Knitting and crocheting with friends

I had to cover a shift at the yarn store last night. It is always interesting when I do that, since I'm not there that often and I'm not totally up to date with all the new things that are there (and all the new register procedures:-)))

But as I looked around the store I was so blessed to see so many of you there, taking classes and just fellowshipping with other knitters and crocheters. I stood on a chair and just took pictures in a circle and no matter in which direction I looked, there you were.

Thank you so much for participating in all of the classes, workshops and special events we have here for you at Yarn Lady. Without you it wouldn't happen!

Please make sure you check out our class and workshop schedule so you don't miss any of the events that are coming up!
http://yarnlady.com/classschedule/index.htm

More travel pictures

The proud grandma in me can't wait to share some pictures with you from our trip.

We travelled with a 15 passenger van and a big trailer full of YARN. As you can see, we barely had room for our luggage and OURSELVES!!
Now our vehicles are safely (we trust) parked and in late October we will be flying back to Philly and driving to Baltimore for the next Stitches show. We have scheduled several book signings with Kaffe Fasset and Brandon Mabley in our booth. If you remember they were teaching at our store not too long ago. So if you find yourselves at Stitches East this Fall, be sure to stop by our booth!
See you there!

About yarnstores and lace knitting

As you probably know, we drove from our store with our van and trailer full of YARN to Chicago to do the Stitches show there and then on to Philadelphia. We logged about 4000 miles with the sightseeing detours we took.

We weren't really on the lookout for yarn stores but more for things that would entertain our 7 year old granddaughter, who was travelling with us. (How fun was that!) On our second night's stop, we were in Ogden, Utah and were directed to eat at a certain restaurant and when we came out what do we see but a yarn store right next door!! Of course it was late in the evening and it was closed, but we did press our noses against the window and took a picture.

From there we stopped in Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore and then went on to meet our teacher, Martha at her parent's home in Sioux Falls, SD. Martha just happened to be there visiting with her husband and kids and invited us to meet her parents and see the wonderful old house she grew up in! What an honor! She also took us to see the Cathedral of Sioux Falls and showed Caitlyn the huge pipe organ.

Also in Sioux Falls is the home of XRX-inc.
XRX, in case you don't know, is the publisher of Knitter's Magazine, as well as the publisher of many of your favorite knitting books. They are also the organizers of the Stitches shows. We were invited to come and see their offices and meet the staff. Isn't it wonderful to get a behind-the-scenes look?

Elaine Rowley, who is the editor of the books, showed me the samples of the newest book Victorian Lace Today, that they are working on and I got to meet Lizbeth Upitis, the lady who is doing much of the proofing.

I told Elaine that I wasn't much for lace knitting but then she showed me the samples of the items which will be in the book and she made a believer out of me! There are lots of very wearable things and some of them are not too difficult to make so even the beginner can have a shot at it. Look for this book on our bookshelves soon. You will love it!

What this proved to me again is that things do look different when you get to see them in person. Please remember that we schedule many yarn tastings and other events for you at Yarn Lady so you CAN touch and feel and try on and see in person.

What's been happening....

I haven't reported to you yet about our trip and here we are, about to leave on another one....

At Stitches I could take pictures of our booth only, since photography was strictly prohibited. Understandable, since everyone has their best new designs and ideas "out there" and with copyrights and all..... The point IS that you get to see so many great things and just like in our store, we hear over and over again how overwhelming it all is.

In our booth, we of course had our famous bagsale. (If you're going to Baltimore, do we have a surprise for you!!) We also had a lot of Anny Blatt Angora at half price. On the last day we looked in our pen and found a couple of PEOPLE in it. They, of course, were not for sale at any price!

Of course there was a huge list of other items as well but it always pains me when I have to tell someone that we don't have that particular item with us, but we carried a big van and trailer full of inventory with us and just couldn't fit another thing in.

If you remember Tirzah who used to work for us and her little boy, Robbie, who grew up in our store before and after birth...they came to visit as as you can see, Robbie is about to have a little brother or sister.

If you've never been to a Stitches show, you owe it to yourself to go. For more information go to www.knittinguniverse.com The next show will be in Baltimore and Kaffee Fasset will be the featured speaker. I understand things are pretty well sold out, but, hey, there is always room for one more, right? If that's a little too far for you, the next show will be on the West Coast again.

Remember our special events on Saturday

Just wanted to take a minute to remind you that tomorrow (Saturday August 19th) from 10-4 we are having a very rare sale at our store involving all Prism yarns. You will want to make sure that you come in to select from our huge supply of Prism yarns. http://yarnlady.com/prism/sale060819.htm

Also, we have the great pleasure of welcoming Fayla Reiss for a Freeform Crochet Workshop. Purses are the hot thing and Fayla will be showing you how to make her fabulous creations using freeform crochet. You will need to have the basic knowledge of crocheting and enjoy just having fun. In freeform, there is really no set pattern. We hope to convey to you the idea of how to make this happen and once you understand that and get comfortable with it, the sky is the limit as to what you can create with this technique.

There are still a few spaces left in class so check out the details on our website http://yarnlady.com/classschedule/workshops/06reiss.htm and call the store to sign up (or you can sign up online)

Also on hand for all of this will be Barry Klein who is the co-author of Fayla's book. Come and meet them both and get your books autographed. See you here! God bless you!
Gaby

Day Four - Pack Up Day

Hello!
Today is the most anticipated day of the entire show. It is the day when every thing is done, you not only get to see how your sales went, but you get to pack every thing up and see if you can get what's left in our van and tailor to be hauled to Baltimore for Stitches East in November. The last minute attendees are coming back for those items that they wished they bought the first time they were in our booth and the ones who just could not do with just one of anything they bought....had to buy another to bring to a friend or add to their stash. A lot of our cards, special orders and interest in our store happens on this day. They want to make sure that they can get more once we are gone. This is why we do these shows....advertisement and meeting new people across the nation. My parents (Dutch and Gaby) asked me once back at the hotel if I had fun doing this, as they were sitting there while being fully exhausted and could barely move. I said yes, because I enjoy meeting all the people, making new contacts with designers to come to our store to do workshops for you to take and for what it will create at our store afterwards - a BUZZ of excitement and knowledge of our store.
So we are all packed up now.....having to pack certain items that are staying in the van and trailor and others that needs to go back to the store until the next show when we have to bring them back when we go to Baltimore. It is tricky to get every thing in suitcases with trying not to make them too heavy or else you will pay for them at the airport and also making sure you have room for everything that needs to go home. The glitches that are going on at the airport now with being on orange alert are also making things a bit more challenging. We will get through it with smiles on our faces.
Tomorrow, Stefan, Caitlyn, Elaine and I will be flying home, back to California. Dutch and Gaby will be bring the van and trailor to Baltimore before flying home on Wednesday. See you when we get back.
Niqua

Day Three at Stitches

Hello!
Today was our most busiest of them all so far. We had lines around our booth just to purchase their items. I had all I could do to keep myself calm and concentrating on each customer as they came to the register. I didnt want to stress out by looking at the large lines. I can not image how it will be in November when we will be having at least four book signings done by Kaffee Fasset and Brandon Mobley. It will be busy then too!
We are having a great time. Still have not been able to get away to see what other vendors are selling. We will try to walk around before market opens tomorrow (last day). Barry Klein came by our booth again as well as Colleen Davis. Apparently, Colleen has produced a new Free Form DVD. Colleen asked us if we would be interested in selling it and we said we would. The DVD is very popular, in fact, we have sold all the copies we had today. Colleen said she will give us more tomorrow. Good thing, because we have many people still asking for it.
Patterns seem to be the most popular item that we have, besides the purse handles. Good thing that we have lots of those. Many customers that knew Jan and Jen (our new and wonderful teachers from Chicago) have come by to say hi and that they missed their beloved friends. "Hi Jan and Jen from Chicago! We miss you"
Well, tomorrow is the dreaded day! First, we have to attend a vendor meeting, then take a quick walk around before market opens. Once market opens, we sell those last minute items before we have to prepare to pack up until the next Stitches in Baltimore.
Off to work - until tomorrow!
Niqua
P.S. Guess who we got to see today as a special surprise? Do you remember Tirzah and little Robbie that use to work at our store about a year ago? They moved to Chicago so they could be closer to family while Tirzah's husband went back for more education. Little Robbie is walking and talking and was having a blast eating an ice cream and afterwards climbing in the play pen full of yarn. He apparently is a climber and is very good at what he likes to do. Tirzah is expecting her second child. She is due in a couple of days. She looks really good and is in good spirits. They both said to say hello to everyone!

Day Two at Stitches

Hello there!
Well, we made it through the first day here in Chicago. We are a bit tired, but the attendees are very excited to see us back here at Stitches. (For those who did not know, we have not attended for a couple of years). The show is going well. It is surprising that certain items are selling better than others, but who is to know what will sell and what wouldnt when you are packing? Any which way, we met with Barry Klein from Trendsetter Yarns, Kerry from Prism, Fontelle from Great Yarns, Sally Melville and Melissa Leapman. Melissa is very excited to be coming to our store to teach four workshops in September. If you have not already signed up, sign up soon. Melissa said that these workshops are a lot of fun and so far, all of the ones that she was teaching at Stitches were sold out. Dont be left out - sign up today on our website or by calling our store.
Elaine, Gaby and I are eager to walk around to see what other vendors are selling, but we can not manage to get away. We are trying out a new accounting system and so far, I am the only one who knows how to run it. With a few minor problems with our printer and running out of certain patterns, we are managing to get every customer serviced.
More tomorrow!
Niqua

Arrived Safely in Chicago

Hello,
Yes, we all arrived safely in Chicago before the major developement at all the airports. We are a little concerned about when we have to go home, but we will deal with that later.
The booth is all set up and we are very tired. Tonight, we have to begin selling for a couple of hours before we get to go back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. I will do my best to attach some images later on to give you a better feel of what we have to do at these shows.
Until tomorrow.
Niqua
P.S. Guess who came by our booth today? Chris Bylsma of Chris Bylsma Designs. She said she had a great time at our store and was looking forward to coming out again soon.
P.S.S. Just as we were walking over to our hotel, we ran into Sally Melville. She also said she was very excited to be coming to our store in January. I still need to talk details with her, but please be sure to sign up for her classes. You don't want to miss all the new and exciting things she has been making and designing - WOW! Stay tune for more information regarding her workshops.

Off to Stitches Mid West

Hello!
As you know, Dutch and Gaby (owners of Yarn Lady) have left for Stitches along with my daughter Caitlyn some time ago. Today, they called and said they made it safely and are awaiting Elaine, my husband Stefan and my arrival tomorrow.
I will do my best to keep you informed of all the BUZZ at Stitches for those who are not able to attend. Please check out our Yarn Lady Buzz on a daily basis to see what went on that day in our booth. If you are able to attend, please come by our booth and say hello. Our booth numbers are 427, 429, 528 & 530. We won't be hard to miss with Elaine in our Bag Sale Play Pen. We will also be having show specials, please ask us about them. Don't miss out!
Until tomorrow!
Niqua