One of the joys of living back in Michigan is the ability to get together with my sisters and good friends and can.  Several weekends ago, we met in Holland and made cherry jam, cherry pie filling, cherry salsa, pickled onions, and sweet pickle relish.  Many of the ingredients were purchased at the Holland Farmers Market and that allowed us to walk along and pick our produce.  Along with the joys of producing good food with great company, it brought back memories of my childhood.  Thanks to mass merchandising, we are able o walk into a store and buy food, but by doing that, we forget what it means to produce quality food.  

The same applies to working with fiber.  We can always walk into a department store and buy a sweater, but if we make the garment itself, we are able to have a better appreciation of the process, along with.quality.

All of us at the Thistledown Shoppe work hard to make your fiber experience worthwhile.  As we move into the cooler weather, let us help you decide what you want to create.

Knit on,
Kathy and Clan

 

Some of you have asked if we have openings for commuters.  So, if you would like to attend the retreat, but want to stay somewhere else, we are offering the class, along with all of the meals, for $175.  We also still have openings for folks who would prefer to experience the whole retreat.  I stopped by the other day and am excited to see that we will  have access to a paddle boat, kayaks, and row boat during our off hours.  In addition, there are some lovely walking trails.

Go here for the brochure and registration form.  If you are only signing up for the commuter fee, please specify on the registration form.  Since we are now past the due date, please pay the full amount.

 

What's New?

Tokyo - 170 yards of worsted weight yarn, 100% polyamid.  Take a simple stitch and watch it turn into an elegant item.

 
 
Come into the shoppe and try on our samples of the duster and vest.



Chalet - a bulky weight yarn with natural, undyed colors of alpaca and bamboo.  Use large needles and wear a cloud. 


Both Ruth and I are knitting the wrap and when I finish that I am thinking of doing the Gap-tastic in three different colors.

 

Free Patterns

Fluff! - Use a silk and mohair blend to knit this warm scarf.  Quick and easy.  We have the yarn by ShiBui, Cascade, and Schulana.

GAP-tastic Cowl - join the many others who have made this cosy cowl on US 13 needles.  We have a sample knit in Super Traveller and I am working on a sample with three different colors of Chalet.

German Pot Holders - I am learning how to crochet and this pattern is on my list to try.

And since my daughter is a teacher, this dishcloth would make a cute figt for her.   Green Apple.

 

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