What’s Going on at the Shop?

Olivia’s Legacy—Raising Up Affordable Housing

The impact of the Airbnb market on affordable housing is being felt everywhere, from here in our small town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire, to larger cities world wide. Out-of-staters buy up affordable housing and operate them as Airbnb’s from afar. The regulations and local zoning ordinances aren’t keeping up with this fairly recent phenomenon in housing. Neighborhood families are finding the fabric of their lives changed as Airbnb’s next door host tourists, who may or may not respect the quiet 9-5 around them—after all, they are on vacation, which may mean, lots of people, lots of noise, lots of fun…for them. The neighbors, on the other hand, may feel their residential district just became a hotel district. Olivia cared about affordable housing for most of her career and AHEAD housing was not just her employer, but her passion. Affordable housing and knitting, that is.

Many knitters accumulate a “stash” of yarn, and Olivia was no different. We often wonder what will happen to the yarn that we not only invested in financially, but loved so much. When her daughter asked if I would like Olivia’s yarn after she passed, I told her I would figure out what best to do with it. Olivia’s Legacy is her stash in a bureau in my shop. The proceeds from the sale of her yarn will go directly to AHEAD; in fact, customers need to write a check to AHEAD for the amount. I’m going to track what we raise, and who knows, maybe others will want to contribute quality yarn to the project, and we’ll see what we can raise for affordable housing in the North Country.

September 7, 2018 3

Summerfest!

Bethlehem is gearing up for a fun-filled Saturday on August 11th. Come to town with your chair and knitting/crocheting or spinning and settle in for a great day of entertainment. At Love.Yarn.Shop. we’ll be in a prime location on the sidewalk to enjoy the parade, help folks create the community felted rug from Tom Cuddihy’s sheep in the paddling pool, and wander up and down the street checking out the vendors. At 4:00 events shift to the gazebo for beer tasting, chicken barbecue and bean hole beans, with music at 6:00 from The Barnyard Pimps. Let’s cross our fingers for good weather and get ready to soak up the summer in style.

August 4, 2018 0

Knit in Public Day

Last year, we received a thank you for knitting on the sidewalk. It read, “Dear Ladies, We drove by your shop Thursday last. A splendid day–seeing a group sitting in a circle chatting & knitting away was such a pleasurable and “homey” sight. Thank you for putting a smile on our faces! Warm wishes.” Knitting in public isn’t new. Men and women have taken their craft on to the sidewalk for centuries, but the recent revival has nothing to do with making a living and everything to do with making a statement. A statement about slowing down life, creating communities and preserving communities, enjoying a connection with fiber and partaking in the joy of producing fabric by hand. June 9th is World Wide Knit in Public Day, and we’ll be knitting, crocheting, and spinning on the sidewalk in Bethlehem. We will be starting a yarn-bombing project for Summerfest in Bethlehem, so if you have acrylic yarn you’d like to donate, or you want to get involved drop by or contact me at 869-2600. See you on the sidewalk this summer.

May 24, 2018 0

Sheep and Wool Festival Season Begins

Groomed goats, sheep herding, hand-dyed yarns, lobster rolls…the trip to Deerfield for the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival is worth the 2-hour road trip on the weekend of May 12th and 13th. I wander somewhat aimlessly, appreciating the garments everyone wears to exhibit their skills, admiring the beautiful goats and sheep, delighting in the fibers, watching with respect the relationship between people and their animals in the competitions and the shearing and herding demonstrations. If you have never been, treat yourself and your family to an outing. The demonstrations and classes are free–you may be like me and want to learn how to darn your socks! Check out the schedule https://nhswga.org/lecture-and-demomonstration-schedule

We’ll be carpooling from the shop at 8:30 on Sunday if you’d like to join us!

May 3, 2018 0

On Shrugging

The other morning on my walk with my dog, I was thinking about something I couldn’t solve, and I shrugged. I laughed out loud, as that little shrug, with a slight tilt of the head, I learned from a little two year-old that comes in the shop with her mom. I was retelling the scene to a customer, who shrugged, her turban delicately twined about her head. “Oh, that feels good, right here,” she said, indicating the spot between her shoulders. Sometimes it does us good to shrug, to say, “Okay, I can’t solve that one,” and let it go.

This reminded me how important it is for knitters and crocheters to take a break every 1/2 hour or so and do some stretches. Shrugging is one of those exercises. Tilting the head from one side to the other, and looking over the shoulder, first one side, then the other, also help relax the muscles in the neck and shoulders.

Another place we unwittingly carry tension is in our hands. Sometimes on my walk, I pay attention to my hands, which are fisted up, and deliberately relax them. Taking a break from holding the needles or hook, stretching the hands out, shaking them, and pulling the hands and individual fingers back, in the opposite direction they’ve been while you worked, will relieve tightness. Link your fingers and push away from you, palms out, then lift your hands above your head. This will not only stretch the hands, but will stretch the muscles in your back. Even just rubbing some hand cream into your hands will give them a break and loosen them up.

If your project is particularly intense, you may want to remember the 20-20-20 rule to reduce eye strain for people who are on their screens a lot. Every 20 minutes, look away from the screen for 20 seconds, and focus on something 20 feet away. If you find yourself rubbing your eyes, you know it’s time to make a change. At the very least, get up, make a cup of tea, pet the dog, and smile. After all, you are doing what you love—knitting!

March 10, 2018 0

March, march, march!

Knitters are showing support for the March For Our Lives march against gun violence on March 24th by knitting/crocheting “Evil Eye” fingerless mitts. Krista Suh, who designed the Pussy Hat, writes, “Individually, to show the eye on the palm, you can put out your hand in a “stop” gesture – as in, we must stop gun violence, enough is enough. In a group, you can raise your hands above your head to show the eyes – this is the universal gesture of “hands up don’t shoot” and a reminder of how vulnerable our children are in a country with weak gun control.”

We’ll be knitting the mitts at Love.Yarn.Shop. (in the new location at Beannacht Books across the street from the Colonial) on Saturday, March 17th at 10:30. You can find the easy pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/evil-eye-glove

The mitts can be worn at your local march or sent to the following address for the Washington marchers:

Krista Suh

c/o Woman’s National Democratic Club

1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW

Washington DC 20036

February 27, 2018 0

A Christmas Recipe

A Christmas Recipe for Peace

1 skein of yarn (any weight)

1 pair of needles or crochet hook (to match yarn weight)

1 open heart

1 positive vision

Gently mix ingredients under a wool blanket.

Serve with a cup of tea or glass of wine and soothing music.

Optional add on: feathered, furred, or other companion.

Most effective with repeated use.

December 22, 2017 0

Make Gnome Ornaments!

Saturday, December 2nd, is Christmas in Bethlehem, an annual kick-off for the holiday season. This year at Love.Yarn.Shop. we’ll be making Ann G.’s simple gnome ornaments from 1-2, so grab some friends and come on down! We’ll have cider and cookies for a little mid-afternoon refreshment. The festivities begin at 10:00 with the Methodist Church Bazaar and Santa Claus at the Heritage Center. Find out about all the events at Christmas in Bethlehem. This year in Bethlehem, we are offering for the first time special discounts at local shops, so make sure to pick up your card at local businesses and get it stamped. The entry deadline is Wednesday, December 20th, and with 6 stamps from participating shops and restaurants, you could win a $100 shopping spree.

November 29, 2017 0

Fidget Lap Blankets and Twiddle Muffs!

Fidget lap blankets and Twiddle Muffs are both terms for sensory blankets for dementia patients. Often patients’ hands and fingers are continually in motion. According to Brenda Avadian, the person with dementia often has a desire to be useful, to “fix things,” and keep busy. Many people with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease are disconnected from the world around them. Sensory stimulation can be in many forms, from objects not normally found in their environment, like seashells, to hand massages, or trips outdoors. The stimulation can reconnect the person to a memory or to the present and can lead to smiles, words, and eye contact. The sensory blankets provide soft textures for the person to stroke, with buttons, strings, and braids, that may evoke pleasant memories and give the hands something to work. Blankets can be quilted, crocheted, or knit.

Here is the pattern I use for knitting at Fidget Muff. You can leave it unseamed for a flat blanket or seam it for a muff.

Fidget Lab Blanket or Muff

Cast on 30 stitches with #17 needle and bulky yarn.

Knit 3 rows.

Switch to another yarn every 3 rows, leaving yarn ends with four inches to make fringe.

Alternate weights and colors to make an interesting texture; incorporate bobbles or eyelash yarn, sock yarn, ribbon yarn, etc.

Make muff 10 inches long. (If making a flat blanket, you might want to make it 12-14 inches long.) Bind off.

Tie the ends and make extra fringe.

Fold in half and seam.

Sew on buttons, i-cords, crocheted flowers, or any item to fidget.

We’ll be working on fidget muffs and fun hats this Sunday from 1-3 at the shop. Come in you can!

November 21, 2017 0

Love.Yarn.Shop.

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