New Classes, New Fall Hours!

Yes, that's right. By popular demand, Yarnia will soon be open on Sundays too! Beginning September 7 (that's not this Sunday, but the following), Yarnia will be expanding its hours to include Sundays, from 12 to 5 p.m, to make the weekly hours as follows:

Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday/Tuesday: CLOSED

Please note, however, that the weekend of September 13th is a special exception due to the Knit & Crochet Show, and Yarnia's hours for that weekend will be as follows:

Thursday, September 11: Open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, September 12: CLOSED
Saturday, September 13: CLOSED
Sunday, September 14: CLOSED

Please come visit us at the Knit & Crochet Show instead!

And speaking of fall, new class listings are now up on the website for classes beginning in September, and running throughout the fall. You can now peruse class listings by month, and while the September/October calendars have been finalized, the November/December pages will be updated and added to as the months progress. Here's a quick preview of what's in store for fall knitting and crocheting:

* Beginner's Knitting classes offered every month (first one is coming up next Thursday, so don't delay if you want to sign up!)
* Knitting Surgery
* Pattern Reading
* Finishing School
* Cables
* Circular/Double-Pointed Needles
* Crochet Market Bags
* Knitting Math 101

You can find the full listing and class descriptions on the website.

Truckin'

Some of you may not know this, but in a former crafty life not too long ago I was President of the Urban Craft Uprising, Seattle's claim to fame in the indie craft show realm. After moving to Portland last summer, this meant a lot of driving up and down the I-5 corridor, heading up to Seattle for Bumbershoot, application jurying, even board meetings from time to time. There were even a few months there when I drove up something like four weekends in a row...and then swore I'd never do it again.

After having lived without a car for six years, I now detest driving -- gas costs and environmental impacts aside -- and the feeling of being weighed down by such an impediment. Now, I'm no stranger to the Greyhound, but it's always hard to justify stretching what should be a 2.5-hour drive into a 4.5-hour one, so this weekend when I took a trip up to Seattle for my mom's birthday, I tried something new. I took a stab at my first Craigslist rideshare, and am now a happy convert.

You really can't beat splitting gas three ways in a car, and the flexibility of being able to choose between different departure times and pickup locations depending on who's heading out when...plus there's a little thrill to the uncertainty of it. And I will happily fork over money any day to have someone else drive me while I get to do this instead of looking at the road-


(Although I have to say, if SharedRoute ever starts up again, I'd be on that in a second!)

Okay, now after having brought it up, I'm going to have to throw in another little plug for the Urban Craft Uprising. This little wonder of a show is just kicking into gear for its fourth year running, and applications are being accepted right now, until September 8. Applications are available on the website, and can be submitted entirely online. It's a one-weekend extravaganza, held at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, and is always the first weekend in December, right in the nick of time for holiday shopping, if local, handmade, sustainable, and edgy gifts are up your alley.

Whether you're a vendor or a shopper, it's worth the drive up (rideshare!), so mark it on your calendars -- December 6th and 7th, in Seattle!

CRAFT!

That's right, as of August 5, the latest issue of CRAFT magazine is out on news stands...and features a writeup about Yarnia, as well as some other crafty places in this fair city!

You can also find a link to this article on our website's press page

Lots of you have been in lately asking about classes, and we're just in the final stages of putting together our class lists for the fall. Most likely we will be offering some Sunday evening classes in addition to our weeknight classes for those of you with busy mid-week schedules. We'll be bringing back some faves from the spring for a repeat session, as well as offering some new classes that focus on foundation and skill-building to enable you to get creative and adaptive with the patterns you're finding!

Six Month Anniversary!

Six months ago today, on a chilly Saturday in February, Yarnia opened its doors for the first time. Since then, we've been enjoying watching our shelves fill with more and more colors, types of fiber, and yarn blends than we even knew existed a mere six months ago. We've also seen the launch of our online sales, and have used up over 1200 of the initial 1600 empty cones we started with!

(Not sure where we're going to put them yet, but 3,000 more are on their way...)

After celebrating our six month birthday today, we're already starting to think ahead to September, when the TKGA Knit & Crochet Show is coming to Portland! We'll have more details in the coming weeks, but for now, mark your calendars. It's the weekend of September 12-14, at the Oregon Convention Center. We'll have a booth there and will be selling a huge selection of our premade cones in all sorts of weights, fibers, and shades of color.

Hollis is in town again(!), visiting from New York, and the machine's working overtime today, not only to supply the regular Saturday stream of customers, but also to make sure we're well stocked for a road trip up to Vancouver, B.C. where we'll be spending the next few days off. My number one fear is being stuck in transit without enough knitting to keep me occupied, so I'm planning on stocking the car with just enough yarn to make it look suspicious as we roll through customs...