In Honor of Friendship

This is a very special week at Yarnia, because my friend Hollis is in town, visiting from New York, and here working at the store with me. I'm always excited to show friends around the shop when they're in for a visit, but Hollis holds a special tie with Yarnia, because she's played a huge role in its inception. (Many of you ardent followers of the blog will recognize her as being the one with whom I discovered the little shop in Montreal that was the initial inspiration for Yarnia.)

But even more importantly, she was the one who helped tip the balance last summer as I wrestled with a huge decision. Although we haven't actually lived together in almost eight years, we get to visit each other on our opposite coasts a couple times a year. Last summer she came to visit Portland just after I had moved, and over a campfire we had built amidst a pile of volcanic ash in a cozy little camping spot we had staked out on Mt. St. Helens, we debated whether this idea I had, of opening a make-your-own-yarn store, was outlandishly crazy.

After listing the pros, the cons, the ideas, the obstacles, and the questions that remained, she declared, "Why not? What have you got to lose? When else are you going to do this?" A week later, I bought the machine.

Yesterday I got to show Hollis the store, in actuality, for the first time, in a fabulous intersection of the past, present, and theoretical. Sometimes all it takes is the encouragement and support of a good friend that believes in you to nudge your ideas--outlandish or otherwise--into action.

She's already winding up her own yarn and using the yarn balance like a pro (little does she know this brief apprenticeship is all part of the lure to convince her to move to Portland!) and during the down time, we get to knit together.

So in honor of friendship, we're announcing a one-day special here at Yarnia. All day Thursday, April 24, come into the store with your best friend. Not only will we take your picture together and post it on our blog, but when you both buy yarn, you'll each receive 10% off of your purchases!

See you soon!

There is Beauty in Restraint

Often when people come into the store and ask "how it works," I'll explain how the concept of "make your own yarn" means that you can essentially come up with whatever color combination or fiber combination you want -- but, I often add, you can also stick with solid colors if you choose!

Maybe you find a color that you absolutely love, and don't want to detract from it by mixing anything else in with it. That works too! With the only constraint being that you can combine up to six of any given fiber, you can often get a very ride range of weights just by building up multiple strands of the same type of yarn.

You might feel compelled to mix a bunch of different colors together, just because there really are a ton of colors. But sometimes, the most beautiful yarns come from simple, subtle combinations, perhaps adding a strand or two of another yarn that is a slightly different shade, to add some depth.



Don't feel ashamed! It doesn't mean you're not creative. A solid or slightly tweedy blend might be perfect for the project you're thinking of; while a wildly contrasting palette of colors might make a fun pair of socks or a funky scarf, you might not want to make the entire body of a cardigan out of the same yarn.

And, those who have spent hours sitting on the floor with cones scattered around you, on a quest to mix just the right ingredients together, know that it is not always as simple as finding six colors you like and mixing them all together--although sometimes that works out magically, too.

I love what happened here...(this was actually a customer's blend that I loved so much, after she left I wound up a second cone to have at the store)!

Class Reminder and Fun Media News!

Just a reminder to those of you who have been contemplating signing up for the Beginner Knitter's class that's taking place this coming Monday, there are still 2 spots left, so email or call this weekend to reserve your spot! More details can be found on the website at http://www.yarniapdx.com/classes.html.

This has been a big week for Yarnia in the media--not only were we featured in Sister Diane's DIY Alert blog, but the next day Craft Magazine picked up on the story and posted it on their blog as well!

Two Month Anniversary!

Happy two month anniversary, Yarnia!

Well, it's been a whirlwind two months, and best of all, things have been off to such an awesome start that it's allowed us to bulk up our inventory immensely since our opening day just nine short weeks ago.

Those of you who have been in often have seen it grow from what it was...

to what it is now!

And here's the newest change in the store--our shelf of premade cones for you to choose from has expanded to its own wall shelf, and are now organized by weight, so if you know you're looking for a sport-weight yarn, for example, you can narrow down your search, or use these to trigger some ideas.


The the DIY station is now up front, where you can read up on the store, tricks of the trade, and weigh your cone choices yourself. And of course, as time goes on, the yarn will keep growing! In fact, a preview of what's on the plate for April includes some great lightweight spring and summer fibers, such as:

* linen
* noil silk
* soy silk

and more varieties of some of the great fibers we already have in stock! More news on the April fibers in the coming weeks...

We've also been getting lots of inquiries about whether we do phone and Internet orders, and the answer is "not yet." While that may be possible further down the road, the goal right now is to focus the energy on the storefront here in Portland, and hold off at least six months before considering mail orders.

Hopefully for those of you who live far away there's a west coast trip in your future and we hope you'll stop by when you're in town! Otherwise, keep an eye on the website and the mailing list for news about if and when we'll be launching mail order options in the future.

Finally, please note that we will have two early closures towards the end of the month in April:

* The first will be on Saturday, April 19, when Yarnia will close at 3:00 p.m. so I can cruise on up to Seattle in time for Passover. We will reopen at 11:00 a.m. as usual on Tuesday, April 22. However...

* Yarnia will close half an hour early--at 5:30 p.m.--on April 22 so we can all get a good seat to see the Yarn Harlot speak (at the World Forestry Center, 7 p.m.).

Thanks for your understanding, and please make sure to come early on those days if you're planning on stopping by!