Green Tips for St. Patrick's Day

What better day than today to talk about how to make our world a greener place. So I’ve got a couple of green tips for you. Not far from The Yarn Haven is a Goodwill Industries Recycling Center. I go there to drop off items that I have to recycle. They take plastics (with recycling # of 1-7), aluminum cans, newspaper, flattened cardboard, mixed paper (like phone books, catalogs, magazines, etc), and glass. They also take other household items that they can sell in their non-profit shops. Here is the link for a map of this center and others around the city of Knoxville.

I think the first key to recycling is to ask yourself a question before you throw anything away. Ask yourself “Can I recycle or reuse this item?” Many times the answer will be “Yes”. But knowing what types of materials can be recycled will help you to put action to that question.

Other green tips that I personally do:

• Fill a big glass jar with water and put it in the tank of your toilets. That way every time the toilet is flushed, it uses less water.



• Change the margins when printing out something so that you use as little paper as possible.



• Reuse envelopes that come in the mail: to do lists, bank deposits, put mailing label over address and reuse it (be sure to blacken out any barcodes at the bottom), etc.



• Pay my bills online so that you don’t have to use more paper to send in your payments.



• Bring your own bags when shopping…and don’t forget to use them. :-)



• Shop at used book stores instead of buying books new. My favorite is McKay’s Used Books. Sometimes you can get knitting books there that look brand new.



• For items you no longer want, but don’t want to simply trash, go to freecycle.org and find someone else that will take the item off your hands. (You’ll have to set up an account, but it’s free.) I’ve gotten and given several articles this way that would have ended up in the landfield otherwise.

So there are my green tips for the day. Why don't you share some green tips with us that you do. And have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

New Yarns/Accessories Have Arrived

I finally was able to get some needlepoint yarns in the shop for all of those people who simply can't find them anywhere else in Knoxville. I now have about 75 colors of the Paternayan Persian Wool. So if you know anyone that does needlepoint, I'd appreciate you sending them my way. I'm not going to be stocking any other needlepoint supplies other than the yarn though.

Also we got in the Denise Interchangeable Needles. This set has 10 needle sizes (sizes 5-15) and 6 lengths of cords (5", 9", 12", 14", 16" and 19"). You also have connectors to put 2 different lengths of cords together if you need a longer cord. They come in a compact plastic case and are considered to be airline safe because of the materials they are made out of.

And finally, we've added the Misti Alpaca yarns to our shop. We have some of the handpainted worsted weight and some solid colors in the lace weight. I heard about this yarn company a while back and I'm so excited to finally get some of it in the shop. More of their yarn will be coming soon.

Oh...and I almost forgot to tell you that I now have buttons in stock. I'm trying to get the more unusual buttons that you can't find anywhere else. So I hope you'll remember to come to The Yarn Haven the next time you're looking for just that right button that will make your knitting or crocheting project complete.

That's it for now. Hope you'll stop by the shop soon to see all the new stuff.

Show and Tell Friday

It's another rainy day on the outside...but there's fun and excitement on the inside of The Yarn Haven. I want to share with you several works of art from my customers today. We'll start with Pam's "Stash Yarn Scarf". Now those of you who missed the Girls' Night Out Workshop last month are going to kick yourselves for not being there and learning how to do beautiful scarves like this one. It looks very nice on Pam...as well as her new "hairdo".

Next we have Tracy's felted hat out of Cascade 220 yarn. While it is a simple, elegant black color, see how she's spruced it up with flowers. This is a great way to make something really stand out and be noticed.

And then Sarah shares with us her fingerless gloves made out of Sirdar's Baby Bamboo. They are so soft. And the mosaic socks were made out of Brown Sheep's Wildfoote...with a design she created herself out of Crystal Palace's Panda Cotton.

Thanks everyone for sharing. I love it when you bring your finished objects into the shop for me to see...and share with the rest of the world. :-)

P.S. Sarah told me that she didn't design these socks herself. I had misunderstood her. But she was kind enough to give us the pattern.

Friday Night Knitting Club

What fun we had last Friday evening at our Friday Night Knitting Club! We had a large group of folks come to learn how to make felted stitch markers. Cary showed us how to form the little balls using roving, how to roll them after putting them into hot water, and then once they were the right size, how to put the jewelry findings on them to make them into stitch markers. I decided to make a set in the 3 colors of The Yarn Haven's logo...plus one more using all 3 of the colors. I put regular jump rings on two of the stitch markers and then locking ones (using leverback jewelry findings) on the other two. Here is a photo of the ones I made.

Cary makes these felted stitch markers and then stitches designs on them using DMC floss. She even has an Etsy Store with her sister where she sells them. Be sure to check out her store for some fun designs - Etsy Store: Jelby. You've got to see the Easter egg stitch markers she designed. They are too cute. Thanks, Cary, for sharing with us how to make these stitch markers. It was such a fun evening making the stitch markers, and eating, and talking with everyone that I didn't even pick up my knitting needles all evening! I hope you'll join us for the next FNKC on Friday, March 21. Maybe I'll get some knitting done next time. :-)

Show and Tell Friday

Today I have a several finished projects that my customers have made to share with you. First of all, there is a pair of fingerless gloves. Laurie made these for her husband out of Noro's Silk Garden. They look great and will keep his hands nice and warm as we finish up the last few cold days of winter this year.

Then Donna made little sweaters for her two maltipoos. They are both made out of Noro's Silk Garden yarn. Aren't they simply adorable! The one on the left is Ruby and the one on the right is Herschel. I believe she said that Herschel's sweater was made from the leftovers of the Zoe Beret class she took from Mimi. Now that's a good way to use up leftover yarn.

And then here come the dolls... Mary made these two cute little dolls out of leftover yarns as well...although I think she may have bought some yarn for their body parts...and maybe for their hair. The doll on the right is Dolly...named such by my granddaughter who was in the shop one day when Mary was working on her. The other one in pink is named Mary. Mary's done a great job on these dolls and is having so much fun making them. She's also working on another one that is made to look like a certain famous person. Can you guess who it might be?? I'll share that doll with you once she finishes. If you have an interest in making these dolls, why not join us on April 19, 26 & May 3 for our "Best Friends Dolls KAL". We can all sit around and share ideas on how to make and decorate the dolls we are making. Let me know if you are interested in this knit-a-long.

Malabrigo, where are you??

Oh where, oh where is my Malabrigo order? It’s been weeks and weeks since I placed my large order of Malabrigo. And the bins are looking so empty. Almost every day someone either calls or comes in to see if it has arrived. I know you all are getting tired of waiting on it to get here…because I am too. Many people are not able to continue their Block of the Month because their colors are not in stock. So rather than moping around, I thought it would be fun to have a contest guessing which day the Malabrigo will arrive. The person guessing closest to the correct day will win a free skein of Malabrigo in their choice of colors. So stop by the shop and put your best guess in the ballot box. At least while we’re waiting, we can have some fun!

Spring is just around the corner

OK...maybe it was the beautiful weather we had yesterday, but I'm ready for spring. I always wish for just one snow storm each winter...just one. It doesn't have to be a lot of snow...just enough to close things down so everyone can take a day to stay home and have a break. A couple of weeks ago when snow was in the forecast, I mentioned to my granddaughter how fun it would be if it snowed...because we could all stay home and sit by the fire. She looked at me and said, "Grandmomma, that wouldn't be any fun at all. It would only be fun if you could go outside and play in the snow." My, how our perspectives are different. But as usual the snow never came this year. And now I'm over it. I'm taking down my "Let It Snow" flag in the flowerbed at home...and the snowman hanging by the door. After all, with daffodils blooming in my yard, they do look a bit silly.

And Easter will be here in just a few weeks. If you'd like to knit up some Easter eggs, stop by the shop. I've created a kit with everything you need in it to make 5 different colored Easter eggs...it even includes the stuffing! It was fun designing them...but my kids all thought they would make good stress relievers by squeezing them. Go figure.

And the Leap Day Sit 'N Stitch was such a fun time that I think we should have another designated day to sit around and enjoy each others' company while knitting or crocheting. So the first day of spring on Thursday, March 20 will be The Yarn Haven's "Spring has Sprung Sit 'N Stitch". If you've not gone out of town for Spring Break, stop by the shop and join us. We're even open until 8 pm that evening, so you can come anytime from 10 am until closing.

Enjoy the wonderful rain coming down today. We sure need it. And it makes for a perfect day to work on your current project...or at least one of them. :-) Have a blessed day!