YHNewsletterAugust

August 2011

Good Morning Knitters and Crocheters! Depending on where you are in the country, it might be a beautiful dog day afternoon, but for those of us in the South, specifically us Texans, well, we will just be sweltering under our 108 degree heat. I am beginning to think at 85 degrees we will all be freezing! So our survey question is, do you knit in weather this hot or do you only knit when it is cool! The 10th responder to this question will be awarded a little prize!

Before I get carried away, there is a sock class starting this Saturday, August 13th, 10:30 to 2:00pm, returning next Saturday at the same hours for the gusset and foot. These socks are done both at the same time on circular needles. Socks, there always the rage! $65.00. Supplies are not included.

Oh, we got the CUTEST skirt kits in. They are called My Skirt. They are so cute. The best way I can describe them is they can either be quite bohemian, or quite dressy, depends on what you wear with it. I cannot wait to get mine done and I see more than one in my future! Many different yarns are used and you will never see yourself coming as no two can be made alike! The best part besides being totally knit in the round (no purling!), the number of stitches you cast on is all based on YOUR gauge!! LOVE IT!

We just placed a huge order for SEA SILK and yes, more SEA SOCK!
Our next shipment should arrive around the middle to end of September.
We wanted all the new colors to be available for the workshop. If Lissette
would just keep her hands off of the Sea Sock, the rest of us might get
some! Another sock demon I have made! So much yarn so little time!

About Chris Bylsma Workshop

Chris Blymsa's workshop is filling, when you see the project, you won't
want to miss this workshop! Oct, 14, 15 & 16

Chris retired from a career in marketing communications and advertising
to pursue her artistic passion - knitting and texture play - in her hometown,
Madison, Wisconsin, and enjoy a little gardening with her husband, Charlie. Instead she is having a wonderful time teaching workshops coast to coast - and beyond - for TNNA, shops, guilds and conferences and has her own line of knitting patterns available through retail yarn shops. She has also designed knit garments for the American Girl clothing line and has been featured in Vogue Knitting, Knit Simple, Creative Knitting and Knit n' Style.

Taught by her grandmother to knit at age seven, Chris was encouraged in her knitting thereafter. When she was a teenager, her father offered to pay for her knitting yarns so she would follow through and complete her projects. He soon realized the folly of making such an offer but dutifully kept his (expensive) promise!

Of her career life, Chris says, "I continued to knit off and on as I pursued my career in marketing and advertising including a short stint in bank marketing. I am definitely not a pin-stripe type, though. I have long arms so I resorted to knitting my own designer suits that were presentable in the stuffiest of boardrooms yet were comfortable and traveled well. I called them my 'St. John knits for the financially challenged'." Chris continues to design to fill a specific need in her wardrobe.

"I became more daring with age (purple is my neutral)." Others took notice and commissioned her knitwear. When she left the corporate world a few years ago, she started teaching classes locally, and now nationally and internationally.

In her teaching role, Chris' reward is when the "light bulb" goes off and knitters learn to discover and trust their own creativity. Among others, her classes include finishing techniques, unusual ways to combine colors and gauges, and special knitting techniques, such as the dropped stitch. In her workshops, she encourages knitters to "color outside the lines" - where it's more fun! Chris firmly believes that knitting is not construction. Knitters should explore and make mistakes, feel free to change their minds and most of all, enjoy what they are doing.

Chris' classic designs are notable for their ease, clever constructions, and fresh, surprising looks. Her Crayon Box Jacket and inventive Ladder Shawl designs are two of the most notable. Also a Master Gardener, Chris finds inspiration in nature's colors and combinations, and her knitting designs reflect her pleasure combining fibers, textures, gauges, colors, in ways that create fun, yet always wearable knits.

Her easily identified patterns on bright pink paper are available at fine yarn stores throughout the US and in several foreign countries as well. Her website, ChrisBylsmaDesigns.com, showcases all of her designs and provides a list of sources.

As you can Chis is quite accomplished and we are so proud to have her.
Friday night's class is STASHOLOGY and her description of that class is:

Stashology 101
3 Hours - All
Stashers Unite! An "adequate supply of yarn" is nothing to be ashamed
of - it's a true art and science. You already understand "archiving"
(Stash 101), now explore "retrieving", "feeding" and "creating" from
your wonderful treasure trove. Learn to release your own creative
powers to combine fibers, textures, colors, and varying weights to
create many different types of "stash fabric." Explore how to use
your stash fabric to turn the ordinary into extraordinary as you choose
and begin the garment of your choice. Recommended for stashers of all
quantity levels.

Supplies: Lots and lots of stash samples for swatching and maybe
sharing of any gauge except no chenille or chunky yarns; needles in
various sizes; and stash confessions. Before class, we will be having
Pizza, Wine, Soft Drinks. This part of the workshop produces a lot of
laughter so for those of you attending right after work, it will be a great
stress reliever!

And we start Saturday off with a continental breakfast, doors open at 8am
for the workshop attendees and the workshop starts at 9:00am sharp with
the Colortura Jacket:

Delicious Soul Food for Knitters: Yarn Personalities, Pairings and the
Coloratura Jacket
So much yarn and so little time, how do you choose? Wisely!
Understand the various personalities of yarn, what it means for
various garments, when you can - and can't make substitutions.
Experience the thrill of combining colors, gauges and fibers to create
something completely new as you choose yarns for your own designer
Coloratura Jacket created in panels of varying yarn pairs. An ample yarn
supply in class will allow you to choose your own colors. Then sample all
your yarn pairing choices, learn how to determine your measurements and
jacket size, make modifications to customize the pattern to you and
practice the seaming that adds the finesse to the finished jacket.

Homework: Work two 5" swatches in a smooth light-colored dk or
worsted weight yarn and appropriate needles in the following pattern:
Row 1: K1, k1tbl (through the back loop), p1, k19, p1, k1tbl, k1.
Row 2: P2, k1tbl, p19, k1tbl, p2.
Row 3: Same as Row 1.
Row 4: P2, k1tbl, k19, k1tbl, p2. Repeat these 4 rows.

To see pictures of this jacket please follow this link to Yarn Heaven's
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yarn-Heaven-Knitters-and-Crocheters/
101390576586388?ref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=198511683540943&set=
pu.101390576586388&type=1&theater

We will break for an hour and 1 half lunch and return for three more
hours of working on our Jacket. We should be done by 5pm on Saturday.
Return on Sunday to more Continental breakfast and a wonderful class
on finishing. Chris' description of this is:

The Joy of Finishing*
* "Finishing"= completing a project (definition provided for those of us to
whom this is an alien concept.)

3 hours - Intermediate Level
Ok, it may not be a sexy subject, but knowing the secrets of finishing
can be pretty exciting and downright empowering. Learn the joy of sleek
shoulder lines, invisible seams, picking up the perfect number of stitches
without counting, beautiful buttonholes, "shortening" sleeves, taming
sleeveless armholes and other touches. If it's worth knitting, it's worth
finishing beautifully - and easily.

Homework: Swatches 1 & 2: Cast on 30 sts and work in St st for 8" using a plain, light color yarn at 4-5 sts/inch. BO. Create a neckline on a third swatch (think of a bear-size sweater) as follows: Cast on 30 sts, work 5", BO center 6 sts, then dec 1 st each neck edge every other row 3 times, work even until 8". BO. Do not block swatches.

Supplies: Yarn for swatches, 26" or longer circular needle 2 sizes smaller than swatch needles, a blunt-end tapestry needle, scissors, a few varying size buttons (optional).

I think Chris is one of the best finishers in the industry. I wished she lived close, maybe then I wouldn't feel so intimated when it comes to the end of my projects, yea, that's why I start so many new ones. That's right, I just figured it out I am intimidated by finishing!! After taking Chris's class, I see many finished projects in my futures (fingers crossed behind her back!)

As you can see, this is going to be an extremely exciting workshop. Our brains will be hurting by time it is over, and we will also be much more accomplished knitters. We have 6 spaces available and would love to have you. The whole workshop is only $195.00, $95.00 deposit is due at sign up balance is due at the end of September. Come join us, you will have fun.

We need your help a lot! The first project we need your help with will have a lot to do with the Charity Knitting we are going to ask you to do next. Sadly, Fantasy our acrylic/nylon mixture is not being made as well and the company has changed owners. The yarn is no longer the wonderful yarn it was. We have not and will not be bringing in the new Fantasy. To replace this yarn we started looking at Berroco Comfort, same content, made in the same mill as Fantasy, color range is comparable, that, was my game plan until sadly
one of our local yarn stores closed. I believe she was the only
one in the area carrying Encore. We have gotten several phone
calls from people looking for Encore. Encore is 75% Acrylic/
22% Wool/3% Rayon. 200 yards to a skein and an extremely
large color range with solids, variegated and heathers, also
made in Turkey. We have examples of both in the shop. The
25th person to respond to this survey question will receive a
$5.00 credit off of their next purchase. We are your yarn store
and want your input!!

Be looking in the next issue of Creative Knitting for an article on
the Stitching 4 America program. We have citizens all over the
United States in desperate need. What the recession didn't get
the natural disasters did. Everyone donates for babies and
children. We are looking to provide for people 50 and above.
A wonderful pair of hand crafted gloves, mittens, socks, slippers,
hats or an afghan could make a huge difference in someone's life.
There are lots of people who will be deciding to buy a pair of
cheap mittens to keep warm or a loaf of bread to fill their bellies.
It's happening all over America. Please, we are begging you to
donate a few hours of your time, some yarn and wonderful, positive
thoughts for these people as you are creating something warm and
beautiful for them. The cold weather will be coming their way very,
very soon. It will mean so much to them to know that they are not forgotten. We need to start helping each other, and remember that every stitch makes a difference in someone's life. Plymouth Yarns is such an awesome yarn company; they have donated free patterns which are posted on our website. Please feel free to use them and to reach and share your skills with a stranger! Put a note of encouragement in them, that makes it so much more personal. Thank you Plymouth Yarns for your support!

Last but not least! I got my knitting room back at home. So after years of yarns being stored in bags and plastic bins, needles hidden everywhere in the house, crochet hooks by the dozen (can you figure what the downfall to owing a yarn store is when you have no self control?) Oops, can't find it, I'll just take this to be sure I have it. Well, 90% of the time, I had it! So, after cleaning out bins, drawers, shelves and closets I realized there is no way in this one lifetime that I can possibly knit up all of my stash, and why did I think I needed 8 size 7 needles, 12 size 5's and so on and so forth, so I have brought in my gently used needles and have them in the sale bin, many yarns have made it to the sale bin also! (and no Denise, it's not all BLUE yarn!) No sooner do I put something in there, a couple days later I have to replenish. Our "sale" section is quite appealing, so if you have not checked it out yet, don't wait! Great yarns at great prices for charity knitting! If you are a Holtz & Stein needle fan, please contact me, I have found a treasure trove of these needles that I might be willing to part with.

And to all of our new patients on Therapy night! Welcome, you have all become quite welcome, yes, Tom, even you! Tom is our token male, who is great at making his own tools, if he wasn't so funny I would be worried about competition! And he has assured us that his wife does not knit on the project before he comes, it really is his own work! Andi and Angelica we will be partying in our birthday week! Lydia, you're a darn good jam maker!! And to all of our regulars patients, you guys are truly a blessing, I love all of the laughter and joy you bring to Thursday nights. Lourdes and Leslie you have become fabulous knitters, and I can always count on some good laughter from Lori, Rebecca, and Kathy. Karen, Bee, Jean and Brenda, thanks for always being there to help, you are all such awesome people and I am so glad you're a part of our Therapy!! Anyone I forgot to mention, say something during Therapy and you'll get a special write up in the next newsletter! We welcome any and all newcomers!

Last, but most certainly not least we want to welcome Melinda Redding to our staff. Melinda is a mother of three, 15, 20 and 24, girl and two boys. She lives in Irving and is a great crocheter and knitter. Come on in and introduce yourself, put her skills to the test!

Our new class schedule should be up next week when Lori gets
back from Vacation (what's that?). But for now, there is a 2 part
Sock Class starting this Saturday and finishing next Saturday
10:30am am to 2:00pm both days. $65.00

MY SKIRT, MY WAY Sept. 10 & 17 - 10:30am to 1:00pm. -
Get your gauge, let me repeat, your gauge, help figuring out how
many to cast on and let's start knitting. This class is not hard
and very little help will be needed once you get YOUR gauge
and start knitting. The following weekend I will show you how
to make a ruffle, in different shapes (tight to loose ruffle). This
class is only $20.00!! Kits are ready to go!

Chris Blymsa - Oct 14, 15, 16 - $195.00 - Sign up Now!

Some fun knitting facts:

Did you know another name for Duplicate Stitch: Swiss darning

The average adult sock takes 400 yards of yarn, the amount of 4 football fields!

The English (or throw) method of knitting (as opposed to Continental) was likely developed why?
It was considered more ladylike. The English method was also called "drawing room position" and was taught during the Victorian era as a more attractive way for upper class ladies to knit. Until this time most knitting was utilitarian, but as it became a popular and proper past time among upper class women, a more dignified posture was adopted. Lower class knitters still used the faster and more efficient "continental" method.
During World War I and II women were encouraged to make garments for soldiers. To this end, the phrase "knit your bit" was used by which organization?
The American Red Cross. "Knit your bit" appeared on a famous poster depicting a pair of knitted socks in progress and the line, "Our boys need sox!" Special patterns were designed for uniform garments, and required olive drab or navy blue yarn. The patterns are still available at the American Red Cross Museum website, and in 2004 a new "Knit your bit" kit was released to commemorate the dedication of the National World War II Monument in Washington DC.

As always, thank you for your continued support of Yarn Heaven, we know you have choices and appreciate that when you choose us! Remember the 3/50 project. Three businesses you would hate to see closed, try to spend $50.00 a month in those businesses. Help the community, help the business and enjoy your purchase! It's our country, we can help each other!

Tarie Dillard Williams
Yarn Heaven
817-226-9276
877-280=-9276
work4yarn@yarnheaven.com
www.Yarnheaven.com
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