Archive for September, 2006
The San Mateo County Times is doing their “Best of the Peninsula 2006″ survey. All you have to do is to log on to their web site and vote for your favorite things.
Now read the fine print carefully - you must vote in at least 12 categories for your vote to qualify. And you can vote everyday - nothing against ballot stuffing it seems - vote early and often. And it all ends soon - Oct 7th I think. It doesn’t say so on their web site but the nice lady who came in told me so. And of course, vote for us under San Mateo County Times. And then the section Shopping.
Much to my shock, there doesn’t seem to be a category for Knitting Stores under shopping. There are other types of stores? We would best fit under the category Arts and Crafts. Swimming Pool Stores is a category by itself? Hmmmm…
We’ve been amazed by the support that we’ve gotten from the community on this journey. We hope you’ll vote for us - your vote will mean a lot to us and will provide us with just that additional support to keep us around for a long time to come. Thank you!!
September 27th, 2006
Knitting with beads is one of the hottest trends around. We have a class scheduled this Thursday, Sept. 28th from 1:30-4:30 pm that will teach this great technique sing some scrap yarn - beads for practice will be provided. We can also get you started on a gorgeous scarf project.
We have a sample in the store that is knitted with Songe, a new yarn from Bouton D’Or. We’re sure that you’ll love to add beads to many projects (think beaded socks and shawls), once Julie shows you how its done. Please call us at 685-6205 or stop in to register for this class - this class is filling up fast. The class is one session and costs $45. Beaded scarf kits are also available if you already know how to knit with beads.
September 26th, 2006
Many of our customers love our felted bag class and the patterns we have in the store. We’ve heard your requests for more styles of handles, and we’ve gotten them in. The size of our order made news at Crystal Palace. It’s their largest order ever of bag handles! Here’s a sample.
In addition to being beautiful, they are affordable as they retail for between $8 - $11 for the pair!!
Crystal Palace also has great new yarns this Fall, and we’ve just received a new 100% worsted weight wool yarn called Taos. Its name says it all about the color palette: every aspect of the Southwestern landscape is represented in these colorways. It has a generous 128 yards and knits up at 4-4.5 stitches/inch on size 8 or 9 needles. It’s a versatile yarn that would make a quick sweater project or a striped felted handbag (without the hassle of changing colors). As you can see from the scarf below, it has excellent stitch definition in non-felting projects.
Little Flowers is a novelty yarn that can be knit with another yarn or on its own, depending on the look you want. It’s a rayon/nylon/metallic fiber mix that has just the right amount of sparkle. With 130 yards per skein, you’d only need 3 skeins and some big needles for a quick holiday scarf. It can also be combined with wools to add texture to a felted bag. Crystal Palace has a free pattern on their website that combines Deco-Ribbon, Popcorn and Little Flowers to create a show-stopping purse in an unusual triangular shape. See it here. 
We’ve got it in four great colors, including the classic black and white.
September 25th, 2006
We find that storing circular needles is a real challenge. Most cases are either not well designed or are unattractive. We have finally found a beautiful and practical solution to this vexing problem. Behold the Della Q circular needle holder. It’s made of a gorgeous silk and comes in several patterns. We also have coordinating project bags in various sizes. What a great treat for yourself or a holiday gift for the knitter who has everything. Here it is closed:
The real genius behind this product is apparent when you unfold it. Each pouch is labeled with different sizes, and fits several needles.
The picture doesn’t do it justice. Stop by the shop to see these beautiful holders in person.
Here is a sample of some of the project bags, which we have in a variety of sizes and patterns. The small one is perfect for holding socks or hat. The largest size is great for carrying a man’s sweater or afghan project. They’ll make your knitting a joy to carry with you.
September 22nd, 2006
It appears that Fall has arrived. Maybe we won’t have that typical late September heat wave, and we can all focus on knitting without grabbing for the ice tea every five minutes! We have the second session of our lunchtime get togethers on Thursday. It’s all about fixing common knitting mistakes.
The new book Knit Fix has already been re-ordered, and it will be a great reference after this class. Thursday afternoon is a class that will teach you the basics of finishing. I know, I know. You hate finishing. The problem is that if you don’t put that sweater together, you can’t wear it! And, I’ll bet that you dread finishing because you don’t feel confident in your finishing skills. Come to this 3-hour class, and our talented instructor, Julie Montanari, will take care of that! It’s a very worthwhile and useful class. Call or drop in to register for these or any other class.
September 19th, 2006
A couple of months ago, Merry Schiff and Toya Brock talked to Sudha and me about throwing a party for the store - we thought it was a great idea!! Since then the group has grown and I have come to refer to them as the “Friends of Nine Rubies.” This group has been with us since we opened the store and has contributed a lot in keeping us going. I’d like to start out by thanking them for all their support and friendship.
So here goes…
The Friends of Nine Rubies would like to invite all of you to a celebration at Nine Rubies on the 30th of September.
They would love to receive photos of projects made with yarns purchased from Nine Rubies or with help from the folks at Nine Rubies. Please send your pictures to linda@linda-alvarez.com. Linda will start a scrapbook, that will hopefully continue to be a tradition at Nine Rubies. If you would like to help out with the party, please contact the Friends at the same email address: linda@linda-alvarez.com.
In honor of the event, Nine Rubies will be having the Customer Appreciation Sale. 15% off everything in the store, 20% for the members of the store all day.
The Friends will be hosting a Customer trunk show and providing refreshments between 4 pm and 7 pm. Everyone is invited to bring things made by them since the store opened. We are looking forward to having everyone here at the store!! Note to self: find out what the maximum capacity of the store is.
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.
September 14th, 2006
We’re busy updating the class blog, but there are some exciting classes starting this week that you should know about:
- We still have spaces available in the 5-part Make a Shell class that starts on Monday. Please come in to choose your yarn before the class starts. There’s a hand-out at the desk with the yardage requirements and other important information. There is also a Crochet Edges class that can be taken separately or together with the Shell class to add that great finishing detail.
- Thursday is the first session of our new lunchtime sessions called Lunch Bunch. Over the next 5 Thursdays, you can spend your lunch hour (12-1 pm) watching one of our talented teachers, Julie Montanari, demonstrate the most common knitting tricks and techniques. The first week covers decoding common knitting abbreviations such as K2TOG, KTBL, SKP and more. The class schedule at the store has the details of the subsequent sessions. It’s sure to be a fun time.
- For all you yarn “throwers” (holding your yarn in the right hand), Julie is also teacher a Continental Knitting (hold yarn in your left hand) class on Thursday afternoon, from 1:30-4:30. This is a great way to build your skills and is key to learning two-handed Fair Isle knitting. This is a one session class.
- Sudha will be teaching a 3-part Introduction to Lace class that starts on Saturday, 9/16. It runs from 12:30-2:30. Lace is a wonderful technique, and once you learn the basics, you’ll be sure to love it.
September 9th, 2006
Yarns, yarns, yarns
We’ve been busy unpacking many new yarns over the last few weeks. We’ve expanded our product lines to include some wonderful new hand-dyed yarns from Blue Heron and Schaefer.
They both have unique colorways in beautiful fibers such as beaded rayon and chenille. They knit up into knockout tops, shawls and scarves. The “Yummy Yarn” award goes to the gorgeous (and super soft) Malabrigo, which we have in blues, greens, purples and a couple of neutrals, too.
This yarn is great for a warm and toasty scarf or hat. (We’re already thinking about holiday knitting!)
Good news from the UPS man!
The new Rowan yarns for fall (Tapestry, Romance and Little Big Wool) are well supported by the fabulous new Rowan pattern book #40 and two other books. It’s been flying off the shelves. Also, the classic Rowan yarn Kidsilk Night now comes in some new glistening colors. For the Artyarns aficionados, we’ve gotten in a new variation on Silk Rhapsody – this one with a subtle gold or silver strand. It would make a perfect holiday shawl. Also from Artyarns is the new cashmere. It’s just the kind of perfect yarn in the wonderful colors that we’ve come to expect from this manufacturer.
Bouton d’Or’s new yarn Songe is an absolutely stunning shimmery yarn that we got in six beautiful shades ranging from pink to blue to black. Karabella Gossamer is another great option for a holiday project. It’s light, airy and elegant. 
Winter lovers will surely enjoy the Baby Alpaca Super Chunky that just came in. It’s so soft and would be great for a cozy jacket or blanket. One last thing – a great novelty yarn from Plymouth has come in. It’s called Electra, and we have it in six great colorways.
More, more, more
We’ve got some new felting classes scheduled this fall, so we’ve replenished our extensive range of Cascade 220. For those who prefer Pastaza, we’ve gotten new colors in that, too. Debbie Bliss continues to amaze us with her sense of color. We’ve gotten many more colors in Cashmerino Aran. Many of our clients are in love with Misti Alpaca. We’ve gotten more colors of the Baby Alpaca Chunky for the shrug that is such a popular pattern here at the store. Sock lovers will love the variegated Regia silk that came in. What a comfortable yarn for hot weather.
September 6th, 2006
Nine Rubies Knitting, in support of the San Mateo Public Library, will be participating in the Afghans for Afghans project. The new library at 3rd Avenue is now open we’re all very excited about it since it is so close to the store. In addition to having great books (and programs for kids and a huge amount of space), they are also going to have space for conferences and meetings.
I am so inspired by this entire project, it’s hard to put into words. The San Mateo Library is participating in a “One Community, One Book” project. The idea is that a community that reads together draws together. A little too touchy-feely for you? But you will love the implementation of the idea - the book is Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” and the reading is supported by a variety of events culminating in October. One of the events will be a knitting group that meets at the library on Monday evenings from 6 to 8 pm to knit things for the Afghans for Afghans project. The first meeting will be on September 11th. And as we knit we will listen to “The Kite Runner” on audio tapes. The group will be led by the staff from the store and anyone buying yarn for the project will receive 10% discount at the Nine Rubies Store.
If you cannot make it then, just get the instructions from us, knit your contributions and drop them off at the Nine Rubies store or library. Don’t have enough time to knit, just donate the yarn so others can knit it up for the project.
September 4th, 2006
