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In honor of the Mother’s who knit us, a Rare Gem Mill End Sale!

In homage to Mother’s Day this Sunday, we are having another one of our Rare Gem Mill End Sales. I’m so smitten with the whole idea of celebrating mothers with Rare Gem (one-of-a-kind as we all are) Mill Ends (a wee bit flawed, completely useful, and extremely thrifty) that I can barely get over myself.

As a mother, which has been my favorite job, I am a work in progress, learn as I go kind of mom – most certainly not perfect. As I’ve been mulling all of this over, I’m thinking this might be one of the best gifts I’ve given my children, this ability to see that they can count on me, but that I am human and as such. I make mistakes—mistakes that I own up to and work on in whatever way is needed to remedy them and move forward. Some of my most memorable mothering moments involve saying, “I’m sorry, I was wrong,” not because I enjoy it—because believe me, I don’t actually like being wrong—but because of the depth intimacy and honesty it affords. So…I guess that makes me a mill-end kind of mom and that I’ll take.

Mothers are all kinds of wonder, from that crowning first moment to…well, forever, actually. I think it’s rewarding on too many levels to count, extremely important work, and hard as hell. I wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything. I am so grateful for all three of the lovely people that are my children (you know who you are).

One of the other things we are doing this weekend, in honor of all mothers gracing the planet, is that for every order that comes through our web portal starting at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today and going until midnight on Sunday, we’re going to donate $1.00 to Doctors without Borders.

Those of you that are new to our Rare Gem Mill End Sales, a Rare Gem is a yarn that, for some reason or another, has not met our rigid color criteria for selling as a specific colorway. We save them up, over-dye them and take them to shows . A few years ago you, our not local online customers, requested an online sale so you too could partake. We weren’t sure about this because each and every single one is different so it isn’t cost effective to put photos up of them for you to see. This is especially true if they are also Mill Ends, which are already marked down. You, our customers, said it didn’t matter to you, so we took that to heart and had our first ever sale, and it was great success for us all. After I thought about it, I realized that I would also buy these products sight unseen because I really have yet to meet a Rare gem I didn’t love. There’s just too much color in there not to find something wonderful about them. (I might have several bins of them in the storage pod.)

One of our barn rules is that if there are rare gems hanging to dry, I’m not allowed in for that very short window of time. I have little to no resistance at all in relationship to them. I’m not exaggerating one little bit…it’s bad. So bad that recently, when we dyed some up for a few of the shows, and I had to be in the barn, there might have been a small incident. Debra walked by the table where I was bundling some of these beauties and asked what the two piles were. I pretended I didn’t hear her and kept right on bundling and singing. If you’ve met Debra you know how well that tactic worked. She Tina’d me as she does in this way that makes me feel about 5 years old, and that I completely deserve, so… I told her one was for selling and one was for keeping. She sighed—you know that deep drawn-out put-upon sigh that on the out breath says, “You are on my last nerve and I can’t believe I have to put up with this again”? So, I did what anyone with a healthy sense of self preservation would do. I combined the two piles and continued bundling. I didn’t even mumble anything under my breath about how this is my business and, really, if I want some rare gems, I should be able to have them, dang it…

Anyway… Rare Gems, Mill Ends, and how it works:

We divide the Rare Gems into 3 different color categories: Fire, Water, and Earth. You order, with no small bit of faith in us, I know, sight unseen from one of these three categories and the descriptions there of.

The descriptions are as follows:

 Earth:

Picture a big pile of fallen leaves. As all the bright glowing growing energy returns to the earth it deepens and shades with browns, grays and black but mostly in browns.

All shades of browns speckled with green and gold and a spot or two of red maybe and maybe some

muddiness as it all breaks down. These rare gems are created by over-dyeing from the different colors of brown.

Fire:

Red hot warmth. All colors of fire here from rich and warm reds and oranges to bright hot pink in your face ones.

Be careful when you open these. We would not want you to get burned.

Water:

When light hits water it reflects and shimmers, creating jewels. These watery colorways are over-dyed with

blue, green and purple, which gives us our jewel like sea tones. A wee bit or pink might sneak it’s way in here,but it will be a cool jewel. Azure…emerald…amethyst. The world

most certainly is our color oyster.

The Rare Gems go LIVE tomorrow (Saturday) at 4:00 pm Eastern time and stay up until they sell out. They do tend to go fast.

There will be a link to them on the homepage and the side nav bar after you go to Shop online.

As these Rare Gems are Mill Ends and the pricing is $16.00 for the lightweight ones and $18.00 for the mediumweight ones.

If you are a sock club member and want to use your discount code you are more than welcome to.

You can even order other yarns to you do not have to just order Rare Gems!

I think that covers the details.

Happy Mother’s Day.  I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

I might have a problem…

….just a wee little one, I think, Although I believe Rosie is of a different opinion.

Rosie: ‘hey Tina did you take that yarn that was on the table?” Me: “Maaaaybe.” Rosie, as she walks over, takes yarn back and looks me sternly in the eye: “ I thought we agreed. You could take yarn from the wall as long as you put it back, but you can’t touch yarn on the table, without asking.” Me: I was going to put it right back. I only need it for the briefest of seconds, because look Rosebud… it’s the perfect match up with Pond Scum and Neptune.”

Rosie (as she puts arm around my shoulders): “It’s beautiful Tina and I usually find this part of you quite fetching but… maybe, just maybe, this can go back to being the thing you do at night when you can’t sleep and we’re not here. ok?” Me: I guess.

So… because I love Rosie, knitters and life, and I’m paying her to get a job done in an efficient timely manner, I have reined it in. taken to scouring the barn for colour combo’s in the middle of the night when there are no witnesses. 

There are not enough hours in the day.  As you can plainly see you could put these three together and see how well Pond Scum, Ciruela and Ursula play?

But what if if you take the Ciruela and replace her with Mulberry?

or… put Mulberry with Marina and Smoke on the Water.

…and then Marina spots her hue-mates Lunasea and Tempest and goes off with them while Bittersweet joins Mulberry and Smoke.

You see my my problem right?

Meanwhile… my shawl looks like this:

While Deb’s shawl looks like this:

So much colour… so little time! 

I add in the second colour today. I’m so very excited.

ps. Yes there are a few new colourways there and they will be on the website this week. 

We have joining our shadey solid crew: Marina, Neptune, Ciruela, Mulberry, Grasshopper, Spores, Everyday Grey and Ursula.

Multi-Colourway Lissa will also be sneaking in.

Knot Hysteria Gourmet Retreat

As we were weaving in all the loose ends from our colour retreat last November, we started throwing around ideas for future retreats, what would be different, what would be fun. We were looking at some of the feedback we got, and noticed that many knitters had pointed out that our current class structure (a dye class, a knitting class, a spinning class) was fun, but left out those knitters who don’t (yet) spin. We sat down with the fabulous staff at Port Ludlow, and started to talk about what we could do instead of spinning, and the very first suggestion was brilliant, and we’re doing it. From June 22nd until June 26th at the Resort at Port Ludlow, we’ll try our first ever Gourmet retreat. The idea is for you to spend a little time with the nicest possible ingredients… both food, and fiber. Three days jammed packed with luxury fibers and yarns, beautiful foods and cooking, and anything we can think of to do with them. One day dyeing, one day knitting, and one day (be still your beating heart)- one day of gourmet cooking classes.

The Executive Chef at the Inn is Dan Ratigan, who’s not just a wonderful chef, but a skilled teacher and he’s got an amazing day planned. Your adventure will start at the farm, learning how to select the best ingredients. From there you’ll go with Dan into the classroom and start cooking dinner for the rest of your retreat knitters. Chef Dan will lead you though everything you need to create a nutritious, delectable and stunning dinner, teaching you skills that will improve every meal you ever make. From planning, prepping, cooking and plating, all the way through the steps of service, and how to choose the wines to go with your creation. (We both want to take this class from Dan so badly that we can hardly stand it.) The class ends in the dining room – when you serve the meal you created, and we all eat!

In the dye room, Tina Newton will help you work with all the amazing yarns, and how they can best meet their chromatic counterparts. We’ll learn about dyeing coloured yarns -how do you dye brown bison? You’ll create your personal recipes – not just any blue but your very own blue. We’ll delve into sophisticated palettes to go with our sublime yarns. Bring an apron it’s sure to get messy!

In the pretty room overlooking the water, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee will host an all day exploration of knitting with luxurious yarns and the tools that go with them, and how to make the most of these precious ingredients. What are the challenges of cashmere, bison, silk and angora? How do you use them to their best advantage… and how do you take care these valuable projects when they’re finished? If you’re afraid of spending the money on these yarns because you don’t know how to handle them? This is perfect.

The weekend begins when you check in on Friday night, when we’ll gather and welcome you in the Sun room. Over the next three days, you’ll attend classes during the day (punctuated by gourmet meals) and spend the evenings relaxing and learning more about the fibers we’ll be learning to love in really fun ways. (Reeling silk, anyone?) On the last night we’ll have a Q&A and a show and tell, and part from each other sadly.

The price includes all three full-day classes, evening fun, all materials, and breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The food is fabulous, and we promise that there will be very good vegetarian options, and the same flexibility for those of you with food allergies that you’ve come to expect from Port Ludlow. Chef Dan is very excited about being part of our teaching team and we’re expecting even more beautiful food from him than usual – and that’s saying something.

Accommodations are separate and you will arrange those on your own. We have negotiated special prices with Port Ludlow, and there are some shared accommodations (condos and town-homes) if you’d like to come with your friends. We’ll give you the promo code when you sign up, and you can always day-trip if you live close by.

Price for the three day/three class intensive with meals:

$795. (Credit card or paypal are fine) All Materials (except tools) included.

Gift bags, presents and surprises forthcoming.

(If you’re a vendor and you’d like to talk to us about putting a little something gourmet (food, or yarn or anything) in the gift bags, just drop us a line. We’d love it.)

To register, simply send an email to with “Gourmet Retreat” in the subject line, and include your name, address and phone number and a good time to call you, and we’ll ring you to arrange it. We’ll leave registration open as long as there’s room, but it’s an intimate retreat. Don’t wait too long.

Posessed

One of my very favourite games to play is matchy, matchy with all of the skeins of sock yarn hanging on the sock wall of colour in the dye barn.



I like seeing compliments and contrasts who wants to be fast tonal friends and how they all play together. If there is a specific project that has my attention or the attention of the knitter brain at large, well then all the better.

So… this evening I spent an hour putting together colour trios for our current obsession, the affection of colour.  Here’s a few of them. I only used what was hanging there and we are a bit short since we are working on restocking the wall with the brand new larger skeins.

Tumbleweed, Aurora Borealis and Aubergenuis.



Jengu, My Blue Heaven and Twilight.



Manly Yes but I like it to, Morticia and Smoke on the Water.



Falcon’s Eye, Smokey mountain Morn. and Smoke on the Water.



Blue Moonstone, Thraven Fledge and Thraven.



Winter Solstice, Stormy Weather and Black Onyx.



Bleck, Thraven Fledge and Stephen Philip.



China Rose, Briar Rose and Brick.



Winter Solstice, Cozy,Fierce, Dirty Orange and Copperline.



Bleck, Cozy,Fierce, Dirty Orange and Copperline.



China Rose, Grimms Willow Wren and Jade.



China Rose, Chestnutty and Bittersweet.



Just Jack, Rauen Fledge and Spinel.



Midsummer’s Night, Aurora Borealis and Sapphire.



Ocroid, Deep Unrelenting Grey and Pallas Athena.



Rose Quartz, Happy Go Lucky and Mustang Sally



Oregon Red Clover, Coppertree, Chestnutty.



Saffron Jungle, Rauen Fledge and Meet Joe Brown.



Oregon Red Clover, Dark Shadows and Stumptown.



EOS, Smoke on the Water and Grawk.

So much colour and so little time… I brewed up a whole bunch of new shaded solids today that we plan on having up by Friday.  There’s a smokey beige and pale marine green that I’m so excited to see that, I think after I post this, it’s off to the barn to rinse them out.

Sweet dreams!