I can highly recommend a week off from real life. This past week I:
- Knit like crazy and enjoyed every minute of it.
- Finally got a new faucet installed to replace the one that dripped like crazy until you found the teeny little sweet spot that still sealed. I think he could have just replaced the seals but I really needed a new one because the old one had somehow gotten some hammer damage. (Now, hitting it with a hammer didn’t do a thing to make it seal, but it made me feel better.)
- Got a new outside light installed in the back yard to replace the one that fell to pieces last winter. This was important because Miss Fancy Pants won’t go into the back yard when it’s dark.
- Took my dishwasher apart to find out why the top rack wasn’t getting clean. I didn’t find out why, but I did find a bunch of gunk, so spent one satisfying morning cleaning everything and putting it back together.
I’m well aware that this is not everyone’s idea of a perfect vacation. But the one thing that really made it special was that I didn’t allow myself to go to the store, think about the store, or do any work at home for the store. When you have your own business, there’s always something that must or could be done. Your days “off” consist of social media, errands, phone calls, emails, to-do lists, orders, bills and on and on. I’m not complaining; it’s a privilege and (mostly) a pleasure to have the store but it’s been my life for 16 years. It’s good to get a little perspective and to feel that my house has been given a bit of time and attention. I may do it again later in the summer…
…and it’s officially summer! I think it’s going to feel like it this weekend so I hope you have something fun to work on when it’s sweltering outside. We’re having a great sale on Shibui yarns this week, so you can pick up a few skeins of pure luxury and make something you’ll love. We have a lot of models for you to check out, but here are some things that I want to make but haven’t gotten around to yet:
Riverine by Theresa Gaffey uses one skein each Silk Cloud, Cima, and Pebble:
Double Vision by Jane Vanselous uses two different colors of Pebble: (Note: I can’t sell this pattern, you will need to buy it from Ravelry or the designers’ website.)
Irondrop by Jen Giezen is a great summer piece that uses linen but would be much nicer in Twig:
Flamedrops Cowl by Hilary Hues uses 2 skeins of Cima and one skein of Pebble:
Very Gifted Cowl by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas uses one skein each of Cima and Silk Cloud:
Tempo by Antonia Shankland uses 2 skeins each of 2 colors of Ma’ai, the softest alpaca you’ll ever feel:
and I could go on forever, but feel free to look through your favorite patterns and see what might work. These yarns combine to make beautiful light worsted weight fabrics, or keep them separate and make wonderful lace-weight tops and accessories. Either way, the sale features 20% off our regular price on in-stock Shibui yarns, including Linen, which is already marked down in the sale closet, and you can use a full Frequent Buyer Card to get an additional 10% off. Best Shibui sale ever and it ends June 30. I’m trying not to take my favorites home before Wednesday!
