Wool&More – February 2016 Newsletter
In this Issue:
- Community Project Programs – Month of Love
- Types of yarn
- Yarnsub.com link – really handy to have
- New yarns in store / dye lots
- Rare event – SALE on selected Katia yarns
- Crochet Lessons
- Trading hours
- Previous newsletters
- Stone Soup story
Tis the month of Love :
February is identified with Valentine’s Day … we believe that it is the time of year when we are reminded to love ourselves more than we have done in the past. Like going for a manicure or massage, doing more activities that please your soul (like knitting and crocheting, for example) and most of all, become aware of the critical, sometimes nasty things we tell ourselves throughout the day. Catch yourself in the act and rephrase the harsh comments, replacing with kinder ones. For example, “you are so stupid!” could be rephrased with “ oops, I made a mistake and have learned from it”. What are some of the harsh things you tell yourself frequently? Happy Self-Love Day, month, year, to you … because you deserve it!!
Whilst on the subject of Love, we need your help please!! For our Community Project Programs, we are very grateful for all the squares, strips, beanies, etc which are coming in … but … we really do need some ladies to volunteer their time, maybe just an hour in February to help sew up strips into blankies, finish incomplete items, crochet edges, etc. That would be so helpful … any time between 10 and 4, Monday to Friday. Your help would be a great Valentine gift to those who will be receiving the items nearer winter!!
Types of Yarn:
There seems to be some confusion regarding the source of yarns, so we have divided the various sources into three main categories for clarity sake:
Animal source: Wool (sheep and lamb); Alpaca (alpaca); Silk (silkworms); Cashmere (cashmere goat); Mohair (Angora goat); Angora (angora rabbit)
Plant source: Cotton (cotton plant), Bamboo (bamboo), Linen (flax), Coir (coconut husks)
Semi Synthetic: Viscose (plant fibres processed with various chemicals)
Hopefully this helps to clear the confusion, somewhat.
Yarnsub:
We stumbled upon a delightful website, perfect for when you have found a pattern (on line or from abroad) and cannot identify the correct yarn to buy (at wool&more, of course!). The site is www.yarnsub.com – it is extremely helpful. Have a look at it.
New in Store:
As always, this time of the year is hugely exciting and frustrating for us at wool&more!! Exciting because we are presented with all the amazing new yarns available, and frustrating because we cannot have it all …. And making the choices is really challenging (being a Libran doesn’t help in the least!).
From Katia, we will be getting a beautiful Merino/Cotton blend (how unusual) as well as a silk/alpaca yarn which is just delectable. Then there are the 10gm balls of pure Angora … for that very special little something. Needless to say, the prices are steep, many thanks to our political shenanigans resulting in a very weak Rand.
Just unpacked are more of the gorgeous Manos del Uruguay yarns (still at the old prices for now). Besides the cotton/baby alpaca blend (double knit) and the Lace weight Cashmere/baby alpaca and silk blend, there is also a soft, squishy merino/silk blended yarn. Remember that these are all hand dyed in rural Uruguay in kettles over wood fires. Really exquisite yarn.
From the manufacturers of Elle, comes the news of price increases on most of their lines – whilst most of their yarns are spun and dyed in East London, many of their raw products are imported. New from Elle: we met with the rep this week and are delighted with their two new launches for Winter: Liniya is a DK in 9 colours, each one blended with charcoal. Knits up very attractively into uneven, random stripes and replaces Timber.
That’s been ordered and looking forward to having the full range in store by beginning of March. The other new yarn is a soft and cuddly Whisp, in a number of very pastel shades. Will knit up as a chunky and great for jerseys (kids will love wearing their cuddly garments) and beautiful as scarves and shawls. Both will do very well, we are sure. Whisp due in, late in March … watch this space! Some lovely new patterns using these yarns will also be available. There are new colours in for Classic Aran, Mischief, Family Knit and Rustica. Going to be so much available for this season – can’t wait.
Please remember, when choosing your yarn, to check the dye lots. Often, there is no visible difference in dye lots, but sometimes there is a very noticeable difference (particularly in hand dyed yarns). It would be best to get the choice right, first time round, rather than have the inconvenience of taking a chance with the garment.
Katia Sale:
For the first time, we will be offering selected Katia yarns at less 25% …. Only from 22nd February to 5th March 2016! We really need to make space for our Winter range so take advantage of this great Sale. Some of the Katia lines on special are Senna, Cotton Cord, Viscoseta, Linen, Arte, Seville, to name just some of them. We will also be marking down some local cottons and acrylic yarns, just for this period.
Crochet Lessons:
Annette, our resident crochet teacher, would like to offer a specific lesson on how to do a double sided blanket (or cushion cover, etc). It’s a most attractive stitch/design and all you need for the two hour lesson is a 3,5mm crochet hook compatible with two contrasting colours of 4ply yarn (available at wool&more– not included in the reasonable fee). The days and times will be either Tuesday 23rd February from 2 till 4 or Thursday 25th February from 10.30 to 12.30. Different times to accommodate everyone. Requirement is that you must be able to crochet in a basic / intermediate way. Cost for two hour lesson, including notes and refreshments, will be R130, payable at time of booking. Contact us by calling or popping in and secure your spot with payment. Remember that space is limited for each class, so please book right away.
Trading Hours:
Our normal trading hours are on Monday to Friday from 10-4 and every first and last Saturday of each month from 9.30-12.30. For Winter, we will be extending our hours and will be open for all the Public Holidays from 9.30 – 12.30 EXCEPT Good Friday (25th March) and Day of Reconciliation (Friday 16th December). Winter trading times to follow next month … right now, it’s just too hot to even imagine Winter!!
Previous newsletters:
These can be viewed on our website www.woolandmore.co.za – Please do take a look at them – there are some lovely patterns and interesting snippets in those newsletters (which is what we try to attain each month, just for you!).
Stone Soup story:
This interesting story or parable is a wonderful reminder of what we can achieve if we each gave something more of ourselves and our gifts … It’s an old story but recently rewritten by Madison Taylor.
There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveller coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveller from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food.
They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveller explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water.
He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast.
This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves, when in truth we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveller was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone.
Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.
Imagine a world in which we all shared our gifts and bounty with each other rather than focusing on self-preservation.
On that beautiful note, we wish you much Love and open-hearted sharing.
Joy Sachs
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wool&more, 7 Gibb St, Plett 044 533 3182
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