Urban Craft Uprising!

If you've been into the store lately you may have noticed an abundance of paraphernalia advertising the Urban Craft Uprising. Are you wondering what this is all about? Well, let me tell you...

What is Urban Craft Uprising?

- The biggest indie craft show in Seattle, touting 120+ awesome vendors!

- Swag bags will be handed out to the first 100 visitors each day with samplings from vendors and sponsors, so be sure to arrive early! Last year a line started before our vendors even arrived!

- DIY wrapping station, featuring recycled materials to make your wrapping unique and green

- Book signings throughout the weekend by some fantastic authors

- Free giveaways every hour!

***Support local and independent designers! Shop outside the box***

Date: Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th
Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Seattle Center Exhibition Hall
Admission: Free!

For a preview of whom you might see at this year's show, as well as the schedule for book signings, and to find out more about UCU, visit us online at www.urbancraftuprising.com

While UCU does in fact take place in Seattle, not Portland, it is well worth the drive up. And, if you live in Seattle and have been wanting to make it down to PDX to visit the shop, you'll be able to get a little taste of what you've been missing! Yarnia will have a booth at the show, showing our demo video of how the store works, and selling a whole bunch of our pre-made cones of yarn, in all sorts of different weights, fibers, and colors. Come stop by and say hi!

And just as a reminder, Yarnia will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday the 27th, but open for regular business hours before and after -- Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! While we won't be having any crazy 2 a.m. sales, we are ready to help you out with whatever holiday projects you have in mind, have tons of new premade cones that we've been whipping up these past couple of weeks, and can print gift certificates on the spot for any amount you'd like!

And as for me, this is what I'll be cozying up with while the sourdough bread is rising on Thursday afternoon:

Classes...when you want them!

Classes On Demand
We know you've all got busy schedules, and while many of you come into the shop each day wanting to take a beginner lesson, brush up after putting down the needles for a few years, or take your knitting to the next level, your free time might not necessarily match up with that one class you want to take.

That's why we're now offering what we call "On Demand" classes. We've got all the same great two-hour workshops as before, but instead of us setting the schedule beforehand, we're going to let you set the schedule. If you see a class you'd like to take, either send us an email, sign up at the store, or online. As soon as we have three signups for any one given class, we'll contact all those interested and schedule a date and time that works for all of us.

No more waiting around for the class you want to take to turn up on the right evening -- you can make it happen!

Wednesday Knit & Crochet Nights
Thanks to everyone who's been coming out to kick off the first few weeks of our Wednesday Knit & Crochet Nights! So far it's been a blast, and from the looks of it we'll have to procure a few more chairs over the coming weeks!

An important note about Thanksgiving week: there will be NO KNIT NIGHT next Wednesday, November 26. I'll be heading up to Seattle that evening and I'm sure many of you will be either heading out of town or welcoming friends and family in for the holiday. So keep the needles at home, and we'll see you the following week -- same time, same place!

Keeping Warm...

According to NW natural, the cost of heating our homes this winter will go up 14 percent! Yikes. Caulk your windows, open your curtains to let the sun in on days like today, and start knitting afghans!

An afghan is a long term project, right up there with cabled fisherman sweaters, but the upside is that they're virtually indestructible heirloms; once a blanket like this exists in the universe, it's not going anywhere.

Over the last couple weeks we've been getting in some great textured acrylic yarns in a ton of different shades and colors, which combine brilliantly with wools and bamboo!

Here are some swatches of just a few of them...

Crocheted or knitted up full size, these will make for some extremely warm and cozy lap blankets, and the patterns that you can find for these can range from the complex, to just about as simple as it gets!

Make Cones Not War

My friend Hollis, of craft blog fame, is now also beginning her burgeoning career as purveyor of fine Yarnia paraphernalia. These pins were dreamed up during her last visit to Portland, but it was only during my recent trip to New York that she bestowed me with a full collection, which are now for sale at the store (right next to the needles & accessories). Have a look the next time you're in -- for only $2 each, these make fantastic little stocking stuffers!

While "Make Cones Not War" has been an obvious hot seller already, I have to say, this is my personal favorite:
Speaking of political slogans...have you voted yet? If not, you still have 34 hours to do it! You can find a list of drop sites and their open hours here, along with seven 24-hour ballot drop boxes.

Even though I received my ballot two weeks ago, I myself like to let it go until the last minute and cruise on over to the library, which is always bustling with last-minute voters on election day, other bike-up procrastinators who, not bothering to take off helmets and gloves, are directed to the surprisingly unofficial looking ballot box by cheerful volunteers at the door. It's kind of a zoo, and a good method for combating the loneliness that mail-in-only voting can endgender. I like it.