Not a happy person

The Rowan magazine didn't arrive today. They decided to hold my order in Toronto for some Debbie Bliss yarn that will be arriving at the end of the week. After a few phone calls the books will be shipped tomorrow and should be in the store on Wednesday.

Rowan has updated their website to include the new yarns. Two that we will be bringing in are Country and Tapestry. Dylan (cabled sweater) is knit out of Country and Dotty combines Tapestry with Felted Tweed for an easy but effective Fair Isle vest. You will notice lots of patterns for men this season.

I did not get Bettna done last week. I was busy rearranging and making room for the new yarns.

I did get some knitting done on Tempest (the Berroco shrug). I don't have a picture because I am knitting in chocolate brown and you can't see anything.

Trick to seeing pictures better

Click on the picture and then click on it again. The picture will be larger and you can see the names of the garment and the yarn used.

Just finishing a newsletter that will go out later tonight.

Rowan #40

Sources tell me that the books are on the Canpar truck and should be here Monday. The box will be opened and I will be ready to sell on Tuesday. Some yarn will be in the box and the rest will be here the following week.

Knit Lites

I just spoke with my supplier in the US and the Knit Lites are on the way. They should be here by the end of the week.

I picked out my new vehicle on Monday. Tygher Knits was suggesting a Pontiac. Sorry Tygher but I am from a Ford family so I am getting an Expedition-blue which is the same colour as my previous Expedition. It is at the dealership and they are holding until I take my BMW back.

I got a bit of knitting done on Bettna yesterday. The store is getting busier which means less time for knitting. I think that people are sick of the hot weather and want to sit inside and relax. They are also off to the cottage and need something to do at night.

Did anyone see Big Brother last night? It ranked up there with one of the best episodes ever!! You gotta love Dr. Will.

I am a bag blogger

Although I haven't really accomplished much over the last week I have been crazy busy.

There is hardly any knitting to report. I am almost done Bettna-hope to finish this week. With the hot, humid weather I haven't felt like knitting. Instead I have been reading. Just finished the latest book by Jilly Cooper-over 800 pages so it kept me busy for the past week.

The fall Berroco is now in the store. This meant rearranging shelves. For me this means throwing things into the middle of the store and then moving everything around. There is really way too much yarn in the store!!! Jane is knitting Fleur out of Foliage. I am totally in love with this. You start by knitting 680 rows of moss stitch for the border and then picking up and working in rounds towards the middle.

I was told that the fall Rowan is on the way from England. They are claiming that Rowan #40 should be here by August 1. The mini-magazines will be a bit later.

The current dilemma in my life is that the lease on my BMW is up in 3 weeks and I have to find something to lease. What I want is way too much money (Cadillac Escalade). I have been looking on the internet and tomorrow is car shopping day.

I am off to the couch to watch the finish of the British Open.

Terribly Jealous

Beth tried to call me from the ship last night but the calls were cutting up so we will talk tonight. I didn't realize that they were at the glacier yesterday. This is the best part of an Alaskan cruise. When Beth and I took our cruise we were up at 6am to make sure we didn't miss anything. I think we took over 300 pictures that day. You can see pictures or watch it on film but until you have witnessed it live you can't understand the beauty.

Now, this is why I am jealous. Here is the email Beth sent me last night.

Just leaving the Glacier. Saw two huge piles of ice fall off the glacier. Our guide said it was in the top 5 he's seen
- so you can imagine it was pretty good.

It is overcast but not too cold. We are going to have ice cream and then a nap.

Exciting TV tonight-Big Brother. On Rock Star I wish they had sent Zayra home-Chris did a much better performance.

Off to the post office and then to open the store. It is a much nicer day today!!

I hate the rain

It is another rainy day in Southern Ontario. I really, really want to crawl back into bed and have nap with weather like this.

Got a call from Alaska yesterday-they were in Skagway. They claim that they are behaving themselves but for those of you who have met Beth and my parents you know that this isn't true.

I spent last night watching Big Brother (please send Alison home), Last Comic Standing (they aren't really that funny) and Rock Star:Supernova. I would give the job to Dilana right now. Didn't do any knitting unfortunately. Spent the night on the computer working on our Gone Stitchin' Weekend. There is room left for 5 people.

I have decided that I am going to sit and knit in the store today. I really want to finish Bettna to move onto something else.

They've arrived

My order from Namaste came yesterday morning. I was sleeping (the dogs didn't let me sleep the night before) and the mailman woke me up but I couldn't get mad at him because the parcel finally arrived.

I don't usually put any pricing on here but so many of you have asked what the prices are going to be here they are.

Everyday bag $87.95










Messenger bag $87.95










Needle binder $75.95









Mom, Dad and Beth are having fun on their cruise so far. Beth won $500 US in a slot tournament Sunday night. They called me from Juneau last night. The ship had just docked and they were going shopping in my favourite jewellry store called Fire and Ice. Beth called me again from the store with choices. I think I am getting a necklace (the bracelet was 5 times more). Beth and Dad were going fishing in the afternoon. This is the reason that Beth went along-to keep Dad busy. Mom wouldn't be caught dead on a fishing boat!!!

Not much knitting to report. I did a few rows on Bettna yesterday afternoon. The Berroco shrug is approximately 10" (one half is 30") so I have a ways to go.

I should be sleeping

Beth started a poker tournament at 9 and at 11 decided she needed to go to bed. I took over and ended up 14th-not bad but I should have made it further.

It is now 1:30 in the morning. Mom, Dad and Beth are leaving at 4am for the airport and then off to Vancouver for an Alaskan cruise. Beth and I are leaving for their house around 3:30 so I am not sure if I should even go to sleep. My job for the next week is looking after 3 dogs-luckily Mom and Dad have a king size bed because all 3 dogs sleep on it. I was invited to go on the cruise with them but someone would end up overboard. I love my parents but if I was to spend a week in a cabin with them someone wouldn't be coming home so Beth is going.

I am still waiting on the arrival of the Namaste bags. I am hoping the mail man will make me happy this week.

We did receive a large shipment of Prism Stuff today. There is a great cape pattern coming for fall in the new Prism book. I am totally in love with the 'stuff' yarns. I really, really want/need scarves out of every colour. If I am having a really bad day I will wind a skein and knit up a scarf. The colours that Laura Bryant puts together are amazing.

My first shipment of Berroco Ultra Alpaca also arrived. Only the off white came but there are many more coming later in the month. This is the Panobo shrug (a free pattern) that one of my knitters will be making for me. The Addison coat is one of the designs using Ultra Alpaca found in magazine #250. I am truly amazed that Berroco is able to come up with so many new designs. You might not know this but Norah Gaughan has joined Berroco which means we will be seeing many of her amazing cabled designs this fall. I have said this before but if you aren't receiving their newsletter, go to their website and sign up. It is one of the best in the industry.

Home Again

Flying on the red eye is a very tiring experience. We left Vegas at midnight and landed in Toronto at 7am. Luckily we were the first flight through customs so it went quickly.

I didn't get much knitting done but there is some progress to report. I decided to start a shrug called Tempest. The pattern is one of Berroco's free patterns for fall. I am knitting with Naturally's Merino et Soie in a chocolate brown. It is knit in two pieces and you do a three needle bind off for a seam in the back. I don't have any pictures yet but I am finished the lace on one side and am working my way through the stocking stitch.

Vegas was amazing as always. The weather was very, very hot (107-110 every day). If any of you follow poker, you will know about the World Series of Poker very year in Vegas. We were there for some mini-tournaments before the main event starts. We watched some of the best and well known poker players in the world-Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Helmuth, etc, etc. If you have watched them on tv, we saw them play.

I will expand a bit on the trip later, my bed is calling me right now.

Vegas-Here we come

The bags are packed and our flight leaves at 9 tonight. We are flying back on the red eye Tuesday night arriving early Wednesday morning in Toronto.

Have a great long weekend!!!

Finally some pictures

Well, as I promised, here are some pictures of Bettna. The picture with 3 pieces is the bottom of the fronts and backs. The other picture is the sleeves.

I am almost done the one sleeve/front and the other sleeve is done, just have to finish that front part.

As I mentioned, Beth and I are off to Vegas on Friday. Because Saturday is a holiday I decided that I needed/wanted to go away. I am closing the store on Tuesday and we will be back in Toronto at 7am Wednesday morning meaning I will be tired but the store will be open on Wednesday.

The website is almost ready to launch. We have one more small problem (taxes) and then it is ready to go. In the US where these programs are made there is only one tax rate but we have 2 which causes problems. Once we have the solution, I will let you know.

Crazy Weekend

After the tent sale I thought that this was going to be a relaxing weekend.

The store was jammed on Saturday. I was in there helping Sarah most of the day. I went upstairs around 2 to rest and she called me to say that Nadine was here. I have never met Nadine (she lives in Montreal) but we have talked on the phone, emailed and I read her blog. She was visiting her mom who lives in Burlington so it was great of her to drop by.

Saturday night was a Stag and Doe in Brantford. We left at 12:30 and instead of going straight home like responsible people we went to a friends house. 3:30 was a little late (or early) to be getting into Ancaster.

Mom and dad have visitors from South Carolina so Sunday afternoon was dinner at their house.

To everyone who answered the meme on my blog, I have gone through this morning and answered on yours. Sorry for the delay.

I promise pictures tomorrow!!!

Tent Sale

Sorry but I didn't get pictures of the tent sale. It was totally crazy. By 12:15 on Wednesday there were over 50 women clawing through boxes of yarn. I heard afterwards that it was getting crazy-women were using their elbows to push other women out of the way so they could grab yarn.

I decided at 9 last night when we were putting the leftover yarn away in storage that I needed a holiday. (Indy wasn't a holiday-it was working) Beth and I are off to Vegas on Friday night for 4 days.

I have finished the front and back pieces of Bettna. I am almost done both sleeves and now just have the top of the body to finish. I will try and get pictures for you over the weekend.

The people from Namaste called me on Thursday and my shipment of bags is on the way. Hopefully they will arrived before Friday-the messenger bag will be great for the plane. I am also deciding on a new project. Bettna will be too much to carry if it isn't done by then. I know that many of you are saying socks but I get bored after the first one and never finish a pair.

Meme

This came from Cynthia's and Wannietta's blogs. Pass it along.

Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me — it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so that I may leave a word about you.

Quick Post

I am off to price the final yarns for the tent sale and realized that I hadn't written in a while. Here is the tent while empty. I will try and get pictures on Wednesday when it is full of yarn.







Bettna is coming along great. Got lots of knitting done yesterday while watching the Nascar race and golf. I have the stocking stitch part of both fronts done and the back over 1/2 way done. I hope to finish the back tonight during the hockey game-GO OILERS!! Now its just the sleeves. Here are the two fronts. Not a great picture-sorry. Took it quickly in the tent.

Back from Indy

The show was great but boy am I tired. During the day there is lots and lots of walking. In the evening we meet up with friends for dinner and drinks. The greatest thing about the show is seeing friends from England and New Zealand that we only get to see twice a year.

I didn't get much knitting done-there wasn't even time to sleep while away. There will be pictures later in the week of my progress so far.

This is just a sample of what I saw. There will be more information available in our store newsletter-hopefully this will be done in the next week. I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting ready for the tent sale.

Yarn news
I had already ordered most of the new yarns before going to the show. The show is great for seeing garments from all the new books knit up. They always look much better in person.
As for ordering, there were new colours of Bearfoot from Mountain Colors to be ordered along with colours that we were missing. I did find interesting sock yarns from a company called Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. These will be arriving before September.

Needle news
Everyone at the show was talking about Clover's new Knit Lite. These are plastic knitting needles that have a light in them. Enjoy knitting anywhere, anytime…day and night. Illuminates knitting with black, dark and fuzzy yarns. There was an article in the New York Times about these needles a couple of months ago.
I am hoping our shipment arrives mid July.


Knitting Bag news
I found a great company called Namaste. There was so many different styles of bags in so many colours that I dragged Beth and Cathy over to help me order. They make a fabulous Messenger bag out of corduroy which I ordered in 4 different colours.




The Everday bag is a great handbag that you can take anywhere. We have it coming in 5 different colours.







The Needle Binder is a cool way to store your all your needles-straight and circular.

Off to Indy

Beth, Bev, Cathy (who reps for our company and sometimes works in the store as well as being one of my students) and I are off to Indianapolis early tomorrow morning. We aren't going for fun-this is a trade show to see the new yarns for fall. Okay, the show is Saturday-Monday which gives us time to shop and sightsee.

I needed knitting to take and have been dreaming of knitting Bettna so I got one front cast on today. I am using colour 244 of Silk Garden. Here is the picture again so you don't have to scroll down to see it. Jane just finished knitting it for the store (in colour 245) and it is fabulous.

I know there won't be time to write while I am away. We are home late Tuesday night so Wednesday I should be able to give you a preview of fall.

Finished x 5

I have the Daisy cardigan totally finished-all ends sewn in and crocheted around the neck. It hangs much better on a human body than on the mannequin.








This is Vero knit up in the Cabin Fever pattern. My bag is over felted-on the Cabin Fever pattern the picture of the finished bag is much bigger. Who would of thought that 10 minutes was too long? The bag almost looks like I knit it out of a boucle yarns.




Here are the felted bags. The 3 bags are knit using the same pattern using just one ball of yarn for each. The bag in front is the Vero Tweed and the Noro Kureyon bags are in back. The pattern calls for making straps with yarn. I am thinking of leather or possibly a beaded handle.


The bag on the left was felted for 25 minutes and the bag on the right for 35. They started out exactly the same size.

Tent Sale

While working on Saturday I starting going through the store and looking at the shelves. I am starting to get worried about fall-there is absolutely no where to put any more yarn. Because of this, there are a number of yarns that I have decided will be cleared out during the tent sale. Here is the start of the list

• discontinued colours of Noro-Silk Garden, Iro, Kochoran, Transitions
• Rowan Plaid
• Rowan Ribbon Twist
• Rowan Big Wool
• Rowan Biggy Print
• discontinued Rowan colours
• Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora
• Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed
• Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton
• Jaeger Fur
• Jaeger Natural Fleece
• Jamieson's yarns
• select Colinette yarns
• Eros
• some mohairs
• discontinued colours of sock yarn
• lots of yarn for scarves and felting
• pattern books galore