Sunday, January 27, 2013

Dyeing not cooking

I have decided to give up cooking for the time being. I have yet to inform Cliff but he did make a lovely dinner last night so maybe it won't be a surprise to him. I am dyeing up a storm and loving every minute of it. Saturday evening I decided to dye the natural wool felt that has been sitting in the shop waiting for someone else to do it.  As per usual , that someone didn't show up and do my job so I am now doing it myself. lol. Quilters, look out! I am so excited as I see these colours come together. I see wall hangings , penny rugs and perhaps a few needle books in my future.

We had a great day of hooking on Friday and I'm sure all in attendance had as much fun as I did. I am back working on my Deanne Fitzpatrick piece and after many suggestions that I work with a #6 cut , I am finding that I am enjoying it much more than I was. The fact that I am dyeing alot of antique colours is also a big help as my sky had changed three times and i still wasn't happy with it. I admire all the finished projects around me and I aim to finish a little more myself.

The Zig Zag socks are finally nearing completion. I hate those socks and they hate me right back. Had I taken the pattern home with me I would have picked up the right number of stitches and the darn things would have zig zagged instead of striped and I would be done but unfortunately I couldn't live with two different feet. Janice is rubbing off on me. lol To be fair she said she wouldn't have re knit the foot but I don't believe it for a second.

Sergers, I salute you. We had a great serging class  on Saturday and after listening to the comments I feel that they all went away happy and can't wait for the next one. Pat was tinkled pink.
I am in business to make my customers happy and will strive to offer classes that you are interested in. Feel free to suggest things to me when you're in the shop and if the time allows it I will do my best to get a class going.
Can't wait for spring and hopefully our Quilters Shop Hop will have great weather. I figure we've had enough winter and by March 21,22 &23rd we should have great Shop Hopping weather. 
Shops this year include Your #1 Sewing Centre in Campbellford, The Robins Nest in Brighton, Pine Ridge Knit & Sew in Trenton , Andjareenas Place in Trenton and Picton Fabric World in Picton. It should prove to be a wonderful run as all the shop owners are very excited and working hard to make it a great event. Make sure to book this date on your calendar and I will remind you many times so you don't forget. 
Hope all of you are having a great weekend and I'm hoping for warmer weather.
Mary Anne

Sunday, January 20, 2013

having a blast dyeing wool

I am having a blast dyeing wool for the hookers this week. I may have found my calling . Everyone knows I love to cook but I've moved on from supper to wool. 
I decided to sit down and write while I was waiting for the colours to cook. 
It's been a very busy week for Pat and I at Andjareenas.
Yarns and fabrics and notions arrive daily and I was able to squeeze in a meeting with Yvette at Pine Ridge Knit and Sew and our Spring Shop Hop is on for the weekend of March 21,22 and 23rd.
It is being held a little early this year because of Easter and shops involved having other commitments but I think that March is a great time. We are all feeling a little shut in by then and are ready to check out the latest for spring. 
I was very excited about our turnout for the Spin In on Friday. We had seven spinners and one hooker show up and there was a great deal of wool spun that day. We did miss Bad Betty. I thought Betty was coming to the Spin In but there was some concern that there could have been an altercation with an elderly man in the pool at the Y. Said man slugged her as he was swimming by and she was looking to get even. I can read the headlines now. lol. Just kidding Betty.
Back to the dye pot. 
Hope to see you all next week.
M.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Happy New Year to all of you

I'm a few days late but better late than never.
Happy New Year to all of you .
Being away from the shop over the holidays prevents me from enjoying the time with you that I would like to spend but all in all we did manage to get a pot luck off the ground with the Hookers and some of you even came to visit me at the flower shop, for which I am grateful. To see a smiling face just dropping by to wish me the best on the holidays was rejuvenating. I love working at the flower shop but when the holiday hits it becomes real work and I find myself looking to see if the end of the tunnel is getting closer. lol
Enough about me. 
We are preparing classes for the New Year and have taken a different approach to alot of things. One of the new things we will be doing this year is running a children's program. You can sign up by the month or if you sign up for an 8 week program you can claim it on your taxes. We could always do these things with sports but the arts are now included and I think it's wonderful. So if you know someone who wants to sew  , we want them to sew with us!
Hookers. Don't forget your class will start on the 16th of January. This is an open class so all are welcome.
Know your Serger. This will be a two part class. Pat has been working diligently on this class, both for your learning as well as enjoyment purposes. We want you to have a good time in this class, learn a ton of stuff and have fun too. Serger is like  a bad word to me. I persevere and stay with it but that darn machine just doesn't like me very much. One thing I do know is that after taking a class with Pat, I knew that it wasn't going to beat me. So, if you have a serger and want to love it instead of hating it. This is the class for you.
Quilters, there are fabrics, patterns and notions arriving all the time so drop in and see what's new or perhaps what you missed on your last visit. Classes will begin in late January so drop in and check us out. I have UFO days on the first and second Friday of the month so if you just want out of the house and to sew with some friends let me know your're coming and I look forward to seeing you.
Knitters. Lots and lots of yarn for sweaters, scarves and socks has rolled in over the holidays and it's finallly cold enough to be inside knitting. On those beautiful days , we all want to get outside and enjoy but it's a little chilly and the sidewalks are a little slippery and there's nothing like a pair of socks on your needles to keep you busy.
I will try to keep my blog a little more updated this year as I've noticed I've been slipping lately. 
Mary Anne