So. I Did A Thing . . .

 After two years of using my recreational vehicle as a mobile store, I am retiring it in favour of a vehicle better suited to non-recreational use.

Did I enjoy having all the comforts of home with me while travelling from market to market? Absolutely! Is that going to keep me from discarding it in favour of a vehicle with way more usable space? Absolutely not! And when that vehicle makes it impossible for the physically challenged customers to have an excuse for not coming in? You know I’m switching vehicles!

So the vehicle in question is a newer shuttle bus complete with a wheelchair lift, so not only is it wheelchair friendly but it will also make it much easier to do indoor shows again - if that ever happens - because moving displays will be so much easier than trying to squeeze through a 21” doorway. And even though the motorhome had more storage space inside and out, the bus has more accessible storage and allows customers to shop the entire stock of yarn instead of just what is on display- every single week! Can you tell I’m all in to make this version of The Crafty Lady not just survive but thrive?

In case you’re an English major critiquing my excessive use of exclamation points, I’m EXCITED! That’s the emotion they were designed to convey and, darn it, I’m gonna use ‘em!

The flip side of this amazing news is that I now have a motorhome to sell. It won’t be back into rv mode until after Thanksgiving but I will post pictures here and various other places (like Kijiji) if you or anyone you know is interested.

Now back to the business of the week. I am stuffing the pop up store with as much of my acrylic yarns as the bins will hold and the upper cabinets will be filled with next week’s offerings just so the ‘not Lacombe and Red Deer’ markets can still get one last chance to purchase them. They will include my Berroco yarns and merino roving.

You will also notice some white boxes and some blue boxes in the final photo. These contain ball winders and swifts. Can you say Christmas presents?

Written by Lori, excited TCL owner, who is going to be working very hard, along with her 87/88 year old mother because she insists she needs the workout, to bring you a brand new pop up store next season!!!!!!

Mom gets two ages for this because she’ll have a birthday while we’re working on this. ;)

Who Ordered This Cold Air?

In case you haven't felt it yet, Fall is in the air.

The wind at the markets is bitingly cold. During the summer months, I looked forward to 18 degrees because it meant changing from my shorts to my capris and maybe covering my shoulders. Now, because of that wind, 18 degrees means pulling out the third layer (shirt + sweater + coat) and wearing thick socks inside my winter boots! I'm really glad there are no outdoor markets in the winter. And, no, sadly my pop up store does not translate into indoor markets.

For some markets, this is the second last (outdoor) market of the season. On display will be Estelle Worsted and Estelle dk, both of which are easy care wool/acrylic blends. Cozy Alpaca, a light worsted alpaca/acrylic blend, will also be available.

To go along with these solid coloured yarns, there will also be a few blends that will play nicely with them, specifically Viva, Mira, Mille Colori and Huenique.

The only one I haven't had a chance to play with is Viva, but I am sure it is just as wonderful as the other three.

While you are in the pop up store petting the yarn, don't forget to check out the needle and hook sets we have. They make great Christmas presents! 😄

written by Lori, usually warm-blooded TCL owner, who is super happy this time of year that she can keep the pop up store's door closed and the furnace on until each market opens.

 

How Many Socks Can You Make Before Christmas?

As crafters, we all know the mad rush to the yarn store so we can make ALL the presents before the gift giving season only to realize once again that we really need to start these projects on Boxing Day for next year.

To make life a little easier this year, make socks or mitts TAAT (two at a time), hats, baby or child sweaters, and even shawls from sock yarn. It comes in various sizes (thicknesses) from 3 ply (for light airy shawls) to 8 ply (for sturdy work socks).

You can see from the photos that the store has a large range of colours (neon bright to subtle) and styles from bold stripes to fades to solids and hand-dyed's. There are also some merino, cashmere and bamboo blends available!

Make sure to get into the store this week, especially if you are in the Camrose area. This is the last week for the outdoor market there and I can't bring the rv indoors when they resume the market inside the Bailey Theatre for the winter months. All the other markets will be winding down as well with most ending by September 30. Lacombe and Red Deer will be finishing up just before Thanksgiving so that gives you less than a month to take advantage of no shipping costs.

written by Lori, TCL owner, who took almost six months to finish a birthday sweater (just squeaking in under the deadline) so I hope you are more successful with your handcrafted gifts this year than I have been so far.
 

Winding Down the Season

Fall is definitely in the air which means the outdoor Farmer's (and Community) Market season is winding down. Because the first final day is coming up shortly (Sept 16 for Camrose), I've decided to do something a little different for the next few weeks. (My valid excuse for this blog being late this week.) Instead of just swapping out last week's yarn for this week's, I am also putting the following week's yarn (or at least most of it) in the overhead cabinets as a way to preview the yarn, especially if the customer won't be there the next week. That means that you can shop the cotton, silk flax and hemp this week as well as scope out most of the sock yarn.

I will continue this until the end of the season. And, who knows. That may become the new normal in the pop up store.

The final market days are as follows:

Ponoka Community Market (outdoors) Sept 27

Stettler Farmer's Market (outdoors) Sept 28

Ponoka Farmer's Market Sept 29

Wetaskiwin Farmer's Market Sept 29

Lacombe Farmer's Market Oct 8

Red Deer Downtown Farmer's Market Oct 9

If you are wanting to take advantage of the free shipping (aka delivery to the market) make sure to place your order no later than the Monday before the final week. Any order placed during the final week may not be able to be picked in time to be delivered and then you'll either have to pay shipping or make arrangements to pick up at the warehouse.

As for the pictures of the sky, God was out with his paintbrush leaving beautiful brushstrokes in the air on Saturday when it was still bitingly cold. When I was taking these pictures, one of the other vendors offered to take my picture for me. He thought I was trying to take a selfie in front of my motorhome so I pointed out the beautiful show the clouds were performing that he'd been too busy setting up to notice. Sometimes it's the little things in life that make things alright.

And right now we need those little things. With the mask mandate back in full swing, I will be layering up in more ways than one.

There is a new sign in the store.

Since the mask rules are for indoor venues, along with the door being open, I will be keeping open all vents and windows to allow for outdoor style ventilation, which means it may get pretty chilly in the pop up store. During inclement weather, I will require masks because only the door will be open those days. So pray for beautiful weather until Thanksgiving!

written by Lori, TCL owner, who has thoroughly enjoyed the market season so far - meeting new people, reconnecting with others and actually getting a tan in the process. 😀