November Knit Along

Beginning on November 5, we will be doing the Lolo Shawl as a quick, elegant Christmas gift.  This shawl uses increases, decreases and short rows to form a garter stitch shawl that can be crafted in any weight of yarn.  The size of the shawl is determined by yarn and needle choice.  Sign up at the shop or via email for this great project.

See the pattern here:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lolo-shawl

Happy Knitting!

StitchBox!

So excited!! The October StitchBox is going out in today's mail and the plan for the November StitchBox is already in place. You will love the yarn and the pattern. For the first time, we will be offering a choice of a box featuring a knit pattern OR a crochet pattern with the appropriate notions. It will be amazing so order early. You need a great treat for the holidays.

Here's a link to our offering this month : http://www.juliayarnshoppe.com/

A Rainbow of Pediboo

One of the most popular yarns in the shop is Frog Tree Pediboo in sport weight.  Pediboo is a supersoft combination of wool and bamboo that is great for socks, scarves, shawls and anything that needs to be bright and comfortable next to the skin.  The solid colors hold up well to regular wear and washings. Each 100 gram skein has 255 yards to work with.

Favorite Colors

When you think about color, what is the first one to come to mind? 

What is your very favorite color?

Has your favorite color changed over time?

Color is a personal thing.  Favorite colors and least favorite colors say a lot about a person.  Choosing a yarn color to work with over a long period of time to make a sweater or a pair of socks becomes a joyful activity or a trudging one depending on the color and the texture of the yarn.  

Color controls your driving, influences your buying habits and changes your mood.   

Red, is action oriented and sensory.  Always on the go.

Orange is social, likes to be part of a group and loves physical and mental challenges.

Yellow is logical and orderly, full of new ideas.

Green is acceptance, acknowledgement and belonging.

Blue is for a deep need to find inner peace and truth, to live their life according to their ideals and beliefs

Indigo lovers have a need to feel in harmony and at one with the Universe and to be accepted by others.

Purple or violet is for a deep need for emotional security and to create order and perfection in all areas of your life, including your spiritual life.

Pink is for a deep need to be accepted and loved unconditionally.

Turquoise is for emotional balance in your life, hopes and dreams and living by your own terms.

Magenta, is a non-conformist who sees life from a different point of view.

Brown is for a deep need for a safe, secure, simple and comfortable existence.

Black is a need for power and control

White is for  simplicity in your own life, independence and self-reliance.

Gray is a middle of the road type, cool, conserved, composed and reliable.

Silver is for intuitive and insightful and have a strong connection with a higher spiritual guidance.

  

Gold is charisma, personality and individuality.

StitchBox!

Surprises that come in the mail are great!  Some people even send themselves surprises in the mail just to get that little thrill that comes from the mystery box that suddenly appears.  I am talking about those subscription boxes that are all the rage right now.  You can find subscription boxes for snack foods, doggy toys, wine, cheese, and yarn too.  Yarny surprises delivered right to your door with patterns and needles and sometimes even a goody or two.  It's the best fun.

We have a subscription box at the shop now that is getting rave reviews from the regulars.  It is top secret until they are mailed out and then everyone is excited to share what they got.  They leave comments on the facebook page or email the shop to share how exciting the box was.  The secret to each box is that it has items that are not in the shop yet.  It is filled with new colors of yarn or new lines of yarn,  needles, notions and who knows what else.  The items in the box are a lot less than you would generally pay for those same items in a store.  That is another plus for subscription boxes.  You can count on getting deal with most of these boxes.

Try out a surprise for yourself this month.  Pinterest has loads of subscription box posts.  Find a box that interests you and try out something new this month.

Here's a link to our offering this month : http://www.juliayarnshoppe.com/

Shopping online or your local small business?

I own a small business and I shop online.  I support the 3/50 project with my business and in practice with several small local businesses and I shop online.  I am an Amazon quick fix junkie for some things.  I can have a quick shopping fix right from my desk or my favorite chair if I choose.  I know.  It’s a problem.  Sometimes it’s a budgetary problem.  Sometimes it’s an “I live in rural America and this thing isn’t available here” problem.  I’d rather this item of the moment was available at my local department store, but it’s a specialty item.

When I work on a project, I love the touch and feel the craft materials I use.  I have not had success choosing materials from a catalog or an online site because I am so tactile and sensory about the process.  If I order something crafty, when the desired item arrives it’s the wrong color, the wrong size, and the wrong shape.  It goes to a dusty shelf and I reorder or try something else. 

When I travel with the family, we specifically search out yarn and fiber shops.  I gather their addresses in advance on Google, KnitMap or SweaterBabe.  I plan out the time to visit.  My family usually goes for ice cream after they drop me off at the LYS.  It’s a long adventure and they know it.  And I get something there that I cannot get at home in my favorite chair.  I pick out a random skein of beautiful yarn or a shop pattern.  I have a nice chat with someone who lives in another part of the country.  They usually don’t know that I own a yarn shop because I don’t share that.  I am seeing what other yarn shops feel like and that is best done incognito.  I want to know the atmosphere and character of the shops I visit.  I soak it in because each shop has a different feel.  And I write down something interesting about each one.  I look for ideas that I can take home and that are worth using another time.  You can’t get that on Amazon. 

A new video!

Attention Deficit Disorder of the fibery variety and a recipe

I have been very busy this week.  My New Year's Resolutions contained things like:

1. Make gifty items throughout the year so that everyone had a knitted gift.

2. Revitalize the shop blog

3. Put items in the online shop so that my distant visitors could have access to their favorite things.

4. Organize the filing system.

5. Organize the desk so you can find the filing system.

6. Feed family nutritious meals while you are doing all of the above.

So this week I have started on some of those items.  The blog post is written as you must  be reading it right now.  The online store has items in it to create beautiful things no matter where you are in the universe.  We will send it to you pronto.  The knitting projects in progress are in evidence on my desk.  I can count 3 scarves, 2 seconds socks, and one dishcloth.  All small projects to be sure, but they meet the objective of working on gifty type items so that no one is left out by December.  My desk is still a heap but right now, I am saying that that is just how I work best.  All of the important stuff is there somewhere but it is hidden from those people who don't need to know.  My secret filing system is working.

The nutritious meals part of the goal is somewhat lacking.  The fridge is full of genuine food items.  The family got a good breakfast, but the regularity of meals made and eaten at the table is still slacking.  For the record, my youngest made a great fruit breakfast thingy this morning.  We are calling it Breakfast Ravioli.

Breakfast Ravioli
Ingredients:
2 crescent roll sheets, not the perforated ones
1 brick cream cheese
brown sugar
orange marmalade
2 half pints of berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Unroll one sheet of crescent roll dough
3. Spread softened cream cheese on the dough leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges
4. Sprinkle brown sugar on the cream cheese lightly
5. Pile the berries on the sugar
6. Drizzle berries with marmalade
7. Unroll the second crescent dough on top of all of the fruit and goodies and seal the edges.
8. Prick the dough with a fork to let out steam.
9. Bake for 20 minutes.  Cut into pieces and enjoy.