Millicent’s News

October 2008

 

Millicent’s Yarns & More

27 N. Centre Street, Cumberland, MD 21502

301-722-8100 or www.millicentsyarns.com

 

 Shop Hours:  Tues - Sat 10-5, Wed 10-7, Sun 1-4

Closed all Mondays and the last Sunday of every month

SALE – SALE – SALE—SALE – SALE – SALE All Wool in the Woods yarns throughout Millicent’s are 50% off

Many other yarns have been moved to 50% off bin

We are still filling the baskets on our $2/ball and $3/ball table -- you'll find this in the front.

DON’T MISS THIS SALE !!      CHECK IT OUT!!

 

Join Our Team -- Position Open: 1 Day a Week

There is a position for an assistant at Millicent’s for Tuesdays from 10 – 5 (and possibly additional days during busy periods). 

Requirements:  a good understanding of knitting, pattern reading, fixing (!), no fear of the computer, some basic understanding of crocheting, good people skills, ability to research

Responsibilities: everything from vacuuming the floors and sweeping the walks to shelving new inventory, to helping customers, to assisting Mel in classes – it’s never dull.

Interested?  Please come in to pick up an application anytime.

 

PS.  Some folk have told me that they were a little intimidated by the job requirements in our last month’s newletter.  Don’t be!  If you are a fair knitter, you will learn everything else you need to know on the job.  YOU CAN DO IT!

 

PPS.  If you are interested but need a shorter work day on Tuesday, we’d be happy to discuss that with you.

 

Trunk Show, Tuesday Sept 16 – Tuesday, Sept 30. Garments from Frog Tree Yarns.

 

Fall Yarns Have Arrived – So Beautiful!

Millicent’s is offering you a bounty of organic, no-dye, alpaca, silk, and cashmere yarns in all weights. 

 

This season is big on tweed.  Much tweed yarn is scratchy, made in Scotland to suit the damp Scottish weather.  Our yarn, however, is not.  Katmandu DK and Aran is 85% merino wool, 10 % silk and 5% cashmere.  A knitted sweater using Katmandu is on our mannequin Joan as you walk in the front door.  Feel how glorious this tweed feels!  We also have an Aran weight Donegal Luxury Tweed from Debbie Bliss that is 85%wool and 15%angora.  And finally we have a bulky Irish Tweed that is a wool-silk-nylon blend.  As always we bring you these yarns in a full array of colors. 

 

In variegated yarns, we have some great new sock yarns:  Alyeska is a hand-dyed sock yarn of merino and cashmere (plus the required amount of nylon), Fannie’s Fingering is a kettle-dyed merino-nylon, and then WOW we now have Kureyon sock yarn that does Noro’s thing on your feet!  Also new from Noro is Kochoran, a wool-angora-silk blend that would make gorgeous bulky mittens or winter hats. 

 

In organic yarns, we have brought in a sport-weight Eco-wool from Sirdar, and  Organic Merino Wool DK from Sublime which comes in the softest colors of pink, green, and grey in addition to the natural ecru color.  We have also brought in Eco-Alpaca from Cascade Yarns, a 100% undyed baby alpaca yarn in 7 alpaca colors from the deepest of dark chocolate through to a light camel color.  Like Cascade’s other worsted weight yarns, it has 220 yards.  You have got to come in to touch this!  And, having had such success with fingering weight yarns from Cherry Tree Hill, we have brought in an organic variegated  wool in a DK weight, which would be beautiful in Fair Isle hats.

 

And finally, to our solid colored yarns:  we have greatly extended the color range in both Cascade 220 and Cascade 220 Superwash this fall.  We have also expanded our color range of Skacel’s Adagio, a baby llama and silk blend in dk weight,  Sublime Extra-fine Merino Wool DK (superwash – great for baby sweaters) and Classic Elite Bazic in a heavy worsted weight  New out this year is Berroco Gold, a light worsted weight of merino and silk, and Peruvia Quick, a 2-ply bulky yarn.  I seem to have been drawn to fall colors when I was ordering – there are a lot of rich browns and deep golds and yummy greens to be seen.  Probably one of our favorite solid color yarns is Savoy, a silk and wool blend with a stunning sheen to it.  We put it on the shelves last week, and within a day, one of the colors was completely sold out.

 

We have also brought in a much wider selection of lace weight yarns, some in solids and some variegated or hand-dyed, some in 100% cashmere (yum!).  And to top off our selection, we have brought in a yarn called Melody from Jojoland which has hit the big time for knitters of lace patterned scarves and shawls.  I will be making the best known of the Jojoland patterns with Melody soon and you will be amazed at the beauty of it!  Afraid of lace?  Remember that lace can be knitted on size 5 or size 8 needles, even if the yarn is very thin.  So, no fear, right?

 

Please – come on in to lay your eyes on and to touch the yarns. 

 

Fiber Trend Patterns and Inflation

All new and replacement Fiber Trends Patterns are coming in $1.50 higher than previously.  We do not raise the price of our current stock when prices are adjusted, so there are many Fiber Trends patterns still at the lower price.  This is a great time for you to purchase your favorite Fiber Trends patterns now!

 

Of course, it isn’t only the patterns that have been increased in price.  Some yarns are coming in $2.00 higher in price than last year.  We have always tried our best to bring in high quality yarns at moderate prices (yes, there is a whole range of yarns that are REALLY expensive that you’ll never see at Millicent’s).  But inflation, increased cost of shipping, increased cost of gas, etc.making it harder and harder to arrive at that mix (you know, high quality and moderate price.)  So, let me apologize for price increases now – they are rather out of my hands.  And, as with the patterns, yarns that came in last year before the price increase are still marked at their original lower price.

 

New Needles

We are introducing Rosewood needles to all of you this season. They have a smooth finish, are strong (ie. won’t bend) and are lightweight.  Dark in color, our rosewood straights ( in 9” and 13”) and double pointed needles (in 5” and 7”) are best used with light colored yarns – just the ones you can’t see when knitting on a light colored bamboo needle.

 

Love Those  Dogs!

For all dog lovers, we now have patterns for felted dog toys and a fresh crop of Jil Eaton’s books Puppyknits and Top Dog Knits.

 

Fiber Festivals

October 4 and 5, 2008:  Fall Fiber Festival and Montpelier Sheepdog Trials at James Madison’s Montpelier at Montpelier Station in Orange County, VA.  Workshops for adults and classes for children.  For more information, visit  www.fallfiberfestival.org

 

October 25 and 26, 2008:  Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival at Ruritan Fair Grounds, Berryville, VA.   Demonstrations and classes on both days.   For more information, visit www.shenandoahvalleyfiberfest.com

 

Book Review

Big Girl Knits and More Big Girl Knits by Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer have knitting patterns for us well-rounded women.  Not to worry that you aren’t a size 2:  these books show you that a Botticelli body can carry color and texture with aplomb if a knitter knows the right tricks.  In the newest version (More) has 25 sweaters, socks, shawls and “shoulder-baring tops” proportioned for ample attributes.  And yes, we carry these books!  We also have plus-size patterns from Knitting Pure & Simple, a company known for their sweaters knitted from the neck down with a minimal amount of finishing.

 

Intentional Knitting

You’ve all heard me talk about the therapeutic value of knitting, no doubt.  Well, I’ve finally seen an explanation in writing in an article called “Real Men Knit” in Knit N Style magazine from August 2008.  The author, Jack Lewis, has a different approach from the “the Zen of Knitting,” where the rhythm of knitting and speed helps the knitter “enter the zone,” an altered state of awareness where analytical thought disappears and knitting just happens.”  For others, knitting is a remedy of elevating moods, a natural serenity trip without any negative side effects, lifting the knitter about daily concerns. 

 

But Lewis has discovered another “mind-knit” connection which he calls ”Intentional Knitting” which helps him gain insight into confusing situations that defy reason.  He was not a happy camper, but didn’t understand the source of his funk.  So he went to his local yarn shop and bought the ugliest and scratchiest ball of yarn (in vomit green with brown flecks, he writes) that matched his mood.  He fought the yarn as if it were the problem, but found that, as he knit on, his real problem began to surface.  As he put it, “Intentional knitting helped me move beyond the surface uproar and reach the deeper meaning of my problem. . . . It didn’t answer my questions or make my concerns disappear.  But the quiet time, structure and rhythm of knitting helped me break through the denial and recognize my core fear. . . . Intentional knitting is my simple method for dealing with complex feelings.”  What I love is his final thought:  “Intentional knitting is my own invention, a new tool. Consider this free thought-ware. . . . Use it however you wish.  Be happy.”

 

It’s Unbelievable:  The Case of the Exploded Knitting Needle

What people bring in to me!! Recently Tracy Straw brought in a blog page by Paula Lalish that began like this:

 

“It was just an ordinary day.  It was, in fact, a flawlessly sunny, not-too-hot, not-too-cold  First of August, 2004.  My husband and I were returning home from a camping trip in the Olympic Mountains.  As is often the case, he was driving; I was knitting.  Then, BANG!  A tremendous blast deafened us both.”  

 

We get a paragraph of what a good driver Paula’s husband is during an emergency, and then “I glanced down at the knitting in my lap.  One end of the circular needle I was using had blown open.”  And then we get several paragraphs describing the injury to Paula’s right pointer, how she fetched ice, how she went to bed when they got home.  She explains that inquiries on a knitter’s chat-room showed that no one else had heard of such a thing. 

 

She asks, what do you think was the cause? and she gives us some hints:  1) this knitting needle was 10 or more years old,  2) the ends of this circular knitting needle are made of aluminium that are completely sealed  3) the needles are connected to each other by a hollow, flexible white plastic tube which allows material to slide between the needles, and   4) there was some sort of dark residue or corrosion on the inside of the knitting needle ( which of course one couldn’t see if the darned needle hadn’t exploded in the first place!).  Paula theorizes that the hollow aluminium needle had something sealed inside during manufacturing process – even the slightest moisture would cause condensation, a build up of pressure through oxidation, a release of gases.  But then others have postulated that the cause could have been supersonic speed knitting!  To see a photo of the exploded knitting needle, go to www.paulalalish.com/needle.htm

 

Ashford Spinning Wheel for Sale

Approximately 10 years old, original box, all the bits and pieces contained.  Needs assembly.  Contact Karen Dalverny at 301-722-0837.

 

Suede soon to be gone . . . .

It’s always sad to see a favorite yarn go out of production.  Berroco’s Suede, a 100% nylon tape that looks and feels just like suede, has disappeared from the vendor’s warehouse.  We do have some left. 

Our favorite item to knit with suede is a five-ball triangular shawl that is a classy number If you have been one of those who have admired our fringed shawl, the time to get this yarn in NOW (pattern for the shawl is free).

 

 Knitter’s Anonymous Meetings (aka Knit-Ins) every Wednesday and Friday, 12 -2 and Sundays during our open hours (1 – 4)

Hook-Up for Crocheters  every Wednesday 3:30 – 5:00

Kids Knit every Thursday 4:00 - 4:45

 

 “Knit on,

with confidence and hope,

through all crises.”

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Millicent's Knits and Yarns • 49 North Centre Street • Cumberland, Maryland 21502
phone 301-722-8100 • mel@millicentsyarns.com