Sit, Sip, & Knit!

If you weren't at the Starbucks at 42 & 3 in Rosemount Monday night, you missed a heck of a good time!

We had our monthly Sit, Sip, & Knit night this last Monday and it was a fun and festive evening indeed.

It was nice to get a chance to get away from the holiday shopping and relax with some yarn and great conversation.

Oh, and tableside music! Bob was there, spreading holiday cheer with classic carols and other favorites on his violin.

The "theme" for the night definitely centered around luxury fibers and patterns put together to make stunning pieces. We brought samples of elegant assymetrical sweaters, princess bell-sleeved shrugs, cozy wrap cardigans, and our newest items from Be Sweet: woven afghans with ostrich feather trim. These are absolutely stunning and not to be missed!

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Speaking of not to be missed, if you haven't been in the shop lately, you're going to be quite surprised! Things are changing, aisles are moving, and it's really going to open up a lot of space. You should come in and check it out!

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Oh, and if you're looking for some last minute very quick holiday gift knits, these little ruffled cufflets are perfect! There are lots of different ways you can go about making these, so come on in and ask about them!

My Goodness It's Been A While!

There are so many things to tell you about! Go grab a coffee (or your favorite beverage) and set a spell.

We've been doing some remodeling! There are a lot of changes in the kids and baby project section. New floor to ceiling shelving is up and it looks wonderful! With the new shelves comes more space for seating - so come on in and see for yourself!

We'll be adding more in other areas of the shop over the course of the fall and winter. Look for some pretty drastic changes.

Bibi's been doing some knitting. She's done a larger version of the Booga Bag and added some great little accessories to it. It's so cute! We've got a lot of new yarns in great colors that will send your Booga Bags and other felted purses striping away with great color progressions. New Noro colors, Needful Yarns Joy (this yarn has *the* most beautiful color palettes), Nashua, and Plymouth's Boku.

Modular knitting is one of the big trends for this season. It was all the rage on the Glitter Knitter Cruise (more about that later.) We've got lots of beautiful samples from Trendsetter in the shop and of course Steven's got his own versions of this classic technique. Each square goes quickly and is very addicting. You'll find yourself wanting to knit "just one more."

We've got some new yarn from both Be Sweet and Tilli Tomas - luxury yarns that will send your project ideas to the next level. A beautiful scarf or airy lace wrap in these will make you the envy of all your friends.




















Speaking of lace - I completed the Mystery Stole 3 (Swan Lake) at the end of August and it's hanging at the shop. Steven also finished a lace wrap. It's a large circular piece, with a laceweight silk/kid mohair blend coupled with beaded ribbon. It's very beautiful and when doubled over creates just the slightest whisper of ruffles and bows around your shoulders.














My Onduleux Cables scarf pattern has been quite a success! We've now got an array of angora blend yarns to choose from to really personalize your scarf. New colors from Elsebeth Lavold (the same yarn I used for the white one), Classic Elite Lush (which is a delicious angora/wool blend that really fluffs up beautifully), and a new one from Adriafil called Carezza. This one is sure to give it that extra special luxurious feel. New colors will be arriving any day. Hurry in to make sure you get yours! This scarf will make a wonderful Holiday gift.

Another one of our newest arrivals is a yarn by Feza called "Oriental." It's a combination of many novelties and colors put together in quite a generous ball. They sent some samples along with the yarn - there's a stunning afghan that's squishy and cozy, not to mention brightly colored, a cute little Topper (the new shrug) that is made from just one ball, and more.

Our classroom that we started working on in early summer is now ready! We've held a few Wednesday night classes in there and it really offers a nice well-lit and open space - perfect for when you're learning something new.

Steven's sister Monika will be in on Friday nights for Knit Nite now. Come on in and knit with her!

And finally - The Cruise! I wish I had been able to go! Steven's been telling everyone about what they did and the places they went. It all sounds like it was so much fun! To see photos from their trip, click here. I definitely don't want to miss out again. Won't you join us for the next one?

-- angela

Hoppin' July!

Steven has the craziest ideas. I never know what he's going to come up with.

Last Saturday, he hinted about this new Hump Night Happy Hour. That's right! Happy Hour is returning, and on a NEW night! Come in on Wednesday nights and sample a taste from Steven's new Yarn Bar. A yarn tasting! It's going to be a blast! Call ahead and reserve your seat. Iced tea and nibbles on the house.

Are you stressing about Christmas knitting? Come to Starbucks in Rosemount on Monday, July 9 and get some help making a plan for your holiday gift projects. And if you're looking for inspiration for those handmade gifts, we've got some ideas that might help!

Stitch N' Pitch! How fun will that be? Come join us on Sunday July 22 to see the Twins play the Angels. The Yarn Garage and 3 Kittens are sharing a bus to go to this event. A bus full of knitters!

As a huge baseball fan - I'm really looking forward to this!

All of the wonderful fiber Steven ordered from TNNA has been pouring into the shop lately. Every time I go in there's new stuff to see and touch. Come check it out!

Summer Hotties as per the Glitter Knitter

Angela has allowed me to input my two cents worth as I have just returned from the TNNA yarn market in Columbus, Ohio. I traveled with the grand matriarchal Glitter Knitter, Christa (aka mom). We had a blast once we finally got there. Traveling is such a pain these days. Gone are the days when I enjoy disrobing in public. Then came the delays. Yes, I brought small travel projects to work on, but sitting crumpled in a molded plastic facsimile of a chair is not my dream.

Once we arrived in Columbus we headed straight for the Convention center. No time to change into one of my hand-knit runway creations. I saved that attention getting method for Sunday and Monday. We even gussied mom up a bit with some of our in-shop samples. After all, she craves the limelight nearly as much as I do.


I was hugely inspired and my creativity soared with each vendor I visited. One of the trends that I am starting to appreciate are the flat classic yarns. However, they work best for me when executed in luxury fibers with blends of merino wool, silk, baby kid mohair, alpaca, cashmere, and bamboo among a few. Colorations going forward are key to a fiber's desirability factor. The market has been greatly influenced by the hand-dye artisans. Many of the commercial yarn manufacturers are hopping on the hand-dyed bandwagon.

I purchased many new yarns for the shop in the Luxury category so start ramping up your fall yarn budget allowance. I would love to carry the Qiviuk fiber but at $80 an ounce I decided to special order for customers. I am excited to carry the new Alchemy Yarns of Transformation this fall. They are amazing fibers - many of which are based around silk and luxury fibers. I had a blast working with Gina on a custom package of fibers especially for the Yarn Garage. Tilli Thomas will have an even larger presence in the shop soon with beaded and sequined silks and novelty seaweed fibers. The $130 skein of silk with Swarovski crystal accents is jaw dropping, made for a Hollywood red-carpet event.














Of course, I fell in love with Nadine at Be Sweet all over again. Her South African creations are top notch. The soft delicate feminine fibers and accessories are unequaled. I tapped into all of her new items and reordered new colors in Magic Balls. She gave us a couple of novelty hats and a tea cozy. Make sure you come and see them.

One of my favorite new vendors was Ozark Handspun. The two owners were wildly headressed in multi-fibered dreadlocks in rainbows of color. Their yarn is a wonderful blend of wools, mohair and novelty twists. They are a prime representation of the Hand-crafted yarn movement. Joining in with Ozark is Pagewood Farms. They are even adding in a little of my favorite "BLING". I can't tell you how excited I am. Of course, I ordered enough in every color to make myself a sweater and we will have wait and see how much I actually get done.

Another big trend is "green". Al Gore would be proud of the fiber world as there was a strong presence of organic yarns in fibers colored with low-impact dyes. My favorite was a felting machine that looked like a Suzy Bake Oven version of a washing-machine. It uses less water and you can set it up anywhere. The best feature is that it traps the excess fiber and doesn't ruin your home machine.

Felting was represented everywhere in the show. Of course, there was a strong presence of knit felting. In fact, Noni has a great selection of new patterns on the way. Needle felting was everywhere and done on every backdrop from the expected handbags to the unexpected jeans and chiffon. Wet felting will be the next huge version. I ordered some ready made jackets and vest from Horst Couture. We will have to have a style show this fall. Perhaps right after the Glitter Knitter Cruise. I will have some amazing samples and kits available for late summer and fall classes. You won't believe all we can do as fiber artists. And if you know me, you know I will be throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. Unleash my creativity. I hardly need an excuse.

There are so many things I am excited about I can't fit them all here. I had promised not to spend any money at the show but rather gather wish list orders and once home recap all, ordering only the best of the best. That lasted about 5 minutes. Then I was off ordering like Thurston Howell just rescued from Gilligan's Island. You would have thought my store was empty judging from the inventory I ordered. Perhaps it is time for a second location. Then I think with the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro having around 36 yarn and fiber shops what nut would open yet another. I have been creating my alter-ego. The Glitter Knitter launches Stevee Be's Fiber Salon. We will have to see how this hair-brained notion manifests itself.














Time to get back to organizing the shop and working on samples for all the new yarn I still haven't touched. Bibi has done an amazing job with inventory of all the yarn. We should know how much and where it all is soon. Monika and Angela will even have a map to follow. Come on in and quiz them.

- Steven

So much

To tell! We've got some really great things going on at the store right now.

Steven's got a Christmas in July class schedule started. Come in and join and keep that frantic holiday knitting at bay this year!

The Glitter Knitter Gang Charity group has had it's first couple of meetings, and wow, what a fun group. We've made little finger puppets for the soldiers in Iraq to hand out to the kids they meet, we'll be knitting baby hats, maybe some teddy bears, and we'll also be working up squares for Warm Up America. And that's just a few of the ideas we brainstormed!

And have you made your Market bag yet? These are a great little item to have with you when you go to your favorite store - instead of taking one of their bags, you can go in style and use your own creation to carry your items home! Knitted or crocheted, these are fast projects. Why make just one?

Yarn Over!

The Minnesota Knitter's Guild hosted it's 21st Annual Yarn Over yesterday!

Steven and the Stitch Mechanics were there, and of course we had to set up a display that closely resembles the Yarn Garage!

We brought so much stuff. Yarn by Great Adirondack, Colinette, Lana Grossa, Feza, Cascade, Lorna's Laces, Cherry Tree Hill, Katia, Lana Borgosesia, Malabrigo, Di·Vé, Art Yarns, Skacel, Noro, Misti International, Plymouth, and many more!


























The Guild invited Annie Modesitt to be the Keynote Speaker and the gathering of knitters really loved her. She was charming and funny and gave good insights to what knitting really means to each and every one of us.














And here you can get an idea of just how many knitters were there:














After Annie's speech was over, the knitters went off to attend various classes. Once they finished, our booth was FULL. YAY!

We had so many people at once for pretty much the rest of the day. People flocked to see Steven, to surround themselves with the luxurious fibers we brought, and of course to buy yarn!





As you can see, we had yarn sitting on anything that would stand still.

Steven really knows how to to make the most out of space to set up quite a display!










OH! And let's not forget one of the highlights of the day! The Chocolate Hotties!


Steven (center) asked a couple of friends to come and hand out delicious chocolate truffles in the afternoon.



Oh, and did I mention they were hotties?

Needless to say, they were a big hit. I mean, hot men, wonderful yarn, and yummy chocolate? It's enough to make any girl swoon.

What a fun day!

What's New!

Come in and see our new Java Jackets!

When you go to your favorite coffee shop, instead of using the little cardboard sleeve, why not personalize your coffee with your own cup sleeve?

These are a quick little project that are fun and easy to make. Come in on Wednesday nights for a class!

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In other news, we're getting ready for Yarn Over! Come see Steven and the Stitch Mechanics at our booth on April 21st.

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We've also got a new class schedule line up ready for Spring. Check it out!

Glitter Knitters at the Mall of America!

The Craft Yarn Council of America's "Knit-Out & Crochet" at the Mall of America was a success!

Knitters and crocheters were everywhere!

Steven and his staff of Glitter Knitters were scattered about (complete with cute pink Glitter Knitter shirts!) helping to teach new knitters and crocheters.

I was at the crochet teaching area most of the day Saturday and Sunday both, so I didn't see all of what the whole event had to offer.

I can say, though, that there were a lot of people coming to learn crochet. If the knitting teaching area was half as crammed as the crochet area, then these two crafts will be doing well in popularity for quite some time.

We taught the young, the old, girls, boys, women, & men. We taught people with no experience some that used to know how but forgot, and some that just wanted a refresher.

As a yarn enthusiast and an avid knitter and crocheter, I thought it was awesome to see all of those who were eager to learn.

Knit-Out & Crochet at the Mall of America

Come join us today!

The Craft Yarn Council of America's "Knit-Out & Crochet" is traveling to the Mall of America today and tomorrow.

The event runs from 10-5 today and 11-5 tomorrow. There will be all kinds of fun and exciting events to see and participate in.

Be sure to check out this link at the Mall of America's website to see the event's schedule.

Steven and a group of knitters from the Yarn Garage are going to be there, volunteering their time and skill to teach others these wonderful crafts.

Hope to see you there!

Sit, Sip, & Knit!

Coffee and Yarn! They go well together, don't you think? There were about thirteen of us at Starbucks last night that agreed on that!

It was SSK! No, not slip slip knit...

Sit, Sip, & Knit!

Every second Monday of the month, Glitter Knitter Steven and other knitting enthusiasts from the area gather at the Starbucks in Rosemount to knit, enjoy tasty java, find inspiration in other's creativity, and see what's up and coming at the Yarn Garage.

Steven showed us a virtual plethora of beautiful yarns and what you could make with them - there were shrugs, shawls, scarves, hats, and more. Of course, everything was dazzling and each showed his personal style - that which embodies his self proclaimed title of Glitter Knitter.

Not to mention the colors! Such bright and fun new colors.


Speaking of bright and fun, don't you just love this? It's a sweater Steven's working on made from bright chunky yellow yarn doubled with Police "Crime Scene - Do Not Cross" tape!

He's knitting on what he calls "size 1000 needles." They are huge! If you look closely at the bottom of the picture you can see the point from one of them.

A bizarre idea, yes, but so fun.














He also brought some new knitting literature to entice and inspire us, and also to teach.


And to top it off, we were serenaded! How cool is that?

Steven's friend Bob, (who does the store's website and also knits) is a wonderful violinist and charmed us with his beautiful musical stylings as we knit and socialized.

What a great atmosphere that created!





Here's Violinist and Glitter Knitter together, doing what they love best - fiddling and knitting!

If you're in the Twin Cities area and you want to come, the next one is March 12. Bring your knitting and join us from 6:30-9 at the Starbucks in Rosemount at the corner of 42 & 3. There's a Creative Cost of $5.

Hope to see you there!

Welcome!

Sit and knit a bit.

Through this blog I'll give you an inside look at a fantastic yarn shop - the Yarn Garage.



Have you ever wanted to walk in a store and be immediately immersed in yarn?

That's the feeling I got the first time I went to the Yarn Garage. I was in awe at the sheer amount of yarn, fiber, knitting notions, and other goodies that are hanging out everywhere.

And I mean everywhere. Yarn is in cubbys, baskets, beautiful antique curio cabinets, trunks, and large bowls. It's hanging from shelves, hangers, coat racks, and from the ceiling. Seriously!

It was almost as if I'd walked into the most glorious stash closet ever.

Never has a store seemed so inviting. Everything inside almost screams, "Look at me! Touch me!" Your fingers, without conscious thought, travel on their own to fondle the array of colors and textures.

It's a knitters heaven.