Everything is falling into place and looks like the shop will be open for business allot sooner than expected.  We have begun hosting our knitting group meetings at the shop and they are a huge success....meetings are Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 12:30 but have now evolved into an all-day event. Many members pack a lunch along with their knitting. If you would like to join us we are located at 555 Hotel Dieu, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada (click here for map) See www.commun-tricot.org for more info. Hope to see you there...

Yes it's true....we're graduating from hosting two local knitting groups to opening a local yarn store! It's exciting and terrifying but it's happening.  Will keep you posted as things progress. Opening day is May 1st (or earlier) if all goes smoothly.

I LOVE freebies  so I'm offering two on Wendy's Wee Woolies Both are quick and easy....good patterns for those last minute Christmas gifts. The first is a crochet beanie...it's a variation of my Mystery Beanie called Hot Fudge Brownie Beanie. The second is my Easy Peasy Scarf pattern I posted here a while back and is now lost in the archives. To make it easier to locate I've filed it in the pattern section of Wendy's Wee Woolies....Both patterns have also been converted to PDF format. Enjoy!

I'm doing a happy dance this week, not only did I find a sock knitting machine but my new Louet Junior carder just arrived!! Thanks to Susan at The Elegant Knitter at Goose Pond who went above and beyond to help me get this new toy ..er I mean tool for  my studio. Customer service like we rarely see anymore...you can be sure I'll be shopping in her store again soon. Love the beautiful handcrafted shawl clasps and stitch markers and well just about everything else but the absolute best thing at the Elegant Knitter is Susan herself....the original Elegant Knitter!

Now I'm off to play...er...work (yeah, that's it..work) with my new carder  

Woohoo!! Found a sock knitting machine...a lovely Legare 47  Think I'll reorganize my sock yarn stash while I shift into waiting mode.... 

I'm looking to purchase a sock knitting machine (AKA as circular sock machine or CSM), any model will do (Legare, Creelman, Gearhart, etc...) as long as it is complete and in working condition. If you or someone you know has one gathering dust in the corner of the garage please email me at jawsrus @ hotmail.com

The 16^th annual Woolgathering Arts and Craft Fair at Roxham Farm in St. Bernard de Lacolle takes place on the weekend of the 13^th and 14^th September of this year.

The fair brings together more than forty selected Quebec artisans and craftspeople who work in a wide range of material, from the whimsical to the prosaic, and showcases them in the beautiful setting of a century-old, operating farm.

An interesting array of world foods will be available throughout the day for you to purchase on site, and of course tea and coffee and cakes are also on hand.

The fair is open from 10 am-4 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Entrance and parking is free.

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Next on my reading list is Nora Caron's "Journey to the Heart" which is getting rave reviews and flying off the bookstore shelves....it sold out in the first week of publication!! While I wait for my copy to arrive I'm working on a series of felted bags and a new shrug design. Did I mention I moved into a new studio? It's simply fabulous...just a few minutes from home but miles away from distractions. Moving the stash was an interesting experience...I knew I had allot of yarn but now my family also knows how much I actually own! LOL!! And I'll be spinning more as soon as I replace the drive band on my wheel...a sweet (but teething) kitten decided to use it as a chew toy

At the end of May we visited Pierre Charette on his farm and had a marvelous day. Soon after our visit some of his female alpacas delivered their babies and to my delight (and surprise) he named one of them after me!  You can see Wendy here, in case you don't read French she is in the third photo...isn't she sweet?!!

We went to visit Pierre Charette on his farm recently. He raises Shetland and Babydoll sheep, alpacas and angora rabbits. I was very impressed by his knowledge of everything fibre related...he's even written a book! (which is at the top of my wish list...hope DH reads this) He graciously gave us the grand tour of his farm and workshop. I tried not to drool too much over his spinning wheels or carder or felting machine or loom but when he started pulling bag after bag after bag of fibre from a row of chest freezers (was glad to see I'm not the only one who has used a chest freezer to store wool) in his workshop and asked us what kind we wanted my head was spinning! After much thought I managed to make up my mind and purchased 2 lbs of alpaca and 1 pound of Babydoll fibre which I can't wait to card and spin! Luckily it's just an hour drive to his farm so I will definitely be back for more!

Un gros merci, Pierre!!!!! J'ai absolument adorer notre visite

A few pics of Flower and Fiber Fest organized by Comm'un-Tricot :

visitors watching a tatting demonstration

learning how to use hand carders

modeling a vendors beautiful work

the "hammock quality-testers" gave it an A++

Thanks to all the participants and visitors...we had a fabulous day. Hope to do it again next year!

Here's an item for my wishlist and if they ever actually produce these  I DEFINITELY NEED WANT MUST-HAVE one (or twelve) LOL!!

iToast Touch