A New Year!

We have lots planned for this coming year.  There will be classes, events, a lot of new yarns and new colors. The shop has grown so much in the last year.  When I look at pictures of the past few months, we have had to rearrange the shop almost every month to make space for new things.  The most exciting display at the moment is the button wall.  We have hand crafted buttons.  We have cute kids buttons.  We have vintage buttons from the 30's through to the 60's.  They are all on a huge pegboard display that changes weekly.  Our shop sample collection has grown to be it's own display.  We have socks, headbands, mittens, scarves, sweaters and hats.  The samples are made from yarn that we carry so be sure and ask about anything that catches your eye.  I have a scarf on the needles now that should be done soon.  It's made with some of our undyed wool.  I love the natural color and the shading that appears as you work through the skein.  Have a great New Year filled with fantastic projects.

Small towns ...

I love living in a small community.  Up until I was 23, I had always lived in or near a larger city.  Things like malls, shopping districts, more than one grocery store, and several shoe stores were common place.  At 23 we moved to a small town where even a Kmart was a relatively new thing.  A McDonalds was new too.  Nearly 3 decades later, there is still one grocery store, one shoe store, a Walmart and a few mom and pop shops.  Oh, and Kmart and McDonalds are still here too.   I am not considered a native because I wasn't born here, but my kids are natives.

A small community means that most people in town have a connection to you somehow.  You know their children from ball teams or dance.  You see them on the street as they drive to work.  You see their dog at the park and know it's name.  Owning a yarn shop in a small town means you know the favorite colors of many people.  You know what they are making for the next grandchild.  You know which people like wool and which people prefer acrylic.  I love meeting and supporting so many talented people.  It's a great way to spend an afternoon and evening.  And I get to play with all the yarn I want to.

Craft Shop Hop!

Save the Date!

What: Craft Shop Hop

Where: Richfield

When: Oct 9-12, 2012 during regular business hours

Participating Shops:

      Julia's Shoppe-yarn

      MARCIA'S-fabric

      The Crop Circle-scrapbooking

       Spontaneous Idea-scrapbooking

      Barrie Unique Baby Boutique

      Nielson's Ceramic's and more

Objective:  Visit each shop on the list and see the great deals in Richfield.  Get your passport stamped at each store you visit along the way.  Enter raffles to win great prizes.

Each shop will have a store raffle during this event and all completed passports will be entered into a Grand Prize Drawing.

Have Fun!!

120 days until ???

Christmas is coming people!  I counted the days just make sure.  I have lots of people on my list who need/want/expect something hand made and I am sure that you do too.  The new yarns will soon be in the shop to start all of those wonderful projects.  We have new yarns coming and we have the usual red, green and white variations as well.  Let us help you find your creative spirit and put those lovelies under the tree this year.

A Sale!

Labor Day is coming up the first weekend in September and Julia's Shoppe will be having a great big sale to celebrate.  Everything in the shop will be 30% for Thursday August 30 through Monday September 3rd.  EVERYTHING WILL BE DISCOUNTED 30%!  What a great way to get your Christmas projects started!

Pondering on the Anachronistic Arts

Are the people who love needle arts the last of a dying breed?  I am surprised at the number of people who comment in the shop that "no one knits anymore" or "I can buy a sweater cheaper".

The people that use yarn in their leisure pursuits do so for the pure pleasure of working with color and fiber.  They are clearly aware that the big box stores carry fully functional sweaters and socks for much less than the cost of quality materials and tools.  They crochet or knit for the creative outlet.

It would be a better debate by far to ponder why and how an electronic box that displays moving pictures and sound has eclipsed our desires to do artistic activities in our leisure time.  When was the last time that watching TV or a video actually produced something or made a change in your life?

Yarn is good therapy.

The County Fair pt 2

I was back at my spot in the arts building at the fair this morning bright and early.  I had a wonderful batt to work on and was really enjoying the scene.  Today I got to visit with an assortment of stock show kids, older folks, teachers, and parents chasing their children.  I really love the questions people ask about spinning.  They are genuinely surprised at the process of taking fiber from raw product to yarn.  They are surprised that people still do this sort of thing.  I thought about how interesting it is that people can be in a fair exhibit hall be amazed at the work.

There are a huge number of crafts people in our community and this is only a small sampling of the work that is done.  These people still find satisfaction in taking color, fabric, fiber and thread to produce a unique work of art that is personal to them.  They display these works in their home and give them as presents to family and friends.  I don't know that these are the dying arts that many people commented about today, but certainly they are undervalued arts in a time when you can buy your comforters and clothing at a big box store and never think about the process.