Knitters Gone Wild

Take a close look at this picture:


Take a really close look. Now, isn't that such a nice bunch of people? Just a group of women at a knitting retreat. So tranquil......so peaceful......so......boring. That's what it looks like, right? As they say, looks can be deceiving......

First, they had their bookie, Betty, (seated on the right) taking every one's money to play the lottery.

Oh, the ideas that were floating around about what one would do with their winnings.

Bev said since she's the lawyer, she should take control of the money for safe-keeping:




I guess word got out that there was yarn around because we had a visit from a couple of Gourmet Yaaarrn Pirates:


They kept trying to sneak in:

They were kind of the Stooge's version of pirates. But hey, they gave me a pirate hat so I decided to let them stay - we just kept an eye on their eye.

They even played miniature golf and ate snow-cones:




And I'm not even showing the pictures of felting or margarita parties. Sherri wanted to make sure that outsiders didn't come into our conference room (the ice machine was in the vestibule) so she posted a sign that read, "Reserved for Conference Members Only". Sounds official and important. That should keep others out. However, imagine what one poor guy thought as he glanced into the room on his way to the ice machine and I just happened to come out of the kitchen and walk by with my pirate hat on and a pitcher of margaritas. Yep, just a bunch of boring knitters.


Last year Carolyn and I happened to wear the same pair of pjs. We happened to show up on two days with the same type of shirts. A little weird. I guess though we aren't the ones who happen to pack the same clothes?

That's Sherri on the left and Bev on the right. Bev told us that when her son saw the shirt, he made the comment, "I hope you aren't wearing that in public." Bev said that she wasn't until she had finished putting the rhinestones all over it.


And I want to thank Carolyn (on left) for all of her help.

I just love this picture of Carolyn with her daughter, Amanda.



Pat is quite the photographer and entertained us with the pictures she had taken. Unfortunately, I thought I had saved them to my computer but apparently not

She is always so pleasant to have around and is a great friend. I can't believe she moved on Monday and was at the retreat on Thursday. She has to be one really tired girl this week.




Kudos of thanks goes to my bud, Susan. She worked so hard cooking, prepping and preparing food for the retreat:



Now we did get some knitting accomplished:

Carol finished knitting her sweater out of Schaefer's Laurel:

Lu sat at the "neat" table and made comments about how messy my table was:


Judy and Megan sat at the table with Lu:

I guess it was a good thing all three were neat. Well, come to think of it - I guess every one's table was neater than ours.

Betty on left, with her sister Karen on the right, show how much they accomplished on the knitting project:







Jennifer finished her socks out of Tofutsies:





Megan finished her scarf out of Blue Heron Rayon Metallic. This was how much was left-over from her clapotis.

She finished her socks knitted out of Claudia Handpaint in the Cabin Fever colorway.


Robbie is having a quiet moment:

As more people send me pictures I'll be posting them here to share. Everyone had a super time and voted to return to Robbers Cave for the spring retreat which is the first weekend of May. We were disappointed that The Temptations didn't appear at this retreat so here's hoping their schedule allows them to appear at the spring one. We will have the whole lodge to ourselves at the spring retreat so there will be more rooms available. I should have information up on the website by tomorrow and can start taking reservations.

Yep, such a quiet group:

Can't wait until the next one!!

Retreat or Bust.....

Naked Sheep debuted three new colorways:

l-r: Autumn Harvest, Fall Splendor, and Hydrangeas in Bloom. 100% Superwash Merino in fingering weight, 533 yds for $18.




For those who have been waiting.....new shipment of school colors for the season! Like to see your school colors? Let us know what they are and we'll see what we can do!

The following is a yarn that you just have to see in person AND touch. When the rep showed me a wrap made out of this yarn, I just had to order it. It is sooo soft and has a shimmer to it. This would make that perfect scarf or wrap for those holiday parties. The yarn is called "Chiara" and made by Lana Grossa. It's a brand-new yarn for the fall season. Each 50gm ball contains 190m and retails for $13. The contents are 70% rayon, 20% mohair, and 10% polyamid. I've been waiting on this yarn for months and am so excited to finally have it in the store!



Some cute fun things:

Notepads and bookmarks. I have the spinning wheel and "I Love To Crochet" bookmark left. We will get another supply of the knitting ones.


We got many new books in - the latest Mason Dixon book is already sold out but we're expecting another shipment. Debbie Bliss's new book; "Essential Knits for Kids"; Vogue's "On the go: Shawls Two"; "150 Knitted Trims"; "150 Crocheted Trims"; "Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats and Cool Caps"; "Tag You're It!" (a book of colorful knits for kids); "Tech Square Afghan". I can't remember if I mention we have the latest Noro book #22. Marjie showed us a beautiful knitted vest out of the book and everyone just had to have one!

As I mentioned before, David and I will be heading off to host the retreat at Robber's Cave Park starting this Thursday and going through Sunday. As always, Sandy, along with Katy and Amanda will keep the shop open and running. Also, remember, due to the retreat, there is NO Knit-In this Saturday. It will be the second Saturday this month - Oct. 11. I may be back in the shop next Monday or I may be at home sitting in a corner staring into space. We'll just have to wait and see........

Another Dyeing Day

I didn't snap as many pictures as I was wanting to because I was busy with other stuff but managed to get a few:


Ann from Amarillo dyed her yarn a beautiful fall color.



Anne has a look that seems to say, "Is this really going to turn out okay?"


Michelle, from Amarillo also, shows us her interpretation of Fall colors. You will also see how we use the chip-n-dip bowl for dyeing. It's a great tool and fits into the microwave easily.


Linda had no fears of diving right in.....



Morgan is busy getting ready to create her colorway.

Liz showed up to knit that morning and said she's dyed at home and didn't want to do it. About an hour later, I noticed her hiking through the back of the store toting along a bag full of undyed yarn and heading to the dye room......

Here's the mad scientist at work...



Cathy is rinsing her hank of yarn. We were so lucky to have a nice day for dyeing. I think everyone had a blast. Several bought dye to do some work at home and others say that it was fun but they prefer to do a class and not have the investment for tools or the clean-up. I tend to be with the latter group.



Debbie showed us the cutest little boy's sweater that she knitted. Some boy is going to be a very lucky recipient.


Jan knitted a clapotis out of Blue Heron Rayon Metallic. She knitted it for a gift for her daughter (or was that daughter-in-law?) She bought a beautiful Romi shawl pin to go with it.

So pretty, Ann!

We got many new books and several new colorways of yarns plus a new yarn but I've run out of time today. I hope to post the new stuff tomorrow but it's hectic around here getting ready for the retreat so I make no promises. ;-)

Ella Rae Lace Merino Yarn

Another busy week of shipments. We got in a new supply Baby Boom and Cascade Heritage yarns with some additional colors added. Our new yarn this week is Ella Rae Lace Merino:


Ella Rae Lace Merino is a fingering-weight yarn and there's enough yardage to do a pair of socks. It retails for $23.


Tracey and Bev showed us their finished Peacock Feathers Shawls. You probably remember a picture of the two of them when they were knitting the shawl and demonstrated how a difference in gauge can make a HUGE difference:

They're both gorgeous and they are happy with their finished products as they should be!

To show that Bev can knit on gauge when the urge and want strikes her - she finished her Prism Garden Stroll Jacket:



I love this kit and ordered one myself to knit. We have two kits in stock that are in different colorways.

Morgan is modeling her sock knitted with Claudia Handpainted yarn in the Red Wagon colorway. Now these are happy socks! Btw, Morgan told me I needed to update the blog especially since I had told her that very same thing on her blog. So hey, Morgan! Here's your update!



This Saturday we will be having 3 different dyeing classes. We have a couple of spots left open. It's a fun class with most of the people who dyed last time coming back to enjoy another day. The class is $20 plus the cost of one hank of yarn of your preference. You do not need to buy dye as it is provided and we do the clean-up!

Have a great day!

MG

Helmet Liners

This past Tuesday, Karen Starks, from the Hugs Project came by the store to help kick off the "Knitting For Troops" project. As mentioned before, we are knitting helmet liners, socks, etc. to give to the troops for Christmas. We have the helmet liner pattern at the store if you are unable to download it at home. (There are several free patterns on the internet.) Thankfully, Karen J. has agreed to manage this project and will post more particulars later. We are hoping to make a sizable contribution to the troops for Christmas. Imagine spending the holidays all alone in a combat zone on the other side of the earth and your Christmas wish list includes the basics of everyday life that we often take for granted. So we are hoping to make a few troops' holiday a little brighter and let them know that we care and worry about them. I want to remind everyone that Gourmet Yarn does not endorse any political parties and this project is not about politics. No one knows my political views - not even David or any of my close friends. I work very hard to keep silent about it. Customers may state political views in the shop and employees may have them but that doesn't mean they represent me. My employees have been instructed not to discuss politics while at work. Now back to volunteering, my son and I volunteered at the Hugs headquarters down at Crossroads for a little while this week. We helped pack neck coolers for the troops and Karl is working on a project at home. It saddens me to think a lot of these troops are his age.

New shipments this week included a large shipment of books. Two new books are:

Great book to accommodate the Sweater Club. I do think a few more things could have been added but overall I thought from the little I read that it was an easy book for beginners to understand and had good pictures. I've always said that it only takes a few simple tricks to make a sweater go from looking homemade to an upper-end hand-knit garment.



Okay, this book is nice but it's mainly just copying old patterns - even includes the original picture. I couldn't find where permission was granted for this but I'm sure it couldn't be published otherwise. There are some cute accessories in the book.




We received more of our backorder of Saki yarn, more yarn from Knitting Fever, and some new colors of Cascade 220 Superwash (one of the colors is going fast for helmet liners). I know we received shipments every day but I'm posting at home and that's all I can remember right now.

Yesterday Schmackie and I went furniture and tile shopping. It was a lot of fun and I haven't had such a pleasant day in a long time. I did manage to find some kitchen chairs but haven't found the table. I was looking at my chairs this morning with the plastic still on the seats and memories of my paternal grandmother came to mind. If you've ever watched, "Everyone Loves Raymond" and have seen his mother's house - well, that was my grandmother. Do you know what it was like sitting on a plastic-covered car seat in a car that doesn't have air-conditioning in the August heat???? Awe....the good old days. My grandmother didn't have her sofas plastic covered (thank goodness) but she did have sofa covers - always the same ones. When I was in my thirties, my aunt finally talked my grandmother into getting new sofas. I was so elated that maybe my grandmother in her 80s would perhaps finally relax and enjoy looking at her pretty furniture instead of hiding it underneath plastic or covers. I went to visit and walked into the living room and was met by the same old sofa covers with the new furniture underneath. lol

Hope if you have family or friends in Ike's path that everyone is doing well.

Have a great weekend!

"What's in the Dr. Pepper?"

Patty posed this question after Saturday's Knit-In. I guess it proves you don't have to have liquor to act crazy. Right before closing the girls starting misbehaving. None of them admit guilt and point the finger at each other. Of course, Mom was in the other room and didn't see what started it. Some say Dad was in on it but he's pointing the finger to others also. So I guess all a mother can do is shake her head and carry on. It's just a reminder of what is to come in a couple of weeks at the retreat. lol And talking about the retreat - we have had a couple of cancellations so there's room for more if anyone is interested.


We had some great Show 'N Tell at the Knit-In. Linda from Hobart showed us her knitted socks:

I hear Linda is teaching others to knit socks in Hobart. Good for you, Linda! I'm sure you make a great teacher!


Vanessa recently moved back from Oklahoma and it's great to have her back! She finished seaming her basketweave shell during the Knit-In:



Theresa took a sock class recently and finished her Tofutsies socks:

It was interesting to note the difference in pattern from one sock to the other. Theresa said her gauge changed a lot on the next sock and that was what made the difference. For her first pair of socks, I think she did great!!!

Mary and Paula from Stillwater came by the shop Saturday morning and Mary showed me her first sock (on the left) and another sock she's made since. Hmm...I was just showing her last Tuesday how to turn the heel and she's finished that sock and made another one???? I'm impressed!



Shirley from Stroud finished her entrelac scarf:

This scarf is definitely a show-stopper. It looks so rich. Thanks to Shirley for proofing the pattern and fining the error. Thankfully she didn't shoot me. Shirley knitted her scarf out of Cascade's Dive yarn and boy, did it cause a stir! People were busy looking at the color selections of Dive! lol I had recalculated the pattern during class for the Dive so Shirley is going to give me those calculations to pass on to others.

There's always an odd one in every crowd:

Anita, Nina, Linda, and Katy show off their GYC t-shirts and Namaste bags.















Well, I better get to work and order merchandise this morning!

MG

Deliveries

We've been receiving so many new things lately that I'm sure I will forget something. To start with, we received our back-order of Noro Taiyo in 5 new colors and another HUGE batch of Namaste bags. We received stock of every style in every color. David has even pre-ordered their new designs being released. I'm sure he'll be doing the run-away-train bit with that order also! We've got a new line of shawl pins that I hope to get pictures of at a later date and post them here.

A couple of weeks ago, Marjie and Kay went to Stitches Midwest in Chicago. They told me about a couple of neat vendors. I checked their sites out and immediately jumped on the wagon! We received JudyColors Christmas Stockings kits. We received 8 different designs and here is a sample of four of the designs:

As everyone knows this is my kind of knitting! Bev was here when the kits arrived and immediately vultured in on the kit that is second from the right. Good choice! I had been eye-balling that very one also! There are many sock kits out there so how come did I choose to carry these? Well, not only are they gorgeous but when I saw how she was using braid around the heels and other unusual stitches, I was sucked right in and went overboard on ordering. Not quite the run-away-train ordering that David does but close. If you want a class on these stockings let me know. I'm currently working on the next class schedule.

I've got two new companies on the horizon to receive so be sure to stay tuned.

A new supply of Naked Sheep fingering weight yarn arrived yesterday morning:

Okay...I may have to grab some of that OSU color and since my daughter is an OU fan, I guess those will have to be for me. Maybe I'll be nice enough to knit her an OU pair. I know she's holding her breath on those. Not only did we receive the fingering weight yarn but we received roving in a natural "black" Blue Face Leicester Wool. Very pretty!

Lisa knitted a baby blanket out of Plymouth's DreamBaby to give as a present. I believe she said a cousin but it may have been a friend. Goodness, I seem to have to write everything down!

If it hadn't been for Lisa's camera knowledge, this picture wouldn't exist. I had left my user-friendly camera at home so I had to grab Manservant's fancy one. I stood there looking dumbfounded at it when Lisa casually walked over, reached out and starting clicking buttons. Well, I'm not always a dummy, so I handed it over to her. She got it ready for me and told me to just click the button. Hey, that works for me.


Lynn is modeling a poncho she knitted out of Plymouth's Alpaca Loop yarn:

Lovely, Lynn!


Sandy brought in her lovely guitar strap that she knitted out of sock yarn:

When I first downloaded pics off of Manservant's camera, I thought it was a snake at first!

Another great project from Lynn:

I have forgotten which pattern Lynn used but she knitted it out of Fiesta's Boomerang.

Ada was so thrilled to finish her mother's shawl knitted out of Fiesta's Rayon Metallic Boucle:

As any one knows, boucle can be quite a challenge to knit.

Ben shows us the cutest little baby sweater knitted out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton?

This will look so adorable on the lucky recipient!

Don't forget - Knit-In tonight from 4-8pm!!

MG