La Cumparsita and 50th Anniversary Well Wishes

Oh, Jeez! (said with a Minnesotan twang). It's been a while. In truth, I have written a couple of blog posts but am having issues with blogger - it won't post my update to the internet. So, fingers crossed, here we go.

I recently was obsessed with La Cumparsita, a shawl pattern by Marnie MacLean. The minute she released the pattern, I knew I had to knit it. The perfect opportunity arose when we learned that Adrienne's parents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.Gibby & Vicki, May 1959

This past weekend, Adrienne and I traveled to Indio, California (near Palm Springs) to celebrate with Adrienne's family - and she has a big one! Adrienne's Mom is 1 of 16, her Dad is is 1 of 8. Adrienne, herself, is 1 of 5 (the youngest, if you know her, I think this is obvious. She is very carefree and sweet natured. The baby!:)) Adrienne and her siblings rented out a banquet hall to throw a party. There were over 70 people, a full sit down dinner, and dancing.

Here is Adrienne with her mom, sporting her new shawl. I think the color looks great on her.

It was a very sweet night - in many respects very emotional. Adrienne's Mom and Dad were both born in the Coachella Valley (where Indio is located). Thus, there were many people in attendance who were schoolmates. The DJ at the anniversary party, named Joe, was actually the lead singer in the band that played at Adrienne's Mom and Dad's wedding in 1959. On Saturday night, he surprised everyone by singing "It's a Wonderful Life" by Louis Armstrong - just like he had in 1959. His voice was still beautiful.

Then, there were all those that weren't there - who have passed away. Out of Adrienne's Mom's 15 siblings, I think there are 5 of them still alive. Adrienne's parents didn't always have it easy, there were many ups and downs in those 50 years. Both of Adrienne's parents worked hard to feed their children, lived simply, camping as a vacation, and many times had many disagreements over points of view - that said they stuck it out. It was completely awesome to see them, after all of these years, together. Sometimes, over the course of the night, looking over at them, I could see the distance traveled in their eyes. It was great to spend that time with Adrienne and her family, creating a space to honor and remember all that they have done throughout the years, and to honor their commitment to one another.

Here, I will leave with you a few more shots of La Cumparsita.

Blocking

Off the blocking wires, released into the world.

I highly recommend knitting this pattern. It is very well written. The yarn I used is A Verb for Keeping Warm Wishing in Burnt Ember. I knit this on a size 4 needle.

I hope everyone is well!

Goodness! 11% off Sale

Sorry for the absence. Where do I begin...? I have been working a lot. My mom came to visit for 3 weeks. She was only planning on 10 days - but given the amount of work that was in front, luckily for me, she decided to stay. I still was not caught up from Stitches. And, I was on the verge of some serious burnout. Having my mom here really lifted my spirits. She worked a lot in the store. She did a lot of dishes (sad!). We re-decorated my bathroom. I had the serious bathroom blahs. But now, we have blues and greens, whheeee!

With my mom holding down the fort, I had a chance to create some new colors - and dye a lot of stock. ** For more details, regaring specific fibers, colors, and links, please see my Ravelry group.
One of my favorite new colors is Glenda - a semi-solid purple with flashes of brown.

Probably the biggest change around here - is the decision to take Adrienne on as a full-time employee. You can imagine the discussions I'm sure. Mixing home life with work life. Church and state. Then, there's the fact that I've been under so much stress, that trying to make a decision about anything can seem...labored. Then, there's always the financial question of - can I afford Adrienne? We got through it though. I am getting more and more comfortable with taking the risks necessary to grow Verb. Running a business can be so interesting. It is so much more than just creating a product, selling it, going to the back to cash the check. I continually find that having my business is just a platform for learning about life, about my strengths and weaknesses, conflict, mediation, it's quite humbling really.

I think with Adrienne on board - that I will be able to dye more product, take more members into the fiber club, get FiberShock up and running, and teach more. I am so greateful to all of you, and for your continuous support, that we have been able to grow Verb, and bring Adrienne on board.

As a token of my gratitude for all of the support everyone out there has given me / us - and as a celebratory measure for Adrienne's arrival. I am offering a 11% discount throughout tomorrow, Saturday, May 2nd. If you are in town, stop by the studio, we will have treats and beverages. Plus, everyone who purchases something, online or in store, is automatically entered into a drawing to receive a free, surprise Verb gift. Please enter ELEVEN as the coupon code when checking out.

I hope everyone is well!

Date Change: Keep the Fleece

New Date:

Keep the Fleece: Sheep to Scarf 2009

Saturday, May 16th
10-6pm

Soon, I will start posting updates to our Ravelry group about co-ordinating the event.

I hope you all are well! And creating!

Keep the Fleece: Sheep to Scarf Fundraiser 2009

Whoohoo! Back for the 2nd time this week.

I finally feel like I am becoming human again - between the insanity of opening the store and the onslaught of Stitches, things felt a bit too chaotic for my liking. When I am in the middle of the insanity, I know that one day things will calm down again, that I will even miss the chaos a bit, but I still have a hard time staying balanced in those moments of extreme stress. So, now, I am happy. Happy that Stitches is over, happy that I am back to blogging, I really missed it. Happy that soon, I will be uploading new colors and products to the website. We have a lot of stuff in the store that has not made it to the website. And, happy to simply hang out with my dog and knit. Now, if I had my druthers, in a month or so, when the weather warms a bit, I would love to rent a house on the coast, knit, spin, cook, and hike. Ah - sounds so dreamy. Could I pull it off? Maybe. We'll see.

So I am going to make an announcement - you are gonna love this - we are mere sentences away from an entire diatribe of how I am going to rest a bit more - ease into things - but I LOVE creating - so what to do! What I am about to announce is the essence of life - it's what makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning, so here it is...

Keep the Fleece: Sheep to Scarf 2009

As some of you may be aware, The United Nations has declared 2009 as the The International Year of Natural Fibres. Now, for most of us, I would say that every year is the year of natural fibers - but think this is a great opportunity to get together, represent, and raise some money supporting the production and use of natural fibers.

So, while I was at Stitches West, I had the opportunity to meet Linda Cortwright, editor and founder of Wild Fibers magazine. In honor of this year, she has created an organization called Keep the Fleece.

The goal is to raise $250,000 for Heifer International. Heifer International will then use this money to buy fiber producing animals for people in need - so that they will have a form of income.

At Keep the Fleece, they are challenging us to get together and to create a scarf 9” wide. For every row knit, they are asking for $1 per row donation. That means that a scarf 9x60” long would equate roughly to a $600 donation. Once the scarf is complete, we send it to Keep the Fleece and it will become part of a traveling exhibition - the first stop will be Rhinebeck. There is also talk of it going to the White House and beyond to provide a visual representation of those that support natural fibers - and those of us which participate in crafts which use such.

I love a good challenge. And this being Verb’s year of service, I thought it would be fun to participate. I am still working out the details but know this much -

I propose we do a sheep to scarf event on Saturday, April 25th from 10am to 6pm. This event will take place at the Verb store in Berkeley. Now, the folks over at Keep the Fleece only ask us to knit a scarf - but all of us at Verb - employees and customers alike - seem to come from an over achieving background - so I thought that it would be fun to incorporate spinning. My idea is that we would have a team of spinners and a team of knitters - that we could spend the day spinning and knitting - finish the scarf(ves) and hang them in the Verb store for a month or so before sending them off to Keep the Fleece.

So, here’s the next challenge, I am wondering if we could do more than 1 scarf. I would love to do 2 maybe even 3 scarves.

Scarf 1: handspun, handknit wool & exotics
Scarf 2: handspun, handknit fiber from local farms
Scarf 3: handspun, handknit cellulose - crazy, I know, but how cool would it be!!

Potentially this could mean that we would need 60-80+ people to show up, donate, and work.

Here is my request, if you would like to participate, and I hope you do - I am asking each participant to reserve there space in this event by registering on the Verb website. The cost to participate starts at $30. There is a sliding scale, if you would like to donate more, please go ahead and do so. This amount covers your registration, your fiber, and your donation as well as yummy snacks and drinks on the day of the event. Participating will also give you a chance to meet new friends who share your love for fiber. Also, if this amount of money seems to large for you, how about getting pledges from your friends and family?

Also, if you would like to participate in the design of the scarves, please let me know. I think that before the event, it would be fun for a group of us to come together and get the designs down on paper before the event takes place. Perhaps the designers could act as team captains.

I've also received some questions about folks who can't make it the day of the event but would like to donate money to the event. That's great and we'll happily accept your pledges. Dependent upon the amount of money we receive from these donors, we may be able to sponsor folks who would like to participate in the event but can't afford to and/or use the money to cover those that are donating $30 v. $40.

For the record, I believe in full disclosure. Regarding the cost of materials (fiber), for this event I am contributing spinning fiber at cost, therefore, a small portion of the donation will be going to the fiber materials. That said, already a few generous folks have offered to contribute money to cover materials, therefore, we can pay forward some donations 100% instead of 95%. Regarding disbursement of fiber, my plan is to estimate the amount of fiber necessary to spin and knit a 9x60 scarf, I will then divide that amount of fiber amongst the team. If we have left over fiber at the end of the day, it's yours.

We intend to document the lead up to this event, as well as the day of the event, including everyone who contributes to the event - those present as well as those who donate.

Here are some fibery photos to entice you.



I am really excited about this (I think Marcel is too, but he is such a diva, he has to play it cool)- I think this could be a ton of fun. I hope you are excited too!

Get Stitchy With it! Stitches West 2009

There is a part of my brain that is exhausted - and all it can say is "Thank God it's over" and then there's the other part of my brain. The part that gets me into all sorts of trouble - and that part can't wait to do it again. Who will win?

Beyond all of the arguments, Stitches West was once again an amazing experience. Don't get me wrong, love all of the yarn. But love the people I meet more. In my world, Suze Orman says "People first, then yarn, then things."

Here are a few photos of the days leading up to the event.

A moment of labeling mania.This is our new 100% BFL yarn, DK weight. It's funny how my brain understands making yarn. We get very excited when the yarn comes out of the dyepot and figure that it is now finished. Wrong! So very wrong! Only halfway to being done. There is washing, drying, re-skeining, labeling, pricing, and then inventory. I am learning, the hard way, that yarn coming out of the dyepot 3 days before a show needs more than 3 days to accomplish the above list of tasks.

Designing the booth layout with my architect friend Tiffany. So, then the yarn and the fiber are labeled but it doesn't end here in show land. Now, it's time to design display units, choose materials, build them, and decide how they will live in a 10x10 space. Seriously, Adrienne and I almost got divorced over these units. Truly. Verb almost went up for sale. First $10 takes all. In the end, the units were built, stained, and held yarn, all in a few day's work. Tiffany's way of seeing space is amazing. She worked it. The weather co-operated and we had sunny skies long enough to set things up and take them down.

Adrienne and I met Michael at the studio Thursday morning, loaded our van and his car, and embarked on our adventure to Stitches. Honestly, I was so exhausted that I was finding it difficult to be nervous. It's about a 30 minute drive down to Santa Clara from Berkeley. As we were getting on 237 from 880, we heard a sound, a thumpy bumpy sound, the car slowing, Adrienne pulled it over to the side of the road. Our tire was flat. I burst out laughing! What else to do? Michael came to the rescue. He has AAA. Thank god! They came within 3 minutes, changed our tire, and we were on our way.

This is what we created when we arrived to Stitches.

Open for business! Through the doors of Stitches, all sorts of insanely awesome, creative, sweet people grace the halls of Stitches. Some highlights - but not limited to - include:

CAT Bordhi! So fun, and super sweet. Loves Thai Iced Tea. Photo courtesy of Michael Wade.

I also had the chance to chat a bit with Rosemary of Designs by Romi. She is my friend on Twitter so it was great to see her in real life. Love her, love her work, almost finished with Waves of Grain. Met the peeps at Blue Moon, they are PUMPED about Sock Summit. Very cute.

Towards the end of Saturday, I got this sudden urge to purchase yarn. Crazy, right? My criteria: yarn that I had absolutely nothing to do with creating, worsted to bulky, instant gratification, it could even be a bit trashy if necessary. I cruised the market, poking my head into many a booth looking for my new love. And there it was: Toots Le Blanc bulky Jacob/Alpaca in this beautiful creamy color with just a hint of warm pink. I had been to the Asciano booth earlier looking at spindles and headed back that way - although, not to purchase a spindle - with the intent to buy a gorgeous pair of hand turned, rosewood needles. Both purchases so simple yet so luscious. It was exactly the treat I was looking for. Satisfied, I returned to the Hilton, sat on an overstuffed couch in the lobby, knit, and drank a vodka with soda.

Later that night, we made our way to a cocktail party atBobbin's Nest in Santa Clara. It was my first time to the store. It's adorable. I highly recommend a visit and everyone there was so nice. Bobbin's Nest was the first store I've been to in the South Bay. I feel a shop hop coming...

Well, if you were at Stitches, I hope that you had a great time. Everyone else, I hope you are well. Spring is coming and I am so excited. Walks with my dog very high on the list of wonderful things to do.

Happenings: Fiber Club, Y-Knit, & Stitches

Goodness! whoooosh - another second gone.

real quick - a list of announcements -

announcement #1
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I am very excited to announce that I am opening up 10 more spots for the Spring installment of our fiber club shipment. This is 10 spots total for both Woolly and Ultra (not 10 spots each).

Sign-ups for this installment will begin Friday, February 20th at 9am PST - and will run until February 29th – unless they fill up before then. (Tip* last time we offered sign-ups, they sold out within 20 minutes. I am not sure that they will fill up quite as fast this time, but would like to advise, if you are thinking of signing up, jump on it.) On February 20th, I will add a paypal button to our website which will allow you to sign up for either club.

If you are planning to cancel your subscription to our fiber club (I hope you won’t), please do so between now and the 20th of the February. That way, I will know if I can add more new members.

Wow! Its been 6 months since we started the fiber club. I want to extend great gratitude to everyone who has been in our club. I am truly gracious for your support, creativity, and inspiration.

To anyone new to our club, here’s the low-down:

We have 2 fiber clubs: Woolly Wonders and Ultra.

Woolly Wonders consists of 3-4oz of various wools per month. The cost is $24 per month.

Ultra offers 2-3 oz of exotics and luxury fibers per month. The cost is $30 per month.

Both clubs require a 3 month commitment.
Fall – September - November
Winter – December - February
Spring – March - May
Summer – June - August

We offer 2 types of payment: pay up front for your 3 month increment and receive 5% off. Or, pay per month. If you sign-up for a continuous year of subscriptions – you will receive 1 month free.

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Announcement #2

Also, I was given the fantastic opportunity to sit with the Y-Knit guys, HizKNITS and WonderMike to record the most recent episode of Y-Knit. We have a great contest going. Click here to listen and play.

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Announcement #3

Next week is Stitches West. We will be in booth #837. Please top by and say hello. Also, we have tons of brand new fiber and yarn as well as a great new tote. This tote, which has a spinning wheel and the verb logo on it, will be given complimentary to those who spend $80. AND, there will be a 10% off coupon for your next purchase inside of the bag :)

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ok, knitties! that's it for now. I am sorry for all of the business speak. Soon, stories, vignettes of insanity, and FO's coming your way.

Wish

Do you ever wish that you could sit and blog - but you just have too much sh*t to do? That's me - today - last week - and the week before. Grrrrrrr. I am getting ferocious. Watch out. I swear to you, lil blog, I will be back very, very soon. Maybe even today. With photos and stories. Of a new sock pattern that is just too cool. Of Stitches preparations. Of current WIP. And of life - or the lack of one - due to Stitches preparations.

Soon!