Summertime, and the learnin’ is easy…
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 Posted in Current Issue, Events | No Comments »Well, perhaps summer isn’t all vacation for all of us (man, kids don’t know how good they have it!), but it is still a great season to be out and about… So why not mosey on over to Halcyon Yarn for a fun fiber class? We have a great line up and still some space available. And the range of topics is far ranging - there is sure to be something of interest for everyone. Here are some links to classes by topic:
- Dyeing (4 classes)
- Felting (6 classes)
- Knitting (5 classes)
- Rug Making (4 classes)
- Spinning (4 classes)
- Weaving (4 classes)
How will you make time for all of those interesting opportunities? Well, unfortunately we can’t get you your summers off… But we hope most folks can swing an afternoon or day to get in on some learning fun! How can you resist this:
Intensive Beginning Spinning: Wed & Thurs, July 9 & 10 or Aug 22 & 23
Light Work: Handweaving a Transparency: Sat & Sun, July 26 & 27
World Wide Knit in Public Day Celebrations and Awards
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 Posted in Current Issue, Events | No Comments »Well, we had a great time looking at the photos from all over after World Wide Knit in Public Day. What a great event and one we will be celebrating every year! Here are some of our favorite photos and quotes, check ‘em out, enjoy, and then go KIP!
From Sunny Southern California:
“Hundreds of people visiting the Huntington Botanical Garden and Library in San Marino California Saturday June 14 were surprised to see eighteen people sitting in the beautiful Herb Garden knitting, spinning, weaving, kumihimo-ing, and dyeing with the garden plants. They had stumbled upon the Ninth Annual Fiber Arts Event with the South Coast Weavers and Spinners Guild (Orange County) and Saturday Spinners (Los Angeles County). What a delightful setting! And what fun to see so many ladies of all ages enjoying sharing their craft.” -Margaret Carlberg.
Keepin’ outta the heat, KIP-in’ in Florida:
To the left you can see how these folks in Florida found a great way to keep cool while knitting in public, head to the mall! Thanks to Pat for sending along some great photos.
Then there are those who like a little sun after a long northern winter, WWKIPD in Cohoes NY:
“BeauKnits Yarn Shop is located in Cohoes, NY. All of our area yarn shops participated in the event. We decided to hold KIP outside each of our shops rather than in one central location because of the high cost of gasoline. [This] is a photo taken outside of BeauKnits, Ltd. on KIP Day.” -Barbara Hildreth
I know a little Cafe in Frenchtown…
“Our group started with two people, Carol Esch and Judy Serbinski, who had knitted together at a yoga studio in Frenchtown and decided to meet in The Bridge Cafe in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Each Wednesday as we knitted, more and more women walked in, or found out about the group from friends, and it has now grown to a weekly group of more than 35 knitters. Meetings are open at The Bridge Cafe in Frenchtown, NJ from 9:30 to 12:00 every Wednesday and you can even stay and have a wonderful lunch! Members range from an emergency medical technician to a Grammy Award winning harpist, a gardening author and expert, a knitwear designer, several artists, teachers and very warm, welcoming and talented women. ” -Carol Esch, Frenchtown, NJ.
Knitting in New Mexico:
The folks at the Unravel Yarn Shop and Gallery in Las Cruces found a great place out of the hot southern sun but in the public eye. What a pleasant way to spend an afternoon! Photo by Greg Thomas, submitted by Deb Thomas.
Makes you want to Knit in Jersey:
John Dalton took some photos of his wife Denise and friends knitting in Hoboken, NJ. Despite the beautiful and bustling location, Denise reported “This year, no one asked us what we were doing or in fact even gave us a second look, so maybe WWKIP Day has succeeded in freeing any man, woman and child in Hoboken to knit in public.”
Across the pond, Knitting in NEW England:
“Well I was at the Frog Pond on Cohasset Common at 1 pm, as listed. Over the next thirty minutes, three more knitters arrived and we had a great time. I learned about the Ravelry website and worked on socks as did several others - easy to carry. It was fun!” -From Judy O’Neil, Massachusetts, the knitter all in yellow!
Across the BIG POND, from fiber friends in Brighton, Sussex, England:
No word on where they found a pattern for those HUGE knitting needles, but this big group found a super scenic place to KIP: “Here is a group of intrepid knitters on the beach in Brighton, England - a little bit more windy than we would have wished for - but, hey , it wasn’t raining!!!” -Kathleen Reeves
OK, drum roll please….
So, what an honor to have shared in the excitement of WWKIPD! Thanks to all who sent along photos and stories. Each was unique, and gave us a glimpse of the fiber world beyond our borders. After long hard deliberation, we awarded a Halcyon Yarn Tote Bag and Discount Certificate in our two categories, as follows:
In the category of best “WWKIPD Photo of Knitting”, the prize goes to Kathleen Reeves, for her photo of the “intrepid knitters on the beach”.
in the best “WWKIPD Photo of Fiberarts Other than Knitting” category the prize goes to Margaret Carlberg, for her beautiful, verdant photo of a diverse group of fiber artists including two folks spinning in public.
Congratulations to Kathleen and Margaret, and thanks again to ALL! We hope to “see” you again next year.
All images in this post are released under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial- No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please contact Amos if you need further information regarding individual images.
Special Request for Independence Day: A Knit-A-Long
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 Posted in Current Issue, Events | 21 Comments »HALCYON YARN ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST KNITALONG!!
[UPDATE: OK, the patterns are available in our forum. Feel free to download them and get started. Also, feel free to join the forum so that you can talk with others from all over about this project!]
A couple of months ago, we received a call from Marla Phelps in Tenants Harbor, a fishing community on the St. George Peninsula, gateway to Maine’s beautiful Penobscot Bay. Marla’s son Sgt. Michael Wall, is a career soldier stationed in Afghanistan, where the winters are very cold — perhaps even colder than Maine winters. Remembering the warm woolen fisherman mittens his grandmother used to make, Sgt. Wall asked her to make 16 pairs for his unit. Unfortunately, Mrs. Wall doesn’t knit any more and couldn’t remember the pattern she used … so Michael’s family asked Halcyon Yarn for help.
Well, we knew right away we wanted to do something. Not only were we moved by the story, and intrigued by the challenge, but we also already have ties to the region. Halcyon had organized a the donation of a container load of fiber and knitting supplies to Afghanistan. Finally, our own Beth Hood’s son, Nolan, is also stationed there, so the impact of events abroad has been brought home in a very real way.
Based on the classic Maine fisherman mitten, and incorporating other features requested by Sgt. Wall, we’ve designed a mitten we’ve named the “Soldier’s Glomitt”. I
t’s made from warm, durable 100% wool yarn, and the top flips back to reveal fingerless gloves for detailed tasks.
Halcyon Yarn and Michael’s mother Marla are asking for your help in achieving Michael’s goal of 16 pairs of glomitts — or even surpassing it!
The glomitt pattern can be downloaded from our website, along with suggestions for yarn and finishing ideas. We do request that you use 100% wool yarn — no synthetics, please — in subdued neutral colors — black, dark green, grays, or browns. You may personalize them if you wish — perhaps with some subtle striping or patterning, adding texture or cabling.
The first 16 pairs will go to Sgt. Wall and his unit, but we hope we’ll receive enough to send to other troops in Afghanistan as well.
As a special thank you, the names of all the knitters who send us glomitts for Afghanistan will be entered into a drawing for a Halcyon Yarn $50 Gift Certificate. But the greatest reward, of course, is knowing that you’ve doing something positive to help our troops.
We have set up a “Forum” for this knitalong, where you will be able to talk to others who have joined, introduce yourself, post pictures of your work, and ask for help or offer advice. We will also have two patterns available for download (for free, of course!). In order to join, please visit this page:
A heartfelt thanks to all you hardy knitters!
UPDATE: OK, the patterns are available in our forum. Feel free to download them and get started. Also, feel free to join the forum so that you can talk with others from all over about this project!
World Wide Knit in Public Day - and Photo Contest
Friday, June 13th, 2008 Posted in Events | No Comments »
This idea started this morning as a groggy Friday “who knew?” comment, and several hours later we were so excited we’d created a full blown contest! Here is the deal: This Saturday is World Wide Knit in Public Day. We’d never heard of it, but it’s actually really cool. The idea is to create community, shed stereotypes, and have fun knitting in public! There is a history of this growing event and a listing of some public events at this site. Find a KIP (knit in public) and get in on the excitement!
Well, getting in on the game late this year, we can’t really 
organize our own event effectively… but we want to share in the excitement, so we want to see your photos of your WWKIP day! We’ll post some of our favorites in a future newsletter, and we’re also rewarding the best photo with a sweet prize: A Halcyon Yarn Tote Bag (all the better to knit in public, my precious) and a gift certificate for 15% off any fiber that you purchase (to help you fill the bag with the fiber of your choice, redeemable when you are awarded your free prize bag)!
And that’s not all, we want to include all fiber artists - so, we’ll give an additional prize pack to the best “not knitting but still a fiber art in public” (NKBSAFAIP) photo! That’s right, this is a chance for all you crocheters, hookers, kumihimo-ers, felters, braiders, spinners, and (oh we hope!) weavers, to show your stuff in public!!
These photos are just our attempt to get in on the action during lunch today… a beautiful day to knit in public, and what really got us excited about this awesome event! We had a great time outside, got some funny looks from the Rt. 1 traffic, and helped to raise awareness about what we do. We’re looking forward to hearing back from y’all and seeing how you do it!
So, get your fiber out in public, agree to our contest rules (below), and then send your photos to our nerd-master (er, web-master) Amos at: mis@halcyonyarn.com . Entries will be accepted until a week from this Saturday (AKA, June 21st, 2008).
Contest Rules: All photo submissions must be your original work. By submitting your work you agree to allow us to display your work on our website or in print, and you acknowledge that you will receive no compensation from us (unless you win one of the prizes). You agree to allow us to distribute your work under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please give us your name so that we may acknowledge authorship if your work is selected for publication. Two prize packs as described above will be awarded; one will be for “knitting related” and one will be for “other than knitting” fiber arts in public photos. Judging and selection of photos in based on artistic merit and expressiveness of the spirit of World Wide Knit in Public Day. Judging is at our sole discretion and our decisions, while perhaps imperfect, are final. We try our best to be fair. Thanks and good luck!
Blue as the Ocean, Blue as the Sky: Indigo Days Workshop!
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 Posted in Events | 2 Comments »
We have a special event going on this summer, Indigo Days! What better time to celebrate the rich and varied hues of blue that surround us…
Indigo - the color that made Levi Strauss rich!…Let us initiate you into the mysteries of indigo in our summer hands-on dyeing workshop where you will dye your prepared fleece, yarn, or woven fabric. Halcyon staff will set up indigo dye pots so you can dye your own fiber projects. Safe dyeing procedures will be emphasized and you will learn how to set up your own dye baths at home.
Cost: $20 one pound & under, $10 each additional pound.
Weaving RX: The Weaver is IN! And other classes for this summer.
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 Posted in Events | No Comments »
This summer just keeps getting better! Here are some highlights from our learning center:
Weaving RX: If you’re a weaver with questions and/or problems with a project or loom, or need assistance planning a new project, Halcyon’s master weaver is available to help on the third Thursday of the month. Bring your questions, projects, show & tell to the third floor classroom and receive a prescription for success! Access to Halcyon Yarn’s reference library is also available. Come for one, or come for all, it’ll be a good time every time! Thurs: June 19, July 17, Aug 21. At only $5 per session it is a learning bargain.
Knit for the Cure: Using Skacel’s limited edition sock kit featuring specially dyed “Pink Ribbon” Trekking XXL sock wool, knitters will learn new techniques while supporting breast cancer research. The sock includes a ribbon motif, cables and beaded accents, and is finished off with a “star” toe. 
All net proceeds from the sale of the kits will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Center. Participants should have mastered basic knitting skills and have experience knitting on double pointed needles. This class isn’t until later this summer, but we’re excited about it and wanted to get the word out early! Your very own kit is included in the class fee. Class is worked over two dates, Fri, Aug 1 & 8. Class fee: $75.00.
