MEET VERONIQUE

I have been very busy the last week and a half! I have added 14 yarn girls' designs to our Ravelry Store. These patterns are available to download for a fee (between $3.00 and $5.00) if you are on Ravelry - check it out and tell your friends to check it out. If you are not on Ravelry yet - get on it. It is a great resource for finding patterns to knit! I found it very overwhelming at first - but now I really think it is a great place to get exciting ideas. I have lot's more patterns to add and will add all the new items we design with the new yarns that come in. Last week, we got the mannequin that we ordered - her name is Veronique and aside from being rather broad shouldered, she is quite hot! So, we packed her and a bunch of sweaters up and headed to Riverside park for a photoshoot! You should have seen the wacky looks we got - toting this 6 foot bald lady around - prone - across our shopping cart. and on the way back - we separated her torso from her legs and stuffed her in the cart - people were stopping us on the street left and right - everybody had a comment! It was fun though - and the pictures look good. She wears our sweaters well. Getting Veronique ready for the photoshoot: Veronique in our Koigu/Superior wrap: And in the Alpalite cabled sweater: I have also been knitting up a storm. I knit 5 bracelets out of this great Lopi wool we got by Imperial Stock Ranch. Check out their website - they are a new company that we are doing business with this fall and I think they have a really interesting story. also we will be getting some roving from them later in the season that you can make some really cool scarves with - I am very excited. I am going to felt the bracelets next week and then we are going top make up kits - with different colors - to make 5 bracelets and you'll get the bag and the pattern. The yarn comes in awesome colors and is supposed to felt magnificently! I am also knitting up a sample in a new Teva Durham yarn - Granite that we are expecting shortly. And I worked on my Zara jacket for Zoe. Things have also been busy at home - we are redoing the kids' rooms since Zoe is going to go into a big girl bed when we get back from vacation. But I couldn't do things in a simple way - I decided that Max needed a new bed because his room is so small. I found this great bed at walmart that is a low loft bed - and has a desk, drawers, bookcase and mini closet built into it. Jeff drove out to Walmart the other night to pick it up (it came in 3 150lb boxes...we live in a 4th floor walk up...) - and last night we were up until 1:30 am putting it together. Actually - Jeff was putting it together - I just was there for the moral support and to hand him the proper screws. But it is done and Max can sleep on it tonight! Then on Thursday night we went out to Ikea to get Zoe a new dresser and bookcases - she is taking Max's old bed - we had it painted white. It was a very long nite at Ikea deciding what bookcases were right etc. We came home with 4 extremely heavy boxes. Jeff is obsessed and wants to put that stuff together tonight. We kind of need to at least do the dresser because all of Zoe's clothes are all over my bed because I gave Julie her dresser and the double bed that was in Zoe's room (as I write this Julie is now moving to New Jersey!). I am here for another week and then VACATION! I can't wait! Hopefully I'll blog once more before I leave and give an update on the new yarns that we've gotten!

New Fall Yarns & Ravelry Downloads

It is hot out there!! But that doesn't stop beautiful new wools from coming through the door on a daily basis. I have spent the past two weeks unpacking boxes and stocking shelves. The store is beginning to fill up and look enticing. We have gotten all of our fall Zara colors in. That's thirty-five scrumptious solid colors with which you can make baby blankets, adult throws (the zara garter stitch throw has been flying out of here), pillows, sweaters, skirts, hats and scarves! Zara is my absolute all time favorite and I think that this year it came in even softer than ever. It also washes wonderfully. I am currently working on a sweater jacket for Zoe - I am copying a sweater that I saw on the tv show Charlie & Lola. It has a charcoal bottom, small black line, and the rest is in dark brown. Then the front has srtiped pockets that are bright orange, pink and red. It's going to be adorable. We also got in Zara Chine - a tweedy zara that comes in fabulous color combinations; Zarina Print - a wonderful multi colored yarn that is slightly thinner than Zara; and Zarina Tweed - which has little flecks and looks very baby - perfect for baby sweaters and blankets. Zarina Print and Zarina Tweed: We received Koigu - half of our multis and most of our solids. People are having a ball picking out colors for the Koigu Wrap - it takes 7 colors, one ball of each. We received Punta del Este, Merisoft. It is a beautiful hand-dyed yarn that knits on a number 9 needle. It is super soft and the colors are to die for! We received Zara Plus in great colors. Here are some of the new ones: And Torino Bulky in a full range of colors. Start picking your colors for the Torino Dot Blanket now. Finally, we received Maxime Print for those of you who want to make a quick pair of socks. And quite a few colors of Karabella, Super Yak. And for those of you on Ravelry - we have begun to set up shop! We now have 5 of our favorite patterns available to download for a small fee. If you search Yarn Girls" they should come up. We have lots more on the way - just have to take pictures, and size patterns - so they will go up slowly but surely! Tell everyone you know to check it out. Foe those of you not on Ravelry yet - join - it's fun and then join our group The Yarn Co. And if not, we are still planning on putting up a Yarn Girls website with new designs available to download for a fee. Happy Knitting until next time!

Fall yarns are coming

It's been a while once again. Sometimes life just spins out of control and before you know it - 5 weeks have gone by. Crazy. First, there was all the end of school stuff to deal with. Picnics, publishing parties, a dance festival and more that I have blocked out of my memory I am sure. Then school finally ended and Camp began - and Jeff has had me on a whirlwind schedule of mooching off people who have summer homes, having barbeques and just making me so tired that I can barely think. And then for the first two weeks of July, Julie and I gave our whole staff off. It was like when we first opened - the two of us here, everyday - all day. Actually when we first started - we had Petra - for these two weeks we did not even have her. Petra was definitely missed - but we did survive and the store was neat and in tact when she returned. (She was a little surprised). Now, things are getting back to normal- so I finally feel that I have a few minutes to sit and write - plus its raining out and I guess everybody is hiding out at home instead of coming to the yarn co... We have gotten in some fun accessories recently. First, THE CIRCULAR SOLUTION. It is a handy storage solution for all your circular needles and it hangs anywhere! Only $22! A longtime customer of ours wrote her endorsement for the product:

The Circular Solution changed my knitting life!! After 10 years of trying various circular needle holders, I had given up and resorted to a Yarn Company shopping bag crammed with 80 needles of various sizes and lengths – I never knew what needle I had for a given project, so often bought duplicates. A friend suggested this product – I bought one that day, went home and organized my needles. Now there are no more kinks in the needles and a quick glance tells me exactly which needles I have. Ah, order has returned!! I whole heartedly endorse this product (and am not a paid spokesperson!!)

We also got THE KNIT KIT. It is a small plastic oval (that looks sort of like a diaphragm case - as everyone who sees it on the counter seems to point out) - but - looks aside - it is great - the kit includes a tape measure, stitch counter, thread cutter, scissors (TSA approved), a crochet hook, stitch markers and point protectors. It is a great item to have when traveling! I keep forgetting to take one and keep wishing I had one with me! It comes in black or white and is only $20! Hopefully,I will once again become a consistent poster- especially since fall yarns are beginning to arrive. We got our Zara shipment and have lots of beautiful colors in stock. We also got unbelievable chenille and multi chenille colors. Now would be a great time to make a baby blanket! I love getting fall yarns in, it makes my fingers itch and want to knit everything in sight. Right now I am knitting a reversible cable scarf with an amazing new cashmere by Jade Sapphire that we will be getting. Enough writing about knitting - I think I will actually go knit now that I have some free time on my hands!

THE YARN CO SALE HAS BEGUN!

Hello everyone. Things have been very hectic around here with year end school activities, the sale and various other activities. Just want to remind everyone that the sale is still going on until June 30! While the yarn is moving - we do still have lots of yarn to be had at great bargain prices! My new favorite yarn is Linen Jeans - I just swatched it up yesterday on a #9 needle and I am hoping to make a loosely knit cardigan out of it - it has great drape and will be the perfect weight for cool summer evenings. I am almost done with Zoe's Ulmo skirt - and I've had a piece of it on the table and the Ulmo has been flying off the shelves. Finally - I have to show you Zoe wearing her Sublime Organic Cotton sweater. I love it on her.

THE SALE IS COMING!!! THE SALE IS COMING!!

I want to let everyone know that THE YARN COMPANY SUMMER SALE starts on Tuesday June 2 at noon! All summer yarns will be 10%-30% off of original prices as well as selected winter yarns also. So be sure to come in or phone your order in - and stock up! We've still got lots of great yarns left and need to make room on our shelves for incoming fall/winter yarns! The sale prices are not listed on our website so feel free to call 888-yarnco1 to ask how much your favorite yarn is on sale for. I'll list a few great ones here that will be 30% off: 1. Taris - I wore this tee shirt the other day and got a million compliments! And the yarn comes in great colors. I think it would actually make a nice skirt also. 2. Ulmo Multy - This is a great yarn! The colors are FABULOUS - and it knits beautifully. I am making Zoe a skirt out of it now in the orange/purple/brown color - the banyan one I did last year. It is a bit hard to picture what the yarn will look like when you see it in the ball - but if you take a chance I am sure you will be delighted! The sweater that we made last year which is on the website is also a great little project. 3. Nepal - This is also a wonderfully soft cotton yarn. It comes in some fun colors. The wrap we made is not for beginners but if you feel up to the task - it is a great sweater. Otherwise - you can do anything with this yarn: baby sweater or a great pullover for the summer - you name it - you can do it! 4. Mulberry Silk - This 100% silk yarn is beautiful and great to knit with. A true luxury - and at 30% off - a great time to give it a try! Also 30% off - some other yarns I love - without the commentary - banyan, jeans, linen jeans, ayala and jamaica. Don't forget there will be LOTS more on sale too. And if you spend $200 or more you get a FREE Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for All Seasons - A $30 value! Other than the upcoming sale - I thought I'd share a few photos from memorial Day weekend. - Max & the Mayor! How cool is that?! The happiest girl in the world - Zoe had a smile on her face all weekend. She just loved running around and playing in sprinklers and eating ice pops! And here is Julie's son, Nicholas. Also, happy as a clam!

KNITTING REDUCES RISK OF MEMORY LOSS

As a mom of young kids with a house to run and a store to operate – I am busy and probably over extended. Usually, I don't mind. But what bothers me is my startling lack of memory. For example, today, on my way home from dropping Max off at school, I stopped off at the store to prepare a bank deposit. I put it in my pocket and figured I would stop at the bank on my way home since it is right on the way. About a block or so before I reached the bank I put my hand in my pocket and said to myself "oh yeah, I have a deposit, I have to stop at the bank" (mind you this was only 10 minutes after I had put the deposit in my pocket in the first place.) Anyway, five minutes later, as I am walking up the steps to my apartment I once again put my hand in my pocket and this time I said "What the ---!!!" The deposit was still there! Next anecdote...Today, on my way to work, I decided I wanted to pick up something to eat at Corner, a new little place between 84th and 85th street and Broadway. On 86th and Broadway, I reminded myself that I needed to cross Broadway on the next block so I could get my food. Next thing I knew I was in front of The Yarn Company with no coffee and no food in my hands. I had to order from Lenny's. Why am I telling you this - my woes with loss of extremely short term memory??? (I just read this great book - Still Alice - about a woman who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers - and although her symptoms were more severe and even though I am really not a hypochondriac at all...I have my worries) - But that is not why. I am telling you this because, while there are many reasons to love knitting: the sense of satisfaction from completing a project, the beautiful colors and textures, the joy we get when making things for others... the list goes on and on and is different for everyone. But now there is another reason – knitting is actually good for you! I just read an article in Yarn Market News (a trade publication) - that says that two studies were recently done regarding the health benefits of knitting. At the Mayo clinic, Dr. Yonas Geda reported that " in a study of 50-65-year-olds that those who knit, quilt and engage in similar activities were found to reduce their risk of memory loss in later years by 30 to 50 percent." Also, in an article in March "Ways to fight Demential in your 20's, 30's and 40's", Dr. Paul Nussbaum, a neuropsychologist said that "using both hands works both sides of your brain." Thus helping to ward off dementia. So, it's good to know that had I not been knitting for the past twenty years - things could be much worse for me - maybe I wouldn't remember my kids names, not just forget to stop some place.

Zoe's Skirt, My Plants & Max's Poems

Zoe's Zara Chevron Skirt - Zoe made her mommy happy last week and wore the skirt I made her this past fall. She was the hit of the birthday party! We just got our Zara colors filled in - so come check them out. It also looks great in cotton classic! If I ever finish my Mondrian dress for her I want to make her another one of these skirts - just in cotton. Well, we saw some great new yarns for the fall last week from Tahki Stacy Charles. Despite wanting to buy very conservatively, Julie and I may have gotten a bit carried away. They had some beautiful new yarns, very soft. Stacy Charles, Karma, is a beautiful wool/angora blend. They had it last year - but it will be new for us. It is super soft, knits on a fairly large needle but is light and airy feeling. And Teva Durham has a great new yarn called Granite. It is a very soft merino wool and nylon that knits on a #13 needle but again is not at all dense. We also got some Zarina print and zara in new multi colors. I think we are off to a good start. We see Jay on Thursday. He has Sublime, and Debbie Bliss. I spent the majority of yesterday doing more planting on my roof deck and various other decks. It was exhausting - but I must say - it looks wonderful! I took the advice of one of our customers and planted all marigolds on the roof in the window boxes - it looks very fresh. Maybe if this yarn thing doesn't work out she can give me a job as a landscaper! Take a look: Now some close ups: marigolds daisies Also, yesterday I went to Max's class publishing party. They published poems that they'd been working on. Because what mother doesn't think that their kid is a genius - I'll share his poems with you: AQUA BLUE IN THE AIR Aqua Blue is every fabulous sea floating up and down. Coming on the shore,Singing it's sweet tune: Woosh, Woosh, Woosh! Aqua blue's smell is so charming it fills the air with brightness shimmering in the sunlight so bright. WRITE, WRITE Write write, write. Fast as you can You can't catch me I'm the little writing paper man! The pencil chased the writing paper all the way to a lake The paper jumped in And got all soggy Pretty impressive for a first grader, huh?