Cricket Looms have arrived.

Tensioned Lazy Kate

Cricket Loom

Drop Spindles

Guess what the UPS man just brought me!  Two boxes from Schacht Spindle Co., Inc.!

I was so excited for this shipment, when Pam, from Just Pam (the new shop next door to DYNT) told me the UPS man was in the parking lot, I ran out to meet him.  The boxes contained drop spindles (which means classes will be scheduled soon) Tensioned Lazy Kate for all you spinners, and Cricket Looms!  I'm really excited about these little buggers!  They sell for $145 each and are made in America.   (Ladybug spinning wheels are coming soon!)

That also means that April 18th from 5-8pm will be DYNT's first Cricket Club!  Cricket Club is a time for Cricket owners and weavers with portable/tabletop looms to come together and work on their weaving projects.  The Cricket Club will continue to meet the 3rd Wednesday of every month.  

Maybe by May or at least June, we can carry the looms out to the porch!  I already enjoy working on the porch and listening to the music lesson music drifting over from the building across the street, I can't wait to have a group join me.  See you there!

Spring projects

I recently received Kraemer's newsletter and there was a feature article about their Belfest yarns.  Have you seen and felt this cotton/linen blend?  It would be a great yarn for your summer projects.  Personally, I cant' wait to try and make something with it - maybe a nice summer wrap. 

What are you planning for the Spring and Summer?  I know it's hard to think about fiber when the weather's so beautiful.  I know I'm spending my free time cleaning up the yard, planning my veggie garden, starting the cool weather crops (although, I fear we may have missed this years harvest!) and generally getting the yard ready for more use as the Summer gets into full swing.  But that doesn't mean there won't be rainy days, or trips that require a project bag to keep you occupied during the down time.  Or how about all the family check-ups that seem to happen over the Summer?  What are you working on while in the waiting room at the dentist or doctor?

Right now I'm working on a bag, for me.  I've been hoarding some yarn I purchased a few years ago at the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, and finally found a pattern I think it is worthy of.  I'm also working on a needlefelted wall hanging and a small knitted drop stitch scarf.    

The Center of Harmony is a big place...

 This week's  blog isn't much about yarn, crafts, or anything fiber related - once again, my dad's been complaining about the lack of photos on the blog.  This time it was the lack of photos of the building in which the shop is located.  I kept telling him that I had to wait until we got a sunny and dry day here in Western Pa.  And if you live here in Western PA, you know that we get a limited (but much enjoyed) number of "perfect" outdoor photo days.  Well, today is one of them!

The top photo is the front of the Center of Harmony (CoH), taken from across the street.  The front left door is for Wunderbar Coffee House.   Wunderbar is currently open in the evenings and on weekends - which means that if you stop by DYNT for one of the Wednesday evening groups, there's a place to get a steaming cuppa  joe or tea, hot cocoa that I've heard "tastes like you're drinking cake batter!" and amazingly yummy hot cider.

The center door leads up a large staircase to the Opera Hall on the second floor.  The Hall is used for large events (weddings, community dinners, fund raisers, seminars) as well as yoga and other wellness type classes.  Check out The Center of Harmony's website for a complete schedule and class registration.

The door on the front right leads to more retail space, that is currently unoccupied.

In the middle and bottom photo, there is a door on the porch with the Yoga banner.  That door leads to a stairwell - you can see it attached to the side of the building, that also leads upstairs to the Opera Hall.  This entrance is used for the daily Hall use, yoga classes and regularly scheduled events.In the bottom photo, behind the van, is a porch.  On the left side of the porch there is a door,  that door leads to DYNT, Just Pam, and another staircase

to the Opera Hall.  Eventually, E-loop and Venture Outdoors will be accessible through the same door.  Pearlette's door is also on the porch, Pearlette is a jeweler's showroom and workshop.

You'll find me on the porch on days like today!  And when the weather warms up, I hope others will join me.  I'd love to see others using the porch as a gathering space to knit, crochet or spin!

The CoH will have signs for each of the shops soon.  I should have waited for them to take these photos - but I couldn't pass up the beautiful day!

Groups, Groups and more Groups

Today is the first Wednesday of the month, that means it's Workshop Wednesday.  I didn't want to start just any old knitting group.  So this isn't a knitting group.  It's a group for knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, lace makers, and anyone else that works with fiber.  It meets the first Wednesday of the month from 5pm - 8pm.  Feel free to stay longer, or come earlier.  If you stay past 8, you'll just have to move into the Wunderbar Coffee Shop.  I don't think that will be to hard on anyone!

I chose to name it Workshop Wednesday in the hopes that the term "workshop" would be used as a noun and not a verb.  "I need to go to the workshop for a tool." vs. "I learned a great new stitch at the workshop."  I also picked the word "workshop" so that it wouldn't eliminate any given craft from the list...I didn't want crocheters to feel it was knitting group or vice versa.  I didn't want spinners to feel forgotten...

I'll be working on a crochet cowl from a magazine pattern and using Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece Yarn.  What will you be working on?

Next Wednesday will be the first Mens'/Kids' night.  It will also be from 5pm - 8pm.  We may need to split these two groups later, but for now, they are combined on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.  Part of the reason I combined them is that many of the grandma's I've talked to are teaching their grandSONS to knit or crochet.  So what better way to spend quality time with them and show them that grown up men work with yarn too?  Kids' need to be supervised during this group.  I'm hoping that many fiber junkies will see it as a chance to spend some quality time with the kids in their lives who are budding fiber junkies.