Friday, March 26, 2010

Cold Snap= Good Times!

We've enjoyed the great weather for the past two weeks. After all of that snow & rain, we deserved weather conditions that didn't denote end-of-the-world scenarios. Today, however, it's a bit chilly and the weekend is supposed to be in the cooler temps as well. How do you knit for such weather?

Some have already begun their summer knitting but for the rest of us (me) we still want to cast on with wool & alpaca. The weather shouldn't stop you from knitting what you like. Rosie's received a shipment of some deliciously soft yarn from Swans Island Yarns.

1st row: Natural, Grey, Robin's Egg Blue
2nd row: Purple, Red, Orange, Spring Green
3rd row: Teal, Navy, Charcoal

The yarn, which we have in both fingering weight & worsted weight, is a certified organic merino yarn that is naturally dyed. Spun in Maine, they are mordanted with non-metallic mordants, and then skein-dyed with natural substances such as indigo, cochineal, madder, weld, and other plant dyes. The yarn is color fast so no worries about the beautiful shades not staying.

Both the fingering & worsted are $30 per skein. The fingering weight has 580 yards per skein and the worsted has 250 yards per skein making both the perfect one-skein-project yarn. If you have a larger project in mind,  due to the small batches, it's best to buy as much as you need for a project at one time (but it's good to practice this with any project/yarn!).

P.S.: Don't forget to sign up for the Maryland Sheep & Wool bus! The Early Bird special still stands and will be in place until April 2nd. Basic seating is $40 right now and the High Flyer (which includes a boxed breakfast) is $55. After April 2nd the prices will go up to $45 and $60 respectively. Reserve your seats now by calling the store at 215-977-9276 or stopping by to add your name to the list. See you soon!

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Adventures of Miss Flitt


On Sunday April 11th, come by the shop and see Beth Hahn, the creator of a wonderful knitwear design/watercolor/mystery tale. At 1pm, there will be a reading of chosen selections from her book, The Adventures of Miss Flitt, a four-part, illustrated, 19th century mystery with character-based knitting patterns by Beth Hahn. The story follows Emma Flitt into a Victorian New York filled with magicians, clairvoyants, charlatans, and pick pockets to unravel the mysterious disappearance of her sister Lucy.

Beth will bring some of her beautiful watercolors along with her, as well as samples of the knitwear designs whose patterns can be found in the Miss Flitt book.  The book will be available for purchase on Sunday and if you'd like to see more about the book and Beth, visit her website here and we'll see you April 11th!

Friday, March 05, 2010

Little box, big plans

Something big is happening at Rosie's, something we've been excitedly preparing for over the last couple of months. Yesterday everything started coming together, and it all began with the delivery of one, innocuous box from our trusty UPS man.


What's in the box? Two Cricket Looms, several Hi-Lo spindles, and two sets of hand carders. And more, much more, is on its way, most notably, spinning wheels and fiber. If you've ever thought of expanding your fiber arts repertoire, Rosie's is here to help!


Check back soon to see what's come in, and if you're in the shop, take a look at our newly carved out niche for weaving and spinning. It's right next to the laceweight... you know, just to keep you inspired.