Fiber Milagro: A little help from my friends

June 22nd, 2009

Miracles happen every day… You just have to notice and be grateful! We asked you to send us your knitting milagro stories, and were amazed at the response. Thank you to everyone for sharing. Keep paying attention!

Here is the winning essay, by intrepid knitter Jan Brick… whose daily mantra when encountering doubts and fears (never say failures!) is “I try new things!”. Thanks Jan, you made us cry happy tears!

My Yarn Milagro
by Jan Brick

It is not merely yarn you can find in a yarn shop. Although when I say merely, I don’t really mean merely. Yarn in its various colors, textures and possibilities can soothe, electrify and feed the soul. But pay attention the next time you’re ogling, fondling and lusting after the sumptuous skeins of cashmere and organic cotton and wool in every tinge of color in the earth, sky and water. (Yes, knitting is sexy; shh, don’t tell.)

Listen. Listen to the exclamations of delight: “I can’t believe you have this color!” “This is so soft!” “Is this really machine washable?”

Look. Look at the eyes that close dreamily as a brilliant blue cashmere/silk combination is rubbed against a cheek. Look at the smile of satisfaction on the face of our own Wink when a customer finds the perfect yarn to go with a tattered yellowed pattern she found going through her mother’s attic after her sad passing. And don’t forget to imagine the little victory dance on the other end of the phone when Tink says, “Yes, we have that!”

I’m going to ask you to go deeper still, beyond listening, looking and imagining. I’m asking you to feel the invisible. Feel the joy that a shy knitter feels describing her yarn and pattern (and perhaps vagaries of the project) to someone who understands. This knitter doesn’t go to parties because she doesn’t know what to say. But here she is chatting with a stranger about just how many stitches she should have on the needle when the pattern doesn’t specify.

Feel the solace of a mother who’s lying awake nights waiting for an errant child to come home, who has come here to forget. She doesn’t think she can, and yet the talk of sock-knitting, the shop’s 93 year old gentleman friend, and who has finished what project take her to a safe place for a little while.

Feel the balm I feel walking into a home away from home, sharing the fact of my lay-off after eight and a half years at the same company, sharing my excitement over a new job, sharing my sorrow and shame that the new job didn’t work out. Feel my comfort when my yarn shop family assures me that shame is out of the question.

Move on from the negative, they each tell me in their own way, gentle, boisterous, thoughtful or chatty. The funny thing is, that’s what they tell me about my knitting. Move on, keep going, here’s a little help, now you’re back on track, keep going. Keep going.

Although to keep going seems like the only choice, it’s really not. There are knitting projects I’ve put aside, pretty sure that I would never pick them up again. And that’s allowed, too, the way that my boosters at the yarn shop told me that obviously I had no choice at the job that didn’t work out but to leave.

It is a microcosm, this little shop that used to be a candy shop that used to be a gas station. They dispense the wisdom that we should have gotten from our parents, but so often did not. Do your best, try your hardest, ask for help when you need it, don’t beat a dead horse, keep going, move on. Move on. Let your friends help you and move on.
Jan

Here is Jan in Belize. She wins a $100 gift basket from Yarns in the Farms.

Knitting in Extreme Heat

June 14th, 2009

We are Deep in the Heart of Texas, or Deep in the HEAT of Texas, depending on how you sing that old tune…
We are teaching some Cowboys and girls the fine art of Knitting where the snow don’t fall.

But… The shop is open for your Summer Knitting pleasure! Tanya, Kiwi Girl, all the way from New Zealand, is at the shop and ready to help inspire you with her knitting prowess and adorable accent.

Silly
Catherine has a pretty smile!

Laurie  s Floof 1
Laurie’s Floofy Skirt.

Janie  s Floof
Janie’s improv Floofy Skirt with Flounce.

Kelly s Linen on Cath
Catherine steals Kelly’s linen top.

Laurel
Dr Bauer’s Lab Coat.

Baby
MEg and Henry await the arrival of Baby H

Chaco in the bag
Chaco sleeps in Tink’s bag to make sure she doesn’t escape without him.

Failed Merger: Tuesday Knit Night Revival

June 3rd, 2009

Remember how last week we sent out an email about how we were gonna’ merge the Tuesday and Wednesday Knit Nights for the summer? Oh, the hue and cry! Oh the kevetching! Oh the whining!

It got really ugly. The knitting police had to be called in, and fiber negotiators were flown in from the Isle of Knitini. Tink and Wink, (held at needle point by an angry mob of Fiber Frenzied Crazies) were
forced to announce the RETURN OF TUESDAY KNIT NIGHT.
(yes, after just one week of the Tues- Weds merger)
Here are some of the ruffians and agitators who forced the corporate hand of Yarns in the Farms.

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“We were gonna’ picket and shut down route 127, but they caved.”

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“Merger Schmerger. We demand our rights. And Brownies.”

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“I’m a junior in high school, and Tuesday knit night is an essential stress reliever. I can get violent.”
“It’s my stress management for work. Tink will always write me a note. I can get crazy.”

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“Give me ball of yarn and some needles and I am entertained for hours!”

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“Every failed merger should include brownies and wine.”

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“I only get fed on Tuesday Knit nights.”

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“I bake brownies. And you wanna’ cancel knit night?”

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” Tuesday Knit Night saves my marriage. Pass the brownies.”

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The Tuesday Kit Night Revival, after the hoard has been pacified with brownies.

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ACTUALLY, this whole merger thing was just an excuse to celebrate with ICE CREAM and BROWNIES. See you Tuesday.
Or Wednesday.
Or both.
7 - 9 pm.

Early Summer Flings

May 29th, 2009

Hallelujah! Time for summer parasols and ice cream! (Handy hose for rinsing)

Summer at the Shop

Ice cream

Time for Chaco’s new hair cut!

Chaco  s new   do

Time for outdoor knitting!

Intarsia

Baby sweater

Ribbon shrug

Colinette

Time to line up the shop animals for a parade!

Parade

Time to knit a giant entrelac blanket in PIECES so you don’t get to hot and bothered while making it… Chaco likes it.

Entreloc

Knitting Miracles: The Milagro of the Floof, the Tow Truck, and the Hunky Fire Men

May 18th, 2009

So Tink went to California, LA LA land of earthquakes and fun in the sun, and look what happened!

98 year old

Whoopsie daisy! That’s not Tink! Wrong knitting miracle!

THAT is 98-year-old Maria D’Antuono, who knit for 30 hours under the rubble of her apartment building after the earthquake in Italy last month, before she was rescued by these HUNKY Italian Fire Men. “Hello, boys! What took you so long!”
Look at her hands… looks like she is demonstrating “Continental” style knitting. (Tink’s method, natch!)

Anyway, back to Tink’s story.
I went to California to visit this lovely child… my child who taught me the art of Dangerous Knitting.

The Snake

When I travel far far away, I try to dress appropriately. And when in Los Angeles, one must leave behind one’s puritan yankee stockings, and sport one’s fresh-off-the-needles Summer Floofy skirt… strut like a movie star, and expect MIRACLES. I got my milagro our last day in LA LA Land.

    The Milagro of the Floofy Skirt, the Tow Truck, and the Hunky Fire Men

Costume:
One Floofy Skirt knit with Rowan Calmer, Artful Candy, GGH Gracia, and whatever bits of yarns I found in the seams of my couch.
Floofy

Scene:
6:15 PM in front of the La Brea Tar Pits:

Upon exiting the Tar Pits, Tink and Mr Tink find that their rental car has been stolen! Wait, no, not stolen…
TOWED. TOWED away as the happy couple is about to set off for the airport to return home to the frozen northeast. TOWED with all their stuff… including cell phones and Dr Tink’s purse. (Of course, Tink carries her knitting on her person at all times, so the situation was not as dire as it could have been…)

6:20 pm:
We scurry shame-faced back into the museum, where the desk lady looks upon us sadly and calls the Evil LA Tow Yard for us. We learn from the very VERY evil towing ogre that the tow yard closes at 7 pm, sharp, and it will cost $250 to get our little rental car out of hock. Okay, thanks.

6:25 pm:
Now, LA LA Land does not feature taxis or subways… so we are left with the BUS. The kind driver lets us on free of charge, since of course we have no cash, as it is securely locked in our car, far far away.

6:40 pm:
We exit the bus a few miles down the road, no closer to the garage, ever closer to panic.

And just then, Tink remembers that she has on her FLOOFY SKIRT, and she remembers to expect a MIRACLE.

6:42 pm:
(Cue a heavenly sound like the BRUMMMMM of an Apple computer turning on… Just like that…)
Tink looks across the 6 lanes of traffic and sees…
Fire Station #29!

6:43 - 6:45 pm:
We illegally dodge traffic to cross the street in the middle of the block, since the blocks are about 2 miles long….

6:45 pm:
We enter Magical Mystical Fantasy Hunk Miracle Land.
Land of Hunky Fire Men in uniform, looking for all the world like George Clooney, Jimmy Smits, Will Smith, and Hugh Jackman. I feel swoony.
Mr Tink notices nothing out of the ordinary.

LA Firemen

A sign on the wall says “No Sniveling”, so I keep that in mind as I beg, “HELP!!!ourcarhasbeentowed!!!andthelotclosesat7pm!!!!andwehavetocatchaplane!!!pleaseHELP!” (and kiss me you fools…)
The Hunky Fire Men go into a little huddle, glancing over their shoulders (at me in my FLOOFY SKIRT).

6:47 pm:
Captain Hunky Fire Man Garcia picks up his speaker and announces in an authoritative voice, “I need a CAV RESCUE for 15 minutes!”,
and all the Hunky Fire Men shine their pretty teeth at us, and nod reassuringly.
We are bustled through the room, into the nerve center of the station, the garage with the shiny red trucks and more Hunky Fire Men, who greet us warmly and run their eyes longingly over my soft Floofy Skirt.

6:50 pm:
Hunky Fire Dude Stine tucks us up in the back of a RESCUE VEHICLE, straps us securely in, and we dash off, lights flashing, through the crowded city to the Evil LA Tow Yard.

6:56 pm:
We arrive at the Evil LA Tow Yard, the Hunky Fire Men open the doors for us, and help us down from our carriage. They wish us good evening, and race away into the twilight.

We get our car out of hock with 3 minutes to spare.

Here are the miracles, as I perceive of them:
1. Our car was NOT stolen.
2. The kind lady at the museum called the Evil LA Tow Yard for us.
3. The bus driver let us on the bus free of charge.
4. We did not get Swine Flu.
5. We stumbled off the bus in front of Fire House #29.
6. I did not snivel at the fire station.
7. The Hunky Fire Men rescued us.
8. We made our flight home.

How much of this is due to my Floofy Skirt? Well, DUH!

Have you ever had a Knitting/Crochet Milagro? Do share.

Swine Love: Just say NO

May 5th, 2009

Swine Flu warning:
Do not lick pig’s snouts. Do not even kiss pig’s snouts.
Even if you use a mask. Just say no.

Swine Flu

Job Notice!

May 3rd, 2009

Tink saw this job notice in New Orleans last week. Nice weather, friendly folks, great food…
But check the fine print before you go in for an interview…

Job notice

It says ” Must be young and thin. Sorry you old fatsos”

Join the Bamboo Sisterhood of the flaming needles…

April 30th, 2009

Finally, they are here!
The Bamboo Sisterhood t-shirts… in 2 styles, 5 colors, and 4 sizes! Complex math, we know…
Crikey! Zut alors! Ohlala! Ay yai ayi! Zounds! Ach du leiber! Heavens to Betsy!
Gotta have one in every color, style and size! Yeah, baby. Feel the love.

Tink and SylviaBAmboo picIMG 2396IMG 2398

Check out the NEW NORO yarns for Spring and Summer…
worsted weight Taiyo (220 yds., 40% cotton, 30% silk, 15% wool, 15% nylon)
and bulky Furisode (165 yds., 45% silk, 40% cotton, 15 % wool)
These yarsn are seriously soft!
New Noro books, “Knitting Noro” and “Flowers”. And great new colors in
Noro Silk Garden, Silk Garden lite, and Iro.

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Also new and hot hot hot:
Classic Elite Sprout, a springy bulky organic cotton yarn, as seen in the last 2 issues of Interweave Knits.

SproutLaceTeeLg SproutTank medium

AND the new colors of Louet Euroflax.
AND Tahki MAYA, 100% cotton thick and thin, perfect for a summer shrug!

Pick up a new Amy Butler bags to carry home your new t-shirts and yarns…

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Where in the World? Inspirations from Tink’s Travels

April 23rd, 2009

Here are some images to inspire…

From Africa… Notice the skirt with Nelson Mandela’s image. In South Africa, he is called “Madiba”, which loosely means Great Elder Father…
Mandela fabric

To Belize… Beach treasures!
Beach toys

To Guatemala… Where there are so many inspirations that I can’t record them all here… Come with us in September!
This is an “Alfombra”, a “Carpet” made of colored sawdust and flowers and leaves that the pre-Easter processions march over…

Alfombra

These are Mayan girls at the market, with a fried plantain… YUM…

Ninas

I carried my knitting everywhere, and was accepted by the local women as a fellow craft artist!

Talking craft

Here are some images of the streets and the Orphanage-Hospital where we work.. These are the ladies who volunteered with Tink….
(click to enlarge)
Mangos Procession Silly gals The gals
And this is the woman who cleaned my house and brought me flowers.
Notice her scarflet! Beauty

This is my wonderful friend Gaspar, who continually teaches me joy and kindness…
My friend

Knitting Warriors

March 19th, 2009

Here is an email, received by a knitter who will remain anonymous to protect her identity, for obvious reasons. (This is the same knitter whining about her watery blisters, and now she wants to save the world)

Here is the email she found in her inbox:
Do you have what it takes to bring down organized crime and prevent terrorist attacks? Your country needs you… Help keep our nation safe. Become a Federal Agent. Click Here to Learn More Now.

Our fearless anonymous source steps up! The father of her grandchildren serves in the military, and she wants to help…

She has started the alarm… The call to all knitters… Hear the beat of the clicking needles?

“Our country is calling us….we are armed with knitting needles and dangerous. We can save the country from terrorism, crime, and cold fingers and necks. Goddesss Knitting Warriors at the ready!!!”

Oh hear hear! Knitting muscle saves the world. Imagine a TV show, like “Heroes”, but called “Goddess Knitting Warriors”, fighting terrorists and moths everywhere! and thank God we are still allowed on airplanes with our needles. We are truly the last defense for this country!

Oh, and imagine our uniforms! and our badges! Like Wonder Woman, but better…

Upon further investigation of knitting warriors, we found history dating from 1936, in the person of Mrs Mary D Bradford. Not only a fabulous knitter, but a hog-caller as well.