Things you NEED to know!

Two things you NEED to know....


Ok, so we here at CFA will readily admit to being fair weather sports fans. The Broncos are down this year, so WHA HOO - GO ROCKIES! But, did you know that baseball has it's roots in the fiber community!?





1 - One day, over the close line, Hester Preene and Abigail Adams (not THE Abigail Adams, of course) were lamenting to each other their inability to get any spinning, weaving knitting or crocheting done, what with all the kids underfoot all day long. Along came Betsy Reese, who suggested they send the kids out to play. Well, one "warped" idea was "thrown" out after another and before long the original version of today's game of baseball was born. The first ball was, of course a very tightly wound ball of wool, and the bat was a pedal from Hester's 4-harness oak loom -- and it never did break. Disks of wood, resembling plates, served as the bases and, don't you know, home base is still referred to as home plate today!

2 - On the fantasitic new ABC show Pushing Daisy's - the detective KNITS! He has a knitted file folder holder on his desk. Has knit a vest and two knit pistol cosies...that he wears around his waist. The knitting needle saved the show this week, so I certainly hope it continues. I laughed out loud and my family was in tears. Love it!!!

New things at the shop. A brand new line of Colorado Fiber Arts own Three Shakes yarn just arrived. Handspun fabric yarn called FABU. And it is fabulous! Baby boucles, silk blends, bamboo blends and more. Did we mention yarn with lampwork beads?

New books and patterns arriving almost daily as well. The new Queensland Collection for fall is here, along with the much anticipated Itty-Bitty Nursery. OMG - you have to see this book. It will make you smile and give you a warm fuzzy for the whole day.





New Cascade 220 in - New Pastaza stock - including the handpaints! If you haven't worked with Pastaza yet, you havent' met one of our dreamiest yarns in stock. Check out Cindy's finished EZ Mobius Vest in Pastaza. It's so flattering, a great easy knit and a wonderful introduction to the amazing world of Elizabeth Zimmerman.





More beaded scarf kits are on their way. They fly out the door as fast as we can get them in. Call ahead if you would like to reserve your favorite color.





It's a great cloudy day, perfect for snuggling up to your favorite fiber. Don't forget we have Knitting 101, Felted Bowls, Silk Fusion, Hats, Ornaments and Crocheted Shells classes all coming up this week!!





Happy Fall


The Staff At CFA

Always Look on the Bright Side

OK, so the sun came up and it's a new day. Things are going much better...

The class dates/times that were wrong in the Newsletter are as follows:
Knit and Felt Christmas Ornaments - October 27th 1:30-4:00
Needle Felted Faces with Anne Vickrey - November 17th - NOT October 17th - same time
Needle Felt Embellishments - November 27th - NOT October 17th - same time

I'm so sorry for the mix up on those... give us a call if you have any questions.


The October new releases from Interweave are HERE.... I've been drooling over the pages for the last 30 minutes.



At the top of the box, was the new release Crocheted Jewelry. I was a little worried about this one. I could go either way - and I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. Some great techniques and some very unique projects. Felted bracelets, rings, hairpin lace bracelets. The snowman earrings are adorable! Great projects all the way through.




In the middle of the box was Bag Style..... Oh man.. there are some dynamic bags in here. The one on the cover is great, but the Penny Rug purse, the Surface Woven Tote and the Linen Clutch. For you crocheters, there's an amazing Classic Crocheted Purse that is on the top of my To Do list now. 20 different bags - fun shapes, some felted, even a great messenger bag for "that" guy in you life. A great addition to the STYLE series.





OK, but at the bottom of the box....... Oh be still my heart.....


The new release How We Felt.


This is hands down the best felting book on the market. I was blown away. So many felting books spend too much time beginner projects. Let me tell you, this book kicks it up a notch. Amazing vessels, capes, pillows and MY favorite part - Gail Crosman Moore's Magnolia Lariat. I met Gail and saw her work at the Denver Convergence several years ago. You haven't seen felt and beads in perfect harmony until you've seen her work. If you're a felter out there - I just can't recommend this book enough. I'm putting one in my personal felting library.

Ever have one of those days?

Poor blog. I have neglected you for over a month, and to make matters worse, I am having one of THOSE days... you know the kind.


Ok, so after I got to work this morning, I was tearing up yet ANOTHER credit card offer and proceeded to knock over an entire glass of water... all over the counter... it wasn't milk, but I still cried.... This set up my entire day.





So then, I'm adding the classes from our FAB new schedule into our behind the desk calender... when it hits me.... I messed up the dates for not one, or two - but FOUR classes. I'm so mad at myself I could spit. As soon as I fetch the laptop from home, which will probably not happen today, I can open up the master calender and locate the correct dates. I will publish them here, I will revise the online newsletter, and will mail out postcards to everyone.




Did I mention that the ATM ate my debit card last week when I went to activate it? I put in my pin number - same as the old card they told me - GULP.... it was gone. Sucked into the black oblivion that is the BANK. So I called today, to have them send me my card and whatever pin they now have assigned it. NO - I have to go in and pick it up....



UGH.... just one of those days.


Hope YOUR day is turning out better than mine!

~M

Happy August!

August has brought us lots of heat so far! I hope you are staying indoors today and keeping your fingers busy!

Oh the things you all are working on amaze me! First, Cindy VonFange just finished - actually it's been almost 2 weeks now - her Elizabeth Zimmerman Adult Suprise jacket. My camera is dead today, so I can't take a photo for you, but it's on display! One word - GORGEOUS!

Carol Kyte is working on the linen lace top from this summers issue of Vogue Knitting. It is going to be a work of art when she gets done. Those of you who are branching out and trying lace... I'm SO PROUD OF YOU!




Organic Cotton baby blankets seem to be fluttering out the door too. In fact, I'm in the process of making one myself. It's so dreamy I might just need one for me to travel with.




Terri Baker just finished a one-of-a-kind tapestry crochet bag for the fall. She's doing an amazing job designing her own patterns. If you're interested, let us know! Terri would love to teach a class this October!

Progress is still being made on our classroom space next door. Lots of hammers, nail guns.. saws.. more hammers... If you've been in lately, you've heard it!

The sale last week was a great sucess! Thank you to all of you who made the special trip in! Not only did we move some things, we made room for NEW FALL YARNS! Oh there are so many exciting things coming in. Things should start arriving during late August! I'll keep you updated!

That's all for this week! Be sure to stay cool and remember that the Mr. Felt Head class is THIS FRIDAY! We've had so many kids excited for this!! Don't miss out!

Birds and THE SALE

Hi Howdy Hey! We hope that you're all staying nice and cool out there! It's going to be a toasty weekend.... perfect for fiber projects next to the air conditioner!

Only time for a quick update today. We are getting prepared for the Christmas in July sale starting at 10am on Tuesday! Don't forget!!

If you've been looking for some of the newest titles from Interweave Press, then hurry in! We just had a huge shipment of books arrive this week! The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters, Getting Started series Knitting Socks, Bead Crochet, 200 Braids to Twist, Weave, Knot and Loop plus many, many more!

Finally today, we wanted to leave you with some snapshots of the finished Birds from our 3D Needle Felting class. If you thought they were cute last week, wait until you see them now!

See you next week!!

Lazy days.... NOT!

It's time to take your sheep and get outta town!

This image is courtesy of the the Penfield gallery. Well worth a trip to look at!

http://penfieldgallery.com/folkart.shtml

With the temperatures up, we're seeing more and more of you looking for something to do indoors and on the road. A new batch of Trekking Pro Natura sock yarn is in. The bamboo in this yarn makes it a dream to wear.

Did you know that Bamboo has numerous benefits? It is a naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic product grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. It is also quick to absorb moisture, therefore keeping you dry and odor free. Bamboo can dry twice as fast as cotton and can be worn all year round as it keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter.

The environmental benefits of bamboo are numerous. Bamboo plants are very quick growers and do not require fertilisers or pesticides for a successful crop. They also require very little water and they can survive drought conditions as well as flooding. Bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource as the bamboo plant is self replenishing. New shoots are continuously growing, ready to replace the old ones.Another benefit of bamboo is that it releases a significant amount of oxygen into the atmosphere, more so than trees. Planting bamboo can help reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the air as well as reducing soil erosion. The complex root system of bamboo plants makes them an excellent choice for planting in high erosion areas such as riverbanks and areas subject to mud slides. They are also suitable for planting in areas which have suffered significant soil degradation and deforestation.



Bamboo in your yarn is created from bamboo pulp. The pulp is then extruded into strands and spun. Trekkings Pro Natura is 25% Bamboo 75% wool sock yarn that feels dreamy..... Spoil your toes today with some Bamboo!

Some fantastic new crochet booklets are in from Leisure Arts, Storey Publishing and American School of Needlework. Great for quick projects to keep your shoulders warm in a cool air conditioned room.

Kelley Adams and her wonderful fiber family have been busy creating new things for the store. We now have 1oz bags of dyed Mohair locks for spinning and needle felting. Plus, she has brought in some of her hand dyed silk ribbons in 5 yard and 2 yard cards. A great selection of colors perfect for doll makers and ribbon embroidery.

Next, we had a very lovely visitor in from Atlanta, Georgia in last week. She was kind enough to write a bit about our shop on her blog, so I thought I would share the link with you all. It sounds like she is having a fantastic fiber filled vacation, and even has boys and a husband that are *ahem* tolerant of yarn stores! I know, I know... we should all only be so LUCKY! Have a great trip Mirawyn and stop buy next time you're in Colorado!


http://mirawyncrafts.blogspot.com/2007/07/colorado-fiber-arts-pueblo-colorado.html

Last but NOT least... I wanted to share a quick update on our 3D felting class. We have made it through 3 weeks of classes (way to go girls!) and we're getting ready to add the final embellishments next week. Here are some of their birds with newly attached wings, tail feathers and legs! It's always amazing to me how each one can have such a unique personality! I hope they make you smile as much as they make me smile!

Just in Case...

Just in case 25-30% off all wools the week of July24-28 for our Christmas in July Sale wasn't big enough news for you, we have another exciting tidbit to share!

The Wizpiks are in! The Wizpiks are in! That's right, Colorado Fiber Arts is proud to announce the arrival of the finest felting needles available! We now carry the full range of 16 (that's right, 16!) highly specialized Swiss-made felting needles! Available in the 16 needle variety pack, or five different specialty mini-packs, Wizpiks come with a handy guide of which needle to use when. Come on in and check them out! Mom, apple pie, baseball, and dishcloths. That's right! Whether you knit them, or crochet them, Sugar and Cream is the All American choice! From June 26th to June 30th all Sugar and Creme is buy 4 (for the 4th!!) and get the 5th one free!!!

Have a fiberiffic week!