation to turn mud brown. As you can see in the pot above, it looked weird but it did work. Despite the fact that my inadequate camera shows a blurry version of the finished product, you have to admit, it is fun. I can't wait to knit something up with these wild colours.

In another vein about fibres changing colour -- as those of you who get our newsletter will know, we have just started carrying Fiddlesticks' Ecoknit organic cotton. Although I love wearing cotton, I am not a great fan of knitting with it as I, the laziest knitter on earth, would prefer not to have to worry about such things as keeping stitches even, and wool does so much to help me out in that area.

However, when I was knitting up the swatch of organic cotton for the new display, I was quite surprised at how much body this fibre had. I'm serious, it actually springs back when you stretch the swatch. And the stitches looked really uniform, even for me.

Then last week I was discussing what an interesting yarn organic cotton produces with one of our customers and she asked if I had washed the sample yet. When I admitted that I hadn't, she just smiled. Yesterday she brought in a lovely tablecloth that she had recently completed of organic cotton. She also brought the cone of yarn from which she had made it. The cone was a light caramel colour with a slight green hue. The tablecloth, which had been washed, was a rich khaki colour which she expected would get even deeper with every washing. It was as soft and as full of body as any fibre I have ever felt. I was amazed. It would appear that natural cotton has a "wax" that acts somewhat like lanolin does with wool and that the washing process, in softening and removing this film, allows the colour to come through more deeply.

We consumers (and retailers) get to recognize that the world runs on waves of activities and styles (we won't call them fads, that would be a little tacky) that people gravitate to. I'm a relatively green-conscious person usually but I really did wonder if the whole organic fibre thing wasn't all just so much hype. I mean really...I'm not planning on eating my cotton sweater.

I no longer believe that to be the case at all. This is seriously beautiful stuff and I plan to learn so much more about it in the near future. I'll keep in touch.