30%

First thing: I re-read my last post and realized how funny the first line was "It's been a week since..my 'last confession', watch too much 'Ballykissangel'.

Anyway, my biggest dilemma about the shop is when to have a 'sale'. I would like to surprise customers who come into the store with great yarn at a great price. Sometimes when I buy stuff I pass on the savings to you without making a big fuss. You will find on my shelves yarn that should be $11.95 a ball and I have it listed for $5.95. But I am running out of room, so its time to move some stuff. The computer program I use will tell me what is the bottom 30% of my sales. (It also tells me who my best customers are, and I will use that information to someday offer special thank-you's to those of you that are helping me in this adventure! :)


Today I looked at the list and found some interesting information. Starting next week I will be putting some of the stock at 30% off. It will only be bits and pieces but some very nice yarn. (and when its gone, its gone!)

This is the list for next week:

Mirasol Miski and Qina. (Reg $8.95 reduced to $6.25)

Miski is 100% Baby Llama,
Qina is 80% Baby Alpaca and 20% Bamboo.


Plus a few other surprises!
See you soon

Time flies!

Its been over a week since my last post and I don't know where the time went. Every day has its challenges and moments. I have great plans for the week, finish this, clean that, work on everything and then the week is almost over and nothing is done!

Tomorrow is my son's birthday and now I also wonder where the time has gone, 19 years ago on a day much like today he arrived, 4 days late (like his sister). We can all tell you exactly what crop my husband was planting and how we caused a complete community comotion because of the event. Husband had to leave planting peas, only in extreme circustances are you allowed to leave the field on a perfect day for any kind of field work. So now at 19 he will spend the summer on a great adventure and we won't see him until November!

He leaves on Mother's Day. (I will use that one a lot)

Happy Birthday Kid!

What I did on my vacation!

We took a short holiday,my husband and I, our last vacation was 2 years ago. (We went to Stratford to pick up a piece of equipment.) Darling Daughter is staying in Ottawa to work for the summer, so we moved her back to the apartment she lived in last year! Of course she is downsizing dramatically, this was the load of stuff that came home with us. She was smart enough to hire movers to move the couch up 5 flights of stairs.


The whole thing was fairly smooth and the trip to Ottawa was a quite uneventful. I managed to finish some knitting. Baby Surprise Jacket made from Briggs and Little Regal.












On Monday we went to Ikea and Lee Valley Tools then travelled a leisurely pace home.(We drove by a couple of yarn shops and visited the Wool Grower's Co-op in Carleton Place.) My husband (dairy farmer hardworking guy) doesn't always come on these excursions. It was a nice treat to have him along for the ride, and share the long drive home.

I have been this route many times in the past 4 years and know exactly how much fuel I need to purchase to get us home. We stopped and I put in $20.00, plenty I told my husband, who was rather sceptical, however we decided to take the scenic route, without a map. We kind of knew where we were and I was driving thinking we are out in the middle of nowhere and the cell phone is dying. I kept watching the fuel gauge. Sure enough it plummeted and I was sure we were going to be left stranded. I was never so happy to see highway 45 in my life. Fill up with a bit more fuel in Baltimore and head home.

Looking at a map later..the drive with its twists and turns was actually a fairly direct route.

Vacation over its now back to work. This weekend 6 yarn shops are treating knitters and crocheters to a 'Yarn Crawl'. Find a willing driver and tour the central Ontario region and visit 6 lovely hardworking entrepreneurs who are as passionate about yarn as you. I managed to wrangle some lovely yarn from Filatua Di Crosa which will be up to 50% off!





The weather looks like it will be great, and your garden will wait another week. Come and visit:


ON THE LAMB
53 Toronto St. N.
Uxbridge, ON
905 852 1944
purl@onthelamb.ca
http://www.onthelamb.ca/

LOG CABIN
YARNS
12 Peterson Road,
Northbrook, ON
613 336 3385
logcabinyarns@aol.com

KNITERARY
229 Brock St. N.
Whitby, ON
905 668 8368
reachus@kniterary.com
http://www.kniterary.com/

NEVER
ENOUGH WOOL
16 Water St.
Port Perry, On
905 985 0030

SOPER CREEK
YARN
80 King St. W.
Bowmanville, On
905 623 2336
http://www.sopercreekyarn.ca/

MYRTLE STATION


WOOL &
FERGUSONS
KNITTING
9585 Baldwin St.
Ashburn, On
905 655 4858

Is it Spring?

What a weird couple of days! The weather has certainly kept us all on our toes, or at least in our boots. We raked the leaves off our lawn on Sunday. It was warm and lovely and the past 2 days have been, wet, windy and nasty.


All of the gardeners and farmers are getting ready to get out there and do a bit of work. I will miss not working in the Greenhouse at Price's this year. It was a great way to get warmed up for spring.


Spring and summer knitting has arrived in the store. I chose only a few yarns for the summer, because our season is so short. The sample of the Daylily sweater finally arrived. (The camera is not in the store.)

I will entertain you with a few more of the entries to the Yarn Challenge: Gwen's 'lite brite' leg warmers and Cindy's crochet sunhat.



It's Easter weekend and the shop is closed on Friday, open on Saturday 10 - 5 and then closed on Sunday and Monday.

Have a safe and happy celebration this weekend!

Classes, Workshops, Lessons!

You have been asking, and I have been thinking so here is the plan: During the next few months we will endeavour to bring you a variety of workshops, special projects and other information sessions.

So far:

Baby Surprise Jacket Thursday afternoons beginning April 16th.

Left handed knitting, (Saturdays in May).

Doll sized 'aran' sweater..dates to be decided.

The next beginners group lesson begins April 15th. ( 3 classes Wednesdays from 10:30 to noon) ($30.00 includes yarn, 4.5 mm needles required.)

Knitting clinics run Wednesdays from 1:30 - 3 pm. ($5.00 per session, a phone call or email to reserve a chair..only room for 4 per session)

I also offer 1 1/2 hour knitting lessons for $10.00.

If you are stuck on a project and its a quick fix you are welcome to visit anytime. (Tuesdays - Saturday 10 -5 of course)

Suggestions are always welcome, if enough ask about a class or if you would like to arrange a group session with 4 - 6 students come a speak to me, If you don't ask...

If you are a knitting teacher and would like to offer a class, we can make arrangements to use some of the store space for a class.

The goal of the Shop is to create a creative and learning environment and still pay the bills!

Some more of the entries to the yarn competition. Grace's Finger Puppets,(the youngest participant) Yvonne's Mitts and Monica's Felted Purse.