Preparing for Fibres West

I can hardly believe it is March already.  The other thing I can hardly believe is that we still have snow on the ground and still getting the occasional snow storm.  This has been a long hard winter starting a month earlier than usual and now ending at least a month longer.  I will be so happy when spring is finally here!

So I mentioned earlier that to pass the winter months I have been working with the clay quite a bit and my friend Linda has spent a lot of time visiting and giving me a hand.  We decided to take the plunge and be in the large Fibres West show coming up in just a little over 2 weeks!

So we have been busy making lots of buttons, since our button inventory was so depleted and needed replenishing anyhow.  We will also have plenty of other items such as our ergonomic crochet hooks, stitch markers, shawl pins and also a wide selection of items from our Snap Decisions Collection.

We will also have available our new chunky knits mounted on a snap.  These can be worn different ways such as on a shawl stick or as a necklace, etc.

So if you are in the Vancouver / Surrey area or attending the Fibres West show, come by and see us.

New Interchangeable Shawl Stick Designs Created With a Snap

Our shawl pins are a popular item at the yarn shops where they are sold and sometimes we have a hard time keeping up with making more designs.  It seems as soon as we make a bunch, the stores snatch them up and we don't have many left to list in our Etsy shop or online store.  When we started up our Snap Decisions Collection (Interchangeable Fashion in a Snap!), we came up with an idea of adding a snap base (with clay) to a metal shawl stick so the designs could be interchanged.

Our other shawl pin styles are metal that we cover in clay and after a lot of brain storming (and lack of sleep) I finally figured out how to add a snap base to those as well.  I am quite excited about this.  While the metal sticks work best in knits with a tighter weave, the clay covered sticks are a little thicker, so are a better fit for bulky or loose weave knits.

These shawl sticks work really well with our larger snaps as the snap base is plain (no frame surrounding it).  The snaps can be worn on other similar type snap base accessories and worn as a necklace or even a large chunky ring.

Finally, our third and latest shawl stick design has the clay covered stick and a snap base with a decorative metal frame.  The frame makes the shawl stick more suitable for adding our regular size snaps. 

All of our new shawl sticks with a snap base are available in our online store and some sets we have put together will be in our Etsy shop soon.

They are also available in several yarn shops that sell our work:

Kelowna Yarn & Needlecraft

Kelowna, BC

A Twist of Yarn

Vernon, BC

Intwined Fibre Arts

Salmon Arm, BC

Lynden Tree Yarns

Grand Forks, BC

Donna's Yarn & Craft

Kamloops, BC

Knit 2 Yarns

Kamloops, BC

New Buttons at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts

We made a trip to Kelowna today to visit one of the shops that sell our work, Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts.  We had our first break in the cold weather for some time and even though the roads were a little slushy, it was nice to see the sun again and enjoy the scenic drive.

The previous owners of Kelowna Yarn recently retired and we had the pleasure of meeting with the new owner, Cheryl.  It was really nice getting to know her a little bit and discover she also has a passion and understanding for the Pantone colors.

We left some fresh new buttons and also our new Snap Shawl Sticks at the store.  We want to wish Cheryl a great and successful 2017.  Here is a peak of some of their new buttons in stock. 

Buttons - Organic 'Peacock'

Buttons - Moonscape Square

Buttons - Color Wheel

Art Deco Buttons

Interchangeable Snap Shawl Sticks

Sweater and Shawl Accent Pieces at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts

We have been busy making more shawl and sweater accent pieces for the yarn shops that sell our work.  Our Sweater Guards have been a real hit and we came up with this display for the stores to show them off.  These pieces shown here are now available at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts.

This is Rebecca modelling what she calls a "Shawlette".  It is really pretty isn't it?  It is kind of like a shawl and scarf combined and I love the beadwork on the trim.  This is a class project that Rebecca will be teaching in March at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts.  She is also wearing one of our shawl sticks which makes a nice accent piece as well as a fastener.