Stitches West Fashion Show

Susan Lazear and Rick Mondragon hosted an absolutely stunning fashion show featuring over 100 fabulous designs and a surprise appearance by Vickie Howell. Alex was delighted to see Susan at the show because they knew each other in a previous life -- in the high-tech industry! She was a little more than surprised to see him...so it was a fun reunion.

We couldn't take photos, unfortunately, or I'd have dozens up here. There was so many wonderful fashions to see!

Among my favorite garments featured was a Swing Coat designed by Full Thread Ahead using Cherry Tree Hill's Oceania yarn. The drape of this garment was lovely...and the colors were, of course, spectacular. Cheryl's hand-dyed combinations are always magnificent.

Gaia, a complex Celtic-inspired piece, was designed by Jonelle Raffino in SWTC's Terra. It was a lovely piece for spring, in celery green yarn with a pattern that looked straight from the Book of Kells. I checked the SWTC site and they don't have the yarn or the pattern up yet. But keep an eye out for them because they're absolutely stunning.



I also loved the South West Trading Company Karaoke Mitered Jacket designed by Joan Somerville. Turns out that we sell it as a kit at Yarnmarket -- which makes it even better!

My very favorite piece of all was the Shore Cardigan in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton. No, it wasn't the most dramatic piece, but it was by far the most flattering for virtually every body shape. Check it out on the Mission Falls site. The horizontal lines at the top, with the empire waist and vertical stripes on the body are wonderfully slimming.

Overall, I'd say there was a lot of lace and romance in wraps, capes and shawls. Colors ranged from muted pastels to vibrant jewel tones, plus sparkles and feathers. The funniest point in the evening was the appearance of a runway model wearing her garment upside down! It was a Fiber Fiend sweater with a terrific cable pattern along the sleeve. How she managed to put it on upside down is a mystery. Yet, oddly enough, it actually looked okay.

We're at Stitches West

Alex and I arrived at Stitches West this morning and were amazed by the crowds of ladies entering the conference center here in Santa Clara. The place is absolutely packed! There are lots of wonderful displays of yarns by manufacturers and retailers, and the attendees are having fun learning new techniques, seeing the latest yarns and patterns, and finding the occasional bargain. We've encountered quite a few friends here today -- the folks at South West Trading Company who are giving out bright red bags to visitors to their booth, Cheryl from Cherry Tree Hill, Becca from Bagsmith who's giving demonstrations with her Extreme Needles.

SWTC's biggest hit is their Tofutsies Stitches Collectors Edition bags that should sell out before the show is over. (If you're reading this while you're at Stitches, get over to their booth right away to make sure you aren't disappointed!)

I picked up a softest, most luxurious cashmere roving at the Wild Fibers magazine booth and now have to figure out what to do with it. Cindy, of Foxglove Fiberarts, made a noble attempt to teach me to spin but I was hopeless. I did a bit better with her loom, though, and might want to try my hand at weaving. Still...what do I do with the cashmere? It was just too exquisitely soft to turn down.

Tonight we'll be seeing the fashion show that we've heard is really spectacular. This is our first time at Stitches and we're really enjoying the opportunity to see people from other yarn shops throughout the country, and to watch as knitters discover wonderful new yarns and patterns to enjoy.

Tomorrow I'll write about the fashion show.

Happy Valentine's Day

We're a romantic group here at Yarnmarket. (That's the "lust" in Life and lust at Yarnmarket.) And being hopeless romantics, Jill and Susie felt compelled to turn our sweet little sheep into a sexy, sultry, seductive Love Ewe.


Looking as if she just leapt off a Victoria's Secret catwalk, she's wearing a luxurious red stole, beaded necklace with matching bracelet, and -- of course -- her heart-shaped YarnMartian antennae. You can't see the false eyelashes in this shot but, believe me, they're there.


During the Valentine's Day Yarn Rush, our Love Ewe is greeting unsuspecting visitors when they arrive at Yarnmarket World Headquarters in the thriving megalopolis of Pickerington, OH. (Don't believe it? Well, we have a Starbucks in our Kroger store...and Starbucks wouldn't put one of their high-falutin' coffee shops just any old place, would they?)


If you're in our neighborhood, drop by and take a look at Love Ewe. You'll also want to see all the sumptuous new yarns that have recently arrived following our TNNA buying spree.

The new Panda Silk from Crystal Palace is to die for! Well, not literally. But it sure is great...and it's eco-friendly, too. We might need to create the lovely ribbed scarf for our sheep. It's getting cold here in the heartland and this fun project would be perfect for everyone...including ewe!

Welcome to our Blog

A lot of Yarnmarket shoppers have said they want to know more about us: who we are...what we do...and what it's like to work in a place with a gazillion skeins of yarn. Well, it's fun. And it's busy. And it's changing all the time.


There are about 20 of us now -- mostly part-time. We've got a lot of moms who drop the kids off at school, work at Yarnmarket for a few hours, and then pick the kids up. We figure it's a win-win for everyone because we've got some really smart and talented ladies, and they get to have that ever-elusive life/work balance. Well, they get to TRY to have that ever-elusive life/work balance.


I'm going to be doing most of the writing on our blog, but I'm sure I'll be able to coax others to make postings. (Jan? If you ever get a free moment, blog away!) Jan writes our newsletter, so most of you already know her...sort of. She also works with Alex to select our yarns. And she does a dozen other things I'll write about another time.


Actually, I'll write about everyone who works here who isn't too shy to appear on a blog. Some people might not want to be featured. (They're the ones who are part of the Witness Protection Program or who are alien scouts reporting to Remulak on the activities of Earthlings. We know who you are, Jill, and we're not afraid of you and your Remulakian leaders!)


Here's a little bit about me: I do a lot of our communications work. Like advertising, public relations and our blog (of course!) I love yarn and am often found wandering our warehouse looking for something really neat to knit. I recently found some lovely cashmere. Ahhh... I can't wait to find our Vicuna when it arrives.


Right now, I'm knitting socks. Socks are fun. And quick.


I hope you'll visit our blog regularly. I'll be writing about the YarnMartians (that's us!), our new arrivals, and our behind-the-scenes fun.


Just one word of warning: this blog's going to change every once in a while so don't get worried that you've come to the wrong blogspot. We'll be adding our nifty new logo that Amanda -- the world's finest designer -- is busily developing. And we'll enhance the functionality as soon as our IT guys have time to work on the code. I'm not sure of everything we're going to change. But just know that this is going to be a dynamic place, so don't be surprised if someday when you show up things look a little bit different.




This is Steve, one of our owners.
Well, he says it's him.