Thoughts on Visiting Elsewhere

I went with a small group yesterday and we had a pretty darned efficient shop crawl (er, research expedition): 6 yarn stores in 6 hours. Of all the interesting things that we saw and thought, the one that's sticking with me now is this: when, at the end of the day, we asked each other the following questions --

Which did you like best?
Where would you shop if you lived here?
Where would you want to work if you lived here?
If you could own any of them, which would it be?

--though there was some agreement about the answer to any one question, the answers were significantly different from one question to another. That is, for any of us, the place we'd want to shop (the place we'd call "our" knitting shop, if anyone asked), wasn't necessarily the one we'd choose if someone said, "Any one of these can be your shop. Just pick."

I don't know what to make of that. But I find it really interesting.

Anyway, we're back now. Sorry for any difficulty yesterday.

Rosie's will be closed this Tuesday

Warning: if you have a jones for yarn or need a needle, stop by today. Rosie's will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 27th for a special staff "in service" meeting. Sort of.

Anyway, we apologize for the inconvenience and assure you that we will be open regular time Wednesday morning.

Koigu's here y'all!

Hey everyone.
I nearly fell over today when UPS brought us 50 million boxes of yarn (and some other things too). I was trying to help customers find yarn, reload the website (page by page...ugh.), sweep up the broken flower pot, answer the phone and whatever else. "AHHH! NO MORE YARN!" I thought. We have enough yarn! We don't need more! and then,
what was in the two biggest boxes?

Koigu.

And all was well.

Yeah, yeah I know

Alright, I admit it.
I did it.
I crashed the entire website.

But it needed it! It deserved it!

Okay, no it didn't.
But! Now that it's is crashed, you will see more and more NEW and PRETTIER pages!
I know, this isn't the usual way to update a website but I suppose we don't do things the usual way around here. Now I have to go back to busting my ass reloading all the webpages...
Lisa's gone for the day...maybe she won't even know it happened?
shhhhh...

One of Those Days

Ever have one of those days when you're kind of bored with everything you're working on and just have to try something new?

We thought Fleece Dogs was one of those books that lots of people talk about, some people buy, but no one actually makes anything from. Think again. The mutt on the right is mine. I only stabbed myself with the felting needle once.

P.S. The strangest thing about this book? In the preface, the author explains that, while "fleece" may suggest the soft fabric used for jackets and so forth, it also means the unspun wool of sheep. You don't say.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!!

Sheep and Wool Fever is on!
Finally, you can sign up for the RosieBus to whisk you away bright and early Saturday May 5th to the Howard County Fairgrounds to revel in all things wool!

TAKE the RosieBus Saturday, MAY 5th to the
MARYLAND SHEEP & WOOL FESTIVAL!
The biggest, bestest farm and fiber frolic on the east coast, and you can knit on the way down and check out everyone’s finds on the way back. (Or just nap.) We always have a great time – don't miss it! (Check out the vendors at http://www.sheepandwool.org/)

Bargain Ride: comfy seat and coffee and good company on the bus -- $40

High Flyer: all of the above and a Rosie’s backpack of goodies and a delicious boxed breakfast! (Scone, fruit salad, fresh squeezed oj) -- $55
--Pay online here!
New this year: We’re going to have a Rosie’s Raffle on the way down!
You get 2 raffle tickets included in the price of the Bargain Ride and 4 tickets if you’re a high flyer! The raffle prizes include:
Knitting Color by Brandon Mably
Black Bunny Sock Kit
A Colinette Vintage Kit
Rosie’s Stash Box (a bunch of random yarn and patterns from OUR stash!)
Books, yarn, patterns, magazines and more!!
(and you can pick it up at the shop or we’ll ship it!)

Call or email to reserve your seat. Your payment confirms it.
Departures from Rosie's: 7:30 am, 8 am; departures from Maryland: 3 pm, 4pm

SEE YOU THERE!!

Holy moly: lots of cool books are in!

I apologize in advance for the surfeit of exclamation points, but we've got a bunch of the new spring books in the shop -- several of which I've been waiting for quite eagerly.

Hot off the press: No Sheep For You, Amy Singer's new book compiling sweaters, socks and other garments without a single speck of wool in them. Amy's allergic to wool and decided to put together a book showcasing fibers other than wool, including bamboo, cotton, silk and more.



Lace Style, Interweave's latest in the "[fill in the blank] Style" series. Twenty-some patterns making excellent and creative use of lace patterning including socks, sweaters and more (including a great sweater by one of my personal faves, Veronik Avery).




And Favorite Socks, a beautiful spiral-bound compilation of some of Interweave Knits' favorite sock patterns. It's my understanding there are some new patterns, too, but it's worth it to have this gorgeous book that will lay open at the spiral binding to knit from, especially if you're like me and have already drooled your back issues of IK to pieces. (Plus I want to do everything I can to support publishers bringing out great collections of socks, like this one.)



And I haven't even mentioned some of the new Rowan booklets that I found on the shelves when I came in this morning: The Tapestry Collection (making optimal use of the gorgeous wool/soy blend that self-stripes); Little Treasures (adorable baby and toddler patterns); The Bamboo Tape Collection; and The Kasbah Collection (with lots of Summer Tweed patterns).

P.S. I'm just about to shelve five skeins of Black Bunny wool/nylon sock yarn, in some really cool muted colors including Twig, Wagon Wheel Couch (don't ask), Dad's Tie, and more...

[I know, I know, the photo quality stinks (can you say "overexposed"?), but hey, I'm a dyer, not a photographer....]

Save the date!!

And just to be sure you don't miss out:

Save the DATE!!

Call out sick NOW!!

On May 2nd, the Wednesday before the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival



Maie Landra of Koigu Wool Designs and author of Knits from a Painter's Palette, will be teaching a color and technique day-long workshop for Rosie's Yarn Cellar!!


All the details, other than the day are TBA.

Sign up for the bus to Maryland Sheep and Wool coming Soon!! (hopefully tomorrow!)

And on that note, here's a list of classes that will be coming up for Spring!
Call the shop at 215.977.9276 or email courtney@rosiesyarncellar.com to sign up.

Beginner's Class begins February 22, Thursday nights 6-8pm for 6 weeks. $125. all materials included!

Sunday Workshops

You knew it was coming...

March 4th, March 18th and April 1st, Entrelac Socks: We have given in. We are doing a three session class on Eunny Jang's entrelac knee socks. Week one: Learn to cast on to work entrelac from the toe up, learn to carry the yarn between squares to avoid having ends to weave in, and get help with technique. Week 2: Turning your heel in entrelac. Week 3: Top triangles and finishing, including how to make the cord and tassle. Choose your two colors of Koigu, pick your needles and go! Materials not included in cost of class, $20/session.
March 11, Spinning with a drop spindle: We provide the spindle and roving (that's wool before it's yarn) and you learn drafting, spinning and plying to create your own unique yarns. $45

March 25, Felted Bags: You will knit a bag in class and learn all the tips and tricks to sucessful shrinking at home with your washing machine. We've all done this accidentally, now make it useful! $40, materials and pattern included.

April 8, Crocheted Kippot and Kufi: These two headcoverings are easy to make and are wonderful for gifts to friends and family. Learn how to crochet a basic kippot or kufi headcovering in this class, and get some tips for designing your own. Basic crochet skills a plus! Materials and pattern included, $20.

April 15, Beaded Lace Scarf: In this class you will learn how to knit with beads and make a gorgeous light spring scarf. The kits, from Swallow Tail Creations, include everything you need! A great project class, $35 materials included.

Also, starting April 13th, that's Friday the 13th (woooo...scary!) we'll be beginning our in shop Charlotte's Web-a-long! Friday nights from 5-7 pm will be a knit along where we can all gather and stress out about what colors to pick and where we screwed up the pattern, and with any luck make it fun and painless! The Charlotte's Web Shawl is a Koigu Design's classic, and is newly revised and reprinted in Maie Landra's book, Knits From A Painter's Palette. RSVP to courtney@rosiesyarncellar.com.

Spring Rowan Magazine 41

It's here! Full of patterns, over 60 this time! There are also interviews with Jennie Atkinson whose romantic designs have been incredibly popular (she's the one who did the Kidsilk Haze camisole/tunic/dress/whatever the heck on the cover of Rowan 37) and with kid's designer Catherine Tough. There is also a section on re-creating and recycling thrift store type thinga-ma-bobs with knitting and making them, y'know...cool, like.

Here are some previews:

Oh oh oh! Sale!!

Hey everybody!
We are clearing out some stuff to make room for Spring! Yes, I know it's -25 degrees outside, you're the ones who keep asking what we have new for spring! Seriously, yesterday someone asked and it was 4 degrees outside (not Celcius). There is still plenty of wool. There will always be wool. Fear not. There is even new wool arriving! But, we are putting out All Season's Cotton and Elsbeth Lavold's Hempathy and there is a new FABULOUS stranded raw silk from Autumn House Farms which is S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. Oh, and the new Alchemy Silk called Pagoda which we had to have after we saw Toni knitting it up as a Clapotis.
And we are putting on sale:
Superyak from Karabella, 50/50 merino and yak
Fiora from Adrienne Vittadini, wool and mohair with tiny sequins (very pretty, and I'm not someone to go in for the glitz)
Di-ve from... someone or other (it's a feltable thick and thin pretty multi colored job at about 4-1")
Baby Cover and Baby Star (two multi wool baby yarns)
hmmm...
Oh! And All Season's Cotton Print which has been discontinued.
Photos of new stuff coming soon!!!

Just in: New Manos Cotton Stria colors

If you're looking for a burst of spring, check out the five new colors in Manos Cotton Stria. From left to right, Sea Foam; Orchid; Avocado; Coral; and Denim. [Because of monitor variations, and my lousy Photoshop skills, the colors are even more lovely in real life.] Supersoft, with great pattern support from Design Source.

Silent Poetry Reading

How could I pass up the opportunity?

O Taste and See

The world is
not with us enough.
O taste and see

the subway Bible poster said,
meaning The Lord, meaning
if anything all that lives
to the imagination's tongue,

grief, mercy, language,
tangerine, weather, to
breathe them, bite,
savor, chew, swallow, transform

into our flesh our
deaths, crossing the street, plum, quince,
living in the orchard and being

hungry, and plucking
the fruit.


-- Denise Levertov

Interweave Spring 2007

is here!

And all I have to say is:

Eunny Jang's Entrelac Koigu Knee-Socks!

Interweave Spring 2007

is here!

And all I have to say is:

Eunny Jang's Entrelac Koigu Knee-Socks!