There’s Something About Routine

Some routines are easy and others not so much. Exercising daily is easy - until you skip a few days. Then it can be SO difficult to get back into the groove.

Having your weekend shift by one day can throw everything else off balance. I don’t know how shift workers with irregular shifts do it! Since the Red Deer markets started, it has been a struggle to get the blog done for Monday because Sunday has been feeling like Monday and Monday has been feeling like Sunday, especially since we haven’t been attending physical church for a few months now. Markets continue for another few months and blogging for Tuesday just makes more sense than trying to get the pop up store picture perfect in one day.

Speaking of - we are closing in on the final week(s) of our yarn rotation, so soon you will be seeing repeats of yarns that have been showcased already! Yay! This week is for hairy yarns - some of which are meant for trim and others which are meant to give an entire project a fun and funky look. 

To balance it out there is also Universal Major, a Marble Chunky copycat that I didn’t have room for last week.

I also decided to see whether or not buttons can withstand the earthquake of travelling from one destination to the next.

You can see from the photos that my mannequins have their own little corrals for travelling. So far they’ve worked beautifully. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I don’t have too much button cleanup to deal with once I get to the market each day.

Written by Lori, much calmer TCL owner, now that I’ve given myself an extra day to prep the blogs. 

Change in blogging publication day

 Good morning everyone! Since Farmer’s Market season has begun, it has been hard keeping up with Monday 9am blog posts. My weekends have shifted from Saturday-Sunday to Sunday-Monday, meaning I am knee deep in the yarn changeover in the RV and it is not picture worthy until later in the day on Monday. Because of that, going forward I will be posting Tuesday mornings at 9am. Hope that doesn’t mess with anybody’s plans. 😉

Written by Lori, frazzled TCL owner, who’s getting her life as well as her RV rearranged. 

There's Acrylic and Then There's Acrylic!

 This week in the pop up store we are featuring James C. Brett yarns from the UK.

On the left when you walk into the store, you will find all the Flutterby, a 100% polyester chenille yarn that works to the same gauge as Bernat Blanket but is so much softer and drapey. It is the best yarn (in my humble opinion) for baby blankets, and I have also used it in a simple kid's T-shirt pattern. 

To round out the colour choices, I have included Universal Bella Chenille which is basically the same yarn but comes in a smaller ball (120m vs 176m). Also on that side is the chunkier Flutterby Animal Prints which will appeal to those with a wilder side. 😉

On the right side you will find the acrylic yarn known as 'the wool lover's acrylic'. As a person who works with yarn, you know that it is difficult to buy yarn without touching it first. The 'hand' of a yarn can make all the difference to whether or not the finished product is loved to death or thrown in the corner or pushed to the back of a closet never to be seen again.

For those, like me, who have trouble working with non-Merino wool and only had the scratchy wool to choose from as a beginner knitter, acrylic was the go to yarn. To be fair, things have changed but, in the '70's, a lot of that yarn felt like plastic. Some still does. James C. Brett's line of Marble yarns, on the other hand, does not feel like plastic. It feels like a quality, non-itchy wool to those who prefer the natural fibres. Hence, it's nickname. 

That side has also been rounded out with some Marble wannabe's from other manufacturers and, while the colours are on par with the quality one would expect from JCB, you will notice, upon handling, that some of them are slightly more plastic-y than the Marble yarns.

You will also notice that a number of my patterns make use of these JCB yarns so check those out too while you're in the store this week.

written by Lori, tardy TCL owner, who neglected to realize it was Monday until after supper, so I apologize for the late blog entry. I'll try to not let it happen again.

Surprise, Surprise! Y’all Wanna Pet the Yarn!

 Honestly it’s no surprise at all. What’s the point of yarn shopping when there’s no way to tell if your skin or someone else’s is going to love being wrapped up in your fibre of choice? Seriously everybody wanted to pet this shawl I was working on between customers.

Sadly this means I will be searching for new venues for Tuesdays and Thursdays. Until Stettler moves their market outdoors (or lets me park outdoors while the other vendors remain indoors) I will be looking for another Tuesday outdoor alternative. Stettler moved their market outdoors! Woohoo! And until I fit into the 20% of retail vendors, Leduc is out. Sad really, because I have loyal customers in both areas. They just don’t want kits.

In the meantime, you guys have been showing up at Wetaskiwin, Lacombe and Red Deer. See? Yarn petting is a real thing 😁 and the yarns you get to pet this week are all man made fibres - mostly acrylic (the quality kind) and some polyester/nylon blends. My patterns will also be making an appearance again this week along with knitting looms which I haven’t had room to display up until this week.

So everyone come out and enjoy the weather and a little yarn petting this week.

Written by Lori, happy TCL owner, who looks forward to seeing each and every one of you in the pop up store.

Typical May Long Weekend Weather

 Whether you consider it a global warming crisis or just the Earth breathing like it has for the past thousands or millions of years, the old saying 'April showers bring May flowers' feels a little different the past few years. It has snowed well into May and despite Mother Nature's best efforts to discourage them, the vegetables in the garden and the flowers in their beds are growing. As if to thumb its nose at Mother Nature, the crabapple tree in the back yard has created its own snow cover, all untouched by the low overnight temperatures.

Why do I bring this up on a yarn store's blog page? This weather has affected us all. Whether it is stabilizing or de-stabilizing our mood or solidifying our desire to stay indoors or venture out for a brisk walk, one thing is certain. This cool, almost fall-like weather, has a lot of us wanting to knit or crochet.

Surprisingly, since the Farmer's Markets opened earlier this month, more people are roaming the outdoor markets than are enjoying the more sheltered indoor ones. That makes me happy because the pop up store delivers so much more bang for the customers' buck when they can actually pet the yarn. 😀

Speaking of yarn, this week we will be focusing on sock yarns and merino roving.

written by Lori, happy TCL owner, who's looking forward to warmer days ahead.

This Week - a Hybrid!

This week I get to try something a little different with the pop up store. So far, I've been indoors with my kits in Stettler and outdoors with the full service rv in Wetaskiwin. This Thursday I get to set up my indoor layout outside under the awning of the rv at Leduc. Thankfully, that means I won't have to carry everything as far as I normally do and it will be nice to be out in the fresh air with everyone else.

I don't mind making up the kits and selling my patterns and yarn that way but the people who visit the markets where I do that to fit into the 'handmade' 80% miss the weekly changes in the retail setup in the rv.

I mean, just look at the needle and hook selection alone!

For those of you who will be joining me at Wetaskiwin (on Wednesday) and Red Deer (on Saturday), the offerings will include cotton, cotton blends, bamboo blends, silk and most of the Berroco lines I have in stock. And let me tell you how happy I am that I have from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning to swap out the products every week! I got a head start this week because I still had Friday and Saturday free. I won't be so fortunate for the next few months.

written by Lori, sleepy TCL owner, who hopes to see you at one of the four locations this week.

Quick Update

 Good afternoon to my popup shoppers! Lakedell Farmer's Market is currently at its maximum for retail vendors so will not be there for the forseeable future. I will keep you posted if anything changes. Have a great weekend!