Tomorrow between 8am and 9am PST, Betsy McCarthy, my mentor, very close friend and StitchCraft knitting instructor, is going to appear on the Today Show. Please watch! Betsy talks with Jane Pauley about her career change from hospital administrator to knitting instructor. The segment that Jane is doing right now is called Your Life Calling. It's about people making career changes and following their passions, later in life. Very applicable to our job market today. The complete interview with Jane will be available on the AARP website.

Here is the AARP "trailer" for the interview with Betsy and Jane.

http://www.aarp.org/money/work/your_life_calling/

And, Betsy has a new website:

http://betsymccarthyknits.com/

Betsy's book Knit Socks is going to be re-published in this summer. If you would like to reserve a copy of her updated book, please let us know. We're going to host a book signing too!

How exciting to have a knitter in the spotlight! I hope it inspires others to take up the art of handwork.

There's nothing like a knitting retreat to help you remember why you opened up a yarn shop. The people, the students, the teachers, the yarn; the amount of information at Madrona Fiber Arts retreat is absolutely astounding. This year, I was told from one organizer, that there were 700 students. This number doesn't include the amount of people that came only for the fiber market. 700!!!!

And if you're wondering where the retreat got its name, the Madrona tree grows on the Pacific Coast of the US and Canada. It's the symbol of the retreat and boy...the branches have grown many times from it's early beginnings. Here is a picture of the banquet room on Saturday night. There are just as many fiber arts enthusiasts behind me as you see in this picture which was taken from where I sat.

I took two classes this year, both on intarsia with Jane Slicer-Smith. I've taken workshops on intarsia with Kaffe Fassett and Sasha Kagan, and I really liked Jane's class as she explained her methods of design. Each teacher has their own way of looking at intarsia and I'm happy to take great things from each of them. You can expect an intarsia class taught here in the Fall. We'll start with something simple. I'll get my gears turning. Here are my swatches from class:

Every Saturday night at Madrona, there is a banquet with a lecturer, on an interesting topic. This year it was presented by Linda Cortright, publisher and editor of Wild Fibers Magazine. Linda is the representative of the United Nations mission to protect the world's natural fiber industry. The UN mission is called Keep The Fleece. Check the website for more information on natural fibers and to raise your awareness from where these fibers come. Linda told us of her adventures to New Zealand (merino wool) and Tibet (cashmere goats).

Here's a picture of us taking photos at dinner. From left to right Betsy McCarthy, Evelyn Clark, Mary, Charlene Schurch and April.

This year was my first year teaching at Madrona. I had a blast. The students were so sweet and a good time was had by all. I learned to weave too!  Here is my first woven swatch thanks to Syne Mitchell, who brought her 8 harness loom with her and gave demonstrations all day on Saturday. She said I had good selvedges.

So, I'm completely hooked on weaving now. I'll be purchasing a Rigid Heddle Loom soon and I will set it up in the shop so you can all try it. If you read the newsletter, my interest in weaving sparked last summer when I had the opportunity to see some beautiful looms in a weaver's studio. A few of you have expressed interest. Let's see where this takes us.

So this was the scene at the shop this week...

What is that behind the counter?  Yup, a sick child. First, child #2 got the virus and now, child #1. But, I am fortunate that I can bring my children to work and take care of them when they're sick.

My husband can work from home too, so he got the sick one on Tuesday, which was really nice because it was our Groundhog Day sale and we were very busy. To top it all off, I feel like I'm getting something too. Not good since I'm teaching at Madrona next week. Let's see if I can fend it off.

On a happier note; there are some new books in the shop. Nature's Wrapture is a nice little book dedicated to the garment called a wrap. Keep yourself warm on cool nights with some of these really nice patterns.

This book is GREAT! Knitting Brioche is really the first really technical book with beautiful patterns for this interesting stitch.

And yet another sock book. I especially like the patterns in this one.

Punxatawney Phil is THE weather prediction animal. Will he see his shadow? If he does, you will receive 15% off your entire purchase on Groundhog Day, Tuesday, February 2nd. If he does not see his shadow you get 10% off your entire purchase for the day. Why this reasoning? Well, if he sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter, which then means we'll be inside knitting, crocheting and stitching more. If he doesn't see his shadow, it's a prediction of early spring and we'll be out gardening and hiking, enjoying the weather. When he's made his prediction, we'll post the result here on the blog along with your discount for the day.

Click here for a link to the most Frequently Asked Questions about Phil.

Patti C. brought in her finished Fair Isle tam last week. It's stunning. Patti designed the tam with the help of our fantastic Fair Isle instructor, Charlene Sabin.

And there are a bunch of new books and magazines in the shop. The latest Vogue Knitting, Interweave Crochet, Piece Work and Knit Scene.

New books that arrived are:

And we just got the most spectacular shawl pins and shawl lollipop sticks. When I was on vacation in Florida, I naturally visited the local yarn shop and the ladies behind the counter kindly gave me the name of their local artist that makes these lovely pins. They're made of unbreakable clay and fired with beautiful metallic foils and color. Just look at the detail. Each one is one-of-a-kind.

We're participating in the Portland Yarn Crawl. It's going to be the biggest crawl to come to the area. Mark your calendars for March 5th, 6th, and 7th. Here's the description, including a fabulous raffle. If you participate in the crawl, you can win one of 15 prize baskets put together by yarn company sponsors. Here's more information:

How it Works

     We do everything possible to make people aware of the Yarn Crawl that is conducted in their city. This web site contains all the information you need.  Information is also available at the stores, on Ravelry.com,  Facebook and  local media.   Please share your knowledge of the crawl with any of your yarn buddies.  The best information always comes from sharing and  networking.

SIGN IN

In Portland, there are l5 stores participating in the Yarn Crawl, which will run  from Friday, March 5 through Sunday, March 7th.  During  their normal  business hours, you can begin at any one of the 15 stores.  Each customer is asked to "sign-in" at every store they visit.  These sign in sheets are retained by the stores and producers of the crawl.  You will be able to let them know if you wish to be added to their mailing lists via an opt-in box on the sheet.  No one will be added to any list without permission, of course.  Beginning in February, stores will also have a quantity of maps and list of stores and sponsors.  The same information can be found on line if you want  to plan in advance.  Either way, you are covered. 

RAFFLE

     As soon as you sign in you will be given a raffle ticket which will allow you to enter to win one of the 15 identical raffle baskets you will see at each store.  Please know that no purchase is ever required for entry into the raffle - it is a free raffle open to every person on the crawl.  Since there are 15 stores, there are 15 raffle baskets.  If you visit all 15 stores, you will get 15 chances to win, but we ask that you only enter once at each store you visit over the course of the weekend.  This is requested in order to give everyone an equal chance to win. Raffle tickets  should be filled out with name, address and contact information.  You do not have to be present to win a basket.  All winners will be notified within 48 hours of the close of the weekend and told where to pick up their basket.

SCAVENGER HUNT

     To encourage participation in the Crawl, we also conduct a Scavenger Hunt. The theme of the hunt will be identified prior to the event. The theme for Portland will be "Local Designers". (More on this to come). This is done by placing 15 recognizable designs - one for each store - in plain sight within the store.  As people visit each store, they can look for the item, which will be identified with a numbered tag.  The first person who emails the correct placement of each item to us will win the Grand Prize of a beautiful basket containing enough Blue Sky Alpacas Yarn to make this lovely afghan. (Picture and prize courtesy of Blue Sky Alpacas, one of the sponsors of the Portland Yarn Crawl.)

More questions?  Please go to the contact page and we'll be back to you ASAP, we promise!

Well, this blog was neglected a bit. I was on vacation for two weeks and I'm back today. There's so much to do it feels overwhelming. I have to write the January newsletter, pay the bills, get the ever anticipated Winter/Spring class schedule together, place orders and re-orders, do payroll, go to the accountant, prepare for classes I'm teaching at Madrona and StitchCraft, and so much more.

How do you handle life when it feels overwhelming?  I'm going to try to knock off only two of my items on that To Do list today. Sundays are nice for me. I wake up, have my tea and breakfast, go for a run, hang out with the family and then the shop opens at noon. I work until 5pm (the shop closes at 4pm) and I hurry home for dinner.

Taking things one day at a time is my personal resolution for this year. As far as the shop is concerned, resolutions for it are:

More cross-stitch and embroidery patterns, threads and beads.
More crochet patterns and books.
More lovely yarn.
Weaving!!! (yes, and email me if you're interested)

And if you're wondering what Madrona is, it's a fiber arts education retreat in Tacoma, WA. Here is a link to the Madrona website. If you've never been on a fiber arts retreat, This is THE one of the Pacific Northwest and you should check it out. I'm so excited that they asked me to teach and very humbled by the request at the same time. I'm so fortunate to be in this business. Taking things slowly, one day at a time is good for me. Hey, another thing off my list - a blog post!

You know the story...

You make a beautiful gift for someone out of hand washable wool. They throw it in the washing machine and voila - beautiful project is now felted and not wearable.

Or, you have an anaphylactic reaction to wool and break out in hives all over the place when you wear it.

Or, you're sensitive to wool and it scratches you too much.

So should you turn to acrylic in these situations? There's a couple of things to keep in mind when deciding to use acrylic or not. In my previous life, I was a chemist and I've recently done a little research into the way acrylic is made.

Acrylic - A Very Brief History by Nicholette Hoyer

Acrylic was produced by DuPont in the 1950's. It was first used as a protective coating on warplanes during World War II. DuPont no longer produces acrylic. In fact, acrylic is no longer produced in the United States because of its hazardous and explosive qualities. Where is it produced? Yup, China.

The raw materials used into today's acrylics are called methyl methacrylate. It is a compound that is created with cyanide, acetone and alcohols. The storage, handling and processing of acrylic has to be done under highly controlled situations in a laboratory. Toxic gases are released into the atmosphere when acrylic is created, and we can only hope that the companies making it are using the most advanced environmental remediation techniques as possible. Not to mention, the potential safety of the employees that are making the substance.

Acrylic is plastic and is not easily recycled. It can irritate people with sensitive skin or eczema. Most acrylic ends up in a landfill.

I personally find it ironic that many people will knit baby items with acrylic. Lots of babies are born with eczema, so why make them something that could irritate? Not-to-mention the fact that acrylic doesn't last long. You spend all your quality time knitting or crocheting a garment only to have it disintegrate. Acrylic yarn also melts - not something you want your baby underneath in case of fire.

So what can you use that's natural and non-irritating to the skin? Consider these alternatives:

Cotton
Cotton blends with silk, soy, bamboo
Silk
Tencel
Bamboo
Soy
Linen
Hemp
Alpaca

And if you're sensitive to wool, sometimes just a blend of wool with another fiber can soften things up so much, you won't even believe there's wool in it.

What about machine washable? While there are many machine washable yarns made from natural fibers, I really like to hand wash my hand made garments. If you think about it, it really doesn't take that long. It takes longer to dry, but it's quick to hand wash. I think it takes longer to put your garment into a machine, put the powder in, transfer the garment to the dryer and then fold v. filling your sink with water, adding a drop of your favorite sweater wash (the one we sell, you don't have to rinse), rolling it in a towel to get the excess water out and letting it air dry.

But if you need, there are plenty of machine washable offerings in the shop - just ask us to help you find one in the gauge you need. We have gift tags that you can purchase with an area for washing instructions and fiber content. Sometimes it only takes a gentle reminder to your recipient about how to care for their heirloom.

Shown Below:
Blue Sky Organic Cotton
Queensland Bebe Cotsoy (Cotton/Soy blend)
Knit One Crochet Too Babyboo (Bamboo/Nylon blend)
Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy (Cotton/Hemp/Modal blend)
Spud and Chloe Yarns (Organic Cotton/Wool blend, Silk/Wool blend)
Blue Sky Alpacas (Alpaca, Alpaca/Silk, Alpaca/Merino blends)

We have swifts and nostepinne's! Nostepinne means "nest stick", a handy tool to wind a center-pull ball of yarn without changing the twist of the yarn. It's portable and easy to use. It comes with instructions.

The swifts are table-top swifts made of hardwood. The pegs are adjustable to fit your hanks. The best thing about these swifts is that they're very affordable at $40 each.

Take a look at the "porcelain" blue needles in sizes US 7 and US8. They're so pretty and functional and make a great gift for a special knitter.

And lastly, we received double-pointed needle cases (or small accessory cases). Use them to store your needles, tapestry needles or stitch markers. In 6 different metallic colors.

All of these items make great gifts!

As a knitting instructor, I can tell you that I love watching people knit. I'm fascinated by the way each person holds the yarn on their fingers. I look to see if they knit into the back of their stitches or into the front. How do they hold their needles? Do they always look at their knitting or sometimes do it by feel?

Many students come into my shop saying that they just couldn't get knitting when they were a child. In a lot of cases I find students that are left-handed had a right-handed instructor. Or, there's the right handed person that first learned to crochet, so they couldn't understand how to hold yarn in their right hand.

If you are a knitting instructor, I suggest that you learn both the Continental/picking and American/throwing methods. This way, you can let the new knitter take you where they need to go, holding the yarn in whichever hand feels most comfortable to them.

What about the combined knitter? In some countries, mostly Eastern countries, the knitter first twists the stitch and then twists it back the next row. Yes, this is correct as well. Most knitting patterns are written for Western knitters. Each pattern can be "converted" to suit the needs of any knitter.

What about the left handed knitter that knits into the stitches on the right needle? They are correct as well. They have to reverse patterns, but they do knit correctly.

So, I'm here to tell you that there is no wrong way to knit. As Amy, one of our instructors said the other day,"If you like how you knit and it makes the fabric that you want and somehow your stitching is holding together, it's knitting."

Now stop worrying about how you're knitting, grab a cup of tea and a project and get to it.

Love, Nicholette