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HERITAGE CLUB
Are you a member? Ask about joining the next time you are in the shop. Or click the logo for more information. |
| Standing Events |
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These are ongoing shop happenings. An "*" by the event indicates that there is a fee.
These are social knitting times - no charge, but no help is provided.
Tues. evening 7 to 9
Wed. morning 10 to 12
Sun. afternoons 2 to 4
Master Knitter Support Group
2nd and 4th Sunday from 2 to 4.
*Open Weaving
Every Monday from 6 to 9. Resumes after Labor Day.
*Drop In Knitting
Tuesday from 11 to 1
Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30 pm (except between June 10 and Labor Day)
Thursday from 1 to 3
Friday from 10 to Noon
*Knit with Suzanne
Thursday evening, 7 to 9
Girl's Night
First Friday from 7 to 10 (except July and February)
Spinning Group
First Saturday from 10 to 12 (except July and February)
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| Greetings!
At the shop we can always tell when fall is coming. Not because of shortening days or cooler nights, but because we see our delivery guys more often! Certainly because new yarns are coming in (more on that below), but also because our generous vendors are sending prizes for our Fiber Art Show next month. I have a HUGE pile of yarn, patterns and other goodies just waiting to be won by you! Everyone is eligible to win. Check out the page on our website that has a link to an art show flier and the art show registration form. Stop in and check out the display of prizes. Remember, 100% of the money raised goes to support cancer research at the U-M. Please join in the fun!
Girls Nite and Spinning Group
Just a reminder that these two events will happen, even though it is Labor Day weekend. We know that everyone doesn't head "up north" and those that stay behind still could use an infusion of good conversation and knitting/spinning.
Girls Nite: Friday, 9/4 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Spinning Group: Saturday, 9/5 from 10 to noon (or until everyone goes home) |
| What's New |
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Two new versions of old sock yarn favorites.
Fortissima with Bamboo. The pattern and fiber composition is new to our shelves. This yarn is a blend of 50% wool, 25% rayon from bamboo and 15% nylon. It is tough enough for socks and soft enough for baby! In shubtle shades, it is a good choice for dressier women's socks and for men.
Opal Rainforest 5 is the latest release in a colorful collection. The 5th rainforest collection features endangered creatures in exquisitely interpreted stripings. Opal donates proceeds from the sale of this yarn to foundations that save habitat from development and clear-cutting.
Plus . . .
Budget priced Alpaca. We have added Berroco's very popular Ultra Alpaca in the DK weight to our offerings. It is a blend of Peruvian alpaca and highland wool and is a very round yarn that works equally well for cables as it does for flat knitting and felting. The wool give the alpaca memory and the alpaca enhances the warmth of the wool. A 50/50 blend, it is priced at just $9.50 for 215 yards - a real value for a high quality yarn.
And in case you missed it last newsletter . . .
Our fall shipment of Jamieson Spindrift is in and we now have all of the colors of Spindrift available - nearly 200 different colors . . . and they just added more than 30 colors to the line. This is very exciting news for us Fair Isle knitters. My fingers are itching!!! In case you are wondering what to knit, you can check out the new looseleaf patterns that arrived with the yarn. |
| Galina is coming |
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 Mark your calendars now for a special evening reception/sit and knit with Galine on Friday night, September 18 from 7 to 9. Come enjoy homemade goodies, shopping from Galina's collection of Orenburg shawls/lace yarns/Russian imports. She'll also be autographing her books, so if you have them at home and you'd like them personalized, please bring them in! Also, bring your knitting or your wheel, and enjoy an evening of good company.
On Saturday and Sunday (9/19 and 9/20) Galina will be teaching a lace class called Triangular Trilogy. Details on it are on the website classes page. This is your chance to take a class from her without going to Stitches. |
| Fibering with Intention |
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From Websters: Intention means, "a determination to act in a certain way."
Judith MacKenzie McCuin just wrote a book called the Intentional Spinner. One of the reminders in her book is that you cannot judge the quality of a yarn (handspun or not) until you know what it will be used for. Ideally, a sock yarn is constructed differently than a yarn for lace knitting, for example. So, either you spin/create a yarn from the get-go with intention, or you make a yarn the might work for something some day. Making a yarn for a project helps the spinner keep an eye on the carrot and have a greater sense of accomplishment Much better for most of us that just filling the bobbin!
Let's apply intention to knitting. Here's one way. Are you a "tight" or "loose" knitter? Have you always just accepted that? If you knit with intention, you won't. You'll look at how your hands work the needles, tension the yarn and create the stitches so that you get the best fabric you can possibly create. Even if you've been knitting for a lifetime, you can still improve. Change is hard, but short-term "change pain" will save you time and body stress over the years while giving you finished products you can really be proud of. This is something we examine in detail in Knitting Boot Camp - how to tension yarn and use the needles properly so that you can knit on gauge almost every time.
In weaving, one way to work with intention is to understanding how the yarn moves can greatly increase your weaving knowledge database. It will free you from patterns - or at least allow you to use a pattern as a launching point. "How do I learn more about yarn in weaving?" you ask. Sample. Then sample some more. Add extra "learning length" to your warp. Weave a sample - at lest 12" usually - and wash it. What happens? Do you need to resley the reed, beat differently, wash it more, wash it less? Examine it critically. NO, really critically. Don't allow yourself to be swayed by color or what you want to see. How does the fabric feel? How does it look? Is the bias behaving properly? Take notes and save your swatches. If you need to weave one or two more samples . . . then DO IT! They are a good start to increase your knowledge and weaving with intention.
One last thought, as long as I am on my soap box: how can you apply the concept of intention to your life to make it better?
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| Heritage Gallery |
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This week's gallery piece was produced by Cherie as a result of a class I taught at Michigan Fiber Festival last week. She says she fears that Fair Isle knitting may be contagious! The yarn used is Jamieson's Spindrift. The pattern is our My First Fair Isle Hat pattern, now available in the shop.
As always, click on the images for a closer view. |
| Classes |
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Click on the class calendar on the class page on our website and see what is starting and what is already underway or ongoing.
NEXT WEEK: Backstrap Weaving for Kids, Tuesday, August 25 from 10 to 11:30
Many of you have asked for a weaving for kids class. This class will introduce children ages 5 to 9 to weaving and even provide a loom they can take home with them! We'll be making a colorful plain weave band on a backstrap loom. Everything needed is provided in the class fee. Parents will be asked to wait in an adjoining room and at the end of the class the children will show off what they've learned. $20.
Upcoming classes
No other new classes are starting in August, so here's the list for September. Remember, complete details can be found on our website:
 Knitting Boot Camp (accelerated - meets roughly every two weeks): starts 9/17 Projects for the Rigid Heddle: 9/19
Baby Albert (Einstein) Sweater Class: Starts 9/20
Back to School Fitted Vest: starts 9/25
Understanding Yarns and Fibers: 9/25
Focus on Lace: starts 9/26
Sam the Ram: starts 9/27
Dolls, Design and Doodling: Starts 9/27
Focus on Fit: Starts 9/29
Our Next Learn to . . . classes:
Learn to Crochet: starts 10/7
Learn to Knit: starts 9/14
Learn to Tat: starts 9/24
Learn to Spin: starts 9/19
Learn to Weave on the Rigid Heddle: 10/17
Learn to Weave: Open Weaving on Monday evenings OR Learn to Weave in a week: January
Learn to Tapestry Weave: starts 10/4
Learn to Tablet Weave: starts 2/14/10
Details on all of these classes on our website. | |
Reminder: There is no Wednesday evening Drop In Knitting and we close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday's through Labor Day. Wednesday evening Drop In Knitting will resume on September 9 - Jae will be your "tour guide." We will also remain open until 7 p.m. starting on 9/9.
Digital Stuff
I am calling UNCLE! I can't do it all. Imagine that! So, I am discontinuing our blog and Twitter's. The newsletter is a huge undertaking in itself and I think you really get enough information here about shop happenings, new arrivals and fiber tips and thoughts. Something tells me, that you'll all understand - and, for that I am thankful!
Distance Learning
 It has been a busy summer. Each year I schedule some time away from the shop for my continuing weaving education. I just returned from a class in plain weave given by Jane Stafford on British Columbia's Salt Spring Island. Jane is the woman for whom the new Louet is named (if you'd like to see it, we have one on display). I cannot tell you how much taking this "seemingly simple" class has already impacted my weaving life. Jane is an incredibly skilled teacher and talented weaver. Perhaps, more importantly, so much of what she said really resonated with me: about perspective, intention (see above), and KISS (keep it short and simple). Jane is also a real cheerleader for Louet looms, so I learned a lot more about them. All I can say is WOW! Watch for some of what I've learned to spill over to my rigid heddle and other classes. Here's a photo of me weaving a pair of tablerunners in a plain weave structure with a supplemental warp and weft based on one of our class samples. If you'd like to see the table runner in person, stop in - it's really quite beautiful.
Happy Fibering!
Joan Sheridan
Heritage Spinning & Weaving
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