The Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl Starts Today in Central Florida
The Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl is nine shop crawl through Central Florida starting today and running through April 5. Participants can acquire a passport at participating shops. The idea is to the passport stamped at each shop along the self guided tour. Folks who get stamps from all nine store become eligible to win the grand prize basket of fiber supplies. In addition to prize drawings, each shop will offer a free pattern. In addition, custom dyed yarn by HPKY Yarn has been produced in citrus colors for the event. Approximately 20 skeins will be available at each store, so the supply is limited.
Last year the crawl drew about 300 participates with 100 making it to every shop! This year the organizers are expecting an even larger turn out. Crawl hours are 10am-5pm Sunday- Friday and 10am-8pm Saturday. Click here for a map of participating shops. For more information see the Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl Web Site.
Yarn For Ewe Yarn Shop Moves to Randolph, NY
Yarn For Ewe recently moved from Kennedy, NY to Randolph. Former stay-at-home Mom and knitting enthusiast, Dianne Valvo opened her original shop four years ago. Diane soon learned from her customers that there was a real need for a yarn shop in Randolph in Cattaraugus County, the southwestern most county in New York state. When the opportunity presented itself, Dianne decided to relocate her shop and welcome her daughter, Mary Valvo Heyl, into the business.
Yarn For Ewe offers a broad selection of yarn, needles, notions, buttons, threads, and pattern books. Yarns run the gamut from wool and alpaca blends, to cotton blends, novelty yarns and specialty hand-painted yarns. The shop is in the process of building a class list. A nice added feature will be a cafe in the yarn shop, serving coffee, tea, hot chocolate, chai and delicious baked goods, including goodies from the Polish bakery next door. For more info, see the Yarn For Ewe website.
We wish Diane and Mary the best of luck in their new location!!
Shepherd’s Wool Yarn Chosen for the Official Olympic Sweater
Four months ago I discovered a yarn so soft and luscious my fiber sensitive skin could not discern it was as wool. A few days ago I learned my new favorite sweater yarn is being used for the official Olympic sweater and hat.
Stonehedge Fiber mill owner Deb McDermott said she was shocked when a representive from Ralph Lauren in New York called her,and told her that her Michigan mill’s Shepherd’s Wool yarn had been chosen for the 2014 Winter Olympics signature sweater. A few months and three thousand pounds of wool later, the sweaters are ready for show time. Here’s a sneak preview:
A New Yarn Shop Opens in Washington State- Kandi’s Yarn Closet
Crochet enthusiast Kandi Peterson opened Kandi’s Yarn Closet in Moses Lake, Washington just before the holidays. Her shop aims to carry everything knit and crochet, as well as some beading supplies. Classes are reasonably priced at $10 and so far include Basic Knitting and Basic Crochet. See Kandi’s Yarn Closet Facebook page for more information. We love to see new LYSs opening here at YarnPlaces.com- we wish Kandi’s Yarn Closet the best of luck!!
Are You Ready for Arm Knitting?
Have you heard of arm knitting? Apparently, it’s trending big with millennials. Runways this fall were chock full of chunky knits, and nothing creates a chunkier knit than arm knitting. So if you are ready to chuck your size 17 needles and use your arms instead, Blogger Amanda Bassetti (SimplyMaggie.com) shows you how to do it:
Note that this little video has had over half a million views!
A New Yarn Shop for the Deerfield Valley in Vermont!
Cynthia Cohen took up knitting in 2003 after moving to New England from sunny Florida. Winter, was just “a different beast”, she explains. Since then, Cynthia has progressed from knitting to spinning to dyeing to dreaming of opening her own yarn store. That dream became a reality recently when the Ugly Duckling Yarn opened it’s doors in West Dover, Vermont. Cohen aims to provide the Deerfield Valley with quality yarns, a place for fiber enthusiasts to congregate, and individualized lessons for beginning knitters. In addition, she plans to bring local handicrafts to market.
Cynthia welcomes you to stop by her shop at 114 Route 100 in West Dover to peruse her yarns and enjoy a coffee in her yarn lounge. Hours of operation are:
- Mon: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Wed: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Fri – Sat: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Sun: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
We wish Cynthia the best of luck in her new venture!
Alpaca Fans- SAFONA 6th Annual Fiber Arts Festival this weekend in New Holland, Pa.
There are not a lot of fiber festivals this time of year, but SAFONA, a group of small farm alpaca owners in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia, is hosting their 6th Annual Fiber Arts Festival this weekend in New Holland, Pa. More than twenty vendors will be selling everything from raw fleece to roving, yarn, and hand-crafted gifts- so whether you are a fiber artist or just doing a little holiday shopping, there should be something for you! The event is being held at Garden Spot Fire & Rescue Co., 339 E. Main Street, New Holland, PA., Saturday, Nov 23, 9 AM – 5 PM and Sunday, Nov 24, 9 AM – 4 PM. Admission is free. Breakfast and lunch will be served through out the day.
Verdant Gryphon Yarn Studio Open House is Saturday in Easton, MD
Verdant Gryphon Yarn Studio is hosting its annual Open House on November 2nd from 10 am to 4 pm. It is the public’s chance to see the studio in full operation. On the agenda are custom dyeing, knitting, food, and music. Baby alpacas, and “the real live soap guy” will make appearances. In addition, there will also be a fashion show, a knitting relay race for charity, and a raffle. The Verdant Gryphon asks that folks RSVP to either their Ravelry event page or Facebook event page.
Continue reading “Verdant Gryphon Yarn Studio Open House is Saturday in Easton, MD” »
The Fiber Festival of New England, Nov 2-3
The Fiber Festival of New England is a fiber festival replete with a fleece show, fiber workshops, fiber demos, a Fiber Festival Fashion Show, a Make it With Wool Competition, and a fiber marketplace of over 150 vendors.
Workshops include:
- Lacy Felted Scarf
- Needle Felted Landscapes
- Crazy Mixed-Up Slip Stitches
- Hairpin Lace Scarf in a Day
- Felted Jewelry Shapes & Design
See The Fiber Festival of New England Website to register for a workshop or for additional information.
The Fiber Festival of New England is this weekend, November 2-3, 2013 at the Mallary Complex at Eastern States Exposition, 1305 Memorial Ave, East Springfield, MA. See the
Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, Oct 25-27
The Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair is a huge North Carolina fiber festival with just about everything to offer. The fair will host livestock, including sheep, llamas, alpacas, rabbits and angora goats; there will be fleece,alpaca and mohair shows and sales, a 150+ vendor fiber marketplace and more demos and workshops than you can imagine. Continue reading “Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, Oct 25-27” »
