A Long Time Coming

 It has been almost 10 months since my last posting. A fun yet incredibly challenging ten months. So many changes in the way my business is run and staffed yet very grateful it is still standing and staffed. We have two teenagers just beginning their working lives as they earn money and skills to pursue higher education or just life itself. Esther is a knitter and Maddie is a crocheter. They bring all things teen to the shop and their new and young energy is fun to work with. Amy Rose is still our Monday woman and has a lifetime of knitting skills in just her little pinky. Need complex advice? She is the person to check in with on Mondays from 11 -5.

We have added in the new Swans Island Ikat yarns for fun knitting. I love the pattern in the yarn and it does duplicate some of my favorite IKAT fabrics.

We have settled for now on shop hours. We are open on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11:00 to 5:00pm and Sundays 12:00 to 4:00. We are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesday for much needed days in the studio for Lois. Hours are likely to increase during the summer which begins in my opinion on July 4TH. HAHA! ( P. S. - Masks and social distancing are still required. Let's squash this pandemic. We can all do it! )

I am thinking of having this bag made up for the shop. It is of course a warped, but only slightly view of knitting. I have a gentler quote I might add to the other side of the bag. This project is on my to do list and perhaps by that date of July 4th....

Malabrigo yarns are here!! The factory is sort of back to work and we have received some big first shipments. Arriving in late July will be the new sock yarns too. We also have new books from Malabrigo and some patterns too. For a sneak peek, mention this blog posting and receive 10% off your Malabrigo purchase. wOw! Think of the color knitting you will do!!

Finally, a little yarn humor because what today needs is more humor! Tomorrow I get my second Moderna shot and will need to wait 30 minutes after it. I am of course taking my knitting. Now the problem becomes which project to take??? Hmmm

Happy Knitting my friends and SEE YOU SOON! 

It is SPRING!

 I do not know much but I do know there is an actual spring in my step as I approach the longer days and the light that carries into the evenings now. Every day has been a gift as I see new things coming into bloom and the neighborhood waking up with birds singing and greeting each day! 

The bead shop has made it through the darkest days of the corona virus and the shut down. Thank you all for your vital, loving support.

Knock Wood. ( This woman is still superstitious, after all. )

We are still operating with a bit shorter hours and I am going to take this Easter Sunday off and celebrate the day and rebirth and spring and love with my family. Well, one person in my family. Still keeping that social distance. 

Anyhow, I just wanted to pop in with a few pictures of now and say hello. I hope to see you in the shop or on line soon. This one woman business and her husband bookkeeper are hard at work, making your in shop visits and inspiring your inner creative side -  the best experiences possible. Happy Beading! Happy Spring! Happy Now!

This is the LEWIS BUILDING in downtown Port Townsend. It was the first location of my shop way back in the early days, some 29 years ago!

Me, in my last winter outfit. Time to iron spring clothes!

With my last name, chickens are a favorite for me to watch. These are my neighbor's flock seen through my fence. They were all happily clucking away in some of spring's earliest sun. 

Peace. Love. Beads. Create. 

Ack! Already it is February!

 Even in the deep heart of winter, when much of the country is locked in snow and the days are growing longer a teeny bit at a time; life moves so quickly. 

Personally, I have absolutely been delighted that I am seeing so many friends and customers returning to their love of craft as they fill long hours away from close contact with others or they work from home. Craft, whether it be beading or embroidery or knitting or whatever, is soothing, familiar, and inspiring. A meditation of its own making. 

I have been reaching increasingly for a couple of crafts I have not done in many years - needlepoint and bead embroidery. I like the quiet, centering art of stitching. The building of a work a stitch at a time. The amount of thought I accomplish while stitching never ceases to astound me. I make daily plans. Future plans. Think about my family and friends. Come up with ideas for display for the bead shop or my yarn store. Tonight after work, I will work on our fabric and trim shop in the lobby and use the ideas that came into my head while stitching. It is particularly exciting to me to see young women and men, boys and girls, coming into the shop to pick up and learn a new craft like bead stringing or earring making. They are so dang creative! I can learn things from them too instead of just the other way around. They truly inspire and brighten my day.

Today is Friday so I will head into the shop at 2. We are supposed to have a trunk show box show up today of artisan handmade jewelry. Exciting! A Christmas in February!! I just know I will lust for all of the pieces! 

For the rest of this blog post, I am going to leave you with some photos which I hope will entice you to drop in and visit the shop. Let us see your face and show off your projects! I am always happy to share your photos too, so send along those pictures! If you can not stop by, we are always open on line at wynwoods.com or FB or Instagram. 

Happy February Love to all! 

This last picture is a throw back of a painting I sold in the 1990's.

My former high school math teacher was visiting from the east coast 

and bought it from my little third floor walkup gallery.

She just emailed this picture as a "do you remember ? "