
When the newest colors/prints of Kaffe Fassett's fabrics arrived this summer, I fell hopelessly and madly in love with them. Then, finally, a few weeks ago, I came up with a way to use them! The large prints needed a large way to show them off, and I didn't want to make a purse or smaller project with them. Needless to say, it meant a quilt was in store for them. This is a cuddly little lap size quilt. It's perfect for just hanging out on the couch watching the Chicago Bears play on lazy Sunday afternoons. Perhaps I had better finish quilting pretty quickly, before the season is done!
So, what's new besides the random quilt project? LOTS! The store is filling up with the new fabrics from MODA. Shangri-la and Allspice Tapestry are here, Blossom is on the way, as well as many more. We're also expecting the new Anna Griffin "Lulu" by Wyndham Fabrics in October or November along with the latest prints from Storybook V. There are jelly rolls and charm packs galore in stock, and of course more arriving all the time. It's all just too tempting for me! Especially since I don't even have the time to really get busy creating...


But the fabrics aren't the only things tempting me. The yarns are really calling my name. I know I've said it before: I quilt more in the summer and knit more in the winter. Well, this year I happened to spend the majority of the seasons knitting! I know why that is: it's portable and easy to pick up/put down at any point. I'm in the process of working on some projects for boy/girl twins due on Christmas Eve. I'm throwing the shower in October, so once the gifts have been given, I'll post photos of the fun craftiness I have been able to do! But I'm still working on other things. I've got a stack of UFO's a mile high! Socks, bags, sweaters, even dishcloths for heaven's sake! Since when does a dishcloth belong in the UFO pile? Lord help me!!!!! But I think I'm going to be in sock and lace nirvana this winter. Just look at this yummy pile:
It's our newest addition to the yarn lines at the shop: J-Knits! This is the first batch of "Superwash Me" sock yarn and "Lace-a-licious" lace weight yarn. More is on the way, I promise! But I am in love with both yarns. Especially the sock yarn! At 420 yards per skein, you only need one skein for a pair of socks. It's all hand-dyed, and it's dyed only after it's ordered. I'm hoping to get it listed on the website by Monday afternoon, so bear with me! There is a limited amount of it, only 4 skeins per color of sock yarn, and only 2 skeins per color of lace-weight, so don't wait too long to get yours!
In other news, I finally got into Ravelry! (Thanks, Emily, for tipping me off to it so long ago!) Now will be the big job of uploading all of my works-in-progress, finished projects, and cataloguing my yarn stash. It's a bit intimidating! But I did spend a little time poking around the site and was amazed at the number of knitters in our area. Speaking of area knitters...
This weekend, Kristi of Red Dog Knits and I met at the farmers market when she came to sell her amazing body care line. I had been told about her blog not too long ago, and was thrilled to have read it the two times I found a chance to get online. She also has twins, has a crazy hectic life, and loves knitting and quilting. And I didn't know she lived HERE! Her knitting output is amazing considering everything she has going on, and I am humbled in her presence. On top of that, she's just such a sweetheart... and her crafter's balm is so unbelievably wonderful. She's been so kind as to agree to put it in the shop for everyone to buy. But in the meantime, you can buy it directly from her from her webstore.
We had a wonderful chat, and we got to talking about forming a DeWitt area "guild" so to speak. Not necessarily an official guild, but something that was somewhat organized for getting some young, excited people together to work on quilting or knitting or anything. To break out of the stuffy old-fashioned craft ideas and head in the direction that we love about the blog world. You see, the Midwest hasn't caught up to the rest of the world yet. Here, quilting is still the mauve and blue country of the 80's. The calicos and wovens and anything remotely navy/burgundy/gold and, well, COUNTRY. Then we hop online and see what's going on in Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, and everywhere else and get so inspired! We see the Amy Butler fabrics, the Kaffe Fassett fabrics, the hand dyed yarns in bright colors, all used in such fun, up-to-date ways! At least we have an outlet online for it, but the general Michigan trend is the same old boring and blah... And I'm pretty sure that everyone is ready to get out of the 80's and 90's rut and try something new. Every day, people come into the shop and get excited that there is something different here, so I think a group thing here would be wonderful! A creative outlet for some of us ready to think outside of the box. This isn't your grandma's craft world anymore; the young designers have really shaken things up and we'd like to get busy trying this new stuff! Interested? Let us know!!!!
Off to update my ravelry stuff... or should I just hit the sticks and get busy on my baby knits? Either way, not a bad decision to have to make!