It's over!!!

Well, we're all done with Stitches this time around. We had a great time and it seems everyone had a successful show. Packing up went real fast because you, our dear customers, bought so much! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!

So remember when I said I had to practise backing up the trailer? Well, I DID IT!! First I had to hook it up by myself. It took a few tries, but I got it done. Then I drove to the convention center and God had a spot for me on one of the loading docks. There was already another truck parked on the ramp but there was just enough room for me. You would have been soooooo proud of me if you saw me back that trailer up that ramp in such a tight space.

We got loaded and parked behind the hotel and will be on our way home tomorrow. Keep us in prayer as we travel home. We have a check engine light on but the kind folks at Onstar think that we will make it home OK.

Thanks for you interest and thanks for reading this. If you are reading this and have been at this Stitches show, we would like to hear from you as to what yarns you liked that we may not carry. We are always looking for new yarns and hearing from you would help us choose just the right ones.

We'll talk to you when we get back home.
God bless you!!
Gaby

Our last day at STITCHES

So this is our last day at Stitches. It's raining outside and we hope that it will clear up by late afternoon when we have to load the trailer again.

But before then, we still have a day of fun and activity on the floor. We are almost sold out of all of our bagsale yarn that we brought along. WOW!! That never happened to us before! I seriously considered driving back home to get more, but with an eight hour drive each way, I soon gave up on that idea!!

I have to tell you how much fun we had last night. As you can imagine, after a day on the floor we are pretty tired and our feet are longing for us to just find a comfy place to SIT!! So we asked at the hotel where we should go and eat and some recomendations were made. After we drove there and circled the parking garage forEVER, we found the restaurant only to be told there was a two and a half hour waiting list. NOT!! So we went for a walk and Jenny spotted a Chilly's (is that how you spell it??). We were quite silly and giddy by the time we finally were seated there.

Now you have to meet Lambchop, Jenny's new best friend. Now Lambchop had quite a time behaving herself, but she was having such a good time! She even made Jenny roll around the restaurant on her roller shoes just like she did on the showroom floor all day. You know Jenny decided it was her silly day. We threatened to put a sign on her back which said: Folloow me to Yarn Lady and have her roll around the showroom floor. We may still be forced to do that.

Speaking of fun on the showroom floor: Benjamin who is the head of XRX, came by with his camera and Jenny did the splits for everyone. I wonder if it will be on the XRX website. I'll have to go and look real quick.

Well it's off to the showers and another day.

Oh, last but certainly NOT least: When I finally got a break yesterday, I put my purse down someplace and left it there. THANK YOU to the kind person who turned it in. God bless you!!!!

Have a wonderful day!
Gaby

Times Are Changing

Times are changing....the past couple of years, knitting and crocheting have been a hot ticket craft, where anything and everything was readily available to be purchased. Now, the craft has slowed down a little and the vendors/distributors are having to cut back on their available stock, therefore making it more difficult to get product in our store. We are doing our best to get the items that you are seeking in a timely manner, but we too are having to wait for the product to be shipped in from other countries. Our promise to you is that once we can get our hands on the products, if you have placed a special order, you will be the first one notified that the product is in (and possibly put on hold in your name if you have pre-purchased it). Please bare with us as we go through these changes. Thank you for your understanding!
Yarn Lady Staff

Hello Again from Santa Clara

Hello Again!
If you were at Stitches West today you would have seen the crazy long lines that we had. We were non-stop busy with people flooding our bag sale, as well as all the other sales that we were having in our booth. We are so blessed to have this great response in our booth; we look forward to the next two days. Constantly, people are coming to us stating how much they love our store and are excited to see us back here at Stitches. Thank you! We love you too!
We will do our best to put up some images of the craziness that happened today. Please stay tune and watch for our updates in our newsletters. If you are still planning on coming to Santa Clara and want to stop by our booth, please do so and mention that you read our blog. We would love to hear about your experience while attending Stitches West.
Niqua

Hello From Stitches West

Hello!

Yes, we are here in Santa Clara at the Santa Clara Convention Center for the Stitches West Expo. We are having a wonderful time and lots of people are loving the fact that we have lots of sales (especially our Famous Bag Sale at 75% off the marked price). If you are in the area, please come by and say hello.
To give you an idea of what it is like here, we have attached a couple of images for you to enjoy!
We will do our best to update you each day with more images.
Niqua, Gaby, Jan & Jenny

More classes at Yarn Lady

Martha and Laura teach knitting of all sorts

Charlotte teaches knitting and she loves to do baby things as well as intarsia

and Susanne would love to teach you to make 365 squares, all using different pattern stitches.

Please check out our class schedule at www.yarnlady.com to find out more about these classes and many workshops that we have going.

(OOPS!! It looks like I have only a very small picture of Susanne. I'll look for a bigger one....)

See you there!

Fridays at Yarn Lady

WOW!! Did we have a crowd on Friday!

Actually it is a knitting and crocheting class with Jan and Jenny.

They are there to teach you anything you need to know regarding knitting and crocheting. For a mere $10.00 for a two hour lesson you can join their class!

If you don't need any help, there is a large group that just comes to socialize and knit and crochet. Bring some nibbles to share if you want and come and join the fun on Friday nights.

New patterns by Gaby

So I'm just putting the finishing touches on a couple of my designs. There is something here for every weather.

I know that much of the country is still dealing with cold weather, and here we have it quite warm and are hoping for some rain.
So I made a tank top with Segue Ribbon that you will love to wear! It's easy and quick to make on big needles. So when I was done with the tank, I thought of us who don't want to go sleeveless and added optional sleeves. I even thought how cool it would be if the sleeves were detachable (as in zipper them on and off) If you're up to that- GO for it!

I know, I know- technohair is not the most popular yarn anymore. But if you live in cold weather, you'll have to take a second look at this vest. It's a really easy design- if you can make a scarf you can do it. And it is sooooooooo warm!! Just what the doctor ordered to slip over anything. When we went for a visit to Minnesota in January (!!) I wore it under my coat and I was all set to go! The patterns will be ready tomorrow, so call the store and tell them you saw it on the blog and they'll get you one FREE! You must mention the blog to get it free.

Enjoy!!
God bless you!
Gaby

Going to Stitches!

So we're getting ready to go to Stitches West and packing "everything"!!
If only we had a crystal ball that would tell us just what folks are going to buy. We filled our big trailer again and are still adding last minute items that we just HAVE to have along!

If you're reading this and don't know about Stitches, please go to www.knittinguniverse.com for more information. When we go we take our famous bagsale along. Here are some pictures of a past bagsale, just so you know what it is. http://yarnlady.com/bagsale/fr_open.htm?/bagsale/bs0412.htm

Jenny and Jan and Niqua and I will be going and we hope to see you there! If you're not going, the rest of the gang is still at the store, ready to help you with all of your knitting and crocheting needs.

See you soon
God bless you!
Gaby

Happy Valentine's Day!!

If you're reading this on Valentine's Day, come party with us!
Jen and Jan have brought a Chocolate Fountain to the store with all the goodies!! Come and join the fun.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for all the love that you have shown us and wish you the happiest day ever!

God bless you!
Gaby

Our Hall of Fame

So here we had a 90 years young lady, Clara Oliver who came to our store to show us this wonderful afghan that she made. Notice all the flowers and detail, which was made in one piece. Did I forget to mention that Clara is legally blind?

Way to go Ms. Clara!!!!!!
Thanks for showing it to us!

Sally Melville

Just got an e-mail from Sally. It sounds like she is going to be alright. Here is what she said:
"I am now home and have seen my doctor. The good news is that the lungs are clear. I just caught that virus that is going around the west coast? It involves a terrible cough. I did have a lot of pressure in the sinuses, but that has cleared. So, although I am very very tired, I believe I am on the mend. The good news is that I don’t have pneumonia and don’t have to go on antibiotics."

We're glad you're feeling better, Sally! We look forward to re-scheduling with you.

If YOU are interested in taking a future class with Sally, please let us know and we'll put you on our list.

Sally Melville Workshop cancelled due to flu

We were all excited about having Sally Melville come to our store again.
Alas, she called to say that she was very sick with the flu! She could barely talk in between coughing spurts. She said that all she wanted to do was to fly back home to Canada and go to bed.

We're so sorry to miss out this time around and look forward to re-scheduling her at a later time.

Get well soon, Sally!!

Football Widow's Party at Yarn Lady

Football!! It's here again!!

Some of us though, would rather spend a day without it!

For those of you who consider yourselves Football Widows, come and join us at Yarn Lady for a special knit and crochet get-together.

When: Sunday, February 4th from 3PM to 6 PM

Where: Yarn Lady Store

Cost: $10.00 per person (please call the store to sign up 949 770 7809)

Bring a friend and an appetiser to share

Trendsetter Yarns listens to Yarn Lady

We want to take a minute to say: Well done!! to Myrna Klein, co-owner of Trendsetter Yarns.
Some of our customers were upset when they heard that the slate blue color # 201 (formally 26903) of their popular yarn Merino Otto would be discontinued. Upon hearing that our customers were not ready to let go of this color, Myrna spoke to the manufacturer on our behalf and got the color re-instated!

Thank you so much, Myrna for listening to our needs! http://trendsetteryarns.com/mseispecs.asp
http://trendsetteryarns.com/aboutus/bm3.jpg

Sally Melville is coming!

I always wonder who reads blogs and WHY we read them. What may be of interest to you ? We have so many interesting things going on that we would love to share!

So this time I'd like to tell you that Sally Melville is coming to town! Actually not to TOWN, but to YARN LADY! You just don't know how much this means to us!

Sally is the author of 4 (count them: FOUR!!) books which are all best sellers. She lives in Canada but travels all over to teach and speak. Some folks are intimidated when "big name" teachers come to our store because they feel that they could not possibly know enough to be able to attend a class. So perhaps I can explain: These teachers don't have time to teach you HOW to knit or crochet. So the minimal skills are required, but otherwise, you are there to LEARN!

It's also difficult to pick just the right day and time to suit everyone. So how do we pick the days, you might wonder? That's easy! If the teacher says that's when I am available, that's the day we pick!

Recently we hosted Laura Bryant, and it's been wonderful to see that folks who took her classes were inspired and came away with a new skill and new ideas for their knitting projects. Taking a class from Sally will enrich you just as much!

Find out more here: www.yarnlady.com/Newsletter/2007/january/january07newsmore.htm

and here: http://www.knittinguniverse.com/xrx/athena/ProsDetail.php?ID=1402


So if you're interested, please call the store at 949 770 7809 or 888 770 7809
See you there!
God bless you!
Gaby

Yarn School

Have you ever heard it called that? Someone said that last night and it made me chuckle. Yarn School!! I guess that's what we have here. Willing participants who come to learn and enjoy their chosen craft.

A few days ago, I just clicked away during one of our many classes. I thought it was interesting what each person had in their lap and what they were working on. Each one a unique piece, stitched one stitch at a time. If only we could see all the thoughts and effort that go into each item!

You know what they say about idle hands. Well there are no idle hands here!

Laura Bryant was HERE!

We were out of town when Laura first got to our store, but when I got there it looked like everyone was having a GREAT time! It is always wonderful to take a class and learn from Laura. She is so very talented! Her eye for color and design and her knowledge of fiber translates into a great experience!

Were you there? You should have been! If you want to see more pictures, please go to
http://yarnlady.com/newsletter/events/laurabryantworkshop.htm to see them.

Having just come from the industry Trade Show, Laura had with her a huge Trunkshow of her garments and accessories. It is such a treat to get to see thosse first hand, and even get to try them on. They always look different in person than in a picture. Niqua even felt that one sweater looked so much better up close than it did on a model in the Trade Show Fashion Show.

Laura was fighting a cold when she was here and was super tired after days on the showroom floor. Still her students came away with new ideas and talents.
Thank you so much, Laura!!! Can't wait to have you back again!

Laura Bryant is coming to town

If you are receiving our newsletter, you would know that Laura Bryant from Prism Yarns will be coming to our store on Tuesday, January 16th to teach a couple of workshops. We are so proud that one of her classes was completely sold out. The other was a close second. We are honored to have Laura come to our store because of her talent as a designer and creative artisian. Please stay tuned for more information on Laura's other works of art. We will try to get some samples in our store for you to see. If you missed Laura this time, please make sure you sign up early next time. You will be glad that you did!
Niqua

Cottons, Cottons, Cottons

Cottons, Cottons, Cottons! Did I mention Cottons?
Albeit that there was not much new in regards to unique items, we did see lots of different gauges of cottons that were hard to resist. This is the season for the cottons for our warm summers. Sock yarns are also a huge hit at TNNA. We have lots to share with you about these - stay tuned for more info in our newsletters as they arrive in our store. You won't want to miss out on all the goodies that we have in store for you.
Niqua