So this is the wool jacket I've been working on! It won and Honorable Mention in the Butler Art Center's Gothic Show. The theme was Gothic, Victorian, and Steam-punk. I was one of the few who leaned towards the Victorian and Steam-punk side of things. So it looks a bit out of place among all the dark, Gothic style works. But I'm still happy with it. After all, this is Butler, I figured there would be alot of dark, Gothic style artwork entered. Anyway, I promised photos...

Also, just a reminder, it's almost February. Did you get your tickets for the Knit & Crochet Festival yet? That's next on my list of things to do.

During the month of February, all reds and pinks are on sale! That means all red and pink yarn is 10% off!

Remember, Groundhog's day is coming up soon...no matter what the outcome of poor Groundhog Phil's shadow... Spring will get here! While that means the snow will go away, it will only be replaced by rain, rain, and more rain! So...get your supplies now, that way when it's too muddy to go out an play in the yard, and the ground's still to cold to plant your tomatoes, your craft basket will be well stocked and you can get something done!

Phew, another hectic week.

Thanks for hanging in there with me... the past few weeks have been hectic, and the pace seems like it's going to be maintained a bit longer.

DYNT will be closed tomorrow, January 21st. My employee, Christina, has to be in court due to custody issues. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as this is very stressful for her, as some of you know. I know there will be a few drop- in customers who will be upset. I understand that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and not being open when you're supposed to be open is not a good impression...but I truly believe that Christina's daughter and their family life is more important in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure this is more info than the general public needs to know, but I also figure that those that follow this, or even check it regularly know a bit more about the goings on at DYNT than the general public.

Enough of that... remember that during January all needles, hooks and books are 10% off. New rayon chenille just arrived, as well as lost of fun bright colors of Peaches and Creme 4 ply worsted weight cotton - both made in the US!

Also, my embellished wool coat is just about done! I'll take some photos today and try and get them uploaded! I'm pretty proud of this project and am already planning my next. Gotta get my etsy site up and active again!

Ice Jams and Illness.

This past week I've been fighting the flu/or a really bad cold... which this morning sounds like it has turned into bronchitis. Oh well, such is the life of someone with "auto-immune issues".

I closed DYNT on Thursday. I didn't feel like playing the part of Typhoid Mary. I'm sorry if I missed you. Chrisitina opened on Friday, as scheduled. I called off work, again being really sick. About 1:30 my home phone rang. There was a leak in the shop and the other shop keepers didn't know what to do for me. So I put on my coat and headed down to the shop (in my p.j.'s). The leak wasn't that big...but it was a long strip and hard to say where the water was coming in. I had everyone help me move all the stuff out of the room.

Now it may have seemed like an over-reaction, due to the small amount of water that was dripping into the buckets. But, I have an old home, and I've seen the slat board attic of this one. I was more concerned about the possibility of the contractors falling through the ceiling than I was of water damage!

It all ended well, thankfully. The roofers were able to patch the hole - and yes, it was a hole. After they made it to the attic, they could see blue sky through the roof, right above my shop. They also chipped the ice-jam off the roof.

Needless to say, I had a mess to clean up on Saturday. They room was okay - no one fell through and the plaster stayed on the ceiling. But I had to move everything back. Not a problem, except that I still wasn't feeling 100%. But I took my time (all day) and the shop's been reassembled!

I did some rearranging while I was at it... some new PEACHES & CREME yarn will be arriving next week, as well as some HONEYSUCKLE RAYON CHENILLE! I'm excited about both of these. They are made in the U.S. Peaches & Creme is a 4-ply worsted weight cotton while the chenille is, well, chenille! I don't have any of the that yet!

Stop by the Markethouse on Main next week - regular hours - and check out the new colors. Maybe start a spring project.

SICK DAY!

DYNT will be closed today, Thursday, January 13th. I'm home sick with the flu or a bad head-cold. The shop should be opened tomorrow as scheduled and Saturday. I really hate to do this, but with the weather outside too, I'm hoping that most people aren't out and about today anyway.

And so begins 20111

Well the first week of the new year has come and gone. Hope your 2011 started out well enough.

So far the trial run of the new hours has gone well. I was able to attend the Butler Spinners & Weavers Guild Meeting on Wednesday morning. That was very enjoyable, and if you're a Butler County resident (or even if you live nearby and don't have your own guild) I'd recommend membership for all fiber arts fanatics.

This month, January, all needles, hooks and books are on sale! Stop in and fill in the gaps in your supply of needles and hooks...

I've started a new project, finally! I have to have it finished by the 20th! I'm embellishing a wool jacket with felting, embroidery and general fiber-type stuff. It's for the Goth show at the Butler Art Center. The show's theme is Gothic, Victorian, and Steam-punk era/type stuff. This is my first big felting project. So I'm pretty excited, and so far so good. I'll try and post photos when done. But if you stop in between now and the 20th, the chances that I'll be working on it are pretty good! You could get a sneak peak before the unveiling at the show opening on the 21st.

Don't forget, DYNT is on Ravelry too. If you're not a member of the Darn Yarn Needles and Thread group, joining today! That's another great way to keep up with your LYS. I try to check there and update info about once a week too...it'd be more frequent if I didn't have a second job, but that's neither here nor there....

New Year, New things to do - not sure if they are resolutions.

Well, it's a new year! I'm not sure what that means, 'cause every day you wake up, it's a whole new year... but as far as a unified effort to mark the passing of time, it's time for a new calendar year. Two days in, I've enjoyed 2011 so far.

Darn Yarn Needles and Thread is heading towards it's first anniversary (March 17th) and I thought I'd start a few new things, or try to do a few other things better this year.

First, I've switched Wednesday & Thursday hours. This will allow DYNT to remain open later at least one night a week, while still allowing me some time to schedule personal stuff, such as doctors appointments and meetings. So please keep that in mind - DYNT is open 10am -4pm on Wednesdays and 10am - 6pm on Thursdays now.

Second, I've decided that I really do need to make it to the Butler Spinners and Weavers Guild meetings. They are the first Wednesday of each month. So while this is confusing DYNT will open at noon on the first Wednesday of the month. I didn't' want to change all Wednesdays to noon... so I'm hoping that this doesn't get too confusing. When the day comes that I only have one job - DYNT - I'll do something about that, but for now, if it's the first Wednesday, please stop by between noon -4pm.

Third, I've thought about it, and I want to have sales each month. Keep checking back, I'll post the current months sale items in the upcoming events sections. For January, all Needles, Hooks, and Books are 10% off!

Lastly, I really need to be more aggressive in my electronic updates and sites. I'm going to try and update the blog, Ravelry, and Facebook more regularly, as well as send out regular e-mail newsletters. If you'd like to be on the e-mail list, send your e-mail address to dynt10@gmail.com

Have a great 2011 - get more fiber in your life.