Melisssa Leapman coming to Nine Rubies Knitting in January!

Noted author and designer Melissa Leapman is coming to Nine Rubies Knitting in January for a weekend of workshops! Melissa is the author of more than 5 knitting and crochet books, and her designs have appeared in every major knitting magazine. She has also been a guest on DIY's Knitty Gritty several times. Melissa is known for her contemporary but classic design pattern, cable, and crochet wizadry.

Nine Rubies Knitting has been fortunate to have a number of top designers and authors come to the shop in 2007. We've heard from many customers that they would have loved to work on socks with Nancy Bush, learned valuable tips from Lily Chin, learned combination knitting from Annie Modesitt or modular knitting from Iris Schreier. Alas, these classes were all during the week. Well, we've listened to our customers and will be doing workshops on the weekend. Melissa has taught these classes several times at Stitches and the TKGA shows. Now's your chance to enjoy them in the cozy atmosphere here at the shop.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, January 26th
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Basic Pattern Drafting ($70 plus materials)
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Crochet for Cowards ($70 plus $20 materials fee payable to the instructor)

Sunday, January 27th
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Cable Ready ($70 plus materials)
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Celtic Cables ($70 plus materials)

Please stop by the shop or call 650-685-6205 to register.

Free Knitalongs at Nine Rubies Knitting

Nine Rubies Knitting in San Mateo is hosting two free knitalongs this fall. Check out the blog or call the store (650-685-6205) for details. The knitalongs are free but pre-registration is required.

A brief summary of both knitalongs is below.

Yarn requirements: 1200 yards laceweight yarn ( fingering weight can be used; the stole will be larger). Solid or semi-solid colors are recommended. We have yarns from The Alpaca Yarn Company, Baywood Yarns, Schaefer, Prism and Misti Alpaca that would all be suitable. We have the divine Malabrigo laceweight coming in mid to late September as another option. The colors will be gorgeous.

Bead Requirements: Approximately 300 size 6 or 8 beads.
Sign Ups: You need to join the Yahoo Groups (groups.yahoo.com/group/secretofthestole) to get the clues. Membership closes on October 5th. We also ask that you register at the store so we know how many people to expect.

Dates: Mondays, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, beginning October 8th and continuing for eight weeks. The last session will be Monday, November 26th.

Deconstructing New Pathways for Sock Knitters - FreeNew Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One, by Cat Bordhi, is creating a revolution in sock knitting. The book introduces 8 new architectures, each of which has new and unique features and benefits. The KAL will explore these architectures over a space of 10 weeks, meeting every other week.

Each meeting will focus on another new architecture and KALers can choose whichever sock they want to make with that architecture.

Requirements:

New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One, by Cat Bordhi. (Book available from Nine Rubies)

Skills: Participants should have sufficient experience in sock knitting to have completed at least one pair of traditional socks (using any method)

Schedule: Saturdays, 1 - 3 pm

Session 1: 10/13 - Sky Architecture

Session 2: 10/27 - Coriolis

Session 3: 11/10 - Upstream or Cedar

Session 4: 11/24* - Riverbed or Foxglove

Session 5: 12/8 - Ridgeline or Sidestream

*11/24 meeting may be rescheduled if majority of group will be absent

A detailed list of recommended yarns for each architecture is available at the shop.

Anniversary Sale at Marin Fiber Arts

Marin Fiber Arts in San Rafael is celebrating its 2-year anniversary with a store-wide sale! All in-stock yarn is at least 25% off, with a long list of selected yarns up to 50% off. In addition, all books are discounted 20% off. The sale runs now through Sunday, September 30th.

Additionally, to thank everyone for their support, we are raffling off four scarf kits - one on each Saturday and Sunday during the sale - featuring 2 balls of Karabella Boise, an amazing cashmere/merino blend (need not be present to win).

Thanks!
Warren
Marin Fiber Arts

Help Wanted at Full Thread Ahead

Full Thread Ahead is looking for part-time staff. We provide competitive pay and an attractive employee discount. Some weekends, school vacations, and evening hours.

Job Duties include: Working with customers in selecting yarns, patterns, and products; Providing technical guidance in both crochet and knitting; Merchandising including: inventory and tagging arriving items,stocking shelves, keeping store neat and organized; Assisting with programs, during and after-hours onsite and offsite events

Job Skills Required: Medium to expert skills in Knitting and/or crocheting Retail & Customer Service Experience Willingness to work as a team with both adults and children Creative, customer-service oriented, upbeat outlook

Please contact us at info@fullthreadahead.com if interested

Customer Appreciation Sale at Nine Rubies Knitting

2nd Annual Customer Appreciation Day 2007 is Saturday, September 22nd from 10 am - 5 pm.

In honor of the event, everything in the store will be 15% off all day (20% for members). Store Members also have the added advantage of beginning to buy on the 17th of September. There will be refreshments served in the late afternoon on Sept. 22nd. This is a great time to get your holiday lists started and stock up on all the yarn that will be needed for those great gifts that you are going to be handing out.

And just like last year, we will be having the annual customer trunk show. Bring anything you’ve made since Nine Rubies opened and we will display it in the front window. Or just come and admire what other people have made and be inspired by your fellow knitters. Stay tuned for additional events and games that we will add between now and then.

Nine Rubies Knitting is located at 28 E. 3rd Avenue in downtown San Mateo. There is street parking and a parking structure around the corner at 2nd Avenue and El Camino. Call the store with questions (650-685-6205).

PS: As usual we will not be winding yarn on Sale Day, but we will be happy to wind them if you bring them back to the store another day.

Cascade 220 on sale at Marin Fiber Arts

Marin Fiber Arts in San Rafael is having a sale on all Cascade 220 and 220 Superwash... 20% off the regular price.

We have approximately 118 colors of 220 available for your knitting and felting pleasure! Stop in soon to get your favorite colors before they're gone!

Marin Fiber Arts
1026 Court Street,
San Rafael City Plaza (4th Street between Lootens & A Street)
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-459-4600
www.marinfiberarts.com

Big events at Nine Rubies Knitting, San Mateo

I wanted to let everyone know what is happening at Nine Rubies in the next 6 weeks or so.

We kick off our busy early Fall with a book signing this Saturday afternoon:

Alison Jeppson Hyde, author of Wrapped in Comfort: Knitted Lace Shawls
Date: Saturday, August 18th
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Free!

Come meet this charming author and learn more about how her wonderful stories evolved into beautiful shawls

Please note that Alison has some serious health issues. Please don’t come if you have a cold. We’ll be happy to arrange for her to sign your book, and you can pick it up after the event.


September is a big month for us. We have two notable authors and designers. First up is Iris Schreier, co-founder of Artyarns and author of the new Lacy Little Knits and Modular Knits and co-author of Exquisite Little Knits.

Here are the details:
Friday, September 7th:
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm:
Chevron Ruana Workshop
Cost: $30 plus materials

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm:
Aztec Sash Workshop
Cost: $30 plus materials

6:30 – 7:30 pm:
Book Signing
Free with purchase of any of Iris’ books


Later in September, we are delighted to be hosting prominent author (of, most recently, Romantic Hand Knits) and designer Annie Modesitt.

Her schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, September 26th:
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Book signing, FREE with purchase of book
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Love Your Lace! $60 plus materials

Thursday, September 27th:
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Combination Knitting* $60 plus materials

* Quote from a customer: “Annie’s approach to combination knitting changed my life.”


Please stop by the store (28 E. 3rd Avenue, dowtown San Mateo) or call us at 650-685-6205 to register.

Creative Hands Summer Sale

Creative Hands Knitting Shop will be having their annual Summer Sale starting Tuesday, August 21st and will run to Sunday August 26th. All merchandise will be on sale for 10% off including close out yarns already on sale. If you're a Frequent Buyer Club member, you'll receive 15% off. Feel free to call us at 650-591-0588 if you have any questions.

Book signing with Alison J. Hyde at Nine Rubies Knitting

Place: Nine Rubies Knitting

28 E. 3rd Avenue

San Mateo, California

Date: Saturday, August 18th
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm

Come meet this charming author and learn more about how her wonderful stories evolved into beautiful shawls

Please note that Alison has some serious health issues. Please don’t come if you have a cold. We’ll be happy to arrange for her to sign your book, and you can pick it up after the event.

Please call the store if you have any questions - 650-685-6205.

Sorry I did not post this before ....

but I am away on vacation with very limited internet access (read: modem). If you applied to the ring lately, I'll get back to you at the end of July.

Lu

Apologies and South Bay info from Spinnity

I am terribly embarrased that I posted yesterday's personal blog entry on the Sorry Bay Area Knitters blog entry. So sorry! I am deleting my useless personal meme and replacing with some information about a couple knitting groups in the South Bay I am involved in.

I am the organizer of the Santa Clara County Knitting Meetup - we meet the first and third Wednesday of every month. First Wednesday: Knitting Arts in Saratoga. Third Wednesday at the Panera in Cupertino. All are welcome.

Another group I belong to is the Knitspiration Knitting Guild which meets the fist Monday of every month at Knitting Arts in Saratoga. We explore a topic at each meeting, educating each other and inviting speakers to help us learn and grow as knitters. The next few meetings are as follows:

• July 16 - Knit a modular scarf... why not a red one? (Red scarves will be donated to the Red Scarf project
• August 20 - Spinning demonstration. Group members who spin will bring wheels and spindles and fiber so everyone gets a hands on chance to spin
• September 17 - Resize, reknit, recycle. Tips for resizing a finished knit, reusing yarn, and recycling sweaters into felted objects.

Again everyone is welcome at the guild meetings. $12 annual dues will give you access to our Yahoo! group and help defray the costs of teachers who come to present at guild meetings.

Finally, this is a list I have put together of South Bay knitting groups I know about. If you have updated information about any of these or information about other public knitting groups, please let me know at : spinnity-at-yahoo-com.

Second Annual Knitting Retreat & Yarn Swap in San Anselmo

Hi All,

I'd like to announce to everyone the second annual Knitting Retreat and Yarn Swap sponsored by Marin Fiber Arts of San Rafael, CA.

The retreat takes place October 26-28, 2007 on the beautiful grounds of the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo.

There are no formal classes or workshops planned during this retreat; like last year, attendees will spend Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning enjoying eachother's company in a wonderful restored Victorian home, knitting the hours away (and dining on some really good food).

Last year's retreat was a great success - I hope some of you can make it!

For more information, click here:

http://marinfiberarts.com/retreat_2007.html

Thanks for reading,

Warren
Marin Fiber Arts
A Local Yarn Store in San Rafael
www.marinfiberarts.com
415.459.4600

Luckiest Day Sale at Nine Rubies Knitting

July 7th is a hugely popular day to get married this year. We don’t want to marry you, but we do want you to come to our Luckiest Day of the Year Sale! You’ve got a couple of weeks to think about all the garments you’ll want to knit this fall or the scarves you’ll be giving as holiday gifts or the felted bag you’re dying to make. Maybe you’re just looking for a good opportunity to enhance your stash? We’re here to help!

All merchandise in the store will be 15% off its original price. Sales merchandise will be an additional 10% off. As always members will get an additional 5% discount. Store members can also shop during the week before (starting Monday, July 2nd) and avoid the rush (and get the best selection). We will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th, so plan accordingly. We will not be having Social Knitting night on July 4th either, so if you would like to come in on the Thursday, July 5th for late night knitting, please let us know.

*Classes and gift certificates are not eligible for discounts.

*Returns only with receipts.

*Unfortunately, we won’t be able to wind your yarn on sale day. We will be happy to wind it for you on another day.

Nine Rubies Knitting is located at 28 E. 3rd Avenue in downtown San Mateo. Summer hours: M-F, 11-7, Sat-Sun, 10-5. Please call with any questions, 650-685-6205

MeetUp in San Francisco this Thursday

Dolores Park - June 14th

Photo courtesy of Dolores Park Movie.

Bay Area Meet-up - June 14th, 2007.

Who's Invited: Creative Types & their friends.

When: June 14th, 2007. Music begins at 8pm, movie at 9pm.

Where: Dolores Park in San Francisco's Castro/Mission neighborhood.

What the Heck Are You Talking About?: It's movie night in the park! A giant outdoor screen is set up & a movie is shown during certain nights in the summer. It's a big ol' community thing, where peeps come out, lay down a blanket, chow down on some summer-time pic-nic food and hang out with their friends. You can find more info here.

What to Bring: (all optional) A snack to share. The movie starts pretty late, so if you've already eaten dinner, them maybe some sweet snacks to share. Or chow mien...beverages...a 6-pack, maybe? Or just some popcorn and hot tamales. It's really up to you and what you might want to share. Some people (like me!) eat dinner late, so those people can bring dinner foods. Others, eat dinner early (like Marisol!), so those people can bring snacks & drinks.

A blanket might make you more comfortable, and of course, a crafty project of your choice. Those glow-in-the-dark knitting needles you've been dieing to use?

There Are So Many People, How Will I Find You?: Well, besides spotting the group of friendly, crafty peeps, we'll have a flag up. We'll post a photo of the flag a few days before so you know where to find us.

Do I need to RSVP?: Nah, but it would be nice to have an idea of who's coming out so we can keep an eye out for you. A simple note here in the comments is enough, that way, we'll have your email address if anything changes last minute. If you know what you might bring, include that in the comments too.

For questions, contact:

Cristina at knottieknitter [at] hotmail [DOT] com

or

Marisol at marisol_molina [at] intuit [DOT] com

Or drop us a comment at this MeetUp page that Christina set up at her site.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Sock Yarn 25% off at Marin Fiber Arts

All sock yarn is on sale for 25% off the regularly marked price!

Now is the time to plan your travel & vacation knitting... socks make for great summer knitting, and we're helping by putting all sock yarn on sale for 25% off!

The sock yarn special runs until this Sunday, June 17th.

Marin Fiber Arts
1026 Court Street (San Rafael City Plaza)
San Rafael, CA 94901
415.459.4600
www.marinfiberarts.com.
marinfiberarts.blogspot.com

WWKIP in Los Altos

Grab your favorite knit or crochet project and join with us for the 3rd Annual World Wide Knit in Public event. The closest event to Full Thread Ahead is being held at the Plaza on the intersection of State and Main Streets from 10am - 2pm on Saturday, June 9th.

You are also welcome to join us afterwards for a knit-in at the store. Your reward for joining us? We'll be handing out coupons worth 20% off all regular priced items (Full Toes Ahead Club not eligible) through June 17.

Can't join us? Then come in or email us a picture of yourself KIP (even at another event) and we'll get you your own 20% off coupon to use in the store or online. Good through June 17.

Meet up at Nine Rubies before Maker Faire

The Maker Faire is happening this weekend (May 19th and 20th) at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds - it’s a fun event - a unique combination of do-it-yourself craft projects, robot-building and so much more. Your kids and family will love you for taking them there.

On Sunday, the 20th at 10:30 am, a group of knitters (yes, knitting is part of the Maker Faire) will be meeting up at the store to knit and chat and then some of them will head over to the event.

Come join Nicole and Jenny, the girls behind the podcast called Stash and Burn - they have invited their listeners here that day. We’re looking forward to meeting the entertaining duo.

Nine Rubies Knitting is located at 28 E. 3rd Avenue in downtown San Mateo. Call us at 650-685-6205 with any questions. There is street parking or a parking structure around the corner on 2nd and El Camino. Parking is free on Sundays.

Knit In Public Day Celebrated in San Rafael

Marin Fiber Arts in San Rafael is hosting an event to celebrate World Wide Knit In Public Day in downtown San Rafael at the San Rafael City Plaza. The event takes place at 12:00 noon on Saturday June 9th, which just so happens to coincide nicely with San Rafael's Italian Street Painting Festival! Lots to see and do. Come out and show everyone how cool knitting and crocheting can be! The city plaza has many wooden & concrete benches along the walls, and there are plenty of food options.

The official link to the event is here: WWKIP in San Rafael

Marin Fiber Arts is located at 1026 Court Street in downtown San Rafael. Call 415.459.4600 for questions.

Lily Chin Coming to Nine Rubies Knitting in June

Nine Rubies Knitting will be welcoming Lily Chin, one of the nation’s most renowned knitters, for a series of workshops on Monday, June 18th and Tuesday, June 19th. We’ve planned a jam-packed series of events with Lily. The schedule and pricing information is below. You can get additional class descriptions and the homework assignments (!!) when you register.

Monday, June 18th,
3-5 pm: Book signing, trunk show, reception - Lily will be talking about her line of yarn - the Lily Chin Signature Line and her patterns that support these yarns.
6-9 pm: Short Row Shaping - (intermediate skill level): this technique allows you to create smooth curves and lines in knitting. Techniques that will be taught include horizontal bust darts, seamless hat on 2 needles instead of 4, a sock heel…


Tuesday, June 19th
9 am – 12 pm: Tips and Tricks - this great class will make your knitting life easier and better. Learn to cast on in a 2-tail method without ever running out of the 2nd tail! Learn from a master knitter, her invaluable tips and techniques.

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Reversible Cables - Learn how cables work, which stitches, yarns and needles are ideal for reversible cables. You’ll also learn how to chart them so you’ll know what you’ll be getting beforehand. (some cable experience required)

All sessions are priced at $65 each. Be sure to let us know if you are a store member - your membership discount applies. We anticipate high demand for these classes and have limited space. Please call the store (650-685-6205) or stop by to register. That is the only way to guarantee your spot. Our store address is 28 E. 3rd Avenue, San Mateo. We are open 10 am - 7 pm, 7 days a week.

Upcoming Events at Full Thread Ahead

Purls Forever Book Signing and Trunk Show- Sunday March 18 2pm

Jonelle Raffino, founder and chief designer, for SWTC has published her first book, Purls Forever and is coming by to share her secrets for creating natural fibers.

She'll be bringing new spring designs for soy, corn, and bamboo fibers ideal for the Bay area climate.

Join us for a fun romp through the fiber garden. Please RSVP by emailing info@fullthreadahead.com or calling the store to make sure we have enough seats for everyone. See you there. And since this is Full Thread Ahead, you know there'll be prizes and surprises!

International Knit For Peace Day - Wednesday, March 21 11am-6pm
No matter what your political affiliation, your economic status, or position on world events, the one common theme we all share is a wish for peace. This year we'll be spending the day, from 11am to 6pm working on our warm woolies projects and projecting peace. Please join us.

WWKIP Day 2007

Once again, Danielle has taken it upon herself to organize World-Wide Knit In Public Day.

Last year, I organized San Francisco's meetup, and had a really good time. There was a good turnout, and since it took place in Union Square, gave the public an eyeful. I hope even more will come to the event this year, and for those of you who don't live in San Francisco, you may want to organize a meetup in your town.

It may seem as though February is a bit early to start talking about this, but now is the time to scout out a great location. Cafes and parks are ideal (and abundant), and you want to take weather into consideration.

This year, it's on June 9th, which is the second Saturday in June (same as last year).

For more info on becoming an organizer, and to check out all the cool places the event was held last year, you'll want to go to the WWKIP Day website.

Nancy Bush Workshop at Nine Rubies Knitting

We are honored and delighted that renowned author Nancy Bush will be coming to Nine Rubies Knitting. She will be teaching her popular 6-hour workshop based on her book Knitting Vintage Socks . This class sold out in hours at Stitches West.

You’ll make a sampler in this class, using techniques adapted from Nancy’s new book including a very interesting heel and toe shaping not commonly used today. Students should have intermediate knitting skills and be familiar with using double point needles. Prior sock knitting experience preferred.



Here are the details:

Date: Monday, February 26th
Time: 9 am – 3 pm (with ½ hour break for lunch, which will be provided)
Cost: $115 (10% discount to store members)

We anticipate high demand for this class and have limited space. Please call the store (650-685-6205) or stop by to register. That is the only way to guarantee your spot. Our store address is 28 E. 3rd Avenue, San Mateo. We are open 10 am - 7 pm, 7 days a week.

If you are unable to attend the workshop, stop by our booth at Stitches (# 804, 806). Nancy will be signing books from 12:30-1 pm on Saturday, February 24th. Knitting Vintage Socks will be available for purchase at the booth or at the store.