Trunk show: eco-dyed accessories

Looking forward to our 4th annual Stash Sale? Planning on coming to the Preview Party and celebrating Carrie's birthday with us on Friday night? Well, here's yet another reason to visit us this weekend...

If you've seen our hand-dyed yarns with the Decatur Dye Studio label, you're already familiar with Michele Ritan's work. Michele is now experimenting with eco dyeing on fabric, and we're happy to be hosting a trunk show of her new work, starting this Friday, August 8.

Tank top eco dyed by Michele Ritan

What is eco dyeing? Michele explains it as...

"...a technique of adding color, pattern, and texture to cloth using only local plant materials. No external paints, inks or dyes are used–simply the natural compounds within the plants. Eco-printing techniques emphasize bioregionalism and the use of sustainable, organic, and non-toxic materials. Results are unique and vary with the seasons that influence the growth and colors of the plants used. "

The trunk show will feature scarves, tops, and more. These items will be for sale, but Michele is also very interested in hearing your feedback about this new work, so anyone who fills out a short feedback form will receive $5 off their eco dyed purchase.

Please do stop by and see these unique accessories and garments. They're even more beautiful in person!

More foster babies

In the past few weeks, the most frequently asked question we’ve heard at the shop has been, “No kittens??” as customers glance disappointedly at the empty cage. Well, don’t worry, feline fans—after a brief summer break, we’re back in the fostering game!

So, let’s introduce you to our latest lodgers. This litter of three girls and one boy are about seven or eight weeks old.  Dekalb County Animal Services named them, so we’ll just refer to them by the names they came with.

This is Womack (girl) on the left and McClain (boy) on the right. They were both shy at first, but are getting used to people and are super sweet. Womack, in particular, is becoming a real snuggler. She's mostly black except for a couple of little white areas on her neck and belly. McClain is solid black. (By the way, did you know that black cats are less likely to get adopted than other cats? Help these little ones beat the odds!)

You can’t necessarily tell from this casual pose, but Regina is the most outgoing of the group. She’s pretty fearless when it comes to climbing, being first to the food bowl, and interacting with humans. And what a cutie she is, with her classic tabby markings.

And here we have Texas. This little girl is so easy-going! She likes to be held, and will even let you lay her down on her back while you pet the cute white star on her belly. But she also knows how to be independent and entertain herself with toys.

These sweetie pies aren’t quite big enough to go to their forever homes yet, but if you’re interested in adopting one (or more) of them, you can apply to pre-adopt. And here's more good news: during DCAS's Tail End of Summer event, throughout August, cat and kitten adoptions are just $10! This includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, and microchip. What a perfect time to add a special someone (or someones) to your family.

Shop Hop 2014

Get ready, yarn lovers-- the 8th annual Atlanta Area Yarn Shop Hop will take place September 13 - 21! This year's participating shops are Cast On Cottage, Needle Nook, Only Ewe & Cotton Too, Strings & Strands, The Whole Nine Yarns, Yarn Garden, and of course, Sheepish.

 

For those who are new to this event, or just need a refresher, here's how it works: Shop Hop passports will go on sale next Thursday, August 7. Purchase a passport for just $1. Then, during the Shop Hop, make a $10 purchase at each shop to get a stamp on your passport. If you collect stamps from all seven participating shops, you'll be eligible for the Grand Prize--a $100 gift certificate from each shop. That's right--$700 to spend on yarn, gadgets, or whatever your fiber-loving heart desires! Even if you don't get all seven stamps, you'll be entered to win smaller (but still awesome) prizes donated by the shops.

 

There are a couple of new twists to this year's Shop Hop. First, if you spend $25 or more at any shop, you can buy a second passport and earn an extra stamp. Spend $25 or more at other shops to receive additional stamps on your passports. This gives you many more chances of winning a prize in the drawing.

 

Also, Jenna from The Whole Nine Yarns has designed a special shawl pattern for Shop Hop. The pattern is written in seven parts, and you can pick up a part in each of the seven shops when you get your passport stamped. We'll be sharing more details about this in the coming weeks. For now, we'll just say that the pattern is beautiful and we can't wait to see the versions you all will create with it.

 

Shop Hop has become an annual tradition, and an exciting way for us to kick off our busiest season. Make plans to carpool with friends, do lunch, and have fun!

Stripes for small folks

We know many of you have been busy cleaning out your closets to get ready for our Stash Sale. You're finding plenty of yarn you want to get rid of, which is great! We look forward to seeing it all.

But occasionally you come across a little something in your stash...there's not much of it, and you don't know what to do with it, but you're just not ready to part with it, either. (You know what we're talking about.) Here are a few solutions to help you use up those small quantities. These patterns are all available here at the shop via our Ravelry sales program.

Flagstaff by Taiga Hilliard Designs is a pretty little unisex baby sweater that calls for just 250-360 yards of fingering weight (hello, random skein of sock yarn). The "color work" is actually a very simple slip stitch pattern, so you only work with one color per row. This sweater is worked seamlessly from the top down--we love that!

Fond of You by Jenny Wiebe uses double moss stitch to liven up a basic sweater shape. With sizes ranging from 6 months to 12 years, you can make countless versions in various sizes and color combinations. Perfection Worsted would be ideal for this project--it's machine washable and we currently have 55 colors to choose from. Or use some oddballs from your stash--even the biggest size only calls for 400 yards of each color. (And nothing says you couldn't do it in more than two colors!)

Oxford by Chelsea Berkompas is an adorable garter stitch vest "designed especially for little men with big style!" Only 330-440 yards of worsted weight (Perfection again, anyone?) is all you need to make this in sizes up to 24 months. Finding cute patterns for boys can be a challenge, but this one definitely fits the bill.

Do you have a favorite pattern for using up small amounts of yarn? Let us know about it!

Colors of summer

A lovely shipment arrived from Misti Alpaca this week. Take a look at these delicious summery colors.

"Alpaca for summer?" you say. "Yuck, that sounds hot!" But not all of Misti Alpaca's yarns are made from alpaca. What you see here is our warm weather favorite, Pima Silk.

Available in semi-solids and hand-paints, Pima Silk is a luxurious DK-weight blend of 83% cotton/ 17% silk. Each skein has a generous 327 yards for only $21.00.

Need pattern ideas for this gorgeous yarn? For the hand-painted colorways, we're huge fans of Tori Gurbisz's Amalthea. It only took one skein to make this lovely scarf, which many of you have seen on display in the shop.

For the semi-solids, how about one of these cool summer tops from c2knits? Clockwise from top left: Sophie, Gypsy, Miyoko, Daphne.

All of these patterns are available here at the shop through our Ravelry download program.

Another happy adoption

The last of the city kittens went to his forever home today.

Little Raleigh (new name: Granite) got adopted by Denise and her boys. We're so happy for them all! And frankly, we can't believe Raleigh was the last of his litter to get adopted, because we think he's just about the handsomest kitten in the world. :)

This now makes 26 kitties we've fostered and adopted out on behalf of Dekalb County Animal Services in the past 13 months. We're very proud that we've been able to help so many wonderful critters find loving homes.

We'll be taking a brief summer vacation from fostering, but expect to see more foster kittens at the shop around the beginning of August. In the meantime, if you're looking for a new furry friend, check out the special Independence Day packages at DCAS: throughout the month of July, it only costs $17.76 to adopt a cat, and $30 to adopt a dog!