I miss you guys...

It seems like it's been forever since I've had a chance to write anything here. It has been a busy couple of weeks getting the newsletter out and with 2 off site show & sales there hasn't been much time to get on the ol' computer. So I've been keeping track of things that I think of and want to let you in on. The first thing is that I finally got a new camera that actually takes sensible pictures without having to invest 1/2 hour trying to find just the right light to get a photo that is actually usable.

Last Saturday we had 6 ladies from the Montreal Knitters' Guild come to visit and we all had a lovely time getting to chat (them and me), and shop (them). Unfortunately, I hadn't had a chance to master the camera yet so I don't have a pictorial record of the visit but it was fun - with 3 kinds of muffins.

I was looking for something in the store to photograph so I could show off the new camera and thought that I would take this opportunity to announce that we got our new shipment of Yarn Harlot - Things I Learned From Knitting books. I was surprised at how quickly our first order sold out and when I reordered, our supplier had sold out too and we had to wait for their new shipment. Anyway, here they are...

And to further emphasize the advantage of having photos, I wanted to let everyone see some of the amazing new yarns that I got a great deal on and am passing the savings on to you. Throughout the store there are baskets of lovely quality yarns that are discounted. In these pictures, you'll see on the left a gorgeous 100% silk beside a mohair boucle blend. To the right is a picture of the bin of Noro yarns that have been discontinued but are no less wonderful. You really should pay us a visit and see if anything strikes your fancy. We have a lovely cotton/wool DK blend on the sale table and a few fine cottons too. Just to name a few.

Finally, for those of you who have linked to the site at the bottom right in the sidebar of this page where it says: My other self, you will have discovered that my novel, "Dancing with Silence" was being posted over the past year in somewhat regular installments. Well I am thrilled to let you all know that after exactly one year of working at it, the whole thing is up on the site and is ready to be read from beginning to end. Writing is my other passion and although it was a wonderful experience writing the book, it's been equally fun and rewarding to re-edit it this past year for internet publication. Hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it. For those who have asked, it may be available in paper version in the near future if you can't imagine (as I couldn't) spending the hours that it would take to read an entire novel in front of your computer. The link to the book is http://www.dancingwithsilence.blogspot.com/

The LYS owner's lament: My single sock!

Despite the fact that I haven't been able to upload much to my Ravelry space, it isn't for lack of trying. But when I see all the beautiful things that people are working on (and completing), I'm a bit embarassed to show my little swatch of glorious Luxury Bamboo Cotton that I finished last week. Or this lovely (single) sock for instance, which I made over the weekend to show off this great pattern repeat from our latest Lana Grossa sock yarn called PRIMO, which I will be bringing with me to the Cataraqui Guild of Needlecraft Arts show this weekend at St Margaret's church. There are diehard sock knitters who will try anything that has nice colours, but most knitters want to know that they will like what those colours are going to do in their socks.

So many of the knitting projects that I work on are either jobs that need to be finished for people who got stuck at a tricky place, or they are tests for patterns that I'm designing for the store, which by virtue of the types of free patterns that we put up on our website ( www.wtkpatterns.blogspot.com) are essentially quick, easy and a good gateway for beginners who want to try something a bit different. Consequently, I seldom get to try out other people's patterns, much as might admire them. (This however does make me an eager appreciator of whatever other people do accomplish.)

The other thing that I seldom get to do is to learn new techniques, but in reading the SON OF STITCH N BITCH book earlier this spring, I found 2 great techniques that I've been coveting for a long time and am determined that I will learn over the summer. The first is the reversible cables where the fabric shows a nice set of cables on both sides. The second is the 2 layers/2 colours of knitting that I think could be an answer for so many people who want to make scarves with team logos on them. I will investigate further and report back.

The reason that I'm committing myself to learning these new techniques is that I have really decided that I love teaching and am going to be doing more of it throughout next year. With the success of our Sock-In-A-Day class that we have now run 4 times (and sells out each time), I'm encouraged to offer other knitting skills that can be learned in an intensive class and applied to a whole new range of knitting projects by the participants.

It seems odd to be thinking about the fall as we are basking in the warmth of this glorious early spring weather, but such is the way of the retail world. And I'm glad to be part of it so that we can bring new and exciting things to our customers with each new season. I'll keep you posted!

United way swim on APRIL 18th????!!!!

This is Jay Serdula, one of our regular participants in the Kingston Knitting Circle that meets at Chapters each month, and he is also a regular fixture at the Thursday evening Knit and Chat at the store. He is in the process of training for a swim across Lake Ontario this summer to raise money for the study of Asperger's Syndrome, but as part of his training he is doing a swim this Friday, (yes, tomorrow!) across Navy Bay which is the body of water between Fort Henry and RMC. This chilling experience is in support of the United Way and Jay will be leaving from Fort Henry at noon (sharp) and will be arriving at the SE corner of the RMC peninsula, at St Lawrence Pier. The entire swim takes about 5 minutes so if you're interested in going to cheer Jay on, be sure not to be late.

If you're interested in knowing more about Jay's summer swim across Lake Ontario, we have a poster at the store which has contact information.

WOOL-TYME Kingston is proud to be participating in the Canadian Liver Foundation' s newest fundraiser. They are putting on a great afternoon and evening that would be a treat for every woman in the city: "What a Girl Wants" is an afternoon filled with fashion, demos, health and wellness info, door prizes and gift bags topped off with a dinner, fashion show and dessert. We will have a sales table and will be teaching and demonstrating knitting and needlefelting.

It all takes place on Sunday May 4th, 2008 at Zorbas Grand Ball Room from 2-10pm and tickets are available at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store or by registering at http://www.whatagirlwantskingston.ca/ . You deserve a little luxury and it's all for a good cause.

And one last reminder that we will also have a table at the upcoming Needlecraft show and sale of the Cataraqui Guild of Needlecraft Arts on Saturday, April 26th at St Margaret's United Church Hall across from the Kingston Centre Loblaws. It's a real treat...hope to see you there.

Repairs - One of the things that I learned from my store.

We just received our first shipment of the Yarn Harlot's new book "Things I Learned from Knitting..." and I've been really enjoying it. And it got me thinking about some of the skills that I've learned, not necessarily from knitting but from running a wool store.

This is a picture of a beautiful old afghan that has been brought in for repairs. The knitter is now 99 years old and is still alive although, sadly no longer knitting. There are 77 garter stitch squares made of what appears to be a fine 4ply yarn (26sts over 4") in many bright colours, done on fine needles. Now that is one honking pile of knit stitches, and each one of them perfectly formed with precise tension. Someone had to be unbelievably persistent and dedicated to the cause. It really is something and well worth preserving.

The picture shows the worst of 3 holes. As it is here, the hole is actually 1/2 of the size that it originally was. The lower needle holding the dropped stitches is actually at the line where the pink and the blue meet. and I'll be reforming the stitches up the rows to meet the other needle. And all of this happened because one little stitch in the centre gave way and started unraveling sideways and then in both directions outward.

When people bring their prized knitted posessions in to be repaired, I often have to tell them that there is only so much that we can do; it will never be perfect again but I'll do my best. We can however assure them that it will be secure and nice and usable. But the reality is that if we can't do anything with it, the option for most people is often the garbage bin. Because I'm one of the few people in the city who has had the opportunity to play with these disasters with which we have nothing to lose, I've been able to learn a lot about the construction of knitting and what works best to camouflage the least and the worst of the problems. But most of all, what I've learned is that there is nothing like having nothing to lose to make one bold in looking for solutions. Sometimes it works, sometimes they end up in the dust bin. But at least I've learned something for the next problem that comes through the door.

Look At These Guys!

Are these not the greatest!

One of our customers has brought in his collection of needle felted African animals for us to display during the Spring Show and Share from tomorrow until Saturday. They really are amazing.

Come and see. And while you're at it, bring something in yourself in the next day or two. We usually have about 25 or 30 customers who contribute to each of our Show and Shares but I guess everyone was so mesmerized by the sunshine this weekend that we're down quite a bit from normal numbers. Hope to see some more of you in tomorrow.

The Spring Clean Up Sale continues until Saturday, and there are still some great buys to be had so don't miss out on it. The road sign that we have out on Gardiners Road is an amazing tool. I haven't seen so many new faces in years. It's amazing what a sign that says "20%-70% off" can do to drivers who sail past us on a regular basis. It's great.

For the first time in a long time, I have something to bring into the Show and Share too. I finished my husband's sweater that I began as I was touring around Cape Breton last September. It's a cream pullover in DK weight alpaca and features a tree of life motif in a see stitch frame on the front.

He thinks that it took me a ridiculously long time to make it; I am amazed that it's done already as I was kind of giving myself as an absolute deadline his August birthday. Anyway, it was an interesting exercise, reknitting an exact replica of a sweater that I had actually made for him about 10 years ago but as styles change needed to be longer and bigger. I kept believing that I didn't really need to look up Lucy Neatby's directions for "magic 2 layered button holes on a stocking stitch border" and I probably didn't do any worse than I would have if I had looked up the directions. But I do remember that I was making the first version of the sweater when I went to Mabel Corlett's fabulous weekend knitters' retreat, one of the last years that it was at "The Opinicon." Each project has it's own tale to tell.

3 major reasons to come to WOOL-TYME Kingston SOON!

IT'S HERE!!! Kureyon sock yarn has just arrived, all 12 colours of it are now in stock, and we're loving it. The colours are just as beautiful in this finer version of that gorgeous Japanese wool/nylon blend than in it's thicker version that has been taking the knitting world by storm for several years now. Don't be disappointed. Come on in and get your pick of the litter.

The second reason to come and visit us from April 1st to April 12th is that I've gone a bit mad, waiting for this spring that never seems to be in sight, so I'm starting the spring sweep early and putting up no less than 28 lines of yarn that we have been carrying for a while, but for whom it's time to find a new home. These babies will be going at great prices from 20%-70% OFF! No Kidding! I am committed to tidy things up so that we can properly welcome spring and the new spring yarns. The regular monthly newsletter will be coming out next Monday, but you blog readers will get a sneak preview: Alpaca, Mohair, Linen, Felting wool, Fashion yarns, Crochet Cotton, Ribbon Yarns, Lace Merino, Silk, Coton blends, Wool Blends just to name a few... Again, COME ON IN WHILE THE PICKINGS ARE GOOD!

The third reason to pop in from Tuesday April 8th to Sat. April 12th is to bring us one of your knitting projects so that we can display it for all to appreciate during our 7th Annual Spring Show & Share. It's so much fun to see what people have been up to. Don't be shy! We love to see what everyone has been up to. And even if you don't have anything finished to bring in, come and see the beautiful things that your fellow knitters have been making. Don't forget the Saturday reception on April 12th, where you can bring your knitting and spend a couple of hours with friends while nibbling, admiring and working on your pet project.

Have you met Georgia Walker yet?

I just spent a lovely weekend visiting with Georgia, Dakota, Anita, James, Marty, Peri, and all the other characters that are part of the Friday Night Knitting Club.

We've had this book in the store for about a year and it's been quite popular. Then in the past few weeks, I've had at least a dozen people tell me that they were reading it and how much they were enjoying it. When I asked Pam from the Kingston Knitting Circle, who happens to work at Chapters what was happening to explain the sudden interest in the book, she said that it had just come out in "trade paperback" format, making it cheaper and more accessible. It really is a great way to read a book.

Being a huge fan of NYC (I have always said that if I ever win the lottery, you can find me for the next year doing the rounds of Central Park and its perimeter,) reading this book was like spending Easter Weekend in the upper West Side, although I dare say it was a bit warmer to visit with them from the comfort of my easy-chair in my living room than it would have been to be trekking through the streets of Manhattan in mid-March wearing an Easter bonnet.

It's fun to be following the progression of this lovely book from its first launching, to hearing whisperings of Julia Roberts' interest in playing the lead role, to seeing that it will be coming to a theatre near us sometime in the future. There's no question, that we have to get ourselves well organized to show this city just how many knitters there are across all generations; we could have a great knit-in for charity to raise awareness of the support that knitters offer each other and the community at large. I'll be sure to keep you posted as to likely release dates.

If you link here: http://www.pr-inside.com/entertainment-blog/2006/11/03/julia-roberts-is-going-back-to/ you will get an update about the movie being made of the Friday Night Knitting Club starring Julia Roberts, by the director of The Devil Wears Prada.





ALRIGHT, Hands up all of you who have just about had enough of winter, and cold, and snow!
Well, according to the Associated Press, in Yellow Springs, Ohio they have an art project that would warm the coldest heart. And it's becoming a growing trend as knitters in many communities are turning their brightly coloured odds and ends into "cozies" for trees, street signs, benches, door handles and other public objects.

On this particular tree, the first panel was a gold piece with the words "Knitknot Tree" and a smiley face, which went up in October. Since then people have been coming from all over to add their own little touches to warm up the tree and the lives of passersby.

When I'm in knitting class and see people fretting over their less than perfect tension, or whether the cast on edge will stretch or be too tight, I can imagine how incredibly freeing it would be to simply KNIT with whatever outrageous colour comes to hand and then stretch and seam your piece of knitting around a tree, without worrying about details, like invisible seaming and perfect matching. LONG LIVE PLAYFUL KNITTING!