Knitnews #2: Clever Knits updates for September 2009

Clever Knitters,

Welcome to our Knitnews #2!

There is info at the very bottom of this message for other ways to keep in touch, or how to direct your friends to join the list if they are interested in hearing more (this message is sent out via email once monthly, and we are re-posting it here on our website). For anyone who does join the mailing list, we promise not to mail too often, but if it is too much, each message will include all pertinent subscribe/unsubscribe information (you can also have google send you a 'digest' of our announcements at a set interval if you prefer -- this gets changed in your subscription settings which can be accessed under the 'mailing list' link).

Contents of this message:

1. 10news A-list - voting ends Sept 10th! Sept 4th! Clever Knits is running for 'Best of San Diego'
2. More Classes Announced! - Crochet 101, Sock knitting, Drop Spindle, more Knit 101

3. New inventory - let me just say: holy mackerel!

4. As always -  knitnight Tues 6-10pm, NEW knitclub Sun 2-6pm, free wireless, yarnstorm



1. Voting ends Sept 10th, Clever Knits for 10news A-list! 
Many thanks to everyone who has voted us into our current second place in 10news 'Best of San Diego' A-list in the "Shopping" - "Arts & Crafts" section. We are thrilled and grateful to get such a wonderful response to our new store. If you've not yet done so, please cast a vote for your favourite craft shop (hopefully us!), and please pass the link on to your friends. It will be absolutely phenomenal if we place first in this contest! Voting ends September 10th September 4th, so please cast your vote soon. Here is the link, click the 'VOTE' button at the top of the page:
http://kgtv.cityvoter.com/clever-knits/biz/372041



2. More Classes Announced! 

Even more classes announced at Clever Knits, offered at VERY reasonable prices. Space is filling up FAST, so be sure to email cleverknits@gmail.com to reserve your place in any class, and come in or drop a check in the mail at least one week in advance of the class start date to pay tuition.

Knit101:
A new series is coming soon! Check back often at cleverknits.com or on facebook, details will be posted at both locations as usual.

Crochet101: 
Taught by Karen, two sessions of 3 consecutive Thursdays starting September 17th or October 8th. The class is a bargain at $45 INCLUDING MATERIALS! [more info]

Magic Loop Socks: 
Taught by Rhonda for four consecutive Saturdays starting September 12th. You MUST take this class if you've ever wanted to knit socks -- the magic loop will change your life! The class is just $45 if you buy your yarn here / $65 if you bring your own. [more info]

Drop Spindle Class: 
Taught by Sara, whose stash of fiber fleeces could fill a roving store! This woman is an amazing spinner, and I am so thrilled that she has agreed to teach a class here. The class is $65 which includes roving and drop spindle. [more info]

More Classes: 
We are announcing new classes on our website as soon as they are scheduled! Be sure to check there for updates, under the 'classes' link at the top of the page.

Is there a class you're dying to see that we aren't offering? Drop us a note and we'll start making a list!



3. New inventory

Many new yarns have come in since our last knitnews. A few highlights:

• Mmmmmmmalabrigo - need I say more? It's going fast, so hurry in to get some!
• From Berroco, more Ultra Alpaca colors, and Pure Merino DK
• LOADS more colors of Cascade 220 and Pima-Tencel
  
• Schoppel Wolle Ambiente and Baby Alpaka Naturbelassen (all of which are remarkable and very nearly brought me to tears!)
  
• A tiny sampling of the BEAUTIFUL Handmaiden Sea Silk (fingering weight), Double Sea Silk (DK weight), and Sea Three (worsted)
• Gorgeous Ecobutterfly organic cottons and recycled glass beads
  

We are constantly adding more yarns to our inventory -- in particular, an order of beautiful hand-dyed yarns from Schaefer will ship any day now, as has an order of remarkable pewter buttons from the Handmaiden family. As always, let us know if you have any special requests -- we are HAPPY to accommodate special orders. We will also be adding more rovings to our inventory towards September's end, to coincide with our Drop Spindle class.

4. As Always

knitnight Tuesdays 6-10pm:
Our FREE knitnight Tuesdays from 6-10pm continue to be an exciting and popular opportunity to come hang out and make new knitterly friends -- so popular, in fact, that you might want to arrive early or BYO chair! All fiber artists are welcome (crochet, needlepoint, spinning, cat’s cradle, etc) – though we do request that tiny fiber artists (budding young knitters and crocheters under age 18) head home after the first hour, since knitnight is on a school night (and since knitters often broach subjects of conversation not suitable for underage ears).

NEW knitclub Sundays 2-6pm:

Knitnight has become so popular that we've added knitclub Sundays from 2-6pm. As with knitnight, Sunday knitclub is also 100% free -- not only is there no cost, you are FREE to bring whatever project is currently on your needles. Even if you're stuck and need advice or help resolving a dropped stitch or other error, come in and we'll see if someone can debug it. There's no charge for that either.

Free wireless: 
Don't forget that we offer free wireless to our customers and their knitcomplices, so bring that laptop to browse ravelry or check a pattern on knitty, or whip out your iPhone and make use of our speedy fast connection to learn a new technique on youtube.

Yarnstorm 09:
Bring some yarn graffiti to decorate our ducts and get 10% off your entire purchase! Swatches need to be 26 inches in length and anywhere from 4-10" wide. This offer is valid until the ducts are fully covered in yarn graffiti (they are getting close!).



A great big thanks to all of you who have continue to make our store such a happy and wonderful place to be. We hope that in the coming months we can make it even better!

Warm (& sweatery) regards,
Helena, Karen, & Lexi

Clever Knits
214 S. Indiana Ave
Vista CA 92084

open 12-8pm daily
FREE knitnights Tuesdays 6-10pm
NEW knitclub Sundays 2-6pm

http://cleverknits.com
cleverknits@gmail.com
phone: 760.806.6744

--

if this message is reaching you second or third hand, there are many ways to keep up with Clever Knits activities:

Mailing list: http://groups.google.com/group/cleverknits/subscribe
Web: http://cleverknits.com
RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cleverknits
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cleverknits
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CleverKnits
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cleverknits
Email: cleverknits@gmail.com

Drop Spindle Class Oct 4th & 11th from 2-5pm

I am thrilled to announce that we will be offering an introductory Drop Spindle class to be taught by Sara, whose stash of fiber fleeces could fill a roving store! This woman is an amazing spinner, and I am so thrilled that she has agreed to teach a class here.

Dates: Two consecutive Sundays, October 4th and 11th, from 2-5pm

Schedule:
Day 1 (Oct 4): Getting to know your fiber, intro to spinning, troubleshooting, park and draft method
Homework: practice
Day 2 (Oct 11): continue spinning singles, learn Andean ply, show and tell with wheel and "e-spinner"

Fees: $65 and includes a materials kit with drop spindle and roving (that's the fuzzy lengths of wool that's all washed, combed, and ready to turn into yarn).

Registration: email cleverknits@gmail.com or come in to reserve your space. Advance payment is required to guarantee your space in the class. Please come by or drop a check in the mail at least one week before the first day of class.

Limit: 6 students each class, advance registration is required (classes will be canceled and fees returned if we do not have at least 3 students signed up).

Helena's birthday party - this Tuesday at knitnight

Knitnight is always special, but this Tuesday is extra special because Tuesday, August 25th also happens to be my birthday!

So I’m throwing myself a surprise party, with cupcakes and yarn. The surprise in this case is not for me, it’s for YOU, and you’ll have to come Tuesday night to find out what it is…

Crochet101 courses starting Sept 17th or Oct 15th

I am thrilled to announce that Karen will be teaching Crochet 101! We are offering two series, each of which includes three classes.



Series A: Baby washcloth project
Sept 17, 24, Oct 1
Class 1: Methods - magic loop, chain, single crochet, double crochet
Class 2: Simple pattern reading, begin washcloth project
Class 3: project finishing, stitch development

Series B: Hat project
Oct 8, 15, 22, 29 -- DATES CHANGED
Class 1: Methods - magic loop, chain, single crochet, double crochet
Class 2: Pattern reading, begin hat project
Class 3: project finishing, stitch development

Fees: The cost for each series is $45 and includes a materials kit with crochet hook and yarn.

Registration: email cleverknits@gmail.com or come in to reserve your space in either or both of the two series

Time: Thursday evenings from 6-8pm

Limit: 6 students each class, advance registration is required (classes will be canceled and fees returned if we do not have at least 3 students signed up).

Announcing knitclub on Sundays

Knitnight is so amazingly marvelous, I can't wait an entire week for the next one!

And so, I am now announcing knitclub on Sundays from 2-6pm: bring your lemonade or iced tea and spend the afternoon knitting with us!

A note about knitnight

Friends -- a quick note to clarify the "rules" of knitnight. First and foremost, knitnight is 100% free. Not only is there no cost, you are FREE to bring whatever project you have at home that is currently on your needles.

There are no requirements nor limitations on the kind of project you can bring. We welcome crochet, spinning, cat's cradle even! Any and all projects are welcome, regardless of what yarn or pattern you are using -- even if it's not from this store.

Tiny fiber artists (budding young knitters and crocheters) are welcome to come for the first hour. We do request that all minors head home at 7:00pm, so that they have plenty of time to get ready for bed, since knitnight is on a school night (and since knitters often broach subjects of conversation not suitable for underage ears).

We do occasionally take photographs and blog about our Tuesday knitnights, so please be aware that your photo may end up on the interwebs if you are here on Tuesday nights.

Friday Insider #2: Baby Alpaka Naturbelassen!

I'm so flustered with excitement, I'm not even sure I can articulate anything, so forgive me if this is a complete mess.

We got a package today. When I opened the box, I literally squealed -- screamed, almost -- with delight. My eyes welled up and I very nearly started CRYING.

Skacel has some BRAND SPANKING NEW yarns that are positively dreamy. Yarns so new, even the sales reps didn't know about them until AFTER they appeared in the current issue of Interweave Knits. Schoppel Wolle's Baby Alpaka Naturbelassen is absolutely beautiful in the picture. And in person, it is a yarn worth dying for.



On Monday I met with Cia, the local Skacel rep, and placed an order for yarns so new she'd only just that morning received hanks for her sales kit. And today, my order came. And I am SO FREAKING EXCITED about these yarns. We're probably one of the very first stores to even carry the 'Alpaka' so that is SUPER.

It's certainly a luxurious yarn, and though it does come with a luxury price-tag, the yardage (meterage? 200m to the 100g hank) is quite good, and the sweater-dress featured takes just six hanks for the 43" size (and would likely look amazing done in a hip-length tunic, which would likely use only four hanks). The feel of the yarn is just amazing, and quite literally BROUGHT A KNITTER TO TEARS. I don't have much, so if you're dying to get your hands on some, come by soon!

Also brand-new to Skacel and Shoppel-Wolle is Ambiente -- a GORGEOUS 100% virgin merino wool in a sport weight, perfect for socks and baby garments. I am in LOVE.



And new to Clever Knits in super fun bright colors, my favourite blend: wool and cotton. This is a sport/DK weight, at roughly 50/50 and is deliciously soft.



Please pardon me while I proceed to go have a major yarngasm...

Ductwork yarn graffiti

It was brought to my attention that I've not explained the 'yarn-bomb' duct graffiti, and to those of you who have not yet made it to the store, it might be a wee bit confusing! And so, a visual aid:



See, we don't have central air here at Clever Knits, which means that we have installed these portable a/c units, which we have affectionately dubbed 'R2' and 'D2' -- but the ductwork that vents their hot air into the attic is not terribly attractive.

So we decided to cover the ducts in knitted and crocheted cozies, and are offering 10% off any purchase if you bring one in. It's a great way to use up scrap yarn, or to rid your house of piles of swatches (swatch-quilt?). The offer is valid until the ductwork is fully covered (which could be awhile).

Faraway fans and friends are welcome to mail cozy-swatches to us, though I'm not sure how to extend the 10% offer remotely, since we do not (yet) have an online store. They need to be roughly 26" long (around), and anywhere from 4-10" wide. Embellishments (buttons, flowers, etc) are strongly encouraged.

Friday Insider #1

Friday Insider: A weekly post documenting all the fun and wacky things that we get so excited about while running the yarn store.

This week we probably DOUBLED our inventory, with huge shipments from Lantern Moon, Skacel, Cascade, Crystal Palace, Frog Tree, Alpaca With a Twist, and perhaps most notably (ahem, Karen!), a SNEAKY trip to the Twisted Sisters factory! And our custom Clever Knits tape measures came in -- they are TOTALLY ADORABLE. We think they're so awesome, we're giving one away free with any purchase of $50 or more.



Every time a package arrives, it's like Christmas. I always manage to forget that I even placed an order by the time it arrives. This is probably why I tend to order thrice as much yarn as I need (and how we ended up with SO! MUCH! YARN! this week).

We've doubled our colors in Cascade 220 and their luxuriously soft Pima-Tencel (which is amazing for baby items), and bunches of Baby Twist, which is used for a pattern in the brand new Interweave Knits. We also got all five colors of Zitron Noblesse, also used in the Fall IK (and it's lovely!). I am so impressed by the Mini Mochi and Mochi Plus, which knits up in beautiful color blocks (much like Noro), is machine washable, and comes in the most AMAZING colors. I may have to make myself a pair of socks out of the Mini Mochi.

Wednesday I spent the entire afternoon meeting with a sales rep (wholesale shopping is awesome, by the way -- I get to do it from the comfort of my own yarn store!), setting up orders for beautiful organic cotton yarns roving from EcoButterfly, a selection of awesome things from Kraemer (including sock yarn that is 2% STERLING SILVER -- the only sparkly yarn that I carry will be real silver!) and Alpaca Yarn Co. By this point I'd seen so much yarn I was ready to crawl into someplace dark and cool to hibernate, and the rep pulled out the Twisted Sister. I was so overwhelmed by color that I didn't think I was going to be able to order anything, but Karen had just walked in to the store and was so amazed by the colors that I couldn't NOT place an order. All the yarns I ordered will be arriving over the next several months, so there will be a steady stream of new stuff arriving all the time.

Karen was supposed to be on vacation this week, but she showed up at Clever Knits every day anyway. On Thursday morning I was in San Diego and she sent me a text:

"Which kind of Twisted Sister did you order? I went by the factory. Yes, Trouble. I bought yarn."

That's right. She went to the factory. AND BOUGHT YARN. Because clearly the TEN BOXES we received this week weren't enough. So we have Twisted Sister NOW, and we'll be getting even more later. I'm going to have to make a trip out to the factory one of these days, because she says it's positively mind-blowing. Some of the colors she picked are brand-spanking-new, and we are the first yarn store IN THE WORLD to have them, which is awfully effing exciting. As a family-run local business, it's a delight for us to be able to support another family-run "cottage industry" -- particularly one that is in our own backyard, and that makes such AMAZING product!