Thoughts from Cape Cod

We are wrapping up our week here at the Cape and it has been a great vacation. The trip has not been the reason I haven't blogged. The blog was locked down by Blogger late last week. Their software identified a bunch of blogs as potential "spammers". It was fixed within a day or so, but I didn't realize this. It was posted here on "Blogger Buzz", but I was waiting for an email response to my request for a "review" of my blog. Oh well, we are on vacation after all so it's not as if I would have been posting everyday.

Unfortunately, I am now late to the party with a few important happenings and such.

1. Last Friday, the much anticipated Twist Collective went live. Twist Collective is a new on-line magazine that was developed by Kate Gilbert and a trio of very talented friends. The premise was to bring together talented designers and writers and provide them with not only a platform for their work, but also provide them with more flexibility with usage of their work. I interviewed Kate on Ready, Set, Knit, last week and we had a great conversation about her new venture. Overall, I love Twist Collective. I think the format is fresh, the designs are terrific and the content is well done. Twist Collective will be published quarterly and will have smaller updates in between. If you haven't already checked it out, you should take a few minutes to do so.

2. On Monday, another new on-line knitting magazine went live - Knotions.com, published by Jody Pirello. Jody's take is all about knitting smarter. She has made the patterns printer friendly, charts that are clickable and easy to enlarge. She offers technique tutorials along with interesting articles. I especially liked the Fall '08 color trends story. Jody will be our guest on this week's podcast, so be sure to check that out on Saturday, 8/9!

3. WEBS' August Sale is in full swing! Amazing savings on yarns for knitters and weavers!

4. Stitches Midwest is only two weeks away! The show will be held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL. This is a new location for the show and we are pretty excited about it! Not that we didn't like Rosemont, but in Schaumburg, the convention center only hosts one event at a time plus the facility is pretty new, so it should be a lovely knitting extravaganza! We will be there in booths 513-618 with all of our Valley Yarns, Berroco, including all of the new fall yarns, pattern books and many, many, many of the actual model garments for you to see! Plus, we'll have some other fabulous yarns along with some great closeout deals. If you are planning to come to the show be sure to stop by!

5. I forgot to mention that WEBS Beads is participating in our August Sale as well! They will be having weekly specials throughout August. If you live in the area or plan to be during August, be sure to stop by and see what they've got on special! This week we're offering 15% off all findings and stringing materials. Savings in-store only!

6. Our Fall Class Schedule is posted on-line! We have an incredible selection of classes for knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinners, dyers and more! We've got some great guest teachers coming as well. Clara Parkes, Kristen Nicholas, Susanna Hansson and Galina Khmeleva will all be at WEBS this fall! What is sure to be "the" event of the season happens on September 17th, when Norah Gaughan returns to WEBS! This is a rare chance to spend time with Norah, discuss the new fall yarns and designs with her, learn how they came to be and try on all of the amazing garments! Be sure to check out all of the classes and events and get yourself signed up!

7. I am working hard on the Staghorn Cable Tunic, which is our current KAL on Ready, Set, Knit!. I am a slow knitter, but I am loving this pattern and the entire design in general. It really is not difficult at all, which is why it's a perfect summer project. Yes, it's working with wool, but it's really not that bad to work with, even in the heat. It's going to be a great layering piece all fall and winter long. Speaking of Valley Yarns patterns, all of our new fall patterns that will be featured in the next catalog, are already up on-line!

Well, I think that covers everything! Back to vacation!

Kathy

New KnitScene!

The Fall issue of Knitscene is out!






It is now in a larger format, which I think it is great. There are several interesting projects in the issue, but there's one that I am particularly fond of:






This is the Matryoshka Stole. I love the design, I love the beads, I love the size. What I really love is that it is knit in our own Valley Yarns Stockbridge! But what makes this even better is that it was designed and knit by Cirilia who works for us in the store, has designed for us and has model in our catalog!


Even more exciting - Cirilia is profiled in Knitscene's "One Cool Knitter" feature.

If you haven't picked up the fall issue yet, stop by the store or you can order it on-line.

Oh, and for those of you intrigued by that sweet capped sleeved sweater Cirilia is wearing in the article, I know where you can get it! It's the Gallery Jacket, and it's also designed by Cirilia. The yarn is our own Valley Yarns Sheffield.

Congratulations Cirilia! We are very excited for you!

Kathy

Ramblings

1. While at TNNA, I had the distinct pleasure to completely embarrass myself upon being introduced to Franklin. I think I actually jumped up and down and there's no question my voice increased in pitch to something equivalent to pre-teen girl at the American Idols on Tour Concert. It was quite a thrill and I'm hoping to have a big party for him at WEBS when his new book debuts this fall :)

2. While in Chicago, Steve and I got to go to Wrigley Field to see a Cubs game. It was very exciting - we are both (all if you include J1 and J2) big sports fans, so any trip to one of this country's iconic sports venues is always a treat. Unfortunately, in my effort to better manage my photos, I seemed to have deleted the shots I took. Bummer.

3. Speaking of iconic sports venues, I've been asked by several folks what I did for Steve's 40th birthday besides (a) take him to a yarn show (b) dinner and (c) get him to the Hyatt for free beer and dry ice from SPM? Well, to say the least he is not an easy one to surprise, impress or buy for. I was DETERMINED to wow him. And I did :) With the help of his parents, I was able to book a trip to next year's Master's Tournament in Augusta. For any of you who golf or know a golfer, Augusta National is legendary and very difficult to access. It will be a great trip.

4. Knitting. So a funny thing happened on our Excellent Adventure, Part 1 - I did not take a single knitting or crochet project with me. The reaction to knitters at the show was pretty interesting. Most were immediately concerned "What do you mean you don't have a project with you?" "Did you forget it?" "Was it confiscated at airport security?" "Did you lose it?". Most then immediately started rummaging through their knitting bag, pulling out random projects to give to me. Everyone was HIGHLY stressed that I did not have yarn and needles in my possession. I appreciated the concern and the offers, but declined the projects politely. When asked what was wrong, I have to say, I didn't really have a good answer. It's not that I was feeling lazy or anything. I've been dragging yarn home at the normal pace as new, interesting things have been coming in, but for some reason, I guess I just haven't been very inspired. I walked around the store for a good 20 minutes before heading ot the airport, fondling yarn, looking at patterns, etc., and just couldn't make up my mind - nothing was REALLY speaking to me.

Now, I'm not exactly known to be a high-producing knitter. I start a lot of projects and finishing, well, finishing things is not my forte. Maybe that's the problem. I have so many projects in process, it's kind of ridiculous. I thought about pulling them all out and organizing them - forcing myself to finish one before starting something new or brining home more yarn, but then I decided that would just be an exercise in futility. Why create a situation in which I'm going to feel badly for all that I haven't accomplished?

So, I spent 10 days away without any knitting. I did procure some yarn at the show, which I've previously documented. I have to say, I think it was the best thing I could have done for myself. This past week, I've been feeling so much more motivated. I've got 2+ projects in the works now and I'm psyched about them!

First, our next KAL on Ready, Set, Knit will be this:

It's a new design done out of our Valley Yarns Northampton called the Staghorn Cabled Tunic. Isn't it adorable? It looks good on so many body shapes and the design itself is ingenious in it's simplicity, as well as it's style. I've already swatched and I'm ready to cast on and get going. I'm sure Pixie is already 1/2 way done with the project, but that' s okay. (Note to Pixie - I really don't want to know how far along you are, okay?).

Next up, we have a brand new yarn that is about to debut and I'm working on a shawl design for it. More about "Hadley" in a future post :)

Lastly, Gail, the Kangaroo Dyer has done it once again. There is rarely a yarn that comes into the store that doesn't some how make its way to her dye studio. The new Sterling Silk and Silver is her lastest endeavor. She showed me a hank just before I left and it took my breath away, even in the midsts of my funk. I finally broke down and emailed her that I HAD to have a skein. She brought me three and here is the one I chose:

It's unbelievalbly gorgeous. I have the one skein and will do a very simple scarf for myself and I will love it and wear it and be happy and sparkle-y. Thanks Gail!

So, have any of you run into a similar situation, where your knitting or crochet just isn't doing it for you? Have you ever taken a vacation from your projects? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Kathy

Catching Up - Yet Again

I know - when am I not catching up on posts? I really need someone to figure out how to add a 25th hour to the day, at a minimum. Or maybe I need to slow down? What makes me feel better is that in reading other blogs and talking to friends and such, I am not alone. I think we're all running harder, in more varying directions than ever before.

Take the fact that it's Memorial Day Weekend. I swear, we were just in Orlando in Florida. That was 2 months ago, but it feels like last week. The boys are done with school in just a couple of weeks - they will officially become 2nd and 4th graders. We won't even broach how that has happend. Especially given I had the chance over the past few days to hang with a couple of moms with new bambinos (more on that later).

So, I still owe you more info on the SWTC yarns. I've got my notes, but honestly, I don't feel like chatting about yarn right now (sorry Joe & Jonelle). I promise I will give you the low down on their great new products soon. There are lots of other bits and pieces I'd like to get taken care of in this post.

1. The day before the tent sale was our shoot for the Valley Yarns Catalog. I love doing the shoots and the VY one is always a favorite. What fun to showcase our yarns and designs! It's always a busy day and organization is key:

Thanks to Mary and Penny for keeping us on track!

For this shoot, I decided we would work with two models. I always struggle with the look and variety of the shots. We were privileged to have the lovely Cirilia once again agreeing to model for us. Our own KT, who also models, was both willing and available for the shoot as well. One of the concerns I always have in terms of "look" is the age factor. We tend to strive for that "ageless" look. I was a bit nervous that Cirilia and KT's youthful beauty might not be quite right for us, but I am just thrilled with how the shots came out! I can't wait to share the final catalog with all of you. Until it's ready, here are a few behind the scenes shots:

2. After the tent sale, I headed to Orlando for a conference. It was a learning opportunity for me, but I was also a speaker on a panel. Talk about a reality check! This was not a yarn conference - so I wasn't exactly with my people. Needless to say, there was a lot to take in and more than a few nerves prior to the presentation. Fortunately all went well and there was even a knitter in the audience!

3. Came home from the conference, got life a bit under control (how do two small boys and one dad produce SO MUCH LAUNDRY in just a couple of days?). Then it was off to visit our friends Iris and Elliot at Artyarns. We had never been to their studio/offices before so this was a real treat. I only took a few shots, as I didn't want to share too much of their operation. Look at this luscious yarn:

4. Got into the store on Friday morning to find an email from Brooklyn Tweed! Yes - THAT Brooklyn Tweed! He was going to making a visit to the store with Jess from Ravelry and Adrianne from Hello Yarn "tomorrow" which I read as Saturday. It was only a couple of hours later when I found them in the store:

Tomorrow really meant "today" since Jared sent the email on Thursday evening. It was great fun to meet him, especially after having interviewed him on the podcast.

5. After reading Brooklyn's email and getting myself all excited I could barely stand it when I got an email titled "Coming to WEBS" - from none other than January One herself!! I've been a HUGE fan of her blog for quite awhile and although I've had the opportunity to speak with her I'd never met her. So yesterday after J2's little league game, I zipped down to the store to spend some time with her and her beautiful Meli:

The pictures she posts of her on her blog are spectacular, but this is one of the most gorgeous babies I have ever seen and as good as the pictures are, there's nothing like seeing her in person. Seriously. I told Cara that she needs to hook Meli up wth Lexie Barnes' son "C", who is too cute for his own good as well.

Along the way of this past week, I got my first serious dose of him when Lexie came into visit and not only is he cute, he's charming. It's great fun to enjoy all of these babies and not have all of the work associated with them. As overwhelming as it is at times that J1 and J2 are getting so big, I love every milestone they achieve, I love their independence and I love that they can't call it a day until I've tucked them in and done "acts" with the stuffed animal of choice for the night's cuddle.

6. To top of the blog-tastic week that was at WEBS, Steve and I interviewed Carol from goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com for this week's show! She is also a fave blogger of mine and is the co-author of a faboo new book, Knit So Fine. Check out the podcast and more importantly the book! Carol will be coming to WEBS in June for a book signing. Date to be announced so stayed tuned!

So now it's Memorial Day weekend. We completely missed Mass Sheep and Wool, which is causing me some guilt. I love going and feel we need to support the event as much as possible since many of the folks involved support us. Unfortunately, we can't be everywhere and a big breakfast at home with the family took priority this year.

Enjoy the unofficial start of summer - it's my favorite time of year :)

Kathy