Saturday, November 24, 2012

Black Friday Sale!!!

It's not too late to save 20% off your order at our Etsy Shop with our Black Friday Sale!  It runs through Monday.  Just use coupon code BF2012 when you check out.  Besides lots of yarns, we're also well stocked with hand knit items (we won't tell!)

Speaking of hand knits, here are a few pictures of my sister's baby, my Blueberry, in some of the things I've knit for her.  Because adorable is meant to be shared!



Sunday, November 11, 2012

Viva the Foundry!

Yesterday, we were at The Foundry's Second Saturday Sale - what a great afternoon!! They had a great variety of vendors, yummy snacks and a really charming venue. Thanks to great advertising, we had lots of visitors - human and canine alike! There were many hand-crafts; from beautiful stationery to feathered hair accessories as well as up-cylced wooden frames, stools and pegboards. So many lovely shops and people. Here's a link to the Foundry for more info: http://thefoundrybuffalo.org/ Please come and visit us for the two December dates - the 8th and 15th (the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays). 298 Northampton St, Buffalo from 12-5. My new hats and loop scarves went quickly - coming soon are some wool hats from gorgeous handspun yarn and more loop scarves. I promise to post some photos here when it's all ready to go! Keep and eye on our etsy shop! We're planning on some great gift ideas for the holiday with, as usual, lovely colorways from S to fill all of your knitting desires - two of which come in sparkly! It's that time of year when what we want to knit for ourselves or loved ones clashes with what we need to knit as gifts, or in our case, for business. Ah, the eternal business v. pleasure conundrum. :) The method I'm using lately to bring balance to it all is to alternate between a "want to" piece and a "have to" piece. For me, that's a new loop scarf trading places with my wedding veil. Yes, I'm knitting my own wedding veil! I'm hoping it will take on heirloom status in the future, but for now, it's going one long lace row at a time as the big day looms closer - 12/9/12. I'm very lucky to be marrying a man who is very supportive of my knitting addiction. For the most part, he turns a blind eye to the stashing and I mostly keep it hidden in closets and under the bed. There's a bag out on the porch too....but we won't talk about that right now. :) He's also an ideal knitter's husband because he expresses appropriate oohs and aahs at my projects and is impressed by argyle socks. He's also never requested a black cabled sweater. But enough bragging about J. I just hope this veil blocks like a dream and one of my cats doesn't nap on it while it's drying. For this week, I need to make a new light box and make some more headway on the veil. I would love to knit 2 more items for the store and organize the porch-yarn. That's just the knitting to-do list, let's not talk about the wedding to-do list! Anyway, my hands are itching for some needles and I think I'll poke around on Ravelry..... May all your cables twist the right way... ~L

Friday, November 9, 2012

KnitCore at The Foundry!

We will have a table this Saturday at The Foundry. What is The Foundry? It's a place for local artists, artisans and small businesses that promotes cooperation, community and shared inspiration. And it's a once a month craft show for local artists. This month they will have live music by Sol Y Sombra, food by Three Brothers Catering and lots of artists and artisans selling their goods. It's from 12-5 at 298 Northampton Street. Come down and check it out, and maybe pick up a few gifts for the holidays!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Field Trip to the Farm!

Instead of meeting at Dolci like we normally do, a couple weekends ago we met at Thistle Creek Alpaca Farm in East Aurora for a tour. The owners, Jeanne and Brad, talked to us about how they got into alpacas, the progress they've made in the last several years, the struggles and benefits of raising alpacas and all about the fiber! We love the fiber! We got to head out to the barn and meet their over 30 alpacas, many of them rescues: They all have names and seem to know them. Thunder is the cutie with the hay on his face. Duncan is the adorable teddy bear faced boy next to him. Jedi is the tall grey suri with the long, lovely locks in the last picture. I bought some of her roving to spin from their store, along with some hand dyed batts blended with local kid mohair. We learned a lot about the different alpaca breeds, about their habits and personalities and their care. We laughed as they spit at each other while fighting over hay, yet how unnerved they were to have people around them. Apparently alpaca only spit when they feel threatened, unlike llama, who just like to spit. We marveled at all the gorgeous colours they come in and giggled as the girls flirted with the boys who are kept in a separate pen (for their own safety, it seems!) Did you know the gestational period for an alpaca is 11 months and 2 weeks? Makes 9 months seem like a cake walk, doesn't it? After petting the barn cat and letting the alpaca nibble our fingers, we headed back to the store to shop. I'm always supporting and promoting local fiber producers and this is no different. Jeanne and Brad have a great selection of alpaca products from their own alpacas and from around the world; sweaters and hand knit toys, ornaments, felted alpaca dolls, furry teddy bears and warm hiking socks. They also have hand knit items made by friends and family using their own mill spun yarns and hand dyed yarns and batts. If you're looking for unique and meaningful gifts for the holidays or need to add some alpaca to your stash, I recommend giving them a call and stopping by. They are usually home on weekends and would love to show you around. Their website is currently under construction, but they can be reached at 716.725.8238 or you can find them on Facebook. (Check out the photo of their beautiful grey huacaya that just placed at a recent show! She's gorgeous!) If you can't make it out before the holiday season, mark your calendar for 2013 National Alpaca Days, the 28th and 29th of September. They have an open house with demonstrations, food (this year they had a winery!) and all sorts of fun things to see and do! You don't want to miss it! Happy Crafting!! SereKnitty

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Yarn Shop in the Finger Lakes!

I was on Seneca Lake this weekend doing a wine tour when I stumbled upon this place:
It was one of those "YARN SHOP! STOP THE CAR!!!!" moments. And I was not disappointed. The owner was friendly and helpful and they had a great selection. I was sorely tempted by all the Schaefer Yarns they had in stock. The yarn is produced in the Finger Lakes region, so if you're interested in sourcing your yarns locally and supporting local dyers, they're a great place to start. You know, after KnitCore. :P Besides the beautiful colourways and gorgeous yarns, I love that the colours are all named after Memorable Women. Each skein has a little bio that tells you about that woman. What a great concept! I forwent the yarns, though, and bought some local roving in a pretty autumnal colourway that I can't wait to spin. It's a blend of a couple different sheep wools, so it'll be fun to see how it turns out.
Best of all was the rescued momma kitty and her 5 babies. 2 were her own and 3 were further rescues that she is taking care of. They're all living in the back of the shop where they are being adored by owners and patrons alike awaiting homes of their very own. I was too busy cuddling the kittens and petting the proud momma to get pictures, but trust me, they were adorable! If you're looking to adopt... So, add Finger Lakes Fibers in Watkins Glen to your list if you're ever in the area. It's worth the trip and a nice break from all the Rieslings! Happy Crafting! Sereknitty

Friday, November 2, 2012

Knitters Guild Vendor Night!

Last night, we were a vendor at the Buffalo Knitting Guild's Vendor night! Check out our beautiful table!
There were many lovely vendors - local places and some out-of-town visitors (including an awesome alpaca farm from Ithaca!). We didn't totally sell-out of everything, so we have a few pieces left over. Check out our Etsy shop to see the remaining treasures! Here are a few pictures of yarn to tempt you:
We're now accepting Etsy gift cards so you can give KnitCore for the holidays! If you're looking for a last-minute knitted gift (and have run out of time to do it yourself) check out the new selection of foxy neckwear by loloknits.....coming soon..... :) More soon from the busy crafting girls at KnitCore, Lolo and Sereknitty