Just want to say a great big THANKS to all the folks who stopped by our booth at the Western Welcome Week event Saturday! It's always a pleasure to meet other fiber fanatics...even if iti is still a little too hot to contemplate scarves and the like!
I've also just realized that the pre-event post, complete with a coupon never posted! Bad Ingrid!
The next big event on the KoolerKolors horizon is the Yarn Along the Rockies! (click here for their site: http://www.yarnalongtherockies.com/) I'll be helping out at the Yarn Shoppe's new location at 16th and Tremont on each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the event, and will be offering a coupon for KoolerKolors yarn and fiber as well. (and this time, I'll make SURE it gets posted...promise!)
Come downtown, check out the new location (it's amazing!!) and "sit and knit or stay and crochet" a while! (i'm workinging on
I was asked recently, “How can your yarn REALLY be color fast if you don’t use mordants?”
There are 2 parts to answering to this question.
Firstly, and easiest, animal fibers such as wool, alpaca and silk really don’t need a mordant to chemically set dye. Warm-ish water and acids (such as KoolAid and white vinegar) serve to “open up”the fiber to accept the dye. I have found that yarns that haven’t been treated with mordants do take up dye a bit more slowly, though.
Secondly, and trickier, is heat! Heat is what we use to permanently “set” the color once the yarn has taken it up. Ever put your fave blouse through the laundry not realizing that you’ve gotten spaghetti sauce or red wine (both acidic) on it – only to pull it out of the dryer to find a stain not quite as dark or vivid as the original offending substance? And once it’s been through the dryer, you KNOW that stain just is NOT coming out? Because it’s been heat set.
Heat, however, can be tricky when you’re working with animal fibers. Back to that darned dryer….ever have your absolute favoritest sweater in the world go through there? Yeah…a teeny tiny felted up mess when you do find it! Agitation and heat are to blame! Which is why I mostly work with super wash wools. They don’t felt up in your laundry, or in my dye pots! But even so, I’ve found just the right amount and length of heat to set colors and not felt the yarn! You don’t want to know how much roving I’ve ruined looking for that magic formula!
So yes, our yarns really are color fast!! It just takes a bit of time and patience…but then, so does knitting and crocheting it….so if you’re gonna put in the time and patience to make something truly wonderful with our yarn, why shouldn’t we put in the time and patience to make our yarn wonderful for you AND the environment??
Which reminds me, I’ve got some finished items that I’ve washed and blocked and worn and washed again that I really do need to post pictures of!!
Several of my out-of-town Twitter followers have commented that I need to make my hand-dyed available online, since they can't get to downtown Denver. That "Buy" page has gone live today! Yes, I know, there's only 2 skeins of yarn listed right now...the batteries in my camera died after downloading just 2 color-ways from it! I can find 3 AA batteries, but unfortunately, the stinker takes 4! (and why am I have these kinds of problems 3 days before Mercury goes into retrograde, anyway? but that's whooooole other blog post!)
Any way, that's a situation that will shortly be remedied! In the meantime, feel free to peruse the Colors page, and if something grabs you 'round the throat and screams "MEMEMEMEME, pick ME!" feel free to email! I can have your skein listed and ready to ship just as soon as it's dry!
June first is the 5th Annual Yarn Knit Out & Crochet Community Event, and we've been busy, busy, busy getting ready for it!! (details here! http://www.bagsbycab.com/Up_Coming_Events.html)
I'm very excited to be introducing Twinkle Toes at this event. It's 75% super wash merino, 20% nylon, and 5% Stellina, which is a pretty, subtle metalic filament plied in!
I've also cooked up a couple of new color-ways, and have FINALLY come up with a recipe for the PERFECT purple for my long planned "Rock Pile" color-way!
I'll also have stitch markers and drop spindles available, and one set of semi precious gemstone stitch markers will be given away to a lucky winner in a drawing. I don't yet know which gemstone will grab me 'round the throat later today at Crazy Merchant, but I'll put up pictures once they have!
And last but not least, click on the PDF document below to download your 10% off KoolerKolors purchase coupon for the day of the event. the 10% will apply to yarn, markers and spindles! Print it, or show it on your phone! If you need it e-mailed to you, just use the Contact Form, or e-mail me at [email protected].
Looking forward to seeing you there June 1st!!!
Don't forget your coupon!!
Celebrate Spring Community Event at the Yarn Shoppe! Bags by Cab - Yarn Shoppe to Host 5th Annual Spring Artisans Community Event Spectacular in downtown Denver! FREE EVENT! Denver, CO, May 1, 2013: It’s Time to Shoppe till you drop, Knit till you quit !!! Bags By CAB - Yarn Shoppe, 1777 Larimer St., #102, Denver, CO 80202, 720.473.2598, www.BagsByCAB.com, specializing in fiber arts knit and crochet, and home of the Denver Crochet Guild, hosts its 5th Annual Spring Artisans Community Event Spectacular, June 1, 2013, 11 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., 1777 Larimer St., outdoor courtyard. This free community event is not to be missed!Join us as we celebrate local artisans! The largest event of its kind in the Rocky Mountain Region, the Spring Artisans Community Event Spectacular is an annual event hosted by Bags by CAB - Yarn Shoppe as an opportunity for local artisans, designers and entrepreneurs to showcase their designs, small business, connect with the community, and shop LOCAL! Sponsored by: www.VogueKnitting., www.Lionbrand.com, www.Interweave.com, and the Denver Office of Economic Development http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/oed, www.VintageHandbagsDenver.com and www.BagsByCAB.com – Yarn Shoppe. Please bring a b aby blanket and booties to benefit Denver Health Foundation’s Newborns in Need program: http://www.denverhealthfoundation.org/Programs/NewbornsinNeed.aspx. We are proud to bring Denver’s Best women entrepreneurs directly to you! Visit with Colorado’s own Mayor of the City of Westminster, Nancy McNally http://www.ci.westminster.co.us/818_1353.htm.Visit Mayor McNally’s craft site: www.MadeAndCreated.com and shop her exhibit booth!Purchase handcrafted designs from numerous artisans including Marie Nevels www.WildWomanDesignsByMarie.com, Ingrid Stillman’s beautiful hand dyed sock yarn www.KoolerKolors.weebly.com and Dress Up Knits By Diane Anderson, shop her booth of knitted designs www.DressUpKnitsByDiane.com. Visit with Liars’ Lodge Bed and Breakfast www.liarslodge.com and sign up at their booth for an overnight knit and crochet stay at their beautiful B&B in Buena Vista, Colorado!Free door prizes donated by Lion Brand, Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits and Crochet!Goodie bags available while supplies last! Wear comfortable shoes and have plenty of arm space to carry your special “ one of a kind finds!” Ladies; stop inside the Yarn Shoppe and pick up several genuine designer and vintage handbags www.VintageHandbagsDenver.com. Grab your knitting project, pick up your Girlfriends, and pack up the kids!Experience the fun and excitement of the day! Saturday, June 1, 2013, 11:00am – 4:00pm. Park at a meter, or across the street at the Tabor Center for $6.00 weekend parking.Bring your knit and crochet group for our yarn exchange, craft book exchange, and shop exhibit booths to die for! Site: http://www.bagsbycab.com/Up_Coming_Events.html Watch our Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_rkFCC4vqoCall: 720.473.2598. See you there! CAB ### For Release 9 a.m. MST, May 1, 2013
You all know I’m going to be at the 5thAnnual Spring Yarn event downtown on June 1st, but did you know that I’ve been officially and formally accepted as a vendor at the West Welcome Week Craft Event on August 17th? Yessirree Bob I have!!
I’ll be sharing booth space with my alter ego A Doll’s Chest (you can find a Doll’s Chest on Etsy.com) I’ll have details on both events closer to time, and will be offering coupons for purchases, as well as drawings the day of each event!
And in the meantime, I’ve been cyber stalking my yarn shipment online since Monday – at last update, it left Hodgkins, IL at 5:02am on the 24th – it’s due to be delivered tomorrow, so I’m expecting new information on that any ol’ minute now!
The Bad News first, 'cause the good news really is better! So, one of my new yarn lines, Twisted, has to be un-announced. My supplier is no longer able to get this fun, funky yarn....bummer...
The good news is that there's a box of yarn on the way, and it DOES include my Twinkle Toes yarn! I hope to be dyeing up starting this weekend...depending on what our not-so-spring-like weather does!
I've also got a couple of new color ways I want to try....one being a slate-blue and espresso brown combination I plan on naming after a family friend's daughter...we're still working on the actual.
I am also exploring a new yarn to take the place of Twisted, and I think I know what that's going to be...a little late to be included in the box on it's way, thought.
It's a sample I ordered recently that I've only just gotten to get my hands into. It's a 20/80 silk/superwash merino blend that comes in 150 gram, 600 yard "shawl" skeins. I've dyed up the first of these two skeins and love the way it takes up color, and I've just cast it on to become a Haruni shawl, and I'm even MORE pleased with the way it knits!! It's got a wonderful twist, and shows stitches clearly, while it's also both wonderfully soft! It's going to have a gorgeous drape and hand...pictures will come soon, I hope!!
So, in the process of recovering from Spring Forward, I've recalled that March Madness will be starting soon...and then it's all about the rankings and the stats and the brackets and the last 2 minutes!
I'll be honest...I'm not a basket-ball fan. Much to the dismay of my Kentucky-based family...that will probably get me disowned. And I have a simple solution for March Madness, too!
See, what we do is this...spot each team 100 points, 2 minutes, and 1 time out. The last 2 minutes takes half an hour to play anyway, and in any game worth it's salt, the last 2 minutes is all that matters. The tournament could start Thursday evening, and be wrapped up by Sunday afternoon...viola!
However, March Madness can provide some extended periods of high-quality crafting time...regardless of what your fiber activity of choice might be...so I say we celebrate the Madness...be you b-ball widow or hoops fanatic!
So, from March 15th through April 6th, when you buy 2 skeins of KoolerKolors yarns at the Yarn Shoppe, you'll get 1 (of equal or lesser value) free! You can download or print the PDF coupon below! If you're having trouble with it, e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll see it to you direct...and dribble on!!
I’ve just registered for the first of this summer’s events! The 5th Spring Yarn Knit Out & Crochet Community Event ! This event will be held June 1st, from 11am to 4pm (June 8th, in the event of rain), and will take place in gorgeous downtown Denver, surrounding Bags by CAB and the Yarn Shoppe at 17thand Larimer! This fair is also held in conjunction with the street chalk art festival, so there will be LOTS to see and do and eat! Click the link for additional details. http://www.bagsbycab.com/Up_Coming_Events.htmlI’ll be unveiling 2 new, exciting yarns at this event, and have a drawing for a set of stitch markers, and keep an eye out here for a coupon for the day of the event! (if you ‘d like to have the coupon e-mailed directly to you, e-mail me at [email protected], or use the contact form letting me know!) And in the meantime, I’ve been busy test-dyeing samples of several potential new yarns. We’ve had some exciting results with these yarns, while I’m only adding 2 actual yarns to my inventory right now, we’re also experimenting with wool roving and top for spinning and felting.
Oh the possibilities….when you get to “do your own thing”, sometimes, the possibilities can be overwhelming!
I’ve been considering adding a retail section to this website, so that those who don’t have the opportunity to visit Cassandra’s Yarn Shoppe in downtown Denver can have the option of purchasing our yarn directly.
It’s also getting into show season, and while I’ve reluctantly ruled out a couple of multi-day events, I am still considering a couple more 1-day events. (One of these years, I WILL take the leap to a multi-day event…but I am a 1 woman show, and my kids just aren’t old enough yet to mind things or themselves for potty breaks and such!)
And there’s just so much to consider for these events! There’s always the terrifying prospect of not having enough stock…or equally as horrific, not selling a single item (it happened, once, but the event was eventually declared as snowed out!) There’s also the deciding exactly WHAT to have on hand! From year to year, it’s never the same “hot item” twice! And what’s hot sometimes catches me by surprise!
Then the logistics…and not just those leading up to the event (when to order yarn, and how much and what types, but how much can be dyed at a time, in what colorways, and what weekends will I get rained or snowed out?). There’s also getting the canopy and the table and the chairs and the stock and the office supplies and the cooler and the kids all to the event space…in a Jeep Wrangler! (cue the circus clown car song!)
One event that you’re certain to find me at is Cassandra’s 5th Annual Spring Yarn Knit Out & Crochet Community Event on June 1st! It’s the same day as the chalk art event on Larimer Square, so there will be LOTS to see and do! I will also be offering a coupon closer to time for that event, so check back! (add link)
I’m also seriously considering sharing a booth with StillmanStitches at this year’s Western Welcome fair on August 17th! I’ll need to decide at that here soon!
I’m also planning on visiting a couple of the larger events this year with an eye towards vending at them in coming years. Seeing them outside of a booth always gives a feel for the event!
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