We have been busy. Very busy. We have been putting together beautiful new shelving for the yarn area. At the risk of embarrassing ourselves with such a direct comparison (but we're kind of used to embarrassing ourselves--hey, it's just our way of making you feel at ease), let us show you the unretouched photos from the same place in the store

BEFORE


... and AFTER
We are thrilled! And relieved. We feel as if our shop has finally grown up.

Come on in and see our new yarn shelving in person. Better yet, when you get there, take a look at all the new yarns on it! Our fall shipments have been coming in at full force, and we have many new, exciting yarns for you!

P. S. We've also been working on the newsletter. It is at the printer, so look for it in the mail soon!

Hey look! Some boxes just arrived! Let's see what's in them!

Now, their square shape does give us a clue--they are yarn, not fabric. (Fabric comes in long, skinny boxes.) Well, this makes sense. We need yarn. It is almost fall (the weekend is supposed to get cool), and that means that more knitters break out their needles.


We in turn have broken open the boxes, so read on for a little tour of what's inside.

First, here's what we've been waiting for for 2 years--a gorgeous mohair. We're very picky about mohair, and we didn't see any last year that knocked our socks off. (More about socks soon.) Mohair must be soft. Really, really soft. This year, we finally found one that's good enough: Joseph Galler, a small, family-owned company, has come through for us. More than one person has gasped when touching it for the first time:


Along with the mohair, we got some 100-percent alpaca from Galler in undyed colors. Is it possible that it's even softer than the mohair? You decide:


For those of you who like alternatives to wool, we have a wonderful cotton-silk from Misti Alpaca:


And a huge new range of colors of our favorite cotton yarn, Tahki Cotton Classic:


Or is it our favorite? Ack! We can't decide! See, we also got some incredible organic cotton in its 3 undyed colors, green, cream, and tan:


Onward to the feet. We have a lot of new sock yarns. This is a new cotton self-striping yarn from Skacel:


And a beautiful, soft version of Trekking. It has bamboo for extra absorption!

Need a shot of color under your jeans? Then go for the new Sockittome from Cherry Tree Hill. It's a merino with nylon--soft but strong! Each skein is different:


Oh sure, there's more new yarn (and lots more coming), but now it's your turn to come in and see it.

And finally, we're slowly getting new shelving to house all this yarn. We plan to pick up a little more every time we're at an Ikea. It shows off the textures and colors of yarn:


Don't tell the Kevins, but we love you, Billy!

We have so much going on that we can barely think straight. Kim has been home sewing samples like a fiend while Cynthia has been at the shop working on the new fall schedule and unpacking new stuff. We're excited about everything we're getting! Each year, the yarn and fabric industries just make everything better and better.

Let's start with fabric today; stay tuned and we'll show off the new yarns in a few days.

First, we're still loving the new Emperor II collection from Kona Bay fabrics. Each month we get new bolts. They are all incredible:



And turning to something completely different, how do you like these funky retro fabrics from Michael Miller? We admit we love them!


For quilters, it's Christmas time. We're ready for you with some new, elegant fabrics:


(That numbered one you see above is an Advent Calendar. Very fun! We'll have a class for making it in early November, so you'll be ready for Christmas.) Here are some of our blenders....


And some small-scale prints....


There are many more new fabrics, but you'll just have to come in to see them all! Sorry--we need to get back to scheduling and sewing now!