Wine, Yarn and Song!

Not necessarily in that order, but you'll get the idea.

This past weekend was busy as usual, but there were a few wonderful highlights. First off, on Saturday, the Grand Opening of Pioneer Valley Vineyard finally arrived.

I do love a nice wine, but the opening of this winery was extra special because it is owned and operated by our Linda B., our faboo Customer Service Manager. This is an endeavor that has been three long years in the works (much more if you include all of the planning and such) for her and her family and every bit of effort paid off. The vineyard is beautiful:

The winery and tasting room themselves are lovely and the wine, well the wine is awesome. Steve and I tasted all of the offerings and bought a bottle of each of our favorites:

Raspberry, Cranberry, Blueberry and a white grape called Cayuga. The Apple wine was good, but not quite us. I was actually quite surprised at had good these wines are since I tend to not ususally be a fan of fruity-tuity wines, but these won me over. Maybe we need to institute free-wine Fridays at WEBS, rather than free-lunch Fridays! Probably not, I don't think our mail order customers would appreciate us picking and packing their orders under the influence :)

My favorite picture from the event has to be this one though:

I love the role reversal of Linda running the register and WE"RE checking out :)

We kicked off the weekend with Parent's Day at the boys' school on Friday. We saw adorable performances

Ate special treats

and battled it out in the parents vs kids soccer game. The kids won, of course. Fun was had by all.

As I eluded to in my last post (at least I think I did), Gail Callahan, our own Kangaroo Dyer has created a limited edition "Pink" colorway in our Franklin Sock Yarn. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month and knowing so many people who have been touched in one way or another by this disease, we wanted to do something extra this year. The proceeds from the sale of this yarn will be donated to our The Cancer Connection, right in Northampton. If we sell out of this first batch, Gail is up for dyeing more, but when the month is over it will be gone until next year. The yarn is available on-line and in the store.

When Gail was in last week, she had her latest dyeing creating with her. She is a nut when it comes to playing with color and she particularly likes to practice by over-dyeing the not so pretty leftovers from some of our closeouts. This little treasure had to come home with me:

It's formally a skein of angora that was a not-so-great-purple. I am not usually a fan of angora, but I fell for the gorgeous colors, the sweet fluffiness of it all. It's a small little bit, but I think I can create a pair of wristlets for myself. Or I may just keep it as it is. All I know is it makes me smile everytime I spy it in the basket in my home office. If you want to score some of this for yourself or see some of Gail's other amazing yarns, be sure to visit her at the Franklin County Fiber Twist in Old Deerfield, MA on October 27 & 28.

Oh and don't forget. Stitches East is this week in Baltimore! We'll be in booths 313-317 & 412-416 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Kaffe Fassett will be signing books in our booth on Thursday night and on Friday, Teva Durham will be with us to showcase her new yarn line, Loop-D-Loop and sign her pattern books.

Tomorrow I'll finally post Pixie's darling Tilted Duster and I also want to give some love to a new sock yarn that came in during the avalanche and somehow didn't get shown any love here on the blog and it's one I do truly adore.

Kathy

Socks, Sweaters and a Contest

Everyone was very excited this morning as Sharlene unpacked the day's deliveries and came out from the back with the latest limited edition Tofutsies color:

It's color number 741 and is quite lovely. I had to remind the staff that we needed to leave some for all of you! Remember, this is a one time onlly color so don't wait! It's yummy shades of green with a little black in it. Makes me think more of fresh cut grass than fall, but I guess cutting grass is still prevalent in most parts of the country, especially in Arizona where SWTC is based! (Note, this color is at the bottom of the Tofutsies page).

As the excitement about this yarn was spreading through the store, Karen, our store manager popped into my office with this lovely sweater:

It's Filatura Di Crosa Multicolor, which was introduced last fall and has not only some new shades for this season, but has also been packaged into a kit that will create either this stylish sweater or a scarf and hat set.

Our knitter used one needle size larger to make it a tad bigger and it also resulted in a slightly looser fabric that will be perfect with a shell or cami underneath. I am not a big mohair fan myself, but I do like this sweater. The kits can be ordered here and the pattern is included. If not for yourself, this could make a great gift. The holidays are coming (sorry, we're going to have to face that fact sooner rather than later my friends).

Next, I am tickled about a new project. As many of you know, Storey Publishing introduced the book One Skein Wonders last year. The book was a hit and we were especially thrilled to have several of our staff members' creations included. Storey is about to release the follow-up, 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. Once again, there are several projects from our talented staff included. I've had a chance to preview the book and it's another must have.

To support the introduction of this book, Storey is launching a GREAT contest. You can go to the website http://www.oneskeinwonders.com/ and register to win a skein of yarn per month for all of next year. Just simply click on the "contest" circle on the lower right side of the page. There will be an enclosed patterns and probably some other surprises. The catch is that only 101 winners will be chosen! That tells me the yarns that will be included must be pretty special. Storey and I talked about the contest and we both agreed that although there will be 101 very happy people, there will be many other very sad non-winners. So, beginning in January, WEBS will be offering our own Skein-of-the-Month Club to not only the non-winners but to anyone who is interested in signing up. We haven't worked out all of the details yet, but stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, be sure to register to win at the website above!

Kathy

Back from a Deserted Island

No post since last week because Steve and I snuck off for a few days of R&R - alone! No work (well, there was some, there's always some) and no kids. Although we travel together for business frequently and have our standard "family" getaways, we realized last year that we never really get away just for ourselves. We promised we'd do our best to change that and for the second year in a row we have succeeded.

We are pretty easy to please - Steve's only request is golf and mine is warmth. They pretty much go hand in hand. We took our chances in Florida and our gamble paid off (it is hurricane season you know). Five glorious days of golf, pool and food. Here's where Steve spent the majority of his time:

And here we are:

I'll spare you all the poolside photos.

The beauty of this trip was that because it is hurricane season, the resort we stayed at was blissfully empty for the majority of our stay. It was if we had the place to ourselves, which I have to say was really, really nice. Not quite a deserted island, but pretty close.

So here we are, October 1st and we're ready to roll! We've only got a week until Stitches East! Are any of you planning to attend? Be sure to stop by and at least say "Hi" and check out the great yarns we are bringing. Of course our own Valley Yarns will be center stage, with all of the garments from the fall catalog on display and many of the newest of the new to be featured in our holiday catalog as well. Those of you at the show will be the first to see them! Also, this will be the "show" debut for Sheffield and Williamstown.

Pixie's Titled Duster will be on display (mine will still be a WIP). Andra from Berroco will be there as always with lots of great garments and plenty of Peruvia for those of you interested in starting the duster or another project. Of course, all of the other great Berroco yarns will be there as well.

Thursday night, October 11th will be extra special. We will be hosting Kaffe Fassett in our booth. He'll be there to meet and greet, sign his new book, talk about his great new sock yarns and all things knitting.

Will also be bringing along the Teva Durham collection of yarns and she will be in our booth throughout the weekend (more specific times to follow). We'll have many of the garments from the pattern book on display so be sure to check those out as well.

Then, of course, there will be closeouts and amazing special buys. Steve has been working OT to get the best of the best stuff available and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Shop early for best selection!

The specifics for the show are as follows:

Stitches East

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD

October 11-14, 2007

Thurs: 7pm-10pm (this is the market night for students only)

Fri & Sat: 10am-6pm

Sun: 10am-4pm

We're in booths 311-317 and 410-416

There are still classes with openings so if you are thinking of coming to shop, consider a class as well.

It is October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We will be holding our annual Knit for Hope event on Friday evening, October 26th from 6-9pm. Additionally, Gail Callahan, our very own Kangaroo Dyer has created a custom "October Pink" colorway in our Franklin sock yarn just for this month. It is limited quantity and only available during the month of October or while supplies last. We will be donating the proceeds of the sale of each skein to our local Cancer Connection to support all of the wonderful programs they provide. More to follow on this, pictures, etc. Watch the blog and the website on Thursday.

Kathy

Spring? Fall? Holiday? What season is it?

This past week has been nothing short of crazy! The best part, if I had to pick one, would be the simple fact that it is the third week in September. Why do I single that out? No, no birthdays, anniversaries or other significant milestons. The third week in September is truly the beginning of the fall knitting season. The kids are back in school, sports and other activities have been merged into the schedule, everyone is more focused on whatever their job at hand is and, the best part, the knitters are ready to really get going again.

One of the highlights this week, was, of course, Vickie Howell's appearance at the store. While Steve was off juggling the kids and getting Jackson to hockey practice, I had the delightful job of retrieving Vickie from her hotel, enjoying a lovely pre-event dinner with her and kicking off the event. I had only met her once before, briefly, so it was so much fun getting to know her. As only two working gals can do, we did a bit of brainstorming, so stay tuned. I also got to hear first hand of her encounter with The Yarn Harlot in the Atlanta airport. Read here and here for the scoop, if you haven't already.

So here we are:



A grand time was had by all. I am wondering what is going on with my head in this picture. I looks enormous next to Vickie's and we are not that different in overall size.


Friday we had our first of many spring buy meetings. Yes, I did say "spring". We're only 8 hours into fall, I know. The company we visited with doesn't necessarily work according to the traditional buying/selling calendar and therefore I like to call this collection "resort" rather than "spring". All I can say, is if the products we looked at on Friday are any indication of what we'll be seeing from our vendors this spring, it's going to be a really, really good season.
Yesterday was our photoshoot for our holiday catalog. The lovely Cirilia will once again be gracing our pages, along with the newest supermodel Ella (you'll have to wait to see her debut).




Cirilia is modelling a very special sweater from the faboo Norah Gaughan at Berroco and a big "thank you" to Andra for getting this design knit in record time for the shoot.

It's awfully hard to be thinking holiday when it's a perfect 80 degrees with a crystal clear blue sky outside, but it will be here before we know it!

Oh, one quick programming note. The first week of October is National Spinning & Weaving week. We'll be having all sorts of demos and such throughout the week. More info to follow, but be sure to check out the website or give Customer Service a call with any questions (800.367.9327).


Kathy

Vickie Howell at WEBS Tonight!!

Yeah, we're just a teeny, weeny bit excited. Vickie Howell will be here at WEBS Tonight! She is the author of several books and host of DIY's Knitty Gritty.

The party kicks-off at 6pm. We'll be hanging out with Vickie, we'll be giving out goodie bags with samples of her yarns, Love, Craft and Rock for everyone to "taste" and try out. We have a trunk show and of course, a few surprises!

Come joins us, knosh a bit, try out her great yarns and have some fun!

See you tonight!

Kathy

I CAN'T STAND

That despite how many times I "space" my paragraphs properly, they all run together when I publish. Please, if there is a trick somebody knows about, I'd love to hear from you!

You Know It's Been A Long Time Since Your Last Post When. . . .

you have to stop and "think" about your password. Ugh.

Well, it's not like it hasn't been busy, I will at least take comfort in that. Let's see, so where to start.

Last I left you we were on vacation, which was lovely and all too short. Isn't that true for all vacations?

When we came home there were two weeks until school started, so in the eyes of the boys, lots of summer fun to still be had. Jonathan made the most of his time, finally mastering this:

Then one morning, I arrived at the store and our quirky Fedex delivery guy was there. Guess what he brought us, that lovely day? Yarn you yell? Sorry, wrong. Needles?? I hear you, but no, wrong again. It wasn't books or accessories or even a loom! It was this:

And two white friends. He came into the possesion of six abandoned kittens, three of which he found homes for. The other three were tooling around in his truck, which at four weeks old, is no place for a kitten. So what to do? He was smart - he brought them to the yarn store. The good news is all three have homes. "Lily" even came back for a visit and transfer of ownership. Look at how great she looks!

Thanks Melissa, Sharlene and Nancy for taking such good care of these little treasures and taking them into your homes.

Next, Steve and I got to escape for an overnight to Boston. We did a little shopping and then headed here:

For this:

Yup, we are Parrotheads in a big way and we had a BLAST! I have to share a couple of fun pics:

His cooler is motorized!

REALLY big drinks!

We're pretty tame Parrotheads, when you come right down to it.

Then, before we knew it, it was time for this:

The first day, in the first grade and the first day in the third grade. We were jumping for joy and shedding a wee bit of a tear all at the same time.

There was some amazing knitting that has graced our presence over the past few weeks including this:

Marion works in the store and there is NOTHING she can't knit. This masterpiece is for her husband.

My Tilted Duster is moving along. Working on the second sleeve and getting ready to assemble the fronts and backs. Got to show my work off to the designer, as we hosted this:

Our event with Norah Gaughan was so much fun. We got to spend the better part of the day with her. She was a guest "in-studio" for our weekly podcast, Ready, Set, Knit!

Our customers had fun:

Our staff worked the runway:

A good time was had by all. The garments from her pattern book were inspirational and looked so great on so many different people! Be sure to check it out as well as all of the Berroco yarns!

As a family, we celebrated Rosh Hashanah. Happy New Year to everyone who also celebrated.

So I think that catches me up. The yarn, well, there's so much yarn and new accessories and stuff, I can't even begin to recreate all of it. Be sure to watch the website, check out the store and watch your mail for our Fall catalog! I think it came out quite nicely!

One quick yarn note. Our own Valley Yarns Colrain is on special through next Wednesday, 9/19. Regularly $3.99/ball, it's being featured at $2.99/ball as part of the launch of our fall catalog and new series of Valley Yarns patterns. Be sure to check out Melissa's Radiance Jacket that she designed for us. It's really beautiful. The yarn is equally beautiful. We sell it well in the store and at shows, but we struggle to translate it on the web. This merino/tencel blend is really pretty. The tencel adds a lovely sheen that is just right. For those of you hand dyeing at home - order some natural and test a couple of balls. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off.

Even though I'm well along on my Tilted Duster, we have just kicked off the knitalong on the podcast, so tune in and knitalong with Pixie and I!

We've got a couple of super-secret projects in the works, that The Big Guy says I cannot blog about yet, but as soon as I can share, I will! (And for the record, I am not pregnant, not going to be pregnant, so just skip over that entire discussion. It's all work stuff).

Vickie Howell will be at WEBS this Thursday, 9/20 from 6-9pm. This is one of those rare opportunities - we are so lucky that she has made time to come all the way to Northampton, so I hope we have a great turn out! We'll be hanging out with her, we'll offer a Yarn Tasting of her very own collection and there will be garments on hand to check out. Be sure to register so we have enough munchies for everyone!

Now that the kids are settled into their schedules, I am hoping to get back to more frequent blogging. Thanks for being patient!

Kathy