Wool&more – August 2015 Newsletter
In this Issue:
- Surprise line for summer
- Big B Community Project Program – feedback
- New products and price increase
- Informative social morning with Christa
- New Doortjie Gersbach’s crochet workshop
- Amazing “Stash Busting” workshop – a Must Do with Linda Jones
- Reversible Stitch
- Trading hours and Parking
It seems to me that dear Winter is slowly shedding her warm overcoat and beginning to reveal her beautiful pure cotton knitted blouses and light jerseys – Welcome Spring then Summer! And farewell to Winter making way to begin knitting and crocheting your summer projects.
Our Big B community project program was incredibly successful …
I cannot tell you in sufficient words, how wonderful, generous and caring everyone has been!! Thank you all so much for the massive amount of baby and toddler blankies, beanies, booties and jerseys we received and handed to Ann Holmes for the kids of Siyakulu.
There were more than three BIG bags of goodies for her. Well, well done to all of you who contributed (it’s impossible to name you individually but you certainly know who you are!!). If you are still busy with some stuff and want to drop it off here, with pleasure: Ann will still be happy to receive items.
As for the next Community Project Program: not finalised yet but will let you know in September! Watch this space….
Regarding new products: the cottons, some of which have already arrived and many others to be arriving in store soon, are just exquisite. And cotton is such a pleasure to work with in the heat of Summer.
Please don’t neglect your creativity and the therapeutic benefits of knitting and crocheting during summer … you won’t regret it! And just a little secret to share: we will be launching some magnificent kits for your special Summer knits (surprise!) … all in stunning cotton.
As always, choosing from the extensive and beautiful Katia catalogue was stuff made of dreams! Their cottons will be arriving early in September and are sure to be very well received.
We are also waiting for the Amigurumi (Katia) cottons: 10 x 10g balls of assorted colours, specifically for toys, flowers, etc. What a great idea! Then knitting needles: when I tried the range of Symfonie rose wood knitting needles from KnitPro, I thought I had gone to heaven.
Yes, they are pricey but so worthwhile … and will last a lifetime! And I have just ordered their crochet hooks too.
Some other interesting items now in stock: crochet hooks with a light in them (to banish darkness during load shedding!!). What a very clever invention. And if you suffer from cold feet or hike a lot, this is just for you: pure alpaca, hand felted inner soles… honestly, when I put my pair into my slippers (great for boots and shoes too), it felt as though I was floating on a warm cloud! Men and women sizes available.
For those of you who love using a lace weight yarn, I have a gorgeous palette of very fine pure cotton, especially dyed for us by Dana Biddle at ColourSpun … would be equivalent to crochet 10 yarn. Really beautiful and at a great price too!
With a little bit of arm twisting, I have managed to infiltrate the inner sanctums of Saprotex (manufacturers of Elle, Charity yarn, etc) and want to share with you that they will be launching a new printed Premier Cotton Range as well as a first time ever, printed Family Knit 4ply range for summer! Yay! More than that, I cannot tell you … even the company reps have not had their summer launch briefing yet!! I am sure that in the September newsletter, I will be able to tell you more.
There was a price increase on the 1st August by Saprotex … it’s quite a hefty hike but the good news is that they have very generously agreed to keep the prices of their Charity yarn unchanged! Thumbs up to Saprotex!
Earlier we mentioned therapeutic benefits – well, here is something unique:
We have a very different and exciting morning planned for the ladies on Thursday 3rd September! Christa Tainton, herself an enthusiastic knitter, is a Sports and Remedial massage therapist with over 16 years experience and will be presenting a really interesting discussion on Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), relating particularly (but not exclusively) to knitting and crocheting. So if you suffer from Carpal Tunnel syndrome, Ganglion cysts, neck, back and shoulder pain, etc, this talk is just for you!
The morning with Christa will begin at 10.30 and end at around 12.30 where she will chat about RSI’s, the causes, symptoms and what can be done to either prevent or assist with the discomfort which your RSI causes. She will be giving a hand out of exercises, will have a Q&A session and very generously be handing out a gift voucher reducing the cost of your first visit to her! Thanks Christa – that’s great! And not to be outdone, wool&more will be having a lucky draw at the talk and the winner will receive a voucher off her next yarn purchase!
Tea and coffee with our wonderful biscotti will be served and the cost will be R80-00 per person. Ladies, we can only accommodate a limited number of you so Please Book Early to avoid disappointment. Oh, and please bring a note book and pen with you.
Since we are on the subject of booking early, this is a reminder that the crochet maestro, Doortjie Gersbach will be back with us in Plett (we are truly blessed to have her back so soon!) at the end of September.
If you have not done her course before, please book for Monday 28th September. It will be a full day, beginning sharply at 9.00 and ending at 4.00 and you will be amazed at how much you are going to learn. This day is for either absolute beginners or intermediate level crochet ladies who want to know the perfect way of honing your skills.
A light lunch is included as well as refreshments (tea, coffee, biscotti). The cost for the day is R400-00 and you will receive a short list of items to bring to the course, once you have booked. Please note that payment in full for the day will secure your booking. In July, we were over subscribed and had to turn away a number of ladies … Get your booking made and confirmed (paid for) asap.
Then on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th September, Doortjie will be doing a very detailed two day course on blanket making – this is only for those who have already attended her course before (either in Plett or elsewhere). The cost of these two days is R750-00 and also includes lunches, refreshments, etc.
We already do have bookings for all three days but still have a couple of places to be snatched up! Please hurry to avoid disappointment!
On Wednesday 7th October, we will be having a highly entertaining, fun filled, hands-on day with a passionate knitter and well-known Fibre Artist. Linda Jones has an immense wealth of knowledge on all things fibre (including spinning, dying, designing, etc etc), with particular emphasis on knitting. She will be presenting her “Stash Busting” workshop which will run from 9.00 till 4.00 and will feature creating your own yarn and a delightful and unique knitted item to enjoy. Once again, lunches and refreshments will be included as well as all the materials required! The cost of the day will be R460-00 and truly very worthwhile. I can promise you that a passion for knitting will be ignited in you like never before!!
This is a rare opportunity and again, space is limited so get your booking in and paid – you won’t be sorry!!
Because a customer was battling to work out the pattern of a half knitted item (UFO as in Unfinished Object), we asked another customer who walked in just then and who is an ace knitter. She worked out the pattern and I just love it. Only problem is that we cannot find the “official” name for it so I have decided to call it “Marg-Ing” in the meanwhile. If you do know it’s real name, please do let us know! And thank you both ladies … you know who you are!! Here is the pattern – it’s quite a dense knit and has an equally good “wrong” side as right.
Try it and let us know what you think.
“MARG-ING” STITCH
Cast on an uneven number of stitches.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: (K1, yarn forward and slip the next stitch purlwise, yarn back again) … repeat to end of row.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 to form your pattern for the required length. That’s it!
PARKING!!! Gggrrr…. The bane of my working life!!
As you know, we have had long-standing issues with the employees in the building and from ADT hogging all our customer parking in the street … for hours on end. A number of visits to the traffic department have fallen on deaf ears, as have my pleading emails! So, I have negotiated with the Bay View Hotel for my customers to park on their roof … Please, please…. Do NOT park in their guest parking … your wheels will be clamped.
Rather drive through their guest parking and up the steep, curved ramp. From there, we have had a set of steps made just for you … go up the steps and down the drive way (take care, it’s slippery when wet – we indemnify ourselves of any harm to you and your car!) and you will find yourself at wool&more!
Last Saturday was my first one off since April – I really did appreciate it and felt much more rested on Monday when I came to work (yes, we are open on public holidays, for your convenience, from 9.30 to 12.30)!
So just to recap our trading hours: Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 4.00 and First and Last Saturday of every month, from 9.30 to 12.30. And as always, I so appreciate your friendly support of this delightful, fledgling business called wool&more!
Do you remember these items? Whilst you take your mind back some years, I bid you a fond farewell for now … Chat again in September!!
With love and gratitude
Joy Sachs
PS All previous newsletters can be accessed off our website (newsletter tab). www.woolandmore.co.za
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wool&more, 7 Gibb St, Plett 044 533 3182
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