Sunday, February 24, 2008

Changes for the better

I have been trying to get information put up on the new web site and I have run into a few problems so I think I found a way around this.

1st - The Free patterns are now here and linked everywhere. - many more patterns will show up as I get time to put them on. I have had a lot of requests for the ones I posted.

2nd - The downloadable patterns are now here. Many more to come soon. Mary Tanti our resident designer has so many cool patterns coming. I can't keep up with her.

3rd - The knitting retreat information is now in an easier format to look at. If anyone wants to pay for the retreat with paypal. I will send you an invoice.

I have a list of these links at the top of each new page and also on the web site

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Madrona

Feast your eyes on this amazing knitting by Lucy Neatby, Kathryn Alexander and Ruth Sorensen. This is what I was surrounded by this last week at Madrona







It was just amazing. I am so inspired by the talented people I met and the level of dedication people have to the fibre industry in all aspects from the sheep to the finished garment. I am in awe.



I will tell you my highlights of the retreat and I am sure I will go into more detail as the year goes on. Information like I gained this week will be with me forever.



My favorite part of the retreat was meeting and taking classes with Judith MacKenzie McCuin. She has devoted her life to preserving fibre breed animals and spinning. She is a wealth of information and I beleive I could be in a year long workhop with her and realize at the end how much I still need to learn.



I am going to be a better spinner for the classes I took with her. I learned how to set up my wheel, how to spin worsted and ply up to 5 plys. I spun a fabulous skein of Bison yarn, I spun novelty yarn and she taught me the basics of how to spin sock yarn.



It was wonderful to meet Ruth Sorensen, she is the designer of the Kauni cardigan. I got to visit with Stephanie Pearl McPhee and Lucy Neatby. Lucy gave a wonderful talk on Friday night about her inspiration for her patterns.



The market place was amazing and yes I did buy yarn beleive it or not. I bought some Blue Moon sock yarn. It is very nice yarn. I also bought some great fibre from Dizzy Ewe. This fibre is going to turn into a sock.
These kits will be available soon from Fun Knits
Stay tuned for my spinnning progress on my first pair of socks.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Going to Madrona

Today the store is closing at 2:30 sorry if anyone is inconvienced by that - But what can I do I have to go the Madrona

I am leaving for a great week off. I am going to Madrona Fiberfest in Tacoma Washington. I am taking 3 classes. On Thursday and Friday I an taking Hand Coverings: The Art of Mittens and Gloves with Nancy Bush and Judith MacKenzie McCuin.
On Sat I am taking Wild Texture with Judith MacKenzie McCuin and on Sunday I am taking Exploring Color for Entrelac Knitting with Kathryn Alexander.
Can you imagine how much fun this is going to be. I am really excited. I am all packed and am leaving today on the 3pm ferry . We are spending the night in Naniamo and then Mary my friend who I am going with is meeting me and we will set off on the 10:15 ferry from Duke Point.
My Mom and Dad will be working at the store on Wed and Sat. and Deb will be here Thurs. and Fri.

The Web site will be chaging before your eyes for the next few weeks. I have a wondeful couple from Cortez working on it. Cortez Island is one island away from Quadra Island.
It is going to be an awesome web site soon.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

New Look

I have been working on the new website and added the Knitting Retreat information. This took me hours to get it right and it still isn't how I want it. If anyone wants to register by mail just email me and I will email you the registration form so you don't have to print the entire psge to get it.
I now know how beginner knitters feel when they get a new pattern and it doesn't make sense at all. A lot of new language to learn and concepts to grasp. The new web site is much like this and I am a beginner.
Because the web site was down for a while I have extended the deadline for registration to March 15th so if you are interested in registering please do so as it is filling up quickly. All of the workshops still have a few spaces left but not many.
I decided that the blog needed a new look too. I wish my new website program was as easy as blogger is to use. It was a pleasure to change the look of my blog. Hope you like the new look.

Next I need to figure out how to get the patterns back on the web site.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Crafty Arts

My neighbour store is Hummingbird Office anf Arts Supply. I spend a lot of time in there buying store supplies getting photo copies etc. I notcied they have a weekend of fun planned this weekend and they still have room if you want to register.

Here is the info

Four classes in one day

Held at Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island
- Learn to do lovely lettering
- Explore the art of watercolour
- Design with fabric pastels
- Create fun original cards

Sat Feb 9th - 9 am - 5 pm
Cost for all day $115. plus tax
This includes lunch

If you want to make a night of it you can stay at Heriot Bay Inn on Saturday night for an extra $30. - great deal
Call 285-3334 for more details or to register.
This sounds like fun - I would go if I didn't have to work in the store.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Want to see some perfect knitting




Perfect knitting - look at the even stitches, perfect seaming, and a perfect fit.
This is the first sweater my daughter a relatively new knitter ever knit. She is way btter at seaming than I am. Now I know where to send my UFO's to get finished.
I am quite impressed with her knitting ability and had to be a proud Mom and share.
Meika loves her new sweater.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

New Web Site

This has been an up and down weekend for the new web site. Yesterday every 2nd time I went to work on it the old site was back again. It seems today the new site is there for good. I actually miss my old site. It was so easy to work on. I will learn my way around this site fairly soon. It has sooooooo much more to offer. I was going to work on it a lot today but I think my brain needs a rest so I will knit today.

Yesterday I had a really interesting day at the store. A young family came in and they all knit. Mom and Dad and an 11 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. They were on Quadra for the weekend and wanted a knitting project. Guess what they all choose - socks. They are all fairly beginner knitters but all of them picked up knitting on double pointed needles quite quickly.

It was such a pleasure to teach this young family to knit socks. I hope to see more of them and their new socks.

I am getting very excited to go to Madrona Fibre festival. I will leave Feb. 13. I am taking a lot of classes there and can't wait.
This is what I am taking at Madrona

Thursday and Friday, all day - Nancy Bush and Judith MacKenzie McCuin: Hand Coverings: The Art of Mittens and Gloves

Saturday morning - Judith MacKenzie McCuin: Wild Texture

Sunday, all day - Kathryn Alexander: Exploring Color for Entrelac Knitting

I will be very busy for the 4 days of lessons but I think it will be very fun

Friday, February 01, 2008

Coming Soon

Fun Knits has a new Web site. Same address just a new look. Sometime over the weekend when you go to funknits.com it will look very different.
Ever since I opened this store I have been searching for a shopping cart that would reduce inventory in real time so people would actually know how much yarn I have available. I also wanted a shopping cart that would intigrated with my physical store so I could sell everything from one location. Well I found it and it should go live this weekend. I have a lot of work to do on it but please bear with me. New stock will be loaded daily until it is all loaded.
It has been a logistical nightmare to say the least to keep everything straight between the real store and the internet store. The kind people who helped me do inventory this year could see that by how out my stock count was.
So the Web Store may be not working for a few days, but soon it will be so much better.