uniqueyarnsblog

5 great reasons to attend the Unique Yarns Anniversary Sale.

Monday and Tuesday, July 2nd and 3rd, Unique Yarns is celebrating it's 5th anniversary by having a SALE!!!!  A really great sale.  You'll have a chance to reach into the fish bowl (no fish allowed) and pull out a discount from 10 to 40%.  Combine that with a full sheep card and things could get pretty darn exciting! 

Just in case you need a little motivation, here are the top 5 reasons to shop this sale:

5 - Christmas.  Yes, I said the word.  Christmas.  It comes every year and I'm betting you've got someone on your list that really wants something knitted by your hands.  Think how good you'll feel knowing you've already got a jump on your gift list, on sale, too!

4 - Venus, Dune, and Karaoke.  (remember that you can click on any picture to view it larger.)  Becky and John have recently returned from the TNNA yarn show where they purchased new and glorious fibers for the shop.  These include fibers that are new and amazing like Venus, along with some fabulous new colorways of old favorites, like Dune.  We're getting them on the shelf as soon as possible after they arrive and they will be included in the sale.  Who knows what the UPS man will deliver between now and July 2.

3- So I don't have to count it. Ok, I admit to being a little selfish here.  Inventory is coming and counting every.single.skein.of.yarn in the shop makes me a little queasy.  Please come in and make my life easier. 

4-  You deserve a treat.   When was the last time you did something just for you?  Yarn is 100% calorie free.  Indulge yourself with a fiber treat.

5!!!!!- It's yarn!!  Yarn, accessories, books, buttons, bags, INSPIRATION!  There really isn't any better reason than that. 

Unique Yarns Anniversary Sale, Monday, July 2 - and Tuesday, July 3, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm!  See you there!!  

Email newsletters and Spam filters

Unique Yarns is a busy place any time of the year and we do our best to keep you all up to date on the latest happenings.  One of the best ways to find out what's new is the email newsletter that Dr. John composes and sends out fairly regularly.  These newsletters have class info, sale info, coupons, tips and lots of other things you really don't want to miss out on.  If you've signed up to be on the mailing list and included your email address, you should be receiving them.  If you aren't, we think the problem might be your spam filter.

Spam filters are wonderful things.  They protect your computer from nasty virus filled emails, and even spare you having to see your box full of email you don't want.  Sometimes, however, they put things in the junk folder that you might actually want to see.....like.....say......a newsletter from Unique Yarns!!!!  Each email program is a little different, but almost all have a folder designated specifically for unwanted mail.  Check yours every now and then to see is maybe our newsletter got mis-routed. 

If you would like to be receiving email newsletters, come on into the shop and sign up!  If, for any reason, you would like to stop getting them there is an unsubscribe function at the very bottom of every email sent.  We want our communications with you to be fast, easy, and welcome.

A couple of classes to take note of:

There are still openings in the Counterpanes to Go class that starts this Thursday, June 21, 6:30 - 8:30. This is a great class if you've ever wanted to learn to read a chart.  It's a cute summer bag that has an interesting construction and lots of new stitch patterns to learn.

This Saturday, June 23, 10-noon, begins the two sessions class San Fransico Nights Shawl.  This beautiful shawl can be made in either a rectangle or triangle.  It's the perfect little summer something to throw over your shoulders on a cool evening. 

Bobbin Lace, Thursday, June 28, 10-noon, four sessions.  Explore the traditional art of bobbin lace making with an empahsis on tape lace.  This lace is so beautiful and the process is fascinating.  A great summer project!

The must have jacket of the summer.

Just in case you thought summer would be the time to set down the needles/hook, have a look at this.  Don't you just love this jacket?  It's the perfect summer project.  Really.  The fiber is cool, easy to work with cotton.  The style is fun and figure flattering.  The construction is uncomplicated.  What more can you ask for!  Nancy has her finished product hanging in the shop right now and you MUST come in and see it.  I tried to get a good picture last night, but failed miserably.  Her's is done in brown and blue and I am not kidding when I say it is FABULOUS.  And, the best part is that Nancy is teaching a class on this very jacket.  Class begins Thursday, June 21, 6:30-8:80 and runs 4 weeks.  Draped Summer Jacket.  It's on the back of the May-August class schedule.  Come in or call for registration.  You seriously do not want to miss out on this one.

A few other classes coming up:

Wet Felt Bag on a Ball - Saturday, June 16 (this Saturday!) 10-12.  Taught by Ginger and guaranteed to be a great time!

Continental Knitting - Thursday, June 28 - 10-12.  In knitting there is throwing and there is picking.  The continental knitters pick.  I've heard it's faster and know that it takes less movement than throwing.  Come in to this one session class and learn the technique that is all the buzz in knitting circles.  You can be a picker, too!

Wet felting is fun!

I apologize for the lack of posting here at the Unique blog.  I went on vacation and life got crazy.  We're back on track now and ready to talk about some Unique fun.

Yesterday Nancy and I were lucky enough to attend the wet felting class.  This class was the second in a series of four.  (More on that later!).  The day was lovely so tables were brought outside.  Wise idea since we made the greatest, bubbly mess.  EJ Rebman was our fabulous teacher, assisted by her lovely daughter-in-law, Tara.  In this first picture you can see my nice little pile of roving, waiting for soap and water to be added.  Basically, (and this is REALLY the short version of how this works.  Please pick up a book or consult the internet for better instructions.) you make a nice pile of roving, alternating layers vertically and horizontally.  Mine had 4 layers.  Then you add soap (we used Dawn) and as-hot-as-you-can-stand water.  Top with bubble wrap or a lingerie bag and rub.  And rub.  And rub.  Using the palm of your hands in a circular motion you rub until it begins to look like it is all felting together pretty well.

Jill popped her head out to say hi!

After the rubbing stage, you wet with hot water again and then wrap in a bamboo mat and roll.  Rub and roll!  This fulls your piece and makes it stiffen up.  It also shrinks a bit during this process.  In the end you have a really creative piece of felt.  The texture is different from the felt created by knitting first (that was the first felting class), but the wet felt method gives you a whole new set of options like balls, squares, any shape and combination of color you can think of. 

You can see both finished felt pieces there on the left.  This morning, mine was dry, so I took my rotary cutter and cut off a slice so you could see the interior. It's a little sandwich of color.  As you can tell, I'm fired up about this new skill.  If you have kids, this would be such a great summer activity!

As I mentioned, this was the second class in the 4 class series "Felting 101".  Each one is a stand alone, 2 hour, $25 class.  You can just take one, or more.  Completely up to you.  One session classes are great for a busy summer schedule.  Next class is "Recycled Felting", Wednesday, July 18 from 10 to noon.  The class description in the newsletter reads: Environmentally responsible, cheap, fast and fun using re-purposed knits.  I'm already signed up.  Won't you join me?!    

Things are heating up!

Ok, I admit it, there was a time in my life when I thought the last thing you would find me doing in the summer was knitting.  Wow, I must have been overcome by the heat.  Summer is the PERFECT time to pick up needles or hook and create something amazing.  There has never been a time when the selection of fiber and color has been more exciting.  Cotton, corn, soy, bamboo, linen, silk; all lovely, cool fibers that work up beautifully.  And classes?  Our class schedule has something for everyone, at every knitting level.  Here are a few of the classes starting in the next couple of weeks:

Tie-Dyed Boxes sweater.  Thursday, May 17 from 1 to 3 (4 sessions).  This is the perfect summer sweater.  Knit using several colors of cottons, the end result is eye catching and comfortable.

Crochet Granny Squares, Saturday, May 19 from 1to 3.  Granny squares are making it big this year.  They are all over the internet in various forms and colors.  Roxanne, our amazing crochet genius, would love to help you discover your inner granny square. 

Lucet Braiding, Tuesday, May 22 from 10 to noon.  You really have to see this to fully appreciate it.  Lucet braiding creates a beautiful cord that has 101 uses.  One customer purchases sock yarns and creates colorful lucet braid shoe laces for her husbands work boots.  How cool is that?

You can check out the complete schedule here.  Just click on the Unique Classes link.  Many of the class samples are completed and available for you to see at the shop.  Some classes do fill up qquickly, so feel free to give us a call.  We can take your registration over the phone!

Berroco has sent us an amazing trunk show with some particularly lovely summer pieces.  I'm drawn to Tamara (shown at right) which is a free pattern on their website.  Come in and see all the trunk show selections.  They will be on display along the back wall until May 25th. 

Let's clean it up!

Fiber people have a lot in common, and we're not just talking sticks and hooks here.  This time of year I often overhear conversations  start with fibery projects, and quickly jump to talk of green and growing things.  Many of us enjoy digging in the soil almost as much as we do our favorite needlework, but that needlework and grimy hands do NOT go well together.  No worries, we've got you covered.  Just in from Colorado is a wonderful selection of Sycamore Street Soap products.  Homemade soap, scrub, and cute little tins of lotion that fit perfectly in the knitting bag.  I have to admit that I'm partial to the scrub.  It removes all the garden residue from my cracked hands and leaves the most glorious, earthy fragrance.  These products would make wonderful Mother's Day gifts, especially  combined with a flower washcloth! Got you covered there, too.  The Flower Washcloth class is two sessions, May 5 & 12, 10:00 - noon.  You'll have a completed washcloth just in time for Mother's Day! 

  If you're on our mailing list, the new class schedule for May-August has arrived at your door.  If not, come in and pick one up!  Due to such high demand, we are offering more Beginning Knit classes than ever before and we're in the process of certifying more instructors with the Yarn Craft Council of America.  Classes beginning this week are the Summer Topper,  Felting 101, Beginning Knit I, and the above mentioned washcloth.

Spring and Summer are going to be exciting at Unique Yarns!  We're looking forward to you being a part of it!

 

It's never too soon to find the perfect gift.

We are very nearly to that special day of the year when card companies sell outrageous numbers of cards (more than Christmas!), your favorite dining establishment is full all day, and the long distance phone lines are buzzing..... Mother's Day!  This year Mother's Day is Sunday, May 13.  May we suggest a few gift ideas for your fiber loving mother, or to put on your Mother's Day wish list? 

Of course, there can never be enough fiber.  This beautiful combination of Tartelette, Bali, Pure Silk, and Lang Opal would make a lovely summer top, or fabulous shawl to throw over your shoulders on a cool summer evening.   We have a wonderful selection of luxury fibers like silk, linen, mixed novelties, and Artyarns Silk Rhapsody, a mohair and silk blend pictured at left. Absolutely yummy.

A ball winder and/or skein holder is always a great idea since so many of the finer yarns need to be wound into a ball before use.  Our accessory wall is full of useful gadgets that any knitter/crocheter can't have enough of.  We also have a large variety of knitting bags in many sizes and colors.  Everything from a small sack to carry a sock project to large, full of pockets designs to carry large or multiple projects.  One can never have too many bags. 

My very favorite gift idea, and the one I ask for at each and every gift giving holiday is a Unique Yarns gift certificate.  Available in any dollar amount, they are sure to make any fiber loving mother smile with gratitude.  They can be used for both retail purchases or to pay for classes, which reminds me that the summer class newsletter should be arriving at your door very soon!  If you aren't on our mailing list, stop in and sign up!!

Progress for Peace

Each first and third Monday of every month a group of kind and dedicated people meet at the shop to knit items for people in need.  They brainstorm together in choosing what part of the community has a need that they might be able to meet, and then begin the knitting process.  Knitted into each item is love and kindness and peace.  The first organization they chose to knit for was the homeless children attending school in the Rockford school district.  To date they have created 6 scarves, 12 hats, and 14 pairs of mittens that will help to keep the winter chill away from a child that has no home.  What lovelier way to contribute to peace on our planet than to cover it in knitted warmth?  Peace is not just the absence of war, but a daily choice of action and behavior.  What might seem a small thing to you can make a huge difference to someone else. 

  If you would like to be a part of this group, either by attending or contributing, contact that shop at 815-282-5481 for more details.  A huge hug of thanks to those that have already participated.  If you still have items that you would like to contribute to the homeless project we will accept them until April 30th. You may drop them off at the shop any time during business hours. 

Knit yourself a screen door.

Knitters, like all people, come in many flavors.  There are the conservative, yet classy knitters that prefer their projects more tailored and sophisticated. There is the brave and intrepid knitter that likes HUGE projects with multiple charts and colors and needle changes.  Scarf knitters, wash cloth knitters, afghan knitters, baby things knitters...and then there is me.  I am an out-of-the-box knitter.   The funky, oddball, stretch the rules kind of knitter.  Leigh Radford understands and wrote a book just for me.  OK, not just for me, but for all us that like to knit outside the lines.  AlterKNITS is the title and there really is a pattern for a knitted screen door. Practical?  Probably not, but cool?  Oh, to the max. 

Alterknits is everything a great knitting pattern book should be.  The pictures are clear, yet artsy, and each pattern itself is well written and easy to follow.  And diverse.  Really diverse.  There is a pattern to knit little square covers for outdoor light strings, an innovative scarf/shawl..... honestly my description can't do it justice.  We have several copies at the shop so come in and have a look for yourself.  Maybe you'll even want to knit a screen door of your very own.

New Arrivals!!

Our kind and helpful UPS person has been visiting us regularly and bringing with him boxes of new yarns just in time for all your spring fiber projects.  There is Cotton Classic in colors to brighten even the cloudiest (or coldest; what is up with this weather?) Spring day.  100% cotton and a joy to knit with.  Bali is an extremely soft bamboo ribbon yarn that will create a lovely drape with knitted.  (remember that you can click on any of the pictures to see it larger!)  For that luxury project, cause we all need a little luxury in our lives, we have many new colors of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk.  This stuff could not possibly be more beautiful, both to look at and work with.  If you have a little one to knit for we received a selection of new and adorable fibers to create something really special. Party is a fuzzy hug in a ball, Pom Pom has cute little tufts of color, and Bon Bon is a riot of color and texture.  Each one will add it's own unique personality to any project.  And, just in case you need something special to carry all those projects in, we just received four new bags from Three Dog Designs, and expect more in the next few weeks.

  Just as our knitting/crochet projects change with the seasons, so do the selection of wonderful fibers.  Come in, we'll be glad to help you pick something perfect for your fiber creation.