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Newletter October 12, 2018.

Here is our newsletter that is available through our website. Just put in your email address and we will send it to you directly. Cheers!!

Classical Weaving at the Yarn Cupboard.

We are starting our weaving course again. This is a new weaving kit available just in time for the holidays from Ashford in New Zealand. We are able to take preorders at the moment. These kits include a 16″ Sampleit Loom, a canvas bag to carry it, 2 7.5 dpi reeds for double weave projects, one 12.5 dpi for finer yarns, 2 shuttles, 2 pick up sticks, warping pegs and clamps, finishing wax, Sapelit Loom booklet, 2 skeins of their DK weight yarn, full instructions to weave either a sophisticated Houndstooth, or stunning logcabin scarf. Please call BEFORE OCTOBER 20th TO ORDER!!

More on Ashford Looms.

All standard Ashford rigid heddle looms 16″, 24″, 32″, and 48″ will come with the second heddle sideposts included.

Classical Weaving Classes.
Classes will begin in November- the date will be out this week. Once you learn to classical weave you can break out and do more “art”
weaving if you are so inclined. We are an Ashford Loom distributor and you can call find out all your options that are available.

Indirect Warping options are available on all the Ashford standard rigid heddle looms.

A Week in October.
Join us in Santa Fe, New Mexico for workshops, great food, interesting tours and a visit to the Taos Wool Fesitval. We will begin our week Monday, September 30th and finish leaving Sunday October 6th. We will be eating at wonderful restaurants, lectures from different artists, museum tour at the international Folk Art Museum, class in embroidery and knitting, and of course the visit to the Taos wool festival. Pricing on the Tutto Santa Fe website with a drop down form. Please let them know you are from Yarn Cupboard as they have saved rooms for us. It is booking with limited spaces so please don’t hesitate if you are interested. Call us for questions.

The Throwback Sweater.
Shannon will be starting her next sweater class for the Throwback sweater by Andrea Mowry. Please come in to decide on which fiber you are using. Classes start this November on Saturdays. CAll for details.

Arne and Carlos.
The morning class is still available-8 seats available for the Wristies. The Knitted Birds is sold out, and seats available for the lecture. Don’t miss out! They are getting rave reviews whereever they go! Call to register.

Keep In Touch
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Saying good bye to those who leave us.

I find saying goodbye to fibery friends is one of the hardest things we do here at the Yarn Cupboard. Some of our most favorite people have moved away from Syracuse. Others have actually passed on. I know there are always others who discover us or move into the area, but old friends have a special place for all of us here. This month we lose another 2 good good friends who are moving from Upstate NY. They have been fixtures in the store since the earliest days. These days with social media and of course Ravelry, we will keep up with all their news. But… we will miss them on Tuesday afternoons for social knitting, and at all our special events. They won’t be popping in for a needle, buying a new project that we will see grow every week, or just stopping in to tell us about their holiday.
These connections we make shape our lives and help us on our journey. Being your Local Yarn Store has been a privilege.

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How it works.

How LYS’ are run seem to be a mystery to many people. It is a niche business which means you have to have people who have the ability  to knit and crochet as your sales team! These same people have to be an understanding of fibers and an ability to read patterns and substitute yarns.

LYS’  need yarns in different weights, fibers, and price points. Most LYS’ carry a massive amount of inventory that include sweater quantities on many of their yarns.  The owner when looking at yarns for the shop makes decisions on his or her customers preferences and what is the latest and greatest with the companies we deal with.

As with any other business, forging relationships with customers, company representatives, the UPS guy, neighbors etc may be the most important factor to maintain longevity. Classes and events help to forge feelings of community which is so important to those who frequent the shop and to the people who work at the shop. Our goal is as always, to provide the best service, the best fiber at your price point, and to make your fibery experience enjoyable. There is no substitution to your Local Yarn Shop.

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I’m back.

Things do get away from me. And this blog has been one of them! There have been a lot of changes since I last wrote. Many yarn shops have closed in CNY and across the country. Some of the yarn companies are experiencing major loss of sales due to these closures. The Yarn Cupboard continues to push forward in hopes that the future in the fiber business will settle and many will return to support their LYS.
We have had a busy year so far. Bente Geil from Geilsk yarns in Demark came to Jamesville to teach some of her techniques for her patterns. She also helped many to choose the right Geilsk yarn for their specific pattern.
Our 6th Annual retreat was held this past April. It was a great weekend, with wonderful instructors and lovely people attending. Our retreat next year will be the weekend of April 28th, 2017.
Our annual knitting afternoon at Jephson estate will be held this August on the 14th from 12noon to 4pm. Please give us a call to reserve your spot for lunch and knitting with friends.
Classes continue just about daily. Call to check on availability. We would love to see you.
And as always- the Yarn Cupboard continues to carry diverse companies, diverse price points and wonderful patterns from fabulous designers.
I will not wait so long for our next post. I would be happy to answer any questions- just ask!!

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Stick to Your Knitting.

While watching CNN this morning, one of the commentators talking about the GOP debate this evening, said they should “Stick to their Knitting.” What he was really saying is that they should speak their truth.

A new Yarn Cupboard catch phrase was born. So when someone asks you what you did all day, you can say-“I Stuck to my Knitting.” or if they want to know your opinion on world affairs, you can say, “They should Stick to their Knitting.” or is they want to know how much you weigh, you can say, “I’m Sticking to my Knitting.”

You can see it is the perfect antidote to all questions.

 

 

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Woolfolk at the Yarn Cupboard.

We have been very fortunate being one of the 30 stores worldwide selling Woolfolk. Kristen Ford ‘s palette is ever expanding. This season she has introduced Sno; her new beautiful marles. Far and Tynd have 2 new teals and a black. Kristen uses wonderful designers such as our own Antonia Shankland who visits us frequently and Olga Buraya-Kefelain who will be attending our retreat in 2016. Woolfolk is one of the brands that makes the Yarn Cupboard a unique shop for quality yarns.

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Clara Dress.

The Clara Dress has had a flurry of activity at the Yarn Cupboard this month. This baby dress has been our most popular since we opened six years ago. We have two made up in the shop- one in Isager Alpaca 2 and one in Isager Bomuld (cotton).  It never fails, when a new person comes into shop, they always comment on one of the dresses! The Clara dress pattern is only available through LYS’s and also available on line.  Two skeins of Alpaca 2 and 3 of the Bomuld will do the trick.

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A Remarkable Retreat!

This past weekend was our 4th Annual Yarn Cupboard Retreat and Market.  Frankly, it was a brilliant weekend. Maggie Jackson, Lori Versaci,Lisa Ann Merian,  Laura Nelkin, Jill Draper, Courtney Kelley, and Kate Gagnon Osborne all traveled to Syracuse to teach this weekend. We also had local dyer Jennifer Van Calcar, artist Marcela Hanford and spinning whiz Beth Coye who round out the teachers roster.

There were also wonderful vendors–MelissaJean’s Buttons, Jill Draper Makes Stuff, Laura Nelkin designs, Saori Looms, Spun right around, Holly Page designs and Spinner’s Hill.The marketplace was  hubbub of activity.

As always it is so special to see returning attendees. We all have made great friendships as we are together all weekend.

This year we had a MaggiKnits fashionshow Friday night with her beautiful designs. Maggie Jackson is so entertaining.  We even learned alittle “Irish” syntac: We thought she said “pickled ham” it was picot hem…and instead of “Mare” it was Mirror. Hmm…

Saturday night was Lori Versaci’s trunk show, Show and Tell and our raffle. Lori’s very wearable designs were a hit with everyone. The show and tell was bigger and better this year as well. Lynn Wilson brought 2 gorgeous shawls and 1 pair of Laura’s Mica mitts. And the girls with their Meadowsweet shawls from the Fibre Company KAL looked fantastic.

The Yarn Cupboard debuted some new yarns and alot of new patterns and garments. Imperial yarns, new patterns for Erika Knight, new patterns for Fibre Company and Berroco.  And new yarns for Shibui and Ito with patterns and garments.

Next year- the retreat will be the April 17th weekend. Circle your calendar. We are lining up some exciting instructors and a few of the fabulous ones from this year will return. So, we will again have a weekend full of glorious colorful fibers, interesting classes and many happy people.

 

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Countdown to Yarn Cupboard’s 4th Annual Fiber Arts Retreat and Market.

Will it ever stop snowing? My husband said that last year his first round of golf was March 5th. We had a blizzard March 12th this year and we have an enormous snow drift in front of the shop. But it seems almost tropical today at 33 degrees Fahrenheit.
No matter where you are on the East coast, Mid west, and even South, this winter has been one for the record books.
So needless to say, everyone has a hat, cowl, mitts or socks on one set of needles. But we are so looking forward to Spring. And a wonderful way to start the Spring is at our Retreat this year on the weekend of April 25th. Again, we were very lucky to have such fantastic teachers coming to Syracuse. Maggie Jackson, Jill Draper, Lori Versaci, Laura Nelkin, Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn, Sandi Wiseheart, and Lisa Merian. There are many classes to choose from as each teacher as well as some of our local experts are teaching 2 to three classes each. Colorwork, finishing, cabling, lace, bead work, double knitting, designing,dyeing, color theory, spinning…and more.
Take a look at what is on offer. This is an opportunity for you to learn something new, meet the instructors and make new friends. There is always something to learn.
And of course, the Marketplace will be open 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 9am to 3pm on Sunday. So much to choose from. If you have any questions on what is happening that weekend, just call us here at the shop. We certainly can help you with your decisions.
The Yarn Cupboard is full of new Spring/Summer yarns. The store is brimming with gorgeous color and texture.
As I look out the window at slowly melting snow drifts, I can visualize the Spring with Tahki’s new Tandem or Filatura’s new Minitempo I am working with. Spring has sprung at the Yarn Cupboard. See you at the retreat!

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Happy Halloween!!

Halloween already?!? Many of you have mentioned I haven’t been keeping up with my blog! So I thought I better get back to it!
Things have picked up at the Yarn Cupboard and we have been reorganizing with new yarns and new designs. Holiday gift giving is always an incentive to get back into your handwork and we are seeing some of you again who have been absent during the summer. We have noticed there is not a common thread this Fall…Everyone seems to be doing their own thing. Hats, cowls, sweaters, skirts,mitts, afghans,ponchos, baby, child, adult…And that’s how we like it! You all have your own ideas and are working on them.
We are however seeing some knitting concerns coming up over and over again. Fit and gauge.
It is important that you take proper measurements if you are making a garment. And It is important to do a gauge before starting. Some of you wash your gauges…I know there are some who say to do so… We really don’t encourage washing gauges. We just expect you to knit one. There are always some fibers that will just go limp when you wash them. If you are using a a reasonably good fiber, you must be careful when laundering your garments anyway. You certainly don’t throw it in your washer with other things, or in an agitated cycle.Hand wash, GENTLY, lay flat. Or as we do in my house, off to the cleaners…however I must ask…how many times do you wash your sweaters? Generally they aren’t worn everyday..Some people say to me–“can I wash this–I am making a winter scarf”. I must tell you, I am 57 and I have never washed a winter scarf. Maybe I should?
Once you have established your correct needle and correct yarn to use for your project, get started! But make sure you continue to check your gauge as you knit or crochet along. And measure your piece….Is it going to fit? Do I need to make a front smaller than the back? Is the length correct? Does it look like the photo?!? Whenever you are questioning what you have just done…STOP. You are always welcome to bring in your Yarn Cupboard projects and we will figure it out together.
I’ll have my broom out tonight…but will be back in the morning.