News from the "Ends"

Spring is here! The grass already needs cutting at the shop. Yes, the shop comes with acreage and trees. I just planted two hybrid elms, since the old box elders already here are on their last legs and will probably need to be taken down in a few years. They're host to carpenter ants which migrated from the tree that fell down in the front yard last year. I need to contact the Extension Office to find out how to take care of THAT little problem so they don't migrate to the shop. The building is over a hundred years old and was lived in as a home until about ten years ago. There's still a clawfoot tub in the bathroom. No longer used for baths, boards straddle the sides of it, and it's been christened the "Tub O' Savings" where I put all the marked down merchandise. Hey, with only about 800 sf, every inch of space needs to be put to good use.

Speaking of merchandise, I've got some lovely new goodies in the shop for you:

Spinners, the Great Wall of Fiber will be restocked very soon so you can choose from lots of lovely blends and colors. In the meantime, take a gander at these lovely 8 oz. hand-dyed, Blueface Leicester rovings from Frabjous Fibers. They're selling quickly (even at this very quiet time of year) so I will be reordering soon. They are so pretty to look at and so soft to the touch!

Weavers, I've started stocking more colors of 22/2 cottolin from Louet, and 8/2 cotton and 5/2 perle cotton from UKI. Great for dishtowels and table runners. The Harrisville Highland is all stocked up and I've gotten some more cones of Harrisville Shetland. Check out Weaver's Craft or Handwoven (available here at the shop) for some great ideas for projects to put on your looms. Got a request for a color, please let me know and I'll put it on my next order.

Knitters and crocheters, there's some great summer yarns to choose from - Classic Silk and Bamboo Cotton from Classic Elite, Kertzer's On Your Toes Bamboo blend and wool blend sock yarns in both fingering and DK weight, some gorgeous colors of Comfort and Comfort DK. For you wool-lovers, I've just ordered some Brown Sheep Lanasoft in the handpaints. Can hardly wait to get it in the shop! Plus there's Peruvia (100% Peruvian wool) and Ultra Alpaca (an alpaca & wool blend)...both wonderful to work with.

I finished knitting a couple hats from Deb Stoller's Son of Stitch 'N Bitch -- the Half-Pipe Hat (done in Peruvia) and the Ski Beanie (made with Dolly). Will get pics on the website, but for now you can see them on my page on Ravelry (mcspin50). There's also a sweater in that book knit from Berroco's Ultra Alpaca that I'd like to make, as well.

Happy spring and be sure to stop in soon and say hey.

Spring 08 At The Lake Fiber Retreat

Well, I hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for my next post. If you were, my condolences to your family.

Andrea Everts, of Prairie Needles in Battle Lake, and I finally worked up the nerve and found some time to organize a retreat. Andrea had been to Weslake Resort for other retreats, so she was in charge of lining up our accommodations. And what accommodations they were! We stayed in one of the mini-lodges - 4 bedrooms, each with 3 twin beds, 2.5 baths, lots of light (I never plugged in my Ott Lite all weekend), great kitchen, heated floors, and lots of comfy seating space both in the main living area and the fully enclosed and heated porch on the lakeside of the lodge. Somebody, pinch me!

Andrea was there at noon on Friday, Feb 29, to greet our first participants. I didn't get there until about 7 as I had my shop open until 5:30. But let me tell you, those doors were locked at 5:30 and I was outta there! It's an easy drive from Perham to the resort, even with the blowing snow that was happening at the time.

When I arrived at the resort, Joanne was patiently waiting in her car because she didn't know which building we were in, so next year we'll have a nice big flag or sign to direct people to the lodge. We'll also have the resort phone listed so those of you who might take a wrong turn (Ruthie), can call for directions. Cell phone service isn't very good there (at least my Sprint phone didn't work until I walked to the top of the hill and stood just there...no, no, wait a minute...just there!

Supper was hash brown hot dish, a glass of wine, and ice cream sundaes, then back to spinning, knitting, weaving, and relaxing!

The beds were comfy - three twin beds to a room, and each room had a sink. There were two full baths by the bedrooms and a half-bath by the kitchen. And the kitchen! Double ovens, microwave, dishwasher, fridge (second fridge on the enclosed 4-season porch- great for wine or beer). I brought ALMOST all the parts to my espresso machine, so unfortunately is was just a counter ornament all weekend :-( but the IKEA coffee saved the day. I just made it good and STRONG!

Saturday arrived and we rolled out of and into our beds whenever we felt like it. No dogs or cats to let out and in and out, no errands to run, no laundry to do, no bathrooms to clean...aaaah! Continental breakfast--no espresso--whenever you felt like eating.

We all worked on projects and/or sat an visited. Karen spun up and plied a whole bag of fiber that she bought from the At Loose Ends "satellite store" set up in the entryway. Jane was our only "day camper". We watched some videos - both entertaining and educational - like Monty Python, How To Make An American Quilt (open-minded of us), and a great sock video by Lucy Neatby. I finished three projects, and forgot yarn to finish a fourth. Andrea and I demonstrated the horizontal knitting stance for everyone (see pix).

Joanne and I took a walk around the resort where the snow depth would allow us to go. There's lots of improvements going on, and by fall, there should be new living quarters for the owners, a new office and meeting area all in one building. Next spring, if there's snow, I'm going to bring my cross-country skis. It looks like it would be fun to take a tour along the shoreline.

Lunch - There was fixin's for sandwiches and we had two kinds of homemade soup. Andrea brought her famous Funeral Soup, and I made Chicken Wild Rice Soup. (I left half of it at home on the entry rug when the handle of my crockpot just broke off as I was heading out to the garage to put it in the car. Way to go Rival!)

Supper - Ruthie brought lasagna to cook, salad fixin's and croutons, homemade garlic toast, and homemade mocha ice cream. Yummm! Unfortunately, she wasn't there to enjoy it as she felt ill in the middle of the night and decided to head home to recoup. She didn't want to risk missing her upcoming flight to Arizona with her sister-in-law. (Update: She felt better after 24 hours. She figures it was an allergic reaction to the anchovies in the very 'sassy' Bloody Mary mix she bought at the Fergus Falls liquor store during her roundabout trip to the resort.)

Saturday evening - more knitting, spinning, weaving, luceting (Sara has volunteered to teach the ins and outs of luceting - pun intended - at our next retreat.) She and Anna brought some fun card games, like Dutch Blitz and Apples to Apples, and we ended the evening with a few rounds of each.

Sunday - kinda like Saturday morning, just with the little cloud of knowledge that we would have to leave that afternoon. Continental breakfast, coffee--no espresso.

Then back to our projects. Andrea and Sara tried their hand at weaving on my Knitter's loom. There's nothing like getting a little help finishing those projects that have been on your loom too long. ;-)

Lunch was a smorgasbord of leftovers. Then packing up and heading out. But not before Andrea and I reserved the lodge for next fall. We're excited to do this again, and again. We'll just be a little better organized and not forget things like the espresso filter and filter holder, dish towels, baggies, can opener, etc, etc., AND be better able to plan some fiber activities for us all now that we know "the lay of the land".

SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR NOVEMBER 7-9. We want to give you lots of time to prepare for a wonderful retreat at the lake in Otter Tail County next fall.

Keep playing with fiber!

Toe Up Sock Workshop Anyone?

I just got the latest issue of Interweave Knits and there's a great article on knitting socks from the toe up using the Eastern cast on method. Knitting toe-up means you can try on the sock at any time during the knitting to get just the perfect fit. I'm going to knit one test sock to see if I can do it, and then I'd love to do a workshop on the process. Just let me know if you are interested and I can try to coordinate a time that would work for everyone. What I'd like to do is make it a Wednesday night class. Since I'm here til 8 on Wednesdays, and, to tell you the truth, I've been really, really underwhelmed with customers on those evenings, I'm just lonesome for some company.
So, since socks are a great summertime knitting project, not to mention a very portable project, let's get knittin' some socks! PLUS I've got some wonderful new Opal colors in as well as Panda Cotton (think cotton, bamboo and elastic), Fixation Solids and Spray Dyes, and Meilenweit cotton sock yarns that would be instantly wearable in summer. Class members would need to purchase the Summer 07 issue of Interweave Knits plus yarn and needles of suitable gauge. Remember, supplies purchased at the shop for a class are discounted 10%. Such a deal!
C'mon then, let's knit some socks from the toe up!!

Another Posting...At Last!

Well, it's been almost a year since I last posted. Guess I'm not using this blog to its full potential. (Slight understatement.) Will try to use it more for posting new items in the shop, upcoming events, interesting finds, etc.
Finally notified my email customers about the upcoming Memorial Weekend Tent Sale this weekend. There will be lots of tent/sidewalk sales all around town as well. Perham will be a great place to find a bargain.
I'll be putting lots of yarns, accessories and patterns out in the tent(s). Not totally sure what will be in the tent(s) until I walk around the shop and ponder the "slow movers". All the BH&G Knit It and Crochet magazines will be marked way down. I no longer carry them in the shop because the local grocery stores carry them. And since I converted all my bulbs to florescents, I'll have all my supply of incandescent lightbulbs on sale for 50 cents each.
Got the loom room rearranged today so I can access both the Harrisville 8H 22" and the new Baby Wolf. I'm excited to get them both warped with projects. I think I'll do the sock yarn scarf on the Harrisville (warp already wound and waiting to be threaded), then perhaps a warp of dishtowels out of the 8/2 cotton and Ironstone Flake Cotton. Will post some pix of the loom room next post.
See you at the shop. L

What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2006

"We never go on vacation since you opened your shop," complained my husband. "OK, then," I said, " How about we go to Convergence in Grand Rapids (Handweavers Guild of America biennial conference). Ashford Handicrafts is having a Dealer's Day and I'd like to go." Then, miracle of miracles, our 17-year-old son, Andy, agreed to one last family vacation. Even in a Dodge Caravan with a license plate cover that reads "KNITTING...IT TAKES BALLS!" What a guy!
So I close up shop on Saturday and we take off to Menominee for our first night on the road. Then next day a fairly leisurely drive through the Wisconsin Dells (stopping for a family tradition that started when our oldest son was 4 - driving go karts - I always seem to pick the dog!) Made it to Milwaukee where we ate supper at Buca di Beppo (family style Italian restaurant) in the downtown district before we caught the fast ferry across Lake Michigan. It ain't cheap, but it was a new experience and kinda fun even for a 17-year-old.
It was dark when the ferry docked at Muskegon, Michigan. As we approached the shore we could smell the campfires and see the lights in the cottages and houses along the shore. The breeze was fresh and cool on our faces. One of those "I gotta remember this moment" moments.
Grand Rapids was just a 30-mile drive away. We found our motel. It had seen much better days, but the price was right AND it had a real pool! Not one of those namby-pamby "5-foot deep at the deep end" pools, but a nine-footer. No diving board, alas, these are the days of law suits and high insurance rates. (Ask me about the story that the hotel clerk told us about the drunk guy diving into the pool from the second floor window above the pool.)
The next morning, I went to Ashford Dealer Day at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. Very swish place! What a great time! Cindy Howard-Gibbon, the Ashford distributor for the US, organized a great day for us. There were dealers from Alaska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona, and one of the NE states. Robin Spady stopped in to show us the Inklette loom and and beautiful things she's made on it.
Cindy modeled some lovely things made on the Knitters Loom. Then Richard Ashford and Rowena Hart lead us in a little workshop on the new loom. I am just pumped about the fast, fast warping method that they've perfected to use with this loom (or for any other rigid heddle loom, for that matter). You have so much more creative freedom...at least it feels that way. As you thread your warp directly to the loom, you can immediately see how the colors/warp threads interact, and can change things up right then and there.
Lunch was a sandwich buffet served in the room.
The afternoon was spent learning about the new things Ashford will be introducing - like The Ashford Book of 4-Shaft Weaving and the Ashford Book of Carding. Richard and Rowena were very interested in our experiences as dealers and what we thought our customers were looking for in new or improved Ashford products.
The session ended about 4:30, so I brought out my Joy wheel and spun a bit until supper that evening at the hotel compliments of Richard Ashford. Great ending to a great day.
Tuesday we went to the Gerald R. Ford Museum (very interesting) and then to a beach on Lake Michigan.
Wednesday morning we went out for breakfast at Denny's, and then Don and I went to the Conference Vendor Hall which opened at noon. I wanted to see what new things were coming up for weaving, spinning and dyeing, and also find some sources for products that I hadn't been able to find yet. And I wanted to introduce myself to my suppliers who only knew me as a voice on the end of the telephone line. Met the people from Schacht and Harrisville Designs. Found out that I had basically no hope in he** of becoming a Lendrum dealer. They were shipping last October's orders in June. :-( Met Joanne and Tom Hall, US Glimakra dealers from Montana. Really nice people...she's from Minnesota and comes to Aitkin twice a year to teach workshops. Gotta make it to one.
Thursday we headed north out of Grand Rapids, stopped at the Dutch Oven Bakery and Yarn Shop in Alanson, a little town in NW Michgan, where I had a really nice visit with the owner. My jaw dropped at her inventory! And the stacks and stacks of sweaters she had knitted and folded up on top of the stacks of yarn! I have 2, yes, 2 in my shop. I see I have my work cut out for me. But then again, she has been in business for 20 plus years. (I know, I'm just making excuses) Back on the road, we drove across the Mackinac Bridge, and towards home through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Arrived home Friday so I could open up shop on Saturday.
Next Convergence is in Tampa, Florida, in June 2008. Too far to drive, and my guess is it'll be really hot and humid. Think I'll pass on that one!

Wash and Wear Data

I discovered something amazing last night...while doing laundry. (What's that you say? Get a life? Well, some of us live pretty mundane existences and it doesn't take much to thrill the he** out of us.) I discovered that those little USB storage devices that hang on the end of a keychain are machine washable AND can be dried in a dryer. And the data stays just like it was before washing. Except cleaner.

Here I Am...Can We Talk?

In order to avoid planning classes, or thinking up new sales and marketing ideas for my fiber arts shop, I've decided to start a blog. I'm very good at procrastination and avoidance.

Hmmm. Unfortunately, I can't think of anything truly witty and wonderful to say, so I'll just start off with an invitation for you to visit my shop's website - www.atlooseends.com

I wanted to be able to create and maintain the site myself, so I found some Mac software from England called Freeway Pro to help me design and publish the website. My background is in graphic design, and this software acts just like the various print design software I've used (unlike Adobe GoLive which was completely incomprehensible to me. I gave it away...gladly!) There's a few design issues I would like to remedy (like figuring out how to wrap text around images, and how to tighten up the spacing), but I guess it's not bothering me enough yet to take care of it.
Anyway, enjoy the website. Come by the shop for a visit if you're in the lakes area of Minnesota (hmmm, where are there NOT lakes in Minnesota??!)

Time to wrap things up for today. Remember, when you're at loose ends, just play with fiber!