Hours
Open 7 days a week
Monday 11-5
Tuesday 11-5
Wednesday 11-5
Thursday 11-8
Friday 11-6
Saturday 11-5
Sunday 11-3
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Twitter
Find us on Twitter
Following us on twitter is the best way to get stock updates and find out about the latest in classes.
Simply click here to see our Twitter page.
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Lace Knitters
The Lace Knitters Club meets here the first Monday of each month from 6:30-8:00.
The September meeting has been rescheduled due to the holiday, so...
The next meeting is Monday Aug 31st.
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MMKG
Knitting Guild
The Mid-Michigan Knitting Guild meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month (Sept-May) at 7pm.
Directions Here.
In the summer and other Tuesdays they also meet to knit at various members homes.
Find the schedule here.
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Greetings!
Summertime and the livin' is easy...
It certainly got to be August in a hurry. I hope many of you were able to enjoy some of the hot, but still lovely weather we've had the last couple of weeks. I'm finding myself all over Mid-Michigan lately. The Great Lakes Folk Festival was wonderful (I still say this despite the torrential downpour I was caught in Sunday), Michigan Fiber Fest was fun as usual... I even saw newborn goats less than a day old, plus I even managed to make it to a day at Lake Michigan.
Now don't think that I'm just out there having fun... all these day trips give me tons of time for designing and knitting samples for the shop hop.
Nothing is quite so inspiring as a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset.
I hope you get a chance to soak up so of that precious Michigan sunshine while it's still around and maybe find some knitting time to boot~
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New Lace Club Project
Many of you are aware of the Lace Knitting Club that is now meeting here at Rae's Yarn Boutique. I just got some very exciting news from members of the club... they're starting a new group project!
Design Your Own Lace
We will start with very basic - structure of lace and how yarn overs and decreases work together to create this very special kind of knitted fabric. Then we will move on to discussion of different kinds of lace patterns and rules of designing at a comfortable pace. Please, bring needles, fine yarn, graph paper and pencil.
Note, the September meeting of the Lace Club had to be moved since it feel on Labor Day. So the next meeting is Aug 31st.
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New Arrivals
New Items for Fall
Join us on Twitter to find out about new arrivals within minutes of the being delivered.
Frabjous
Fiber Great stuff for weavers, knitters, spinners, and felters. Silk
yarns, ribbons and fluff. BFL dyed tops, felted notions bags.
Kromski Wheels and Looms Stands
for the Rigid Heddle Looms, 12" stick shuttles, and both 16" & 24"
looms. 2 beautiful Sonata spinning wheels
Books Debbie Bliss's Design It Knit It, Picture Perfect Knits, Teach Yourself Visually Hand-dying, Vintage Baby Knits
Shibui Lots of Sock Yarn, plus alpaca & mohair, shawl kits, and really cool patterns!
Extravayarnza Sock yarn, washable merino worsted weight, plus rovings all dyed naturally with Indigo.
Cast-on Magazine August-October 2009 issue
Rae's Yarn Boutique Needle Gauges with the shops Logo and info on them. Really nice looking. These are the size of a large index card and in addition to both Standard and Metric rulers they measure 24 different needle sizes from 000 - 35. They turned out really well!
KA Needles Bamboo Interchangeable Circular Needles! Plus extra cords and tips!
Knitting
At KNoon patterns are here! Lots of Wee-One Welcome Set (the sample by
the front door), alien toys and 3 men's sweater patterns.
Zauberball Crazy New sock yarn in assorted crazy colors. Looks like fun!
Aslan Trends Great
new Sock Yarn! Santa Fe, Kettle-dyed colors. 85% Merino
15% Nylon & a hair thicker than most sock yarns for durability!
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Knitting Events
Knitting Guild, Shop Hop and more....
Tomorrow (Aug 18th) Rae's Yarn Boutique is hosting the Mid-Michigan
Knitting Guild. Come into the shop between 6-9pm to knit with really
terrific local knitters. We'll have some snack type foods, but feel
free to bring a dish to share.
Shop Hop Passports Are Here!
Passports are $20 and include a really nice knitting bag to be picked up during the shop hop stuffed with cool stuff. Plus during the shop hop make it to all the shops to earn 4 patterns designed by our local shops and 2 patterns designed just for the shop hop by Knitting at Knoon and Gardiner Yarn Works!
Passports went on sale last wednesday and by current counts are already almost sold out. We still have them available, but come in or call soon to reserve yours!
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Fall Weaving Classes
Beginning to Advanced Rigid Heddle Weaving
Weaving classes have been filling up quick. Why? Weaving is fun! Plus
it's a great way to make a dent in your stash and get those Holiday
gifts done quickly.
Think you might be interested? Rae makes it
easy to try out weaving without a big commitment. Take Rae's Rigid
Heddle Weaving class. It meets 3 times and includes the rental of a
loom for you to use during your class (yes that means you get to bring
it home between classes). At the end of the class you can choose to
purchase a loom or not, no pressure.
We were shocked by the rush
of people signing up for our current weaving class that started last
weekend and have decided to announce the fall weaving class dates
early. So, what do you have to loose? give weaving a try.
Intro
to Rigid Heddle Weaving
Rae
$60
Sept 13, 27, and Oct 11 Sundays 12-2
OR
Oct 8, 22, and Nov 5 Thursdays 6-8
Only one spot left in the September Class!
The October class is also filling fast, be sure to come in soon to sign up!
Weaving
is taking the knitting world by storm. Why? Mainly it's due to Rigid Heddle
Looms. They're portable, can use the same yarn that's already in our stash,
they're a loom that's affordable, and
woven fabric has many different qualities than knitted fabric. Ready to give it
a try? We'll be weaving 2-3 scarves during this class. The class fee also
includes rental of one of the shop looms for the duration of the class, so you
can try this new hobby out before taking the plunge on a loom of your own.
Have
you already taken the intro class and are ready for more weaving fun?!
Try one of our new intermediate/advanced classes on the Rigid Heddle
Loom.
Weaving Patterns with Pick Up Sticks
Rae $30
Sept 24 and Oct 1 Thursdays 6-8
In the intro class you learned the ins and outs of plain weave, but
that's only the tip of the iceberg of weaving on your loom. Pick up
sticks are an easy way to give your weaving a whole new look. We'll
weave a sampler scarf exploring different patterns that can be added to
your weaving with the use of pick up sticks. We highly recommend
purchasing the book "Textures and Patterns on the Rigid Heddle Loom"
for use in the class. (book will be available in class)
Both of the following classes require a rigid-heddle loom with the
second set of heddle blocks and a second 10-dent heddle. Please let us
know at least 2 weeks before the class if you need us to order in extra
parts for your loom.
Weaving Twill on the Rigid Heddle Loom
Rae $40
Oct 24 Saturday 12-5
Think twills are just for the "real" weaving looms. Think again. Using
a bit of ingenuity, a couple of heddles, and a pick up stick, you too
can be weaving twills and many other 4-harness patterns on your rigid
heddle loom. Learn how to set up your loom for twills and weave a
sampler of several different patterns.
Double Weave on the Rigid Heddle Loom
Rae $40
Oct 25 Sunday 12-5
Double Weave opens up all sorts of new doors on the Rigid Heddle. You
can weave with finer yarns, you can weave tubes to make things like
bolster pillows, and you can even weave fabric up to twice the width of
your loom!
The cool thing is that the loom is warped the same way for all these
techniques, it's all in the way you lift the heddles and pass the
shuttle. We'll be weaving a sampler incorperating all these techniques
and learning how to warp our looms for double weave.
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Summer Class List
Full and Exciting Class Schedule this Summer!
The class schedule from May till August is now available to download from our website or by clicking here.
I am working this week on finishing up the Sept-Dec class schedule. Expect an email next week with all the new classes!
Knit One Below Scarf
Rae $15
Aug 23 Sunday 12:00-2:00
Knitting One Below is a variation on Brioche
Stitch. This scarf has really cool vertical stripes, but you only knit with one
color at a time. Let Rae show you this
cool technique.
Yarn
Dyeing
Rae
$40
Aug 23 Sunday
3:00-5:00
Learn
to create your own custom yarns! We'll cover some easy methods that you'll
easily be able recreate right in your own kitchen using professional color safe
dyes. Please remember to wear clothes you don't mind getting stained.
Chart Reading Workshop
Rae $30
Aug 25 &
Sept 1 Technique
Tuesday 6:00-8:00
Rae will be teaching a
practical class on reading knitting charts. We'll cover basic, texture, cable,
and lace stitches as well as chart skills and tools for keeping your place.
We'll also convert written out directions into charts.
Polymer Clay Play Day: Kaleidoscope Canes
Lynn $35
Aug 23 Sunday
1:30-5:30
Buttons? Beads? Keychains? Decorative lids for
glass jars? You tell Lynn
what you want to make and we will do it. Kaleidoscope canes are a beautiful
technique requiring no more equipment than a razor blade to cut, and an oven to
bake. But oh! What results!
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Remember we have lots of seating now and our open knitting group meets on Thursday nights (6-8). We also are getting a growing group meeting on Sunday from 12-3!
Sincerely,
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Rae Blackledge
Rae's Yarn Boutique
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