market time

amy, cindy and I are back from market and boy, did we see a lot! market is wonderful and overwhelming all at the same time. we get to see all the wonderful yarns and needlepoint. we see old friends and make my new ones. we network with others in the industry - find out what is selling and what is not. plus we take classes to learn how to run the business better; get new skills in knitting, crochet, and needlepoint; and learn what is working (or not) for different shops.

because the YARN mart has both knitting/crochet yarns and needlepoint, we have a lot of ground to cover. over 100 vendors are looking at us to try their wares and bring them into our shop. and we want to pick the best stuff for you - our customer! did I mention overwhelming?

we are bringing in several wonderful new yarn companies as well as adding individual yarns to existing lines. pepperberry knits 100% cashmere dk and zen garden serenity 20 are our new cashmere and cashmere blends that we will introduce in the fall. and reywa bloom and embrace are a yak/silk blend lace weight and 100% yak dk weight. bloom will be here next week and has a lovely hand. we have a great pattern for a beautiful shawl using 2 colors and only 2 skeins. it is held double so it is a quicker knit than a regular lace weight project.

koigu kpm & kpppm

koigu KPM & KPPPM are coming back and we have order 22 new colors. and kandy will be teaching the charlotte's web shawl so watch the newsletter for information about this class. we also reordered colinette jitterbug and zauberball/laceball - 2 of our favorites that have been out of stock for awhile.

we added zumie, a super bulky in wonderful bright colors, to our super bulky line up. and found a great pattern using the fibre company tundra and be sweet magic ball. will make a great christmas present. and we could leave market without ordering from malabrigo. we doubled our annual order of rasta; upped our order of rios; and added mecha.

i'm probably most excited about mrs. crosby. for months we have been getting postcards from all over the world from "mrs. crosby." i had no idea who was sending them to us. well i found out last week. mrs. crosby loves to play is the name of a new yarn company by the dyeing genius at lorna's laces. we are bring in all 20 colors in steamer trunk (100% super wash merino) and carpet bag (merino and silk). i can't wait to introduce everyone to mrs. crosby and these wonderful yarns. watch for a launch in the next few months. you don't want to miss this.

in addition to all the great yarns, we bought new bags, accessories, and needlepoint supplies. we walked through needlepoint and got a better sense of what is out there so we can help you special order canvases.

we all had a great time and can't wait to show you all the new stuff as it comes in to the shop.

mystery KAL - the fibre company meadow - number 2

here is the info about the may day mystery knit a long using the fibre company's meadow. 

Like last year, the May Day Mystery Knit-A-Long will use one skein The Fibre Company Meadow. A blend of merino, baby llama, silk and linen, this shawl will be perfect for summertime knitting. 

The pattern will be available for purchase for $4.50 through Ravelry beginning today, May 1. Please purchase the pattern before May 10th to receive the initial swatch instructions. All pattern clues will be sent to your Ravelry inbox. Participant updates and spoiler alerts can also be posted on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or as comments on our blog, and tagged #KWMKAL (Kelbourne Woolens Mystery Knit-A-Long). To make it fun for everyone, please post spoiler alerts in our SPOILER ALERT thread if posting project pictures before the next clue is released!

Here is a list of featured Meadow stockists who have elected to participate in the knit-a-long, and are ready for your Mystery Knit-A-Long needs!*

The pattern will be updated every Saturday as follows:

* May 10th: Tutorial on measuring gauge in a lace pattern, tips and tricks on knitting lace from charts,  and swatching instructions. Clue A directions.

* May 17th: Info about common shawl shapes and how they are created. Clue B directions.

* May 31st: Tips and tricks on how to properly "read" lace and how pairing decreases and increased creates different visual results. Clue C directions.

* June 7th: Information on the difference between "lace knitting" "knitted lace" and how to work lace on the WS rows. Clue D directions.

* June 14th: How to make smooth transitions between lace patterns and different methods for adding texture into lace. Clue E directions.

* June 21st: Edgings! A few different ways edgings are created. How to work this MKAL's edging and finishing instructions. Clue F directions. 

At the close of the MKAL all participants will receive a final formatted single pdf of the whole pattern.

may day mystery knit a long

mystery knit a longs have always intrigued me. but i've never done one. so i'm going to start with the may day mystery knit a long with the fibre companies' meadow.

last year's may day mystery knit a long was the meadowsweet shawl.

who knows what this year's project will be…

here is how it works. the fibre company will send out an email each week with a part of the pattern. there will also be a ravelry group that you can join to follow (i'll get you the link once it is set up). we will knit along in cyberspace with hundreds of other mystery knit a longers. no need to sign up at the store or tell us that you will be knitting with us. of course questions are always welcome. and we will help you in store if you need us. 

we do know that the project will take one skein of meadow, the fibre company's beautiful lace weight merino/llama/silk/linen yarn. one skein has 545 yards so i'm thinking it will be another shawl of sorts. we have many of meadow's beautiful colors in stock so come and pickup a skein this weekend.

so today we will get the first email and i'll pass along that information through the blog. i'll also let you know on facebook and instagram when we have a new clue and then you can come to the website to get the information.

best of luck!

thanks harold ramis!

harold ramis, creator of national lampoon's vacation and ghostbusters, died yesterday. check on out this crocheted slimer on ravelry.

remembering kay

with heavy hearts, we are sad to announce the passing of Kay Kilbury.

kay owned The Yarn Mart for over 40 years and was a fixture at the table for much longer. countless people learned to knit and needlepoint under her watchful eye. she was passionate about needle crafts and willingly shared her knowledge and wisdom with all who wanted to learn. she remembered most everyone's name. and if she didn't remember your name, she knew what you had knitted or needlepointed.

she was an incredible cook. whether her white pimento cheese, chicken salad or Bishop's chicken, we enjoyed her food and she enjoyed serving it. she loved trying new recipes and sharing her epicureal curiosity with others.

we will miss her very much and feel so fortune to have known her.

we will honor her at the shop and will let you know the details soon.

the yarn mart girls

please share your memories about kay by commenting on this blog post. we will share them with her family.

tech tip: patternfish

PATTERNFISH.COM is a Canadian site that sells patterns from both yarn companies and independent designers. Patternfish has many web exclusive rights to sell many wonderful patterns that have been out of print for years or are only available in books. The Yarn Mart, LLC was one of first four shops in the world listed as a Patternfish Friendly Yarn Shop. This means that you can come into The Yarn Mart and purchase a pattern from Patternfish.

Patternfish can be a little tricky to navigate and the search feature could use some tweaking but it is worth the visit to see all the wonderful patterns they have for sell. Companies like Classic Elite Yarns and designers like Knitting Pure and Simple have made their patterns available exclusively to Patternfish. So if you are looking for a classic pattern, Patternfish is your best bet.

welcome cooperative press

i think most people who read this blog know that i'm a huge book nerd. i think the fancy title is bibliophile but book nerd is more appropriate for me. i love to read but i really like to collect books. much like i love to knit and needlepoint but i'm more of a yarn and canvas collector.

so having said this, i'm super excited to bring cooperative press to the yarn mart. i love their books and they are perfect for a book nerd. not only have we brought in dishcloth diva, perfect gift book, and shaping shawls, which would be great for any shawl knitter who thought they knew it all. but i have also selected a couple of the super nerdy choices like what else would madame defarge knit?: 28 more patterns & essays inspired by classic literature and needles and artiface: a refined adventure story with ingenious knitting patterns. 

next time you are in the shop, check out the cooperative press titles and indulge the book nerd in you.