Where Did October Go?

Well, it just flew by! The leaves are still beautiful in Western North Carolina, and fall is definitely in full swing. Last weekend found us very busy with both the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands at the Asheville Civic Center and the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) going on. Both festivals attract our customers and friends. Thanks to everyone who came by the shop or our booth at SAFF - we had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones.  A very special thanks to our regular knitters who joined us to help staff the shop and the booth.  We couldn't have done it without you! 

For your knitting or crochet pleasure, today's yarn is  Mushishi by Plymouth. It's a wool-silk blend and comes in an absolutely huge skein - 491 yards - 250 grams.  Not only that, the yarn label includes free patterns -  a hat and scarf set to either knit or crochet.  We currently have 7 colors in stock.  Mushishi is multicolored, subtly selfstriping  and sweetly textured - kind of tweedy look but very soft.  Holiday knitting?  Think about creating a luxurious scarf, a shawl or maybe even a sweater for your self or someone you love.

Drop by the shop any Friday evening for our friendly Sit and Knit.  Bring your current project or start a new one.  We always have the yarns to make your great ideas happen!

New Yarn: Fatter Sheep

There's a new sheep in town - and it's fatter that you thought!  New at Asheville Homecrafts is Fatter Sheep yarn from Farmhouse Yarns.  Fatter Sheep yarn is hand dyed in semi-solids and multicolor skeins.  Sweet or vibrant, the shop has lots of colors so you should find colors that you like.  It's 99% wool with a nylon binder, giving the yarn a good bit of texture.  The call it 'Fatter Sheep' for a reason - it's a very bulky yarn - perfect for knitting on size 10.5 to size13 needles.  And it's put up in big skeins - 150 yards at 5.5 ounces for $24.  Long yarns mean fewer knots in your knitting or crochet -and fewer ends to weave in. But the nature of the dyeing means that you might want to alternate your knitting between 2 skeins.

Keep your eye on the blog this week - I'll keep tempting you with yummy and luscious yarns!

All Stocked Up: Needle Felting

Whether you want to make lovely flowers, adorable animals, tiny people, even jewelry, visit our needle felting section.  If you've already discovered needle felting, than you know how much fun it can be to jab wool with sharp needles.  If you are new to needle felting, you can begin to create amazing 3 dimensional wool sculptures. 

We've recently received a number of new books and supplies.  Check out A Touch of Felt by Lynn Farris, Simply Needlefelt by Jayne Emerson or any of the other books for instructions and inspiration.   But woman (or man) cannot felt by books alone - we must have supplies!  And that means fiber and needles and just maybe a few other supplies.  Take a look at our range of natural fibers from local farms as well as hand-dyed roving from our favorite artists.  We have wool, mohair, alpaca, silk and more ready to be transformed by your imagination and a few pokes of the needle. 

If you are just getting started, our staff is happy to help you.  Drop by any time, but make Friday evening your special time to sit and knit.  We gather 'round the table, starting a project, helping one another, or just knitting among friends - old and new.

Just a note to our readers:  Many of these blog posts are created by AnneMarie, one of the many fiber artists who work with Judy and Marie to make Asheville HomeCrafts the exciting Asheville fiber center that it is.  If you have an idea for a blog post, leave a note in the comments. 

Opening Day at the Fair

It's opening day at the 2010 North Carlina Mountain State Fair. It begins on Friday, September 10th and runs through Sunday, September 19th. As always Marie and Judy will be demonstrating spinning and basket making while selling a number of handmade items - many that they make at the fair. Look for the Asheville HomeCrafts sign in the the Heritage Walk area.

While you are there, stop by the exhibit building to see the knitting, dyeing, weaving, spinning crochet and other work that people have entered. The quilts are always amazing and so are the baskets and heirloom sewing. Giant pumpkins? We got 'em! Jams and Jellies? we got those too! Al kinds of handmade food and craft items, plus student work, amazing flowers, and so much more.

Asheville HomeCrafts, the Shop in the Grove Arcade will remain open throughout the fair, so if you are inspired by the blue ribbon winners - or the 'people's choice' award that you would give, treat yourself to the yarn , fiber or needles that will get you the blue ribbon next year!

NC Mountain State Fair - Won't be long now!

Start planning your annual trek to the 2010 North Carlina Mountain State Fair. It begins on Friday, September 10th and continues through Sunday, September 19th. As always Marie and Judy will be demonstrating spinning and basket making while selling a number of handmade items - many that they make at the fair. Look for the Asheville HomeCrafts sign in the the Heritage Walk area.

Have you ever entered some thing that you made? Have you (or your children or friends) shown sheep or goats or a sweet calf? How about that fabulous jelly that you made? or the beautiful squash that you grew? Don't mind saying, it's kind of fun! Many area hand spinners, knitters, quilters, weavers and crocheters enter, and the competition is strong. So think about entering that hand dyed yarn, a particularly beautiful hand knit hat or pair of mittens. The prizes aren't breathtaking (unless you ace a cooking contest), so don't quit your day job! But the bragging rights are rather nice. So take a look at the competitions page and check the registration dates - they are coming up soon.

You could listen to music, ride the rides, visit the midway, eat cotton candy, but really, wouldn't you just rather talk to the animals? Even if you are not showing sheep or entering your finest hot peppers or amazing sweater, come by the little 'log cabin' to visit. The wool breeds sheep show and fleece show are September 18th and 19th. Take in a bit of fiber on the hoof!

Ecological Wool

After last week's post about the 'bling-ful' Feza novelty yarns, this week's post is all natural. One of my favorite yarns is Cascade Yarn's Ecological Wool. Although Asheville Homecrafts carries a few of the dyed shades, right now the natural colors are very well stocked. In creamy ivory, several different browns, many shades of grey and combinations, they are in the colors of real sheep. The hanks are huge - 478 yards and 250 grams (almost 9 ounces). If you are making a sweater, that is way fewer ends to weave in than your average 100 yard skein!

The shop has 2 sample sweaters for you to see, touch, maybe even knit for yourself. The top photo (courtesy of Cascade yarns - my own photo isn't quite this nice!) - is a lovely pullover that transitions from one color to the next. Knit in the round, it's a good introduction to 2-color knitting as you work the transition rows. The other sample sweater is a basic raglan pullover - a perfect first sweater for the new knitter ready to move on to a more involved - but not difficult - project. Both patterns are available free when you buy the yarn - Just ask!

The lower photo is not a store sample but was made by a local knitter. It's a variation of Jared Flood's Cobblestone that was knitted in color 8087 - a rich chocolate brown. Also a raglan construction, it was knit with size 9 needles and took about only about 2 1/2 skeins. Because of the large gauge and pleasant hand of Eco Wool, it was a relatively quick knit. Now this yarn isn't baby-soft. It's a bit rugged, but that is one of its charms.

Note that the sweater wasn't quite finished when this photo was taken. The intrepid knitter reworked the neckline to make it fit more closely - more 'manly.' Once finished, this pullover was worn a good bit last winter, when wool sweaters were all the rage in our chilly mountain climate.

Knitters review took a look at Eco Wool a while back - check out what Clara had to say. Of course Ecological Wool is just one of the many yarns to choose from. There are so many others that it boggles the mind. But for a good, basic, natural, economical yarn, this may just get your vote.

Amazing Ribbon Yarns

It seems like we can't stop talking about the new yarns in the shop - I guess that's because there are always new yarns, as well as new colors of your favorite yarns. We have several yarns from Feza as well as knitted samples in the store and free patterns available when you purchase them. Just ask!

'Alp Premier' comes in a generous 200 yard skein that changes as you knit. With different fibers and colors and textures, it's great for scarves and shawls knit on big needles. Colors are exciting, with tone-on-tone reds, and greens and browns in addition to luscious jewel-tone and earthy mixes.

'Dazzle' is another combination yarn featuring eyelash, shiny ribbon, thick 'n thin, metallic and see-through fibers that combine for an effect that is... well... dazzling! Again, lots of colorful choices and put up in a 210 yard skein, so you can make your scarves or shawls quite generous.

Rounding out this offering is Feza's Tokyo. It's thick 'n' thin, this time in a single rich color. On it's own or with other yarns (think hairpin lace), this yarn adds depth and texture to your knitting.

We have lots of other ribbon yarns in stock, including the Euro line - great yarn at a lower price. It doesn't matter whether you like glittery brights, lots of texture or subtle shades, with lots of choices in every price range, we can help you put together an exciting project, no matter what you want to knit or crochet.