Gore Place Sheepshearing Festival!
This Saturday, 10 to 5! Don’t miss this super-fun event…the sheep, the border collies, the ducks, the crafts, the fried dough! What’s not to love?
We’ll be at the Festival all day, down in the Fiber Tent (close to the Grove St entrance) with a ton of new hand-dyed yarns, fiber, reclaimed yarns and combo fibers! And my friends will be right next to my booth with their gorgeous shawls, scarves, jewelry, project bags and much more! Stop by, say hi, and see all the pretties! I just check the weather and it looks to be a perfect day! Yay! See you there!
Also, the store itself will be closed on Saturday since we will all be at Gore, so pop over to get all your yarnie delights!
HUGE ANNUAL SPRING SALE!
It’s back! Time to do a little store spring cleaning and make room for new goodies coming in!
From March 10th to March 17th!
Buy One, Get One 1/2 off!
On all (in stock, no special orders) yarns from:
Classic Elite
SWTC
Elsbeth Lavold
Dale of Norway
Araucania
Jojoland
Mirasol
Louet
Lana Grossa
Tahki
TONS of yarns of sale!! Don’t miss out!
Last Still Stitching
So, a few of us have a couple of projects to move through, yes? I’m glancing at the cast-on mania-ers, but all you other knitters and crocheters are right in my line of sight too! So here we go with a new silly game…this one to help you make some progress on your projects (both those started and those that are still just in your mind).
Here’s what you do:
1. Sign up on this thread with an “I’m in” post by Saturday, March 10th at midnight.
2. Do 10 rows per day on ANY project. Have a rough day and can’t churn through 10 on the back of that sweater, work on a scarf that day instead, but do your 10 rows per day. (I know most of you have a FEW projects to choose from).
3. Using clipping stitch markers, mark your progress, and take pictures so that we can all see. You MUST do this at least once per week…accounting for each day since your last post. If it’s easier, you can save them all for one big post once a week, or you can post everyday….or anything in between. If you do multiple days in one post…maybe attach a little paper to each marker showing which day it is.
4. Sunday mornings, I’ll go through and see who is still on track…if you have missed a day, or haven’t posted, you’ll be eliminated. Whoever is the last one to still be churning out the 10 rows per day will win a fabulous prize!
Since this is totally a new thing I’m gonna say we need a minimum of a dozen to sign up, but I’m hoping that won’t be any big problem. Also, yes…you can CO new things, but you have to do 10 rows in addition to the CO for that day.
Does that all make sense? Sound fun?
Yes….I really am placing bets in my head about who will be the Last Still Stitching.
Destash challenge!
Well, somehow I’ve managed to keep up with the destashing…so much has been donated and repurposed. We are well over 100 LBS now…which has made a silly little goal land in my head. I was thinking, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if we got to 1000 LBS in one year? Then someone said, “Wow, a 1/2 a ton?!” And the deal was sealed…there’s no way I can look a silly challenge like 1/2 TON in the face and not give it a try!
So…as an added enticement…I’m going to give 2 bonus certificates to the person who destashes the most in each month (I’ll try it at least through April and then see if we go on). We are starting with February and right now, the leader has destashed 13 lbs. I’ll try to keep updated with the leader amount and definitely post before the last day of the month that I’m open. Sound fun?
Want a chance to win FREE yarn?
That lovin’ day is around the corner. Share the love (or I guess the “likes”) on Facebook and you could win some gorgeous yarn! I’ll draw two people next Sunday (2/19/12) at 6pm. The first will win a hank of Island Yarn Sol (color of their choice – in stock only) and the second will win a hank of Chesterfield (color of their choice – in stock only). If this goes well, I’m might be able to add more prizes!
So here’s how you can win…
“Like” our facebook page here.
“Share” a post that you like (you can post something and then share it if you like) or the page itself.
And that’s it! Two clicks and you could get some lusciousness like this or this!
If you already like our page…just share something this week and you’ll be entered!
Cast-on Mania February!
I bet you all knew there would be a story behind this, didn’t you? I’m so predictable.
So last year, our good friend Felicia participated in something call Cast-on Mania February with another group. The purpose was to combat the general doldrums of February by doing something we knitters all love to do every day….cast on something new.
Sure, it was crazy. And we generally all poked a lot of fun at the level of crazy that this plan was. But then a strange thing started happening around mid-February….ENVY! “I wanna cast-on something new,” was heard throughout the store making the crazy contagious. Since then, I’ve thought it might be fun to just jump in this February and do it ourselves….complete with a big ole prize!
So here are the rules:
- Post a list here of what you plan to cast on everyday. Lists do not have to be complete and can be amended.
- Post pictures if you can….especially when you finish something in the midst of all the starting!
- Parts of projects count (this may be specific for a big cheater like me….but I don’t want you exclusive sweater knitters to lose your minds). A sleeve can be one day, and the left front another day.
How do you win the prize? You get points….and each point is like a raffle entry. I’ll tally them up at the end of February and little (not little) Aja will pull the winner.
You can get points just for making your list -
Post your partial list – 1 point
Post your complete list – 3 points
Post your complete list with links to patterns (always good to reward your designers with a little linky!) – 5 points
You’ll get another point for every picture you take and post here. And 2 bonus points for every FO you manage to churn out in the mania…you’ll need to share it with the group so we know and can keep track.
Like knitting, you might notice its about the process and you’ll still have all your points even if you miss a day or two (of course, you’ll have more if you don’t).
And for those who manage to cast-on every day – 10 more points at the end of February. 
Yeah…it might be too complicated, the main point is do your best! And have fun forgetting that February exists!
And the prize? I’m putting together a big gift basket with hand-dyed yarns, reclaimed cashmere, and pattern books for the winner (minimum value of $200)! Those of you who have seen the baskets in the past know I like to make it worth it!
It’s a great way to clear out your queue…try all those things you have been meaning to try for ages. And if you don’t finish a couple…who cares? You could still end up with 20+ FO’s and/or an awesome prize!
Ready, set…start your planning!
Holiday Fun! Tuesday, December 20th!
Mark your calendars! We’re going to have a special holiday get together at the store on Tuesday, December 20th from 6 – 8:30. There will be goodies, and knitting, and few extra special people who will have gorgeous handmade items for sale if you just don’t think your going to finish everything you set out to do. Also some great things to top your gifts off in an extra special way….shawl pins, stitch markers, and much more! By now, you know it is a rarity to see an open sign in my window on Tuesday…meaning this is a special, special event!
Anyone knitting a Turkey Cozy?
Ergh. Black Friday. I like to pretend the mania doesn’t exist, but word has it, as a store owner, that I’m stoopid for those imaginary ways. So I’ve been back and forth about what to do, if anything, and here’s the plan. Tell me what you love. Take yourself over here: http://islandyarncompany.bigcartel.com/ Tell me what your most favorite thing is (yarn and color…gotta be specific) here, tonight before midnight and starting tomorrow it will be on sale until Monday at midnight. The more of you who post, the more things will be on sale (and yes, I’m smooshing the Wednesday sale into the whole thing because I couldn’t possibly come up with 2 different sale ideas for one week.) As always, local peeps….if you let me know that you want to pick up your yarns at the store, I’ll refund your shipping charges.
And in the store on Friday and Saturday, we’ll have some warm spiced cider and cookies so there will be a great place to escape and knit for a bit. And, if you happen to finish something in the store on Friday or Saturday, I just might be able to find a wee prize for you. Time to get those gifts cranking off the needles! Also, come Friday, the FIVE December patterns of the month will be in the store and ready for their head start! One more to write up and photograph, but you can see the other four here: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/victoria-myers
Greater Boston Yarn Crawl!
At last, the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl is happening this weekend, Friday, September 31st thru Sunday October 2nd!
We will open extended hour for the crawl:
Friday 10AM to 5PM
Saturday 10AM to 5PM
Sunday 12 to 5PM
And before we get to each day’s special events, there are a few great deals that will be going on all weekend long. First up, you will receive a FREE gift bag with any purchase over $25 (one per person).
Second, as it is pattern of the month transition time, September and October patterns will all be free with purchase of the suggested yarns throughout the crawl! This is THREE patterns, Early Autumn, and new pattern revamp of Reversible Brioche Hat and a brand new pattern using the luscious Debbie Bliss Paloma to be released on Friday! Plan your gifts and get free patterns!
Lastly, don’t forget to take a stab at our “Name that Yarn” game when you stop in…you could win a glorious gift basket!
In addition to all of that, we have extra special things planned for each day!
Friday, September 30th was meant to be a big Blue Heron Trunk Show, but what I received was a little more like a smart car trunk full. As soon as I started getting the feeling this might be the case, I whipped into gear and dyed up 100+ new skeins of our new hand-dyed delights. We’ll have new silks, wools, and lovely blends. For a sneak peak, take a look at the twitter feed and see what has already been coming in through September. In addition to getting this stuff right off the drying rack, on Friday, you’ll get 15% off any Island Yarn yarn (yarnyarn…its almost like pizzapizza). This includes all of our reclaimed and hand-dyed yarns! Don’t miss out!
Saturday, October 1st will bring 2 special guests! From 11 to 2, Wren Ross will be in the store, singing and delighting you with her hysterical yarnie tunes! She’ll have her CDs with her for those of you who might want to pop it into your car as you crawl along the rest of the day. Then, from 2 to 5, Karen Chenausky, will be in with her gorgeous handmade jewelry! She’s got shawl pins, necklaces, earrings….you name it and she is super talented with a great eye for jewelry! And just because she is that nice, she has volunteered to give a little demo on making stitch markers to anyone interested. We’ll have materials, just bring yourself!
Sunday, October 2nd will welcome the arrival of Jane from Porter Square Books with an enormous pile of knitting and crochet books! There’s nothing better in my opinion than a Sunday filled with yarn and books! She’ll also be taking pre-orders on the long-awaited Principles of Knitting if you are hot to get your hands on it and generously offering a 15% discount on all pre-orders taken during the crawl!
Phew….I think that might cover it. Maybe….
Hope to see you all there!
Let’s Make a Deal for a Charity! :)
It’s been a little while since we had a good charity event so I thought it might be fun to do one that served many purposes. There are all sorts of ways to contribute and receive great thank you gifts in the process!
We are starting with a non-perishable food drive for the Salvation Army Food Pantry here in Waltham. Bring in canned goods or other non-perishables any day we are open.
And then….for every 2 food items that you bring in, you can choose a ball of yarn out of the sale bin for free. You can go merrily on your way with your ball(s) of yarn OR donate them back into our charity yarn bin which will be headed to several different area women’s homeless shelters thanks to crabbycrocheter. Maybe she will post a bit more about them when she gets the ear burn? You can also bring in donation yarn during the event to put in the box. Also, if you use our destashing service during the event you can donate whatever doesn’t sell.
As a thank you for your yarn donation, for every full ball (sale bin or what you bring in or destash) you can get a raffle ticket to win one of many awesome prizes! Lots of gorgeous sample sweaters, bags, and, naturally, some yarn! I’ll being posting pictures and details about all of these prizes later in the week. You can also buy raffle tickets for these prizes at $2 each. All proceeds from ticket sales will be going to one of my favorite charities Kiva. You can see what we have already been able to do through Kiva here.
So it seems crazy, right? But I think it will be fun! Here’s the summary for those of you who like to cut to the chase:
1 – Bring in Non-perishable Food
2 – Get a ball of sale bin yarn as a thank you. Keep it or donate it to our area homeless shelters. (Or bring in yarn, or donate out of destash service)
3 – Get a raffle ticket for one of many great prizes! (Or buy tickets for $2/ticket for Kiva)
Does it make sense? The event will run from now until September 1st…plenty of time to clean out the pantry and your stash!
