Saturday, February 23, 2008

A Long Week

New products for the website, inserts out of date, projects stacking up and the brain is just refusing to fire up. What's a yarn store owner to do???
The last few weeks have been dog busy! I cannot seem to decide what has more importance. My list of chores is prioritized. Yes. They are all marked with a #1, the most important level!

I was able to mark a few off my list this Saturday morning. With so many yarn pages on my website, I am never, ever caught up. Still on my list is the Lorna's Laces Green Lines Worsted and DK, and the Cascade Heritage sock yarn. But since both are so new that they are not even available to ship yet, those web pages are not as urgent.

But I have stocked Carol Bristol's patterns. ALL of them. So here they sit. This job of posting a page with her patterns will be ginormous!

The shipping inserts also get out of date. I finally got the new colors onto the Lorna's Laces catalog. But soon that will also be out of date again, as there are about 10 new patterns due to arrive next week, and soon (I hope) the Green Lines Worsted & DK.

The Ashland Sky brochure is missing its most recent addition, and the Noni Bag brochure is missing last year's new patterns (and we won't talk about the new patterns due out next month.) The problem with the Noni line is that I don't have the graphics.

My helper Sara, who works 20hours a week, has cut back to not much more than 10hours a week. That additional work load on me, I swear, feels more like 4 hours a day. At a certain point the mind just stops, and all I'm capable of is staring out the window by my desk. Might as well shut things down and take a break.

AKD Inc officers are also quite busy. Because Sarah was not available the day of our conference call monthly board meeting, I was unable to attend and the president cancelled the meeting. Now the board is frantically trying to find a new time next week when we are all free. I feel really bad about that, but sometimes things are just not controllable.

Am so looking forward to summer. The sun has been in and out this week, and February, I swear, really must be the longest month of the year!

Oh, the photo above is a few of my projects still undone. The toddler's vest, my Avalon Twiner sock, a crocheted test piece, and a new yarn sent to me by Cascade to sample up.
In family life, my first born has purchased his first home. A male at 23 yrs old doesn't usually think about buying a home. So we are quite proud. Cody is my husband's 5th child. We have a large family of 6 children (4 his, 2 ours, but I love them all like they were my own--I mean I've been around for 24 years now!!) We are all very close. In the summer, here at our home on the lake and only minutes from the sand dune, it is just one big party.
I'm off to put my feet up or wander around the property, maybe go down the driveway and see my other family who live on the property. Ta-ta!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

More new yarn!

It took a while, but I finally finished scanning and prepping these 8 new colors in the Cascade 220 Paints line for print and web.

I can't decide which one I like the best. Maybe Harbor Beach simply because it is a combination I don't see much. I love how it looks with blue jeans. Now I can't decide if Iwant to knit something fast, like a hat, or maybe a pullover over to wear with my jeans at work.

Finally completed the member's newsletter for the Association of Knitwear Designers, Inc. I was assistant editor for one month when the editor decided to move on. So guess what! I'm now editor. It was a hair raising experience. So far, 2 mistakes have appeared, but everyone was kind and patient with me. A slight alteration and the newsletter will be ready to email out to the yarn companies. I think it is safe now to send to them.

If you are interested, the Association of Knitwear Designers, Inc., is an association that applicants apply to be a member either at the associate or professional level. Your work is previewed before you will be accepted. But if you are serious, this is a great association to be part of. Members teach and get taught by each other. It is a great way to network with the design end of the yarn industry. And there is always a lot going on, and there are many committees really busy with AKD Inc things.

The toddler vests pieces are done. I had to knit one front 3 times just because my notes were so poorly prepared for that size. But did a lot of tech edits over the weekend. Next I should take some in-progress photos just in case I want them for the pattern, and start the seaming.

Yesterday here on the coast of Oregon, it was beautiful. Sunny and it felt like spring. Today, I am looking at a foggy dark overcast day. I was sooooo ready for spring! Now I'm just ready for a nap!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Pastel Paints in Cascade 220 & Pastaza


This is a pretty cool picture. You need to click on the picture so you get the larger version. On the left side is Cascade Pastaza. On the right is the same color in Cascade 220. I don't know why, but I really like Pastaza. I love the sheen it has, and I enjoy working with the yarn. It does itch if you wear it next to your skin, and you get a little warm, but you cannot beat it for cardigans, hats, vests and so on.

and the way it takes the dye colors is just mouth watering.

Top row is #9842 Coral Beach.
2nd row is 9848 Aqua Sol.
3rd row is 9846 Flower Forest.
4th row is 9843 Paradise.

More colors are coming!




More colors, but I didn't have colors in both lines.

The first bag on the left is Pastaza #9921 Caribbean Sea. Don't you just love the colors!
Followed by 4 bags of Cascade 220.
#9847 Montego Bay,
#9833 Captain's Bay,
#9850 Spring Bay, and
#9849 Harbour Beach.

Soon I'll have the missing colors in both lines. I do stock all the colors in Pastaza and Cascade 220 whether they are good sellers or not.

Up in the upper right had corner you see the backs to 2 of the baby vests I'm working on. Yes, my patterns take eons to complete. This cold really set me back. Yesterday afternoon while my Friday group was here, I was able to wire the backs. After everyone left, I blocked them. That's my blocking board you see under the bags of yarn. This morning, I removed the wires and set them aside so I could take the pictures I promised you this morning.

These colors are not quite up on the Pastaza and Cascade 220 yarn pages. But they will be by Sunday evening.

Now I must skedaddle because I have a lot of orders to ship out for a Saturday morning!
tata for now!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb and Shepherd Sport

Last but not the least, photos of the 2 final lines.



Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb

Starting from top left: Huron, moving across is Winona.2nd row is Butterscotch, then Edgewater.Bottom row is Apple Hill, then Pilsen

OOohhh, nice stuff!!



Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport


Starting from top left: Huron, moving across is Winona.2nd row is Butterscotch, then Edgewater.Bottom row is Apple Hill (coming soon), then Pilsen

Tomorrow watch for photos of the new colors of Cascade's Hand Dyed yarns in Cascade 220 and Pastaza!