Can you ever see too much yarn?

So we are just finishing up with inventory. A bunch of us spent almost 12 hours the other day counting yarn. You think you're going to go cross-eyed.

The real up-side to this though was that we got to fondle each and every ball of yarn. As we counted (and dusted the shelves while we were at it) our sense for color took over and we found ourselves re-arranging yarn to sit next to colors that in our mind went better together. We had many: "I didn't even remember that we HAD this yarn" experiences and I know our minds were swimming with ideas of what we could make with these yarns.

Cherrie kept saying: "Wow!! The store is a mess but the shelves look really, really good!" and at the end of the day, Jan was still grabbing yarn and admiring it. For a while Elvis showed up to perk us up with his hound dog, but then we even got tired of him and kicked him out. So I just want to say THANKS to all of our staff for this great effort. Of course I have unkind thoughts for the bean counters who decide that this is necessary, but in the end it was fun to touch and feel and ooh and ahhhh over all that wonderful yarn.

How blessed we are to be able to spend our leisure time at such a wonderful and rewarding craft! Of course it's all therapy!

Take some knitting to the beach!! Talk to you soon!
Gaby

Psssssst: There is a SALE at Yarn Lady this coming Monday. We want you to have enough yarn so you can knit right through the 4th.

Teens Knitting

I was sitting in church today knitting, as usual, waiting for service to begin when one of the teens walked up to me and asked what I was doing. I gladly told him that I was making a shawl. He then asked if it would be something that he could learn to do, and surprise his mother as well. I was so excited that a teenager (a guy who just recently hurt his foot and is on crutches for the summer) would actually want to knit. Just to give you an idea of who this person really is....he is the one who is always cracking jokes, never pays any attention to things going on around him, a big show off and always wants to be the center of attenion. Needless to say, I told him that I would be happy to teach him. He was so excited and started asking real questions about the yarn I was using and what the needle size was.

At our store, we currently have three teenagers working for us. (www.yarnlady.com) All three of them just graduated from high school. We are so proud of them for accomplishing something so important all while their dreams are just around the corner at their corresponding colleges. In the short amount of time that the three of them have been working for us, they have learned and are eager to continue to learn their newly acquired craft called "KNITTING". In fact, I know of at least one of them who wants to work at a yarn store near her college to help continue this craft called "KNITTING". They promised to come visit us on their off time and will try to attend our semi-annual BAG SALES.

This just proves that knitting is not just for grandma's anymore. We have had pre-schoolers, elementary, high schoolers and now college students come to the store, want to learn how to knit and began taking the steps (either by taking our classes or by learning from a family member or friend) to do this thing called "KNITTING".

If you are ever in the area, please feel free to stop by our store. You won't know what you have been missing until you see the numerous selections, ideas and loyalty we have in our store. If you can not come to our store for some crazy reason, please visit our website at www.yarnlady.com.

Dont be afraid....try KNITTING Today!
Niqua

Socks vs. Sock Yarn

Socks and sock yarn can be mutually exclusive. You can use sock yarn not to make socks, but for most people, even experienced knitters think that you can use sock yarn for socks only. You run across the same thing when you tell someone who doesn't knit that you need sock yarn. They get this odd look on their face, to the uninitiated, yarn is yarn, but to a knitter that thinking is anathema.

Sock yarn is a wonderful choice for all kinds of accessories such as wristbands, hats, scarves, legwarmers, gloves, dog sweaters, pillow cases..... What throws people off using sock yarn for other projects is that you must use smaller needles to maintain the intriguing and beautiful patterning of the yarn. In the era of instant gratification, using sock yarn is a labor of love, not just the next hot trend.

It's not about the socks or whatever project is undertaken, but about the sock yarn and seeing how the yarn is going to transition to the newest pattern that keeps your attention. You shortly forget the small needles and the effort undertaken, but instead are enraptured by the mystery of creating something unique and interesting.

Getting back to socks, for me the greatest satisfaction is in the shaping of a sock, turning the heel and seeing your knitting taking on a new direction.

Judy

Summer Surprise

Did you happen to come into our store, June 21st, the first day of summer?
We had a surprise for all of you who did. We held our first ever Surprise Summer Drawing for a $25 gift certificate for all customers who made a purchase that day. At the end of the night, we had a drawing and Doreen Newman was our lucky winner.
You never know what will happen when you visit the store. Please drop by this summer and particiapte in all the fun activities at Yarn Lady.

Congratularions Doreen! Thank you for participating in our Surprise Summer Drawing.

So Elaine and I continue to bag yarn for our next bagsale and of course, for the Stitches shows. I have to admit that some of the yarn is going home with me because as I look at it, all kinds of ideas come flooding through my mind as to what I would still want to knit or crochet with it.

Caitlyn and I did have a chance to go to the beach today. It was a beautiful day but the water was rough. I had not been listening to any weather reports which talked about high surf. We set up our stuff where we normally would have been way clear of the high water mark. But, you guessed it, the water came after us. Caitlyn even was swept over some rocks by a big wave and got scraped up a bit. When things had calmed down, I took out my knitting. In order for it not to be all sandy, I packed it in an ice box. Other people pack food, I drag an icebox just to have a "safe" place for my knitting.

I was working on a beatiful scarf that told me it wanted to become a shrug. So we'll sew up a few inches of the sides and see what happenes. As soon as I can figure out how to dis-able the pop-up blocker on this computer, I'll show you some pictures.

Actually, I'm working on a number of designs. All of which need just a few finishing touches and of course, I need to write the patterns for them. I've heard in the past that Kaffee Fasset hands off his designs to someone else to finish and write the patterns. Don't know if that is true. I should have asked him when he and Brandon Mabley were at our store teaching workshops. In any case, I wish I had such a person.....and I can't bring my new stuff into the store until the patterns are written, because staff gets very cranky when people want to know how something is made and they don't have an answer for them...:-))))

Enough for today. Time to get some sleep!! (fat chance...Dr. put me on water pills.....)
Happy knitting and crocheting!!
God bless you!
Gaby

New Product Arriving Daily

Just as Niqua & Cherie arrived home safely from Indianapolis, the new products have been arriving on a daily basis. We have Debby Ware patterns & books, KnitWhits patterns (bikini's) and felted flower kits. Trust me, you will want to come in to see all these new items soon, as they are going fast.

This saturday, Yarn Lady will be hosting the first ever "Sock Yarn Tasting". There will be a special surprise for those who attend. If you have not signed up yet, please call 949-770-7809 to make sure your spot is reserved today. You dont want to miss this special surprise. Remember, this is not just about socks. The representative will give you a special preview of the fall line yarns that you will sure to love. Sign up today at www.yarnlady.com
See you there!

Yarn Lady's Bag Sales

I'm so glad that Cherie and Niqua have decided to start this blog. Often there are things I would like to talk about but they don't really fit into the format of our newsletter. Having this informal way of chatting with you will allow me to communicate better with you, our valued friends and customers.

Something has really been on my mind and I would sure like to set the record straight here. If you've ever been to our fabulous bag sales, no doubt you have seen the BIG blue Ikea bags that buyers fill with our great bargains. I've been asked a number of times, how I was able to get IKEA bags to use at our store. Well, you just have to know that anyone can buy them from Ikea. What they use in their stores are yellow bags. These blue ones are available for purchase for 99 cents each if I remember right.

Whew!! I didn't want anyone to think that they "accidentally" went home with us!!!:-))) BTW: our next bag sale will be, as always, on the first Saturday in December. This year we will also bring it to the STITCHES shows (www.knittinguniverse.com) in both Chicago and Baltimore. If you're anywhere around that area, I hope you will come!

For more info about our bag sales, please go to our website at www.yarnlady.com
God bless you!
Gaby

Happy Fathers Day & Congratulations Grads!

Hello,
Both Cherie and Niqua are finally home, safe and sound and ready to share all the exciting news that will make Yarn Lady an even more enjoyable experience.
If you have not already done so, check out the lastest Yarn Lady newsletter that is going out tonight. Also, dont be left behind! We are having our first ever "Sock Yarn Tasting" by Skacel Yarns next week. There will be a special surprise in store for you in which you wont want to miss. You can sign up online at www.yarnlady.com or by phone at 949-770-7809.
Have a wonderful Father's Day and Congratulations to all the new graduates!

Last day at TNNA

Hello!
Knowing that today was going to be the last day was hard because it is a lot of fun looking at all the new products, ideas, colors, etc. We can not wait until the products arrive in the store. You too will love these as well. Besides doing final purchases/ordering, both of us met with designers and yarn companies to schedule fun and exciting activities coming soon to our store.
Today we are going to keep this short, as we are in meetings and preparing our belongings to make the trip home. Thank you for your interest in our endeavors here in Indianapolis, Indiana. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming events and products. If you have not done so already, please sign up for our newsletters online at www.yarnlady.com.
Until next time, Cherie and Niqua

TNNA Day 3

Hello Everyone!
Today was very informative and wet. Apparently the rain fell heavily and the air conditioner was blowing and freezing us all into snow cones. Wait! Is it not June? Is it not supposed to be hot? Apparently NOT!
This morning, Niqua had a class with Chris Bylsma. Wait until you see her beautiful designs. And, Chris has agreed to come to our store and do a couple workshops. Please check our events schedule for the upcoming dates and plan to attend. Chris is really fun and you will love what you learn. I brushed up on crochet and cant wait to show everybody some of the new techniques that were taught.
Today, was the first day of MARKET! For those who do not know what that is, it is the time when the vendors display the newest products for the coming season and the store owners get the chance to preview and place their orders (this means we get to SHOP). Niqua and I got to see Stacy Charles from Tahki/Stacy Charles, Barry Klein of Trendsetter Yarns, Kirstin Muench of Muench Yarns, Candi Jensen, Sally Melville, Laura Bryant of Prism Yarns, again with Frank from Trading Spaces (TV show on TLC), just to name a few. We also got to see the incredible "corn" yarn from SWTC. Can't wait until it arrives in the store this fall. The Lantern Moon circular needles have been ordered and should be arriving in our store by July. Lots of easy and adorable patterns in which to dress those darling babies have been ordered from Debby's Wear. They look good enough to eat! Tomorrow will be our last day at MARKET. We will be starting our day with Cat Bordhi and then on to more shopping.
Time to go and get some beauty rest. Stay tuned for more from TNNA.
Cherie and Niqua

TNNA Day 2

Hello Again!
Here we are on day 2 of 4 days here in Indianapolis. The weather has been cool, with a slight breeze. Rain is expected for the next two days....hopefully no tornadoes.
Today, we started our day at 6:30 EST, all when most southern Californian's were still snuggled in their cozy beds. After a quick jolt from Starbucks, both Cherie and I attended a class to help keep track of inventory. After freezing to death and trying our best to stay awake, we managed to learn a lot of helpful information for our store. The afternoon was better as we took classes about creative ways to share our yarns with you. In my class, the teacher asked each of us to introduce ourselves and funny thing was there was one of the employees from Prism Yarns whom I speak with constantly in the class. We have never met before until then. Her name is LJ...what a pleasant surprise. LJ invited us to go to this evenings Fall Preview Fashion Show where Laura Bryant from Prism Yarns was given a special award for her service in the industry.
The garments and accessories were previews of the Fall collections. There were about 120 from sweaters to wraps to bags, you name it. There was even a ball gown made of Kid Silk Haze by Rowan and a very tiny Bikini that received the most attention from attendees as well as the finale. The trends that were observed were traditional cabled garments, fitted young designs, felted purses and belts, lacy mohair short boleros and several wild chunky hand dyed yarns. We can't wait until the new products arrive in our store for all to enjoy.
It's getting late and we are off to watch the Irish Dancers competing in our hotel.
Have a great evening. We will talk to you tomorrow.
Signing off from TNNA in Indianapolis.
Cherie and Niqua

Hello from Indiana

Hello! Cherie and I are writing to you from Starbucks in our hotel at TNNA in Indianapolis, Indiana where we are about to receive a terrential down pour and possible tornadoes. Today, we had the opportunity to take a couple of classes about exciting ideas to share with you in the coming months. I had a pleasant surpise at one of my classes in which Frank from Trading Spaces (and his wife too) were the instructors. Talk about a funny person! I could not stop laughing at his jokes. Did you know that he does cross stitch? We talked with Barry while he and his staff (Heidi and Anita) were putting together the great wall of yarn (for those who are not able to see this, it is a huge wall of 5 yarn from each company at this market). Talk about color, texture and WOW! We can't wait to see more this coming weekend when market actully opens for all retail TNNA members.
When we are not in class, we usually walk through the covered skyways between the hotel and the convention center, as well as to the outstanding mall where Cherie has bought shoes, shoes, shoes and more shoes. Did I mention shoes?
Stay tunes for more from TNNA! We will try to include pictures next time for all to experience. Happy Knitting & Crocheting! Cherie & Niqua

Welcome

Cherie & Niqua will be attending The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) in Indianapolis, Indiana to preview new products for Fall 2006. Stay tuned for daily updates on whats Hot and whats Not!