December 2019 Newsletter

Our 2019 Gift Guide
Have you been told you’re tough to shop for? Need some ideas for something for your BFF or fiber fest partner in crime? Our gift guide will hit the spot! This year’s guide includes recommendations from stocking stuffers for a few dollars to trying to buy one’s way off the naughty list, plus ideas from some of our favorite Bay Area fiber artisans.

Drum Carder Inventory Update
We have one of each of our Standard Series Drum Carders left in stock. We will not make any more before the holidays are over. We do, however, have at least two of each of our Elite Series Drum Carders in stock. Still, we recommend ordering sooner rather than later!

Last Day to Order
Monday, December 16th is the last day to order for guaranteed Christmas delivery. All orders received for in stock items placed by noon on the 16th will be scheduled to arrive no later than the 24th with standard delivery. If you’re reading this after the deadline, pop us an email or give us a call and we can discuss rush shipping options.

This Year’s Hot Gifts
Our hottest two items of the season are our newest items, the Diz Pack and the Lock Pop. At $78 and $105, respectively, with free shipping in the US, they both make a big splash without making a big dent in your budget.

New Bay Area Workshops
at the Courtyard by Marriott Richmond Berkeley – Richmond, CA
January 18-19, 2020

We’re offering two NEW workshops just a few miles from our global headquarters in a venue that’s completely NEW to us! While this isn’t our first rodeo, it IS the test flight for both the workshops and the location, so we’re offering them at a discounted rate.

The workshops will be held at the Courtyard Richmond Berkeley, located just off the Hilltop Road exit from Highway 80. On Saturday, January 18, we’ll teach the next development in our Color Theory series: Carding for Fractals. The following day, we’ll teach Breed Sampler: Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em, which is more self-directed than any workshop we’ve taught before.

For more info and to register, head to our website.

Color Theory: Carding for Fractals

Have you marveled at the eye-popping colors of the increasingly popular fractal yarns? Fractals can be spun from braids, but the repeating patterns that comprise a fractal can be prepared on a drum carder. In this class, students learn how to start with fleece to create their own preparation for two- and three-ply fractal yarns.

Breed Sampler: SE2SE

This workshop is designed around the Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em Iniative from the National Livestock Conservancy, which aims to connect fiber artists with heritage breeds of sheep. Students work at their own pace to either sample a variety of the breeds in the program or stick to one or two breeds while carding enough for a project. Due to the free form nature of this workshop and varying pricing of each breed, materials fees will vary for each student and will be charged during the workshop.

Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat
February 13-16, 2020
Murano Hotel, Tacoma, Washington

We’re thrilled to participate in the inaugural Red Alder and we’ll teach and vend as we have in years past at the Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat. Registration is now open to join us in Exploring the Drum Carder on Valentine’s Day!

This will be our 9th year at Stitches West! We will once again be in the {Among Friends} Neighborhood with some of our favorite fellow vendors.You will find us in booths 846-848, at the end of the 800 aisle. The floor map and list of vendors is available here so you can plan your trek through the (often overwhelming) market in advance.

PLYAWAY International Spinning Retreat
April 14-18, 2020
Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri

Hosted by the good folks from PLY Magazine, PLY AWAY is the ultimate retreat for hand spinners. We will vend as well as teach a full schedule of classes – seven classes in five days! We are honored to teach alongside some of the finest instructors in the spinning community.

While our class schedule is too long to list here, you can view it on the PLY AWAY website. Several classes – including a couple of ours – are already sold out, and several more have only a seat or two left. Check out the classes and register before it’s too late!

Handweaver’s Guild of America Convergence
July 24-30, 2020
Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, Tennessee

Next summer, we’ll be heading South for HGA’s semi-annual Convergence. Workshop registration is now open and all three of our classes are already over half full! For the full schedule of events – including the Sheep to Shawl competition, tours, and fashion show – head to the Convergence website.

We’ve all head them. Now find out why they persist, and how to solve them. Head over to our blog for this short but insightful read.

The latest issue of PLY Magazine is hot off the press and should be arriving soon – if it hasn’t already – for subscribers and in a yarn shop near you. This issue is right in our wheelhouse, and it was hard to stop at just a few proposals. The PLY crew saw fit to accept two of Roy’s articles: “Putting the ‘F’ in Drum Carding” details the effects of friction while using a drum carder while “A Dizzying Experiment” chronicles our testing and development of the new Diz Pack.

The Prep Issue of PLY Magazine can be purchased here, while a subscription to the magazine can be ordered here.

It’s not too late to register for a Pure or Bliss Subscription and receive the 4th quarter shipment! All subscriptions made before midnight on Sunday, December 15th will receive this quarter’s installment. Subscriptions made after midnight on the 15th will receive all four shipments in 2020.

From our family to yours, thank your for being a customer, student, fiber producer, friend, or supporter this year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or none of the above, we hope you have a warm, joyful, and fulfilling end to the year. We’ll be back in your inbox in early January with news of all that we have planned for 2020!