Spin-out, or is that spin-in?

I spent the last three days out at Carol Leigh's Hillcreek Fiber studio doing an introduction to spinning.

WHAT A BLAST!!!

Spinning is just as addictive as knitting. Okay, I admit it: I did wind up going home with my very own Louet spinning wheel.

We started first with a drop spindle, which is a very economical, very portable spinning "wheel." You can get a lovely hand turned hardwood spindle made by Carl (Bex's brother) for under $30. With a drop spindle, you can both spin and ply yarns. I told Carol Leigh that Carl really should go to engineering school because he had intuitively designed a very mechanically efficient spindle, similar to a flywheel. (For those who don't know, I was a biomechanical engineer before becoming disabled by a car wreck 10 years ago.)

There's a nice selection of drop spindles right here at the yarn shoppe, and more at the fiber studio if you're looking for something really unusual. I just spotted a spindle kit which includes a drop spindle, Connie Delaney's FABULOUS book: Spindle Spinning from Novice to Expert, and three colors of roving (sheep fluff) for spinning.

Bex also carries a small selection of spinning supplies right at the shop, which is conveniently located in full view of exit XX of I-70. If you get a squeak in your wheel or your goat eats your carders, pop on in for some quikie spinning supplies like oil, carders, angora fluff, glittery fluff to add to your yarn, scissors (but don't let Carol Leigh see you with them ), or even a niddy noddy for measuring and skeining your homespun yarns. Don't forget we also have swifts and ball winders to please both knitters and spinners alike.

So, back to the class. I sat in on part of the intermediate class, who were working on some designer yarns. The first they did (and I got to try too) was a Noro-type yarn. If you aren't familiar with Noro yarns, they are beautiful color-changing yarns. Instead of being variegated with short bursts of color changes that look like short dashes in your knitting and crocheting, Noro yarns have very long stretches of color that knit up as horizontal stripes, and either don't repeat or have a very long repeat within a skein. It's kind of a rainbow effect, but not necessarily in traditional rainbow colors. It comes in a variety of fiber blends, including 100% wool (Kureyon), and various proportions of wool, kid mohair, silk, lambs wool, and in some just a touch of synthetic fiber. This is an ideal yarn for entrelac knitting because instead of getting stripey entrelac squares, you get a field sprinkled with solid or slightly graduated squares, like a pile of autumn leaves. It's a stunning effect. Plus, if you use Kureyon, it felts very nicely. We have some nice patterns for felted entrelac bags and napsacks. I'm making a friend an entrelac hat with kind of purpley colors. I'll post a photo when it's done.

Leah and I talked about starting a little spinning gathering to meet at the yarn shoppe on Sunday afternoons, after the sock group. Carol Leigh said that on days that she wasn't committed to teaching classes and such, that she'd even join us. It's just going to be a fellowship sort of thing, to get together and chat, see what everyone is working on, trade ideas and discoveries, and so on. We're going to count our first meeting, this coming Sunday as this week's demo. So spinning demo this Sunday at 3 p.m.

Recap:

Saturday's knitting class is: Basic Socks (toe-up or toe-down)
The sock group meets this Sunday, at the shoppe, at 1 p.m.
Spinning demo this Sunday, at the shoppe, at 3 p.m.

Hope to see y'all there!

Baby Pool?

Well, we've got nine more weeks to go before we find out whether "Charlie" is short for Charlotta Marie or Charles Christopher. It's time for the Bex Baby Pool! Do you think the little one will be a boy or a girl? Will s/he be born on the September 13 due date, or early or late?

Write your pick for birth date on a slip of pink paper if you think it will be a girl, or on blue paper (available at the shop) if you think it will be a boy. Include your name and phone number and drop it in our baby pool jar. The person with the correct gender and estimated delivery date closest to the actual delivery date WINS! If more than one person makes the same winning entry, those entries will be tossed together and Cole will choose the winning entry.

"What do I win?" you may ask...

After a little arm twisting, I talked Bex into giving the winner a 10% discount! (One time use, of course, and this excludes weaving and spinning equipment.)

If you can't make it into the store, call in on the toll-free number to place your entry. That's 1-866-482-KNIT (5648)

Are You a Socker Mom?

Or Socker Dad? Or just plain sock knitting enthusist?

Attention all sock knitters: Rosemarie has started a Hillcreek sock knitting group!

The first meeting will be this Sunday, at 1 p.m. at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. At this initial meeting we can decide if another meeting time would be better. What should our club do? Should we knit group projects like socks for soldiers? Should we do contests, like Yarn Monkey's Sock War? Or should we just sit and chat and knit and absorb the pleasant atmosphere of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe? Charter members will get to decide what the group will be.

I hope to see you all there!

Class Schedule

Saturday Hot Topics Classes (10 am to noon, cost $15)

February 24, Baby Surprise Jacket (from The Opinionated Knitter) -- intermedite

March 3, Basic Socks (Toe-Up or Cuff-Down, your choice) -- Intermediate

March 10, Crochet Prayer Shawl, taught by Joan Ditmore -- all levels

March 17 Moebius Scarf or Basket -- intermediate

March 24, Play Day!!! Try spinning, weaving, felting, dyeing, or anything else we know how to do! -- all levels


Special Guest Instructors:

Monday, March 12, 10 am to 5 pm, Celtic Cables with Mellissa Leapman. This class is based on her new book: Cables Untangled, which is available at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. Ms. Leapman will also be available to autograph books. The cost is $65 with lunch included. Since Ms. Leapman is vegetarian, we'll be offering a vegan meal option. Please let us know of you would like that option instead of the regular meat and cheese sandwhich fixin's we usually offer. This class is nearly full. Sign up quick if you want to be sure you get in.

Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20: Nuno Felting and basic dyeing techniques with Sharon Kilfoyle. Make light-weight, drapy felt with your favorite colors. Catch Sharon while she's in town between teaching in Japan and Paris! The cost for one day is $65, for two days the cost is $115. We'll have our regular yummy sandwich fixin's for lunch (vegetarian fillings available).

Weekend Happenings

The joint is jumpin' at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. This weekend boasts two fun events: a class and a demo.

Saturday, Bex will teach Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Baby Surprise Jacket" (baby not included). It's a fun, easy pattern for a very distinctive sweater. The same pattern can be adjusted to make an adult surprise jacket. Hillcreek now stocks many Elizabeth Zimmerman patterns--come on in and check them out!

Sunday, Rose and Chrisma will be demonstrating the triangle loom. If you've been curious about weaving, or just about triangle looms, here's your chance to see one in action under the hands of experienced weavers.

Yesterday's demo on tatting was a great success. Several folks stopped in to check it out. Chrisma is now addicted to tatting too. She's working on a tatted butterfly.

Hope to see you drop by this weekend!

Melissa Leapman's Cables Untangled

Our March special guest instructor is Melissa Leapman. Monday, March 12 she'll be teaching Celtic Cables from 10am to 5pm. This class is based on her new book: Cables Untangled which is available at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. Ms. Leapman will also be available to autograph books. The cost is $65 with lunch included (yes, there is a vegetarian option). That's over six hours of instruction for less than the cost of a three hour class at Stitches Midwest, and by a popular instructor at Stitches Midwest. Add in the savings on travel and accommodations, and it's a fantastic deal.

"Melissa Leapman is a widely published sweater designer whose patterns have appeared in Vogue Knitting, Knitter’s, McCall’s, Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Knit It!, and Interweave Knits magazines. Leapman has worked as a freelance designer for many leading ready-to-wear manufacturers, noted design houses, and major yarn companies. In addition, her knitting, crochet, and design workshops are extremely popular with crafters at all skill levels. She lives in New York City."

Before you scream in terror and run to hide in your closet from the prospect of facing cables, consider this: the pre-requisites are experience casting on, binding off, knitting and purling. That's it. The process of crossing the cables is as simple as sliding a few stitches onto a stitch holder and then slipping them back onto the needle a few stitches later. The crossing is typically done only about once every six to eight rows, so the bulk of knitting cables is similar to knitting a plain piece of stockinette, but the results are magnificent for so little effort.

Learn to read patterns and charts, and the basic cable technique is transformed into a powerful tool for beautiful garments from hats to socks, and covering every body part in between. Plus afghans, of course. Did you see the beautiful afghan Barb made and entered in both the county and state fairs? It's from the "Great American Afghan" book at the shoppe. And did you see the cover of Melissa Leapman's latest book? Those are two drop dead gorgeous cabled afghans.

Ms. Leapman is known for her clearly written patterns and innovative designs. Here's a free sample cable pattern: http://www.freepatterns.com/list.html?cat_id=379 (you'll have to register to access the pattern, but registration is free). That pattern is just an ordinary cable sweater. This class will be on Celtic knot cables

Bex tells me Ms. Leapman is a strict vegetarian. We pondered how strict was "strict" and whether a cheese sandwich would be acceptable. So I offered to cook a strict vegan alternative to the regular class faire offered at the shoppe. If you want to be sure of getting the vegan option, you might let Bex know since I'm only figuring on four servings at present. If you aren't vegan, don't let my little plans scare you away. Bex always puts on a nice spread with assorted sandwich fixin's of sliced meats and cheeses, and lots more, so there's sure to be something to your liking. For the Faroese shawl class, we even had "Bad Bettes," those little chocolate, caramel, pretzel and pecan candies Bette introduced us to.

I'm looking forward to this class and hope to see you all there!

Support needy local teens, and tatting demo

Since the Super Bowl, the yarn shoppe has been open on Sundays from noon to five. Rose and Chrizzy are manning the shop on Sundays. Both these teens are hoping to keep the shoppe open on Sundays because they need the $$$ for their busy teen lifestyles.

Please support teens Rose and Chrizzy by shopping at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe on Sunday. If they can't get enough people to stop in, they may be fired. Okay, not fired all the way, but they may loose their Sunday shift which gives them income without interfering with their school work. How about a little pity for these poor wayward girls, folks?

I've heard some whisperings of secret promotions to get customers in on Sundays. I suggested 50% off Sundays, but Bex gave the the look that says, "be serious." I don't know what they will wind up doing, but you can try making your own suggestion.

This Sunday, February 18, I'll be demonstrating tatting at the shoppe at 3 pm. The demo is free. Tatting is probably the easiest form of lace a person could make. I can't think of an easier technique off the top of my head. It involves one knot and only one knot, for all patterns. You learn how to make the knot and how to join rings of knots together (really easy) and you can make some beautiful doilies, snowflakes, baby bonnets, bookmarks and other lace items. Tatting is a very convenient needlecraft you can easily carry in a sandwich bag in your purse. It's also inexpensive. I prefer needle tatting to shuttle tatting, but I'll see if I can dig out one of my shuttles so I can demo both techniques. Bex also has a video on needle tatting that you can rent from the yarn shoppe for just $5, if you miss my free demo. However, the video won't answer your questions or show you the techniques from any old angle you choose. A limited supply of tatting needles and shuttles are available at the shoppe, as well as several books on tatting. Let's stir up some interest in this historic craft so Bex will carry even more books and supplies. How 'bout it?

I hope to see you Sunday!