Some of my favourite books
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Over the last few days I’ve added several more yarns and books to the site. I have also dropped the prices for all yarn to 60% off and for the books to 70% off. These are the best bargains you will find anywhere. I have also added pattern packs to the website. These are packs of either 5 or 10 patterns, either adults, kids or babies, and will include the Sirdar, Stylecraft, Hayfield and other yarn company patterns. It will be my choice of patterns in the pack, but I will also make sure there are no duplicates. The prices for these patterns are be unbeatable (it works out to $1.60 per pattern, well below cost price), that is why it is my choice as to what will be in the packs.
I am however beginning to wonder if it is worth it to continue with this. It takes a lot of time to add items to the website, and to set the sale prices, but if no one is interested enough to actually purchase anything, I am not going to go on with it. It also costs me money to have the website, and with my husband retiring next year, I can’t afford to waste any more money.
Most of you will have seen and touched these yarns before, because it is all leftovers from the store, and you know I only had good quality yarns in the store, so you should not have to worry about the yarn not measuring up to your standards.
If what is holding you back is having to pay for shipping, if you are in the area and can come to the parking lot at Staples, I will deliver there, since I would have to drive into town anyway to mail the parcel. That way you don’t have to pay for shipping. I can then also take exact cash, or you can prepay with your credit card through paypal on the website.
Since I am getting overwhelmed with all the boxes occupying my craft area and the rest of the house, I think I am going to see if I can sell anything of this stock to other stores and discontinuing completely making knitting supplies available to people in the area. I just can’t deal with all this stuff in my house any longer, and why keep it in stock if no one is interested in buying it, even at great discounts.
I have spend the last couple of weeks adding a lot more things to the website. Quite a few more yarns were added, and several books.
Currently all the books are 60% off, which is below cost price. There will be more books added over the next several days.
Starting on Thursday Dec 8 until the end of the year (or while supplies last) all yarns will be 40% off. This is a great sale, and there is still time to knit some of the smaller items for Christmas.
Don’t wait too long with placing an order, since what is listed on the website is all there is, and when it is gone, it is gone.
I hope that a lot of the boxes will be emptied, so that I have room again to move in my basement. I need the space back for my sanity, I can’t get at most of my crafts to work on them, and I’d like to get back to them and finish some items that have been waiting for me for the last 10 years. And I’d like to do them before the arthritis in my hands won’t let me continue with the finer things.
So please, order lots and let me have my basement back!
I will also be adding more yarn and other things to the website, until I have all of it listed, so check back frequently.
Some of the things I have been working on in the last few weeks is Christmas decorations. One set I have finished, this snow family
It was a lot of fun to knit this, you can purchase the pattern here. You do have to be proficient in circular knitting, since they are done completely in the round, no seams. That is about the only reason these are finished, the only time I needed a sewing up needle was for finishing ends and doing the embroidery. The original is done in Berroco Peruvia, which I didn’t have in white, so I used the Berroco Comfort. However, that yarn is a bit thinner than the Peruvia, so they became a bit smaller, and I had to change to a DK and a smaller needle for the hats and scarves, since they were too big when done in the worsted as indicated.
I have knitted quite a few other decorations, but they need to be sewn up, so they take a bit longer to do. A good designer for Christmas designs similar to these is Alan Dart, and his website is here. He has some of the most fantastic knitted ‘toy’ type things that are really not considered toys, but are great for display. Another great one is Jean Greenhowe. I have most of the Jean Greenhowe booklets in stock, most are $9.95, the Christmas Treasures is $10.95, and a couple are $13.95. These last were a recent shipment, and I guess the price on them went up a fair amount. I don’t have them listed on my website yet, but if you are interested, email me and I will tell you if I have it.
So don’t forget. Sale starts on Dec 8 and ends on Dec 31, or until supplies last!!
After a lot of work, and quite a few problems, we finally have our online store up and running.
The link to it can be found at the yarnshop.ca website, or you can get to it directly from here.
It is not complete yet, we will be adding new items on a daily basis, so check back frequently.
It has been a very busy summer, I didn’t realize how much work it was to get the online store looking just right. And then to get it working with Canada Post, as well as Paypal took a lot of testing.
I have done a fair amount of knitting this summer, and actually managed to get a few things finished. Here are some pictures: 
This first one is done in a now discontinued yarn, Sirdar’s Just Bamboo, in 3 colours, white, grey and pink. It was a very nice knitted ribbon type yarn. This is my own pattern, I used Barbara Walker’s Knitting from the Top to design it. It is top down, raglan sleeves, and I used a pattern stitch from the Brioche Stitch book.
This is another top down, own design, again using Barbara Walker’s book. This was done in a hand dyed linen yarn, that I may bring in for the online store, if there is any request for it. It comes in solids as well.
This top uses the ‘set-in sleeve worked at the same time as the yoke’ method. It is quite interesting, if you look closely, you can see that the variegation continues across the sleeves. The yoke is knit in garter stitch, while the body part is done in a mock cable rib.
I love knitting from the top, and doing my own thing using this book, since you can make something to fit you, and by the time you cast off, finish the ends, you are done!! No sewing…a knitter’s dream.
Another ‘from the top’ sweater, though this time I used a freebie pattern from the internet. You can download it here.
I did make a couple of adjustments on this sweater, because the front and the back of this sweater is exactly the same, and that is just not me, I need the back neck to be higher than the front, or else it doesn’t sit nice. So I added some short rows above and below the yoke in the back to raise the back neck up some. I used Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Tweed, which is a discontinued yarn, but I still have a bit of it left, and it will appear on the website in the near future, as soon as I come across the box that it is in, so that I can measure the skeins.
I know a lot of you are also cross stitchers, and you might be interested to know that I have gotten back into doing cross stitch. Of course, my sister having opened a needlework shop in Nanaimo doesn’t help any. It’s called The Stitcher’s Muse, and she has also been working hard on getting her online store up and running. If you are ever in Nanaimo she is located right in the old downtown area, in the Dorchester Hotel. She has been egging me on this summer by telling me about websites of interesting new-to-me designers. One that I could not resist was this one: Chatelaine Designs. I have made a couple of her freebies on this page, the ones I did were the tiny rose garden, and the springtime roses. They were fun to do, and inspired me to do one of the bigger ones. This is the one I started : Konstantinople Mandala. Here is a picture of how far I am:
This is just the very center of the design. It is the alternate center that has an ornamental pond instead of the bathing lady. I am just about to start the triangles around the center square. It uses a lot of silks, metallics, beads and special stitches. I am doing it on black linen, since that made the colours stand out the best. The very center will have a large square aquamarine Swarovski crystal on it.
There is another designer whose designs I’d like to get started on, it is called Heaven and Earth Designs. All her designs are based on art work of some fabulous artists, and all the designs are done on 25 count linen, over one, so very detailed. She has so many designs that I just can’t decide which one to start off with.
Now that the website is more or less up and running, I will have more time for weaving, spinning, dyeing and stitching, and you will see more pictures of the things I am doing. It won’t all be knitting, so if you have no interest in seeing any of the other things that occupy my life, please feel free to unsubscribe from the newsletter.
So go check out the new online store, and if you come across any errors or issues, please let me know, so that I can correct them.
We have finished moving everything out of the store, and sigh…into our house. There was still so much stuff left, that I can barely move in my basement (so much for having a fibre studio….I can just manage to get at my loom). The car also has to live outside now, since the garage is full with all the fixtures that didn’t sell. Guess I’ll have to have a garage sale sometime soon, and hope I can sell a lot of it. If by any chance you know of someone who is looking for glass shelving, magazine/book racks, button racks etc., or looking for tables and chairs (I have an oval dinette set with 6 chairs, and a round set with 4 chairs), let me know…..or get them to email me. I also have quite a few slatwall and pegboard hooks for sale.
In the meantime, I guess I’ll get to finalizing the inventory of the leftover yarns this weekend, and next week I will start on getting the new web store up and running. In the meantime, if there is anything in particular you are looking for, please send me an email, and I will check to see if I have it, and then I can send you a Paypal invoice, and I can mail it out to you.
I would like to get started on dyeing yarns etc. but the way things stand right now, I have to sell off a lot of current stock before I can find the room to do any dyeing. So if you are eager to see and buy some of the hand dyed yarns, you will have to purchase some of the existing things, and/or convince your friends and acquaintances to purchase some yarns, and books/patterns as soon as I have them up on the website. I have waaayyy too many books and patterns left. There will be some good deals to be had once it is up and running.
So, if you are looking for something that you think I had, and may still have some left of, please email me and ask. The faster I can sell the leftovers, the better.
You can email me either at info at yarnshop dot ca or at knits at yarnshop dot ca.
So, we’ve had out last day of sales at our store. The webstore is also closed for the time being. I am in the process of setting up a new webstore, but it will take a few weeks for it to be up and running. I first have to clean out the store, and do an inventory, so that I know what I can add to the new web store. Keep checking back, or subscribe to the newsletter, because the announcement of the new webstore opening will be announced here. We will have the leftovers from the store, as well as some exciting new hand dyed yarns.
I am planning on doing some of my own dyeing, but in the meantime, I may bring in some of the yarns from electrictree yarns on Saltspring Island. I saw them today when I was at Fibers West in Abbotsford. They have a great sockyarn in fabulous colours, that is also great for baby clothes, though it is not a superwash. it is machine wash gentle and lay flat to dry, but that is no big deal, considering the softness of this yarn. Another one I am looking at is SweetGeorgia Yarns.
I had a great time at Fibers West, bought some great yarns for weaving, which may or may not end up in fabric or scarves for the website….stay tuned. I also picked up some neat books on weaving, needlefelting and Kumihimo braiding. The latter is something I have done a bit of, but hopefully I will have more time now, and I may show/sell some of the results in the webstore.
Anyone who purchased any of my fixtures can come and pick them up on either Tuesday or Wednesday, between 10 am and 4 pm. If anyone or if you know of anyone who would be interested in glass shelving (cubbies) or dump bins, or any other fixtures still left, please come in on Tuesday or Wednesday March 22 and 23 (10-4) to purchase any of them. the less stuff I have to store at home the better. It is all for sale. If you have any questions, please email me at info at yarnshop.ca (replace the at with an @, no spaces)
I was not going to increase the discount any more…but I was told in no uncertain terms that there was no room in the house to bring any leftover yarn home. So it all has to be sold.
There are still a lot of books and patterns left too. I don’t understand why people won’t buy books. I think they are a great value. Just think, you get quite a few patterns in one book, making the cost of each pattern quite a bit less than buying individual patterns. Not only that, but there is a lot of information in books that you don’t get when just buying patterns. They often give hints on how to make the items better, or how to make them fit better, or how to do certain stitches. Often they also give you insight on what the designer was thinking when designing the garment, or what was intended with a certain technique. So if cost has held you back on purchasing a book, now is your chance….They are all 50% off, which means they are being sold well below cost price. Everything else is now 40% off. There are still quite a few circular needles left, so now is the time to fill in the ones missing in you needle stash, even those you don’t think you will ever use, you will eventually need it for something, and then you will have to pay full price elsewhere.
 To give you an incentive to come and get some of the interesting yarns we still have in stock I came up with this scarf pattern. It uses one main yarn, and several fancy yarns. It is fairly easy to knit, just one row that has patterning in it, the rest is just knits and purls. It automatically makes the scallops, and the ends are incorporated into the fringe, no sewing in ends….
The pattern has options for a shawl or a throw as well, so it is very versatile. The pattern is for sale at $3.95, and is 50% off.
Hope you will come in and clear out all my stock before March 19…Oh, and there are still several fixtures for sale, like book cases, table and chairs, glass shelving, and several different racks. And then there is a large amount of hooks that are good for pegboard or slat wall, in different lengths.
I just received the latest newsletter form Vogue Knitting, and in it they announced a new type of preview of the next issue of Vogue Knitting. Veeerrrry interesting…
I have for a long time be very irritated by the way they picture the garments in the magazine, since it seems they are more interested in showing off their expertise in fashion photography than that they actually show the garments so that you can se what the pattern looks like…..
Well, that has now all changed! The latest preview is now online videos on their website showing the garments on a live model, and showing it in 360 degrees, in close up, so you can really see what the garment is like! Plus someone talks about how it is knit, and which yarn is used. Fabulous! Now I can’t wait for the next issue to appear in the stores!
You can check it out here.
We have entered the last stretch of the store being open. In three weeks at the end of March 19, we will close our doors forever.
Right now all things are 35% off, and books and patterns are 45% off, which is well below cost price for most. There will be no more price reduction, so don’t wait until it is too late, yarn is disappearing fast.
As of this newsletter, things on the website will start changing. I will be talking more about other things I am doing, like weaving, spinning, lacemaking, quilting etc. It will not be specifically about yarn and knitting. I am for the time being leaving the newsletter set up as it is. If you no longer wish to receive it, please go here to unsubscribe. The newsletter will go out once a week if there are new posts on the website, but it won’t if I haven’t posted anything for a week. The online shop will also change in the next couple of months. The current one will close, and as soon as I have figured out the new software, it will reopen, but with different items listed, and only PayPal available for payment. the things that hopefully will appear on the site will be hand dyed yarn and fibers, threads for tatting, crochet and mini knitting, and possibly some hand dyed/printed fabrics as well.
This is a sweater I was working on a couple of months ago. It is out of the book Shadow Knitting by Vivian Hoxbro. It is finally finished. I used Noro Silk Garden sock yarn and another 4-ply that I already had in my stash, You could also use the Noro Kureyon sock yarn that there is still quite a bit left of. It was an easy knit, mostly just knits and purls, but it is interesting how the shading changes in diagonal stripes. This is done by doing parts of the wrong side rows in knit, and the other parts in purl. the whole sweater is knitted in one piece, from cuff to cuff, so there are only the underarm/side seams to sew up. I changed the neckline, because it had a stand-up edge, and I changed it to lay flat like a collar. The original pattern called for several colours of the light coloured yarn, but it was a lot easier to use the self striping Noro yarn, less ends to weave in!
As you can see, sock yarn is not just for sock knitting!! And things made with the finer yarns are a lot more comfortable to wear…
Ok folks, this is it, the final stretch has started. The final big sale starts on Tuesday, and will continue until everything is gone.
Starting on Tuesday Jan 18 everything that is not already on sale will be 25% off. The books, booklets, patterns, needles, yarn, it’s all on sale.
We are also taking offers for the fixtures, like the shelving, the bookracks, the cash desk etc. Also, a lot of our samples will be for sale, so if you know of anyone who might be interested in finished items, let them know. If it has a price tag on it, it is for sale.
The earlier you come in, the better the selection will be, so don’t miss out!! Once it’s gone, it’s gone…..and we won’t be ordering more. If you wait for the prices to drop more, what you want may be gone….
I am planning on keeping my website (the blog part) going, and I will eventually add hand dyed yarns and fibres, as well as some standard solids to a web store, which will also have my handwoven things on it, as well as any new patterns I design
But I won’t be talking just about knitting, but also about any of the other things I do, like tatting, bobbinlace, weaving, spinning, dyeing, quilting, and just about any other type of needlework you can think of. I won’t be sending out any more newsletters by email after the store closes. If you want to keep up with what I am doing, or see if I have any stuff for sale on my website, you’ll have check it on line, or subscribe to the RSS feed from the blog. I hope I will see you there! And yes, you can leave comments on the blog….
The store will be closed from Friday Dec 24 at 2pm until Jan 4. Hope everyone will have a great holiday with family and friends. We will see you again in the New Year.
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This is the station I listen to, at work and at home
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