What’s Going on at the Shop?

The Popularity of Breed Specific Yarns

Whilst hand spinners have always enjoyed spinning yarn from just one breed of sheep, larger spinneries have been developing Breed specific yarns. My first encounter was in England at the Yarntopia event in London. There I met Blacker Yarns, who have their standby’s—Blue Faced Leicester, Gotland, Jacob, and Shetland—but also have limited edition rare breeds, like Hill Radnor and Oxford Down. Cultivating breed specific yarns has been a growing interest in the United States. Right now I carry American Shetland from Montana and Colorado, Navajo Ramouillet, Cormo from Wyoming, Merino from Virginia, and Jacob from Vermont, so I was happy with Katie Sullivan of Bobolink Yarns in Vermont contacted me to carry the Breed specific yarns she is producing from local, mainly meat farms who do not use their wool: Cheviot, Coopworth, Clun Forest, and Romney. Katie is also interested in capturing wool which is going in the dump. She has upcycled mill ends from Darn Tough Socks that she has spun and dyed into beautiful and vibrant lace weight yarn. In addition, she is interested in figuring out how to put to use wool that is not appropriate for spinning but can be used for other purposes: mulching, soaking up spills, heat-resistant fabrics, etc. She will be speaking at the shop on Friday, March 11th, at 5:00 when we’ll be able to knit with some of her yarns. Join us!

Katie Sullivan from Bobolink Yarns with some of her upcycled yarn.

March 5, 2022 0

Post-Covid (?) Small Business

Why am I writing this now? I notice more businesses being less able to keep the hours we expected them to keep in the past. Post-Covid (not that we feel quite “post” yet) small businesses seem to be saying, “Things are different.” They are opening fewer hours, offering fewer menu items, and providing fewer seats. Being closed during Covid taught small businesses a few lessons. One: life is better when you are not working 24-7. Two: you can often make just as much money with take-away as with in-house seating. Three: You are the boss. The rules for what was once common practice in providing a service (operating hours, staffing, in-person interaction), no longer apply.

Unfortunately the customer is out there in the parking lot saying, “Geez, I miss sitting inside and socializing with my neighbors.”

Therein lies the rub.

Small coffee shops and bars and, yes, even yarn shops, offer the opportunity to socialize with neighbors that other retail shops don’t offer. The onus is on these neighborhood shops to provide a milieu for the community. Who would have known that they had the burden of the entire community spirit on their shoulders? And yet they do. What is Main street without a coffee house? Nada. What is an afternoon without lunch at a brewhouse? Boring. Who visits a town when all the stores are closed? No one. Absolutely no one. Drive around and you’ll see small downtowns that didn’t make it and it is a sad sight…all those empty storefronts staring woefully at you.

So be mindful, my friends. Cultivate your community. Support your local businesses and community events. Don’t take anything for granted, because you may turn around and it will be gone. Then all you’ll have left is, “Remember when…” We all love the idea of the quaint Main Street, but if we all buy from on-line sites, because we got so used to not leaving home, and we don’t support that Main Street we love, guess what? Like all things neglected, it will go away.

That being said…I’m reducing my hours in September to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10:30-4:30. I’ll be back to Wednesdays through Saturday come October, when I’ll also re-start classes and events.

August 31, 2021 0

Great Northern Yarn Haul!

The 6th Annual Great Northern Yarn Haul begins July 9th and goes to August 1st, with the most ever participating yarn shops–28–spanning from the coast of Maine to Lake Champlain! Love.Yarn.Shop. has their kick-off event on Friday, the 9th at 5:00. With a $20 purchase, participants get a free shopper tote (while supplies last). All the shops are contributing $25 gift certificates, which will be awarded to randomly drawn eligible contenders. Plus, many will have give-aways and door prizes!

July 3, 2021 0

Project Restart

At the beginning of every year, I make a list of 20 goals: short-term, mid-term, and long-term. The top of my short-term goals this year were my UFO’s (unfinished objects). Finish, rip, or re-envision. I may have more UFO’s than many because when I teach a class, I’ll start the project, but not always finish it. So far, I bound off a lace-work shawl to make a doll’s shawl. I finished a skirt—it only needed 1/2 row of knitting, binding off, and an i-cord! I finished two half-completed second socks. I took a two-color brioche scarf, bound it off, made a cowl and put two great buttons on it. This is a partial list of UFO’s to finish: second mitten, fair isle vest (back finished), summer top (back finished), baby sweater (up to arms), baby blanket in DK weight (into middle of second skein), cable throw blanket bulky (into third skein), lace weight cowl (3/4’s done), mitred-square baby blanket (into second row of squares), multiple single socks…you get the picture. I know I am not alone in having multiple unfinished projects, and that I am not the only one picking away at projects and stashes. I just received an email from a customer with this line, “I’ve been doing some “stash busting”- making a shifty cowl.” This slip-stitch cowl uses three colors, so it is a great stash buster to use three single fingering weight skeins

These are four road-trip UFO’s: baby blanket, baby sweater, sock, and mitten.

March 9, 2021 2

Size B, No Nipple

What strikes me as most heart-warming about the Knitted Knockers project are the notes knitters put on the breast prosthetics, and the creativity that goes into some of the “knitted knockers.” With Covid-19 restrictions, we aren’t delivering them to Norris Cotton in St. Johnsbury, but have them at the shop for women to look over and choose. So please come in on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday between 10:30 and 5:00 if you’d like a soft, knitted, breast prosthetic.

September 5, 2020 0

Settling in to a Sweater

Now that the cool weather is circling around us, my thoughts turn to which sweater to knit. Not that I don’t have a large variety of unfinished projects, from skirts to vests to summer tops to baby blankets, but I don’t have a sweater on the go, which for me, is the most satisfying project to knit when autumn comes. Last year I knit Pam Allen’s “Larch,” from her book Plain & Simple. This year I have pulled a selection: “Whole Weekend,” by von Hinterim Stein is right up my alley—attractive details at the cuffs and turtleneck collar, i-cord bind offs, raglan sleeves—simple, but enough flair to make it stand out. Then there’s the “Essential Sweater Dress” from Anna Cohen for Imperial Stock Ranch. Once again, turtleneck, but loose like a cowl, with an interesting wide garter stitch band down the front to mid-thigh. Yet, I am drawn to another Pam Allen, this time a cardigan, “Chestnut,” which has an overall cable pattern, the decreases occurring in the side stockinette band. Another cardigan under consideration is “Emma” in Julie Weisenberger’s Cocoknits Sweater Workshop. This open, long, and loose cardigan is perfect for throwing on in when the temperature’s drop in the evening. I like the extension of the ribbing up the back of the arms and the fabric side pocket construction. Plus, I’ve been wanting to try to the Cocoknits Method for a Tailored Yoke. That may be what sways my decision (and the fact that it is knit in bulky yarn on size 11 needles) but for now, I’m still reading over the patterns and wandering around the store looking at yarns.

August 29, 2020 0

Divine Unction

Jane, the Colonial house manager, had not been a knitter, but she spent many hours on the sidewalk outside the yarn shop while we were knitting and spinning, chit-chatting. Ann spun most days we could sit outside, so hours were pleasantly passed, talking to passers by commenting on traffic, weather, politics, health, family, you name it. About a week after Ann passed away, Jane said she received a “divine unction” to become a knitter. “One knitter dies, a new knitter is born,” she said. Divine unction: that’s a lot to live up to, Jane—called out of the world for holy work, “the unction comes to make you useful. It will be like an odour that is not to be hidden: it fills all the room. You will be a prophet to teach, shedding light by your example. You will be a priest, to offer the sacrifice of praise. You will be a king, having rule over your own spirit.” It sounds like you’ll be following in Ann’s footsteps, that the odor is lavender, and I’m sure she is smiling.

August 7, 2020 1

What a world we live in.

In the town I have my business, there was no recreation program for children. It’s understandable. There are so many unknowns with getting people together right now. We see the result of bars opening, beaches opening, etc. More people infected by Covid-19 and more deaths. It’s not to be taken lightly, no matter how one would like to pretend we can get back to normal. You only need to talk to a nurse or doctor in a Covid unit to know this. People are dying. Yet, we are chomping at the bit to get back to socializing. We are social animals. So I arranged some sessions for kids in Bethlehem. I am teaching fiber-related crafts, and there are sessions in French, storytelling, singing, and most popular, golf. I sent an email out to business owners mainly. The response was poor. Many people are not ready to put themselves at risk. It isn’t worth it. I understand. In fact, the number of kids signing up is low—except for golf. I understand. No one wants to increase the number of sick people in our area. So it is with caution that we offer these classes. Everyone needs to see each other, to be in contact, and we do it sensibly…with masks, with fresh air, following guidelines, because more that needing to be with each other, we need to take care of each other.

July 11, 2020 0

Re-opening? Cautiously.

Casual observance indicates that people are getting more lax with mask-wearing and social distancing. We are blessed with a beautiful, rural environment that has allowed us to get out and enjoy nature without meeting too many people. In our towns, we see people out walking regularly—alone or with their family members—and there is no need to wear a mask. Our restaurants have been providing curbside take-out to keep themselves afloat and we have been enjoying some semblance of normalcy by supporting them. As things begin to loosen up with New Hampshire’s Governor’s 2.0 announcement, retail shops are able to re-open on May 11th if they follow guidelines. Like many of you, I have people in my life who are vulnerable and I do not want to unwittingly transmit the virus to them. So I will open up the shop doors for people to come in, following the guidelines that make sense in my small space. Starting May 14th, I will open the doors on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 10:30 to 5:00, requesting that traveling companions wait outside on the bench or in the car, that patrons wear a mask, that we have no more than two customers at a time browsing while maintaining our social distancing. To protect my customers, I will wear a mask, wash my hands between transactions, and provide hand-sanitizer. However, I will also still provide curbside pick-up, phone, on-line, and email ordering. I will also accommodate individuals Monday through Wednesday by appointment and continue to schedule Zoom Yarn Tastings and classes. We have kept the cases in northern New Hampshire low by following the rules. Let’s continue to protect each other through our vigilance: stay safe by social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and yes, wearing masks.

May 6, 2020 0

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