New Arrivals Just in Time for the Holidays

Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe
2703 George Washington Hwy.
Yorktown, VA 23693


757/874-3939
www.coordinatedcolors.com

Hampton Roads Largest Yarn Shop

NEW ARRIVALS:

Just in time for your favorite holiday scarf pattern:
Plymouth Eco Silk

147 yards of THE softest yarn you have ever touched!

And at a most affordable price!

Caron Natura Pounders

Perfect for those larger projects

10 colors, others can be ordered.

HIYA HIYA Inter changeable Sets are going out as fast as they are coming in. We usually have stock however there is a chance that these may be a back order item closer to Christmas.

LAST CHANCE:

Christmas/Holiday yarns in solids and multi's

SOCK YARNS!

Just got in a delivery of new SOCK yarns by Punta Yarns.

Merisoft Handpaints Sock yarn and I want one ( or more ) for me. Trouble is they are all too pretty. Every time I go by them, a different color calls out to me!

And they feel absolutely scrumptious too.
I even asked my children to pick a color hoping that would help me decide but …..I want them all.

Guess I will just have to order more.

And I thought the worsted yarns were unbelievable.


We have restocked SMOOSHY by Dream in Color and Knitosophy too!


Join us on RAVELRY and get special discounts, free patterns and more!
This is where we post specials for our Ravelry Group Members ONLY!
Sign up today and get those Ravelry Specials now!
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/coordinated-colors-yarn-shoppe

Free Patterns From Our Companies:
http://www.universalyarn.com/patterns/389.pdf

http://www.puntayarns.com/all-yarns.htm

Knitted Christmas Tree Ornaments:
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/minutia_09/minutia_09.html

Please pardon our dust as we continue to have repairs done.We experienced some damages due to the North Easter.

Tavern Spinners & Weavers Holiday Sale

If anyone is up in the Northern Neck of Virginia on Saturday, December 5th, please stop by and say hi to us. We will have a booth upstairs in the Transportation Building behind the old Rice's Inn Hughlett Tavern. The event is from 10 to 3. Lots of quality crafts will be available for sale so you can finish off that holiday gift list in no time!

If you happen to be living or visiting the Neck on a Sunday and can hang around for a few hours, the Spinners and Weavers meet on the Second Sunday of each month in the Transportation Building from 2 - 4 p.m. We are primarily spinning at our meetings and but we also do show and tell of our latest knitting, crochet and weaving projects.

Fingers crossed, we will soon have a weaving studio which will be open to the public where we can offer lessons on weaving, spinning, knitting, crochet, felting and other fiber arts.

HUGE BY THE BAG SALE

HUGE

Before Inventory Clearance Sale
Yarn By the BAG!
Knit - Felt - Crochet Yarns

All are at OR below cost!

Lots of your favorite companies too.
Fiber range from Acrylic/Bamboo to Wool.
These yarns will NOT last long.

During Normal store Hours

Doors Open at 10:30

FRIDAY we will be closong early due to
a family member having surgury

OPEN SATURDAY 11:00 - 4:00
NO CLASSES




Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe
2703 George Washington Hwy.
Yorktown, VA 23693


757/874-3939
www.coordinatedcolors.com

Hampton Roads Largest Yarn Shop

The Next $5.00 Workshop: Fixing Minor Mistakes

NOV 14th 3:45pm

Fixing simple mistakes workshop $5.00
Limit 10 people

Sign up early please, this has been widely requested!
No supply purchase required for this but you will need 2 swatches on stitch holders, yarn, needles, safty pins and a crochet hook.


Also:
We are starting a new class for those who want to learn to knit. This class is also a great class for anyone who wants to “brush up” on their beginning knit skills.

Class is on Saturday beginning November 14th at 1:30

Fee: $45.00
4/5 sessions

There will also be a class starting one evening during the week.


Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe
2703 George Washington Hwy.
Yorktown, VA 23693


757/874-3939
www.coordinatedcolors.com

Hampton Roads Largest Yarn Shop

Student missing from concert in Charlottesville

Today, Thursday, new details emerge - the young lady mistakenly left the concert while looking for a bathroom and ended up outside of the Arena ... she could not go back in the concert because of a no reentry policy ... while I understand the philosophy for the policy, what are folks thinking leaving a teenager outside, away from their friends and relative safety, in a strange town...?? Am I the only one concerned about this update?

Saturday Workshops You Don't Want to Miss!

Saturday, October 17th 4:00pm
Tubular Cast on/off

This provisional cast on will not only make your knitting look more professional but it will end the worry of too tight a cast on for your projects.
The tubal ribbed cast on is probably the most elastic of
cast-ons. Stretching as far as the yarn will allow, this is the most preferred cast on for socks, cuffs, neck lines and any other smaller areas.

Come and learn this marvelous cast-on, while enjoying the company of fellow knitters.

Cost for these and other workshops to come is only $5.00
plus the materials.

Keep up to date by reading the news letters and our blog,
Equal Opportunity Yarns

New inexpensive yet highly educational workshops will be scheduled approxinately every 2 weeks.

Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe
2703 George Washington Hwy
Yorktown, VA 23693

757-874-3939
www.coordinatedcolors.com

Vegas, Death Valley and Date Milkshakes!

The furniture market was good -always fun to see the outrages things that are made. Haziza makes some really wild furniture and accessories using acrylic - take a look. I really wanted something for me but it is so expensive that you need a trunk full of spending money to get.

We stayed at Treasure Island and they gave me a bottle of champagne for my birthday. When they found out Ger's was around the corner they brought up another.

We left on the 18th and drove to Pahrump a really small town a little over an hour away. Their one and only yarn store is....Walmart. It is a friendly little place and a great base to see a lot of things, Death Valley being my favorite. Today, since it is Gerald's birthday he got to decide what he would like to do. We went to China Date Ranch and had a date milk shake then travelled a back road that we had never taken through Death Valley - really pretty vistas. I don't think we will ever see the entire park..but will certainly keep trying. We saw a baby coyote and some rabbits. At sunset we were almost at Badwater so we decided to stop and eat dinner at Furnace Creek Ranch (they have one of the borax 20 mule team wagons out front - a real one not a replica and it is so much bigger in real life than I expected them to be)... we shared a "Cowboy gyro"! It was a great day but now I need a shower and shuteye since we are up early again tomorrow for more adventures.

Crochet Along With Me

OK, so it's not knitting, but starting tomorrow I'm going to be leading a Motif Afghan Crochet-Along on the Lion Brand website. I'd love to have all the Virginia Knitters join me for a virtual good time.

I spent last weekend in Schaumburg, IL at Stitches Midwest. Always such a treat! The hotel and convention center there is the newest and spiffiest place I'm likely to be teaching in. There is actually lots of --gasp!!--natural light so four days in a hotel doesn't give me cabin fever.

Also, if you happen to check my website today, it's undergoing maintenance--hopefully will be up and running tomorrow.

Edie

KIS me ... what?

This past weekend, I attended a small knitting retreat with some girlfriends. We stayed at the oh-so-lovely Stonewall Jackson Hotel in downtown Staunton, Virginia. The hotel was very nice and the employees were so accommodating. Staunton, however, was - in a word - awesome! I am in love with Staunton! How is it that I had never been there before? I just don't know! It is quaint, friendly, pretty, picturesque, interesting, historic, educational... you get the picture. AND the Stonewall Jackson Hotel is on the National Trust Historic Hotels of America register - just how cool is that?

In addition to a shop and restaurant laden downtown area with neat old hotels and B&Bs here and there, Staunton is home to On the Lamb, a LYS tucked into a lovely old historic Victorian home that Joe (and John) are returning to its previous grandeur.

As you walk up to the front door



and enter, you are greeted by this phrase:

It was true.

We entered as guests and left friends!

Joe and Angel even treated us to dessert Saturday evening
-- I think it was just so they could visit some more:

I will leave you all with some more photos of our weekend - we had such a good time that I am looking forward to the next time I am blessed enough to spend the entire weekend with such a wonderful group of friends - old and new.
--

On the Lamb - porch

--
a pair of Jo(e) bookends

--
Holiday inspiration

--
More fibery goodness

--
Walked down this road to dinner on Friday night

--
Behind the Hotel, entrance to garage

--
one of the lovely sunflowers outside the fence at On the Lamb

Oh, KIS me, you ask? Knitting In Staunton of course!

"Unsighted" - The Tactility of Textiles

There is an opening reception at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen on Thursday, from 7-9 pm for my fiber arts exhibit entitled, "Unsighted". The exhibit is an effort to invite the unsighted community into the "visual" art experience, changing it to a tactile art experience. Every piece is designed to stimulate the sense of touch.
Please come. Please introduce yourself once your there. I'm looking forward to meeting you.
It's mostly weaving and felting, with some hand-spun thrown in to several pieces.
The address is 2880 Mountain Rd, Glen Allen, VA
Thanks,
Cherri

9/11

Never forget.

"Unsighted-The Tactility of Textiles" opens Tomorrow!

I have a solo show opening tomorrow at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Rd, Glen Allen, VA.
It's an entirely fiber arts show, and it's TOUCHABLE! The opening reception is next Thurs 10/17, from 7-9 pm. Please come!!!!
The object of the show is to open the art experience up to #1, the unsighted community, and to allow us to experience fiber arts the way they are intended.....by touch. Weekend hours are sporadic, so you may want to call ahead to confirm when the art center is open.
See you there.
Cherri Hankins

Yarn Shop News Blast

Want to get $5.00 off your next purchase? ( Free yarn -yeah!)
All you have to do is introduce a friend to our store.
If they make a purchase and sign up for the newsletter, you and your friend
each $5.00 off your purchase. Min. purchase $ 15.00. New email sign ups will be verified.
This is a great month to bring your group of friends.
Why not take that field trip you’ve been planning during September?

Just a note to let you know that the store will be closed on Monday, September 7 in observation of the Labor Day Holiday.

With school opening next week, we will soon be resuming classes.
Check out the website for the standard list of the usual and check the newsletter as we add more and more
special classes this fall. Including the crochet garment class, entrelac for beginners and mobius too.

Lucy Neatby Will not be able to come this October as not enough people have signed up for her to make the trip worth the cost.
We are truly sorry for this as we did expect a sold out class. Refunds will be given in person, so please ask for your deposit back next time you visit the shop.
This I am sorry to say is a big disappointment.

We are closing out the remainder of Tofutsies sock yarns at a super sale price of $9.55

For your knitting and crocheting projects we carry 65 current colors of encore and have stock of the additional
recently discontinued 16 colors. that’s a whopping 82 colors to choose from in the Encore line alone!

Universal Yarns has a wonderful free pattern booklet on line. Please feel free to download a copy for yourself today.
Bring it with you when you shop for their wonderful Poems yarns with us.

Free Universal Poems booklet
http://www.universalyarn.com/pattern.php?pattern=375

Please do remember that we do Price Match any of the other area shops. Find it for less or on sale somewhere else and we will
match or beat their prices. This excludes closeout prices, discontinues and special orders.

Sit and Stitch changes days…Have changed from Wednesday to Thursday by popular request
Please feel free to join us every week on Thursday from 12:30 to 5:00 pm. .

Limited Amount of Christmas yarns are in stock now.

We have the most wonderful and fun yarns back in stock for that one of a kind scarf or shawl.
Great Addirondack’s Potluck. These fun all in one yarns change textures and colors as you knit.

I have really enjoyed using these yarns and others like them. You never know what is coming next!
The colors are rich and bright and the simplicity of this is even better. No changing yarns as you go, the yarns do it for you!

News From Denise:

New and ready to ship!

Denise Interchangeable Crochet Hooks are ideal for Afghan/Tunisian crochet, double-ended crochet, and a wide variety of knitting applications. Hooks interchange with Denise knitting needles to open a whole new world of possibilities for creating unique fabrics.

Kit includes:

* 12 individual hooks, sizes F5 (3.75mm) to 19 (15mm)
* 7 cord lengths: two each 3" and 5", plus one each 9", 12" and 16"
* Four end buttons & two extenders
* Detailed Tunisian Crochet instructions courtesy of Interweave Press

Can be used as standard crochet hooks, or make Afghan/Tunisian hooks from 8-37” by using different combinations of cords in the kit. As always, 30”, 40”, and 52” cords are available separately to expand the possibilities even further. Hooks are also available individually packaged - ideal for double-ended crocheters or knitters who want to add a few hooks to their knitting kit.

A wide range of knitting applications includes easily picking up stitches for button bands, necklines, or modulars, expeditious cast-ons and bind-offs, and quickly picking up stitches after “frogging.” Add crochet to your knitting or knitting to your crochet with the flick of a wrist. Help your customers expand their fibercrafting horizons!

Since October 2006, the Pink Project has raised over $115,000 to support breast cancer research. Knitters are a powerful force! They’re planning to introduce the crochet kit in pink as well, but we haven’t settled on a timeline yet. We’ll keep you posted.

Feel free to contact us with any and all questions.

CPSIA Exempts Yarn

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has just exempted yarn from the rigorous lead testing and certification requirements required for children’s products under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). This is very good news indeed for the hand-knitting industry, which was worried about the implications widespread testing would have had on the manufacturer, all the way down the distribution chain.

For more on this ruling, go to www.apparelnews.net/news/manufacturing.

Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe
2703 George Washington Hwy.
Yorktown, VA 23693

757/874-3939
www.coordinatedcolors.com

Hampton Roads Largest Yarn Shop

Tico and Joe wanted me to invite you over to their site...

so that you could see their handsome faces! Click 'em here...

Come on by, ok?

A bit of housekeeping.

We have had some new members since we last discussed this. If you'd like to be on the map, have your blog address, shop or website listed on the side bar or be named in the member list you should let us know...okay let Cat know because I will just forward it to her 'cause Iam lame about those things... We used to do it automatically, but someone objected, so we haven't done it automatically since then. This is one site where it is okay to advertise so long as it is fiber related.

Feel free to add any of these to your signature line also.

Also I sent out an e-mail a few weeks back and got several returned as wrong address. If your information has changed please let me know. I have a Virginia Knits list and a Virginia Knitters list in my AOL mail box. I have been trying to reconcile these with each other to see if the mistake is mine, but it is very time consuming. I wish I knew how to print them off, but for the life of me I don't ...I told you I'm lame about this kind of thing.

Maybe it is time to do a roll call to see who is really listening.

I wish I were knitting.

Knitter Magazine /UK

Would anyone/s be interested in sharing a subscription to Knitter Magazine. The British one not Knitter's...

I figure we could circulate them round robin style...Maybe you gals in River City?

Does aanyone locally subscribe. Not that anyone is local to Beaverdam, but you know what I mean.

I'd love to get my hands on the back issues for a few days

Workshops/swaps/???

Who would be interested in planning, hosting or attending a mini work shop and what subject would you like to teach or learn....?

Would anyone be interested in a a secret pal exchange?

How about a meet up or swap...?

new member

Hello, all-
I found this site a while back and just joined. Thanks for having me!

I live in Waynesboro, and as you can see from my screen name, I both knit and crochet. Actually, it's my career as well as my hobby, so I'm blessed--or cursed, depending on deadlines. I'm happy to be a part of a more regional group, and hope to see some of you at the NoSo Knit in September.

My husband and I will be celebrating out 25th wedding anniversary that weekend, and we had already planned to go to Roanoke that weekend, so I'm going to drop by NoSo for an hour or so. It probably wouldn't be a good idea for me to spend hours of our weekend getaway at a knitting event; he's very supportive of the whole knitting thing, but that would be pushing it.
Happy knitting!

Edie

River City Knitters Guild Meeting ... aka Shopping Event

Yes, Olivia-Lee did finally drag herself into town on a Saturday morning for a guild meeting... and yes, I did tempt her with getting to meet the ladies behind TG Designs. She did, however, have a really good time - see above photo - O is the one in the bun. I am glad she was able to make it and I am also glad she got to meet so many of my other knitting friends! It was really neat for me to have so many friends in one spot for a couple of hours.

Chris and I got to Homewood Suites really early - about 7:45 am. I wanted to make sure we got there before any of the vendors arrived to set up. As it was, only TG Designs arrived early and I was even beginning to wonder (worry) about the others. Unfortunately, several folks - ok, lots of folks - got lost despite the directions. I don't know if they forgot to bring the directions or just thought they knew where they were going, but it was poorly marked signage wise and that did not help either! About 8:30 I got a call and one of the vendors had to cancel - she'd been stomach sick all night (I so hope she is better now)! The rest of the folks trickled in and I am glad I'd asked Chris to come along and play sherpa! He is such a good sport.

I think all the vendors had good sales and I had several folks asking about doing another shopping day next year and could I find MORE vendors! LOL I guess that is good feedback, eh?

The rain held off until we'd finished lunch (as reported by Olivia earlier) ... then it rained cats and dogs on the way home! Again, I am glad it did not rain on everyone coming and going from the Guild meeting.

Grand opening

Hi there! Pocket Meadow Farm is moving. We have found a cute little storefront in the heart of Berkeley Springs (19 N. Washington St.) and will be open for business there Sept.1. We're having our grand opening Labor Day weekend, so if you're up this way, please stop by.

Ellen

At long last...I escaped!!!!

Well !!!!


Cat finally got me to a guild meeting for the River City Knitters, by bribing me with, of all things, some bits of melted glass. I have recently bought a used Kiln that I hope I/we can make buttons with and I have been wanting to meet a glass artisan.

I got up early and found the surface of the kitchen table and fixed a major midday barbeque chicken meal/dinner for the crew cutting corn (a tradition for the last day cutting) and snuck out of the house before anyone could apprehend me.

She/Cat had arranged a mini craft show/sale for the guild with TG (Taylor Girl) Designs as one of the guest vendors and our own Pat Kirkland of the Yarn Barn as another. I was glad to see Pat alive and well after her recent health scare. I also finally got to meet Chan after many conversations...and so many other people that, if I have forgotten you names, please forgive me.

A good time was had and many dollars was spent by all... and River City now has my very tardy membership application...and my bank account is considerably lighter. I didn't buy something from every vendor, but I contributed to the coffers of quite a few.

I came home with two pins, and placed a custom order for one more, a bag of Melody and some adorable froggy stitch markers...I really don't use beaded stitch markers often, but my Mom used to collect frogs so I had to have them...Perhaps I will find a creative way to display them....A pin maybe???

I joined Cat and Chris for lunch...and then God tried to drown me for my sins. The radio was announcing flash flooding, and the rain falling at the rate of 3" to 5" an hour, as I rounded the bend past Echo Lake at about 20 mph. I should have stopped somewhere, but I was afraid if I did not press on I might not be able to get home. I had to cross three major creeks and the South Anna between there and the farm. As it was it had hardly rained at all when I got home.

...and not a dirty dish to be seen asnywhere when I got home...either they cleaned up after themselves... or took the whole mess to Grandma's...which is a more likely senerio...

Friday --- and not a day too soon!

Hi, all. It's Friday. Sigh. Glad to see the weekend come.

With the weekend comes River City Knitters' Vendor Trunk Show event. Saturday from 10 - noon (or a little later if we're having fun and a good turnout) RCK meets for a short monthly guild meeting and an opportunity to jump start any kind of buying spree you want to start, be it for the holidays or yourself - you can indulge.

Please check out the link for RCK where you can then click and see who is coming and what wonders they are bringing for us to feast on!

On another note, Robin C. and I went to visit with the Maidens Weaver on Wednesday evening. We had a good time meeting Cherri and seeing / touring her studio. Cherri is in the process of preparing for a show in September and has many lovely projects in the works. We met two students who were working on projects - one lady was dressing her loom and the other was working on a table runner using rag strips... both very interesting to see. I have little to no experience with weaving and am fascinated. Robin is anticipating the arrival of a loom which a good friend of hers is sending from Oregon... stay tuned ... I can't wait to see what Robin will do with it... she has lots of lovely fabric and yarns, any of which would make wonderful weaving projects...

I want to wrap up with some photos I took in Virginia Beach a few weeks back... we had a good time at the Cavalier Hotel... and hope to go back again soon.





The young yellow lab being hauled unceremoniously by her owner here had been a naughty girl. We saw her tromping down the beach; all of a sudden she made a bee-line toward two older ladies. These two ladies had just set up their chairs the way they wanted them, had pulled some coffee and breakfast out of a to-go bag and planted themselves in their seats -- only to be set upon by a huge, wet dog who proceeded to gobble their Mickey D's breakfast! They were nice about it, but the doggy-mom was not a happy girl!


On Wednesday, the full moon seemed to rise out of the Atlantic...

Breathtaking, isn't it?

Amazing Wedding Knitted wedding dress

Thought you all would appreaciate this. One of my scotty people sent it.


http://tinyurl.http://tin_ (http://tinyurl.com/mj5g4b)

Request an invitation

You must be a member to post here, that said, if you have come across this site accidentally and you would like to be a member, we would love to have you. While we are restricted to 100 members there is plenty of room for more. My address is olmommee@aol.com and Cat will supply her own if she wishes. The purpose of this group is to facilitate fiber related discussions and activities and invite people to find someone/s in their area to meet up with in a "safe" environment...Shop owners and other vendors are encouraged to post if you are having a particular activity or workshop you think will be of interest. Feel free to post a link to your personal or business website or blogsite and also to post your ravelry name in your signature line...We will post them to our side bar with your permission.

If you'd like to be put on the map also let us know. You might find someone just around the corner to knit/crochet/ spin with. That was my hope when we created this spot....and I still need spinning lessons.

NoSoKnit Roanoke

I just got this notice from Rae:

Registration for this year's NoSoKnit will soon open. To join the list to receive NoSoKnit announcements for this year AND FUTURE YEAR, you must join the Yahoo Group RoanokeNoSoKnit. (This is NOT the list you joined last year, which was used only for those registered for the 2008 event.)To join this list, either: * Join on the web at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RoanokeNoSoKnit/, or * Send an email to RoanokeNoSoKnit-subscribe@yahoogroups.comPLEASE join this list ASAP. I can add people to the list, but Yahoo Groups will only permit me to add 10 people every 24 hours. If you want to make sure that you receive NoSoKnit email notifications, you *must* join the Yahoo Group.If you have questions, please contact me.Thanks,Rae

State Fair Vs Montpelier Fall Fiber Festival

I find myself again in a quandry. Do I submit my entries to the Virginia State Fair or Fiber Festival Competition/s. They are yet again overlapping.

...So would you rather your masterpiece be viewed by the general public and promote our craft to many or would you rather it be viewed and judged by your peers/masters...???

I have queried the Fiber Festival folk to the necessitity of these events are running concurrently. My thinking being they are smaller and it would be easier for them to move their timeline. Still your entry to them has to be in by Sept 19th for a Oct 3 & 4 viewing and the fair runs Sept. 24th to the 4th...If you'd like to let them know how you feel, the Fiber Festival competition e-mail address is skeinandgarment@gmail.com.

Summer happenings

My summer has flown by or so it seems. We have been busy going to WV for our club meetings and to South Carolina for South East Linux Fest (Linux/Fedora is a free operating system for computers). My hubby is a Fedora Ambassador which means he helps others fix problems and promotes the one laptop per child program (in the fall you can purchase a laptop for a needy child and receive a second laptop for your child, for only $400.00). This month I have spent 3 weekends helping my mother in law with a yard sale. This weekend (July 25th) we have a picnic in Blacksburg with our WV Club (Fan Club of Star Trek) which also puts on Rising Star (http://www.rising-star.org) a Science Fiction Convention. August 1st we will be Bluefield, WV or VA for Lemonaide Days with the above club which sponsers two soap box cars for the underprivlaged children to race. August 8th is my hubby's family reunion which we will be attending (close by home) and then we leave for Walt Disney World on August 15th and will return home on August 23rd. We will be taking our son and his girlfriend with us to Walt Disney. September and October are full of travel and activities as well but dates escape me at the moment.

What is everyone up to this summer

I am sure everyone is busy knitting away this summer or gardening or traveling or, like me, keeping grandchildren and/or grandpuppies.

I have been knitting on a series of little cotton dresses in Paton's Grace for my grandaughters. It is a pretty yarn, but heavy. I hope to get the patterns worked up to sell on Etsy... to support my habits. I don't know what I'll do for the boys, but they will want equal knitting.

You can skip this rant if you wish:

This is going to be a very expensive year. Hannah has graduated high school and starting JSRCC in August to get the courses she needs to start with Bon Secours Nursing School in the spring. Bryer is 8 months old now. Hannah is losing her very meager child support right when we need to buy her a car, pay school fees and put health insurance on her and the baby... Would you believe, because we are farmers, she does not qualify for financial aid???? Something is wrong with this system. Poor hubby works 16 hour days 24/7 365 days a year for less than minimum wage and they think he should sell something to put his stepchild through school while we support her and the baby.... Our health insurance alone is half of our regular monthly income and I suppose most of you know what has happened to the little bit of investment income we used to have.

Sam has come back home to live, but we have yet to move everything out of my stash room to give him a place to sleep...Perhaps this weekend...Will I ever have my own space? I am trying not to complain too loudly. I'd rather have the kids here where I know they are okay than elsewhere...

The Rascals are doing great. Pepper and Rascal have enjoyed brief visits with their daughters recently. The former Darla, now Gracie, will be coming to stay for two weeks starting the 23rd with her sis the former Jacquie, now Darla, while her mom is visiting family in Paris. Hopefully her sister Jetta, formerly Jennie, and the former Dottie, now Georgia, will be able to visit for a puppy party. We do have a lot of name confusion when they visit. Perhaps I should revert to "girls" again. It is fun that they don't seem to forget each other.

We also have an extra big mouth to feed. Gizmo is staying with us. She is a foster that belongs to a friend of my son. You can look her up on Craigslist pet forum. She is a lovely dog that is supposed to be a lab dalmation mix, but working with her, I get an inkling she may also have some border collie in her. We have a goat and she shows classic border collie behavior with him and she will fetch for hours non stop. I am working on her with basic obedience and she is coming along nicely. She is a great dog, but I really can't keep a fourth dog. She in turn has adopted a tabby male kitten from the barn. Why he chose her over the three dogs that are more his momma's size and color I can't tell you, but he is her constant companion....so if anyone wants a lovely dog and a kitten let me know... I'll deliver...

In the meantime, I'd like to stimulate some discussion. What is everyone up to and would we like to plan a get together or some get togethers? I am still in need so some spinning instruction. The spinning wheel and I went all the way to visit her former mom, Diana at their studio in WV for Rustic Tarts and Old Farts... with Eugenia in tow, but we never got around to a lesson. It was a lovely day...Eugenia enjoyed visiting on the drive. Found we had a lot in common, like being bookaholics as wells as fiber addicted. One of our members, Pat Kirkland of the YarnBarn brought a van full of yarn and I bought some great Melody selections. One a beautiful teal mix is going into a Reverse Farose Peacock shawl. I have the center portion worked out in the shape of a peacock's body and Leo (Dear MM or MMarioKKnits) is going to help me adapt the feathers in the tail to fan out behind it.

Pat is currently doing a design workshop on EZasPi(@yahoogroups.com). If you haven't dropped in recently, it promises to be very informative, especially for those of us who find we don't fit the norms in most patterns...

Ya'll pipe up now and start some chatter.

Rustic Tarts and Old Farts

Is any one in the Central Virginia Area planning to go Sunday the 7th? I'd love to have a few people to car pool with. Cat may or may not be able to go and will ride with us if she can. I am happy to drive my Camry.

Berkeley Springs Studio Tour + Knit-In and Spin-In

The Studio Tour is coming at this weekend. We are planning a special event here — a "modified" sheep-to-shawl demo (modified because the sheep were sheared a month ago! and because everybody is invited to help).

We are inviting your participation! I'll show you how to prepare and spin from longwool locks, so bring your drop spindle, wheel, and knitting needles (size 5 or 6). Our spinning teams will handspin the dyed longwool locks, and the knitters will create small squares (any size) which will be pieced together for the shawl.

The finished shawl will be donated to the Morgan County Art and Elegance fundraiser in November.

Please note that individual instruction in spinning or knitting for beginners will not be possible during the event (there's only one of me!), so some basic skills will be needed to participate, although everyone can help with fiber prep!

I hope to see some of you here!

Info on the shop is here:
http://pocketmeadowfarm.net

Lucy Neatby to Teach!

It has been a hard year to wait on this !
Lucy Neatby will be here this coming fall doing her double knitting classes and her workshop on steeks as well.

ABOUT LUCY
Lucy Neatby is an internationally recognized teacher, designer, and writer who thrills knitters around the world with her inimitable charm, knowledge, and uniquely colourful designs. Her passion of nurturing and empowering knitters, and putting them in control of their art, is legendary!

I have never tried knitting socks inside one another or knitting a tube within a tube and I am looking forward to trying this as
I and others learn new skills. Lucy is a wonderful teacher and a great person. Lucy is so well know for her fabulous teachings that she is well booked 2-3 years
in advance. After waiting over a year for an opening, we are proud to offer her illustrious classes to you!
Below are the classes we will be offering the weekend of October 9th.


Dabble into Doubles: 3 hours
Gain an insight and deeper understanding of your knitting. Try a variety of types of double knitting to produce 2 layer fabrics.
You will start with tubular knitting on straight needles, open and condensed bind-off methods and learn the
magnificent double-knit pocket trick. Using 2 yarns you will be introduced to positive and negative dk color knitting and quilting techniques for added
texture and warmth.

Double Up and Around: also 3 hours
Make an Exploratory journey into other realms of double knitting. ( which produce 2 layer fabrics)
Beginning with tubes within tubes, worked in the round, starting with one color of yarn, then yarns and
then with color patterning. You will be learning different ways to handle yarns for maximum efficiency
and how to incorporate shaping into double fabrics topped off with tubular bind offs. this technique is widely used in mittens and socks.

She will also be offering her workshop on steeks if enough people are interested.

The First Cut is the Deepest: 3 hours

Cutting your knitting is a liberating experience. It really isn’t scary. It offers many benefits and opens up new construction and design possibilities. What exactly are steeks? Whilst knitting a sample for with centre front and armhole steeks we will discuss suitable yarns and how to plan for cutting. We will practise fully fashioned shapings, use of markers and securing methods. We look at possibilities for disaster management, adapting armholes and necks for cutting, making mixed gauge fabrics fit and Siamese sleeves. For our finale, we will make the first incision!


There is a maximum of 20 seats per each class session. Sign up and advance reservation are required. $50.00 per class to hold your place is required.
Classes are expected to be $100.00 each per session. Balances are due on or before October 1, 2009.
We will also be keeping a waiting list.

If you might be willing to host Lucy for the weekend, please give us a call or come by and see Sherri. Lucy is very open to stay with another knitter and is good company.




Wednesday Sit and Stitch group will be working on learning to do hats. They will be donated to our charities. Lesson and help are free.
Use our patterns or yours.
Please join us from 12:30 on.








Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe
2703 George Washington Hwy.
Yorktown, VA 23693


757/874-3939
www.coordinatedcolors.com

Hampton Roads Largest Yarn Shop

Designing an Aran sweater

Hi all: I am new to this blog, so I hope I am "blogging" correctly. I have several projects in mind that I need help with beginning. I would love to learn how to design my own Aran sweater, but first, I have a pattern for an Aran sweater that is designed to fit very loosely, and I wanted to make it more fitted to me. I already have supposedly the perfect yarn for this sweater (20 sts to 4", using size 7 needles), but I can not achieve gauge, even on a size 5 needle. The pattern consists of Charts A-E, and to achieve gauge, it says to knit Chart A. The pattern is written for separate pieces, and I want to knit it in the round. I know Richmond has several yarn shops that offer lessons to groups, but I wanted some one-on-one instruction. Do any of you know of someone who would be willing to work with me on this pattern to help me get going? I could probably do the rest of the sweater on my own, its just difficult for me to get started. You can leave me a comment here with your email address and I'd love to contact you. I live between Richmond and Charlottesville. Many thanks! Gwen

(phone number deleted by CAT, new sentence re: contact options added, to be on the safe side!!)

Ladies I have not died. I did get every little germ going around this winter. The babies are keeping me very busy. The puppies should be going to a new home soon and Bryer (the baby who lives here) is getting much bigger. For the last three nights she has slept through the night. Hope she keeps it up. Maybe I can get back to a more human schedule and get some stuff done...I have dozens of newly started projects...Serious "startitis" going here...Every yarn I pick up has to be tried out...

I need to get back to a swatching program and maybe I can stop this. With FOUR new grandbabies I am itching to keep knitting, but it seems my hands are so frequently full....

Meet Wendy D. Johnson in Person!

Wendy says:

"I can tell you right now, I’ll be doing a book signing at Knit Happens in Alexandria, VA on Saturday April 18, beginning at 2pm. It’ll be an informal event, and I’ll have the actual socks from the book for you to take a look at. I hope to see as many of you there as possible. Bring your socks."

Silent Auction of Fiber Stuff

The Tavern Spinners and Weaver's Guild of the Northern Neck, Virginia will host a silent auction to raise money for our future guild studio on the second Sunday in March from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the Rice's Inn/Hughlett Tavern Transportation Building.

Everyone is welcomed to bring an item to donate for auction. You may put a reserve on the item and if it doesn't sell, you can donate it outright to the guild for the guild's use or take it back home with you. Any fiber related item (weaving, spinning, fibers, yarn, baskets, and other items such as gently used tools and even large items are welcomed).

Or, if you would like to shop for a deal on a gently used, previously loved item, please come along and put in a bid.

Refreshments provided.

Call 804-450-2652 for more information.

14th Annual Sheep Shearing Day

The 14th Annual Sheep Shearing Day at Thistle Cove Farm takes place 4 April 2009.

This working day on a sheep and horse farm is open to the public and begins around 9 a.m. when Clinton Bell, Master Shearer, arrives to shear my small, rare and primitive Shetland sheep and Merino, Romney and crossbred sheep. He's usually finished shearing around 1:00 p.m. but the day goes until 5:00 p.m.Lost Arts Guild members demonstrate and sell traditional Appalachian crafts such as hand and farm spun yarn, woven rag rugs, baskets, brooms, iron courtn' candles, mountain dulcimers, wooden benches, decorated gourds, knitted/crochet/felted goods and more. Everything is hand crafted by folks living in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia.

Cove Community folks will sell hot food and drink to benefit educational programs throughout the year.

Directions are on the Thistle Cove Farm website; please call first to make sure the event hasn't been cancelled due to weather or shearer emergency.

Yarn and Fiber Tasting!

If anyone is planning to be in the Berkeley Springs area next Saturday, please stop by for our 2nd annual Yarn and Fiber Tasting. More details here.