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Gentle Knitter: We have a winner in our “Name That Kitty” contest. As you will recall from our earlier visit, we introduced you to the wonderful colors and hand of the blended merino and nylon of Mini Mochi Yarn from Crystal Palace Yarn. As part of our bringing this yarn to the Shop, Miss Elyse worked with the Crystal Palace folks to pick out yarns which would be pleasing to you. During the course of her discussions, she was directed to the Mini Mochi site which included a picture of Mochi, a Scottish Fold.
Coincidentally Miss Linda had just finished knitting a cute kitty from the Cotton Kids pattern book using Cotton Supreme Yarn from Universal Yarn. Now firmly ensconced in our Shop, as only a yarn kitty can be, she/he has been waiting for someone to provide a name.
The winning name is “Fearghas”, which we understand is Scottish Gaelic and means Supreme Choice. Now I know that name is a bit difficult for us to pronounce, so you should close your eyes and think of the Highlands from whence the first Scottish Fold originated. Be sure to roll that “R” and you will come out with “Fe ruh ghus”. We think for those challenged by the brogue, he will answer to “Fergus” just fine.
Unbeknownst to me in choosing among all the great suggestions, this name was supplied by Fearghus’s Mum, Miss Linda Swanson and her prize is 2 skeins of Mini Mochi.
Congratulations, Miss Linda!
For now I am your,
MB
July 5th, 2010
Gentle Knitter: Do you remember the first book you ever received? In my case it was Tales from Mother Goose and it was given to me by my Aunt Lucy for Christmas 1944. To put this in perspective, the Wars in Europe and the Pacific were entering the last but perhaps fierest battles. My Dad, a Battalion Surgeon, was already in Europe and my Mother and I were living with relatives. Times were hard on families and this book from my Aunt is a treasure I still cherish.
There are scary stories and poems in Mother Goose and you have to wonder about this old literature being read to little children, but considering that the Little Golden Book series was not yet published, this would have to do. One of the poems and it’s illustration of a woman spinning was read to me:
“Cross Patch draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin,
Take a cup and drink it up,
And call your neighbors in.”
You can well imagine what old Cross Patch sitting by her fire looked like to a small boy. Just as scary was the tale of Rumpelstilskin with the magical story of the beautiful girl spinning straw into gold. Even today, Crystal Palace Yarns and their products like Mini Mochi Yarn are carried under the name Straw into Gold, again capturing that magic of spinning.
We enjoyed so much this past Sunday’s visit by Brittany and Wayne Newberry of Knit Witch Yarns of Blue Ridge, Georgia fame. In addition to the gorgeous yarns and knitting bowls they also brought rovings and top with mystical names like “da Vinci, Genoa and Melanza”. Through the magic of spinning these Leicester and Merino Wools will be transformed into beautiful yarns for knitting and crochet.
Our Spinning Teacher, Miss Sarah, welcomes new students and you can see her working her magic with our Matchless Wheel. Come join us, meet Miss Sarah, see these wonderful rovings and top and think of the magic you can begin to enjoy learning to use a drop spindle and moving on up to a wheel.
For now I am your,
MB
June 29th, 2010
Gentle Knitter: We welcome today two new additions to Only Ewe and Cotton Too. As you will see, the two are closely related, but first some background.
Susie, the matriarch, was born some fifty years ago in rural Scotland and probably wouldn’t have caused much of a stir were it not for a very distinguishing characteristic that set her apart from all others. As time went by, she became known as a Scottish Fold and ultimately some of her children moved to our country where they have quickly established a reputation for pleasant personalities.
We also have just received a new shipment of Mini Mochi Yarn from Crystal Palace. What a gorgeous sock yarn with soft colors and an easy hand because it is a blend of merino and nylon. In looking at the Crystal Palace web site, I discovered that this yarn is named after Mochi. Mochi is a Scottish Fold - see how her ears fold forward and she displays all the endearing qualities of a special friend.
Speaking of friends, our friend, Ms. Linda, has knitted for the Shop our very own Scottish Fold which you should see when next you visit. I hope you will stop by to enter our contest to “Name That Kitty”. We will announce the winner on July 1 and the prize will be 2 skeins of Mini Mochi. Perhaps we’ll even hear some purrs of delight as you consider Mini Mochi Yarn for your next project.
So this is our knitted kitty - he’s holding lots of Mini Mochi yarn. He loves it; but he needs a name - then maybe he would come when we call his name - do cats do that?
See Mochi from Crystal Palace - scroll down to the bottom of the page on this link.
For now I am your,
MB
June 11th, 2010
More new summer yarns are here! The first to arrive is a new yarn by Kollage called “Milky Whey.” This is a great light dk weight yarn made from a blend of Milk and Soy fibers. Soft, smooth, and cool, this is a perfect yarn for summer, scarves, or anything that you want to feel oh-so-good up against your skin.
another is a fun one for you to start your fall projects (gotta start now if you want them done for the first cool snap!) “Swiss Mohair” by Universal Yarns is a great blend of mohair and acrylic. It has all the fuzz and fun of mohair without the itch. You’ll love it!
May 25th, 2010
Gentle Knitter: Today I bring sad news as well as a celebration of the passing but also the life of my neighbor. He was born poor in the mountains near Blue Ridge and at an all too early age was separated from his Mother and family. What a wonderful heritage he had shared though with his family who for generations had lived in the hollows and along the streams with the bear and fox, the grouse and whip-o-will. His family was known and loved by the Cherokee and long before the arrival of the white man they had lived together usually in peace.
As I said, he never knew his Mama and his Daddy was never around and were it not for the sweetness of our neighbor, Miss Denise, who knows what would have become of him? Miss Denise, ever the kind soul, brought him to her home where he was welcomed by her family and friends. As he grew, he became a highly recognizable figure here in Crabapple riding around town with Miss Denise.
As time passed, his fondest delight was to sit in Miss Denise’s lap while she read aloud the news of the day. When she was away, how his heart longed for her and those tender moments with the only Mama he had ever known. When she would drive up the lane to her home, he would come rushing out to greet her as though she had been gone for a week when in fact it had been only for a quarter hour.
He hated to be separated from her and when Miss Denise was in the kitchen, he would knock at the window pane to ask her to come play. He was so proud of the way he was developing and it never failed that with only a little encouragement he would strut his stuff.
Chompipe all too quickly grew and like most young teenagers became a bit of a handful. It was decided that it would be best for him to move to a nearby farm that could provide a new family and more friends to play with; and so it was decided and done, but not without promises of frequent visits. As the days passed there were visits and when he would hear her car, Chompipe would run to it.
While Miss Denise was not his Mother, she had given him life and purpose. Sadly she called this past Thursday to tell me that Chompipe had contracted some sort of respiratory disease and had passed while enroute to the doctor.
Some time ago I passed on to you, Gentle Knitter, a poem which is quoted in part now in recalling our friend, Chompipe:
“Remembrance is the sweetest flower that in a garden grows”.
Rest in peace our friend. You brought such enjoyment to so many lives.
For now I am your,
MB
May 17th, 2010
New yarns from Farmhouse are here! First off, we got the most we’ve ever had of your classic favorite - Lumpy Bumpy. A few new colors and some old favorites are here, and certainly lots of everything! Here’s a beautiful version of “Indian Corn.”
We also have a new line of yarn from Farmhouse - Winifred’s Washable. Its a great machine washable dk/light worsted made from Superwash Merino and Acrylic - perfect for all things baby. We received a limited quantity of a few colors last fall in great big skeins (You may remember the Babies ‘N Bears sweater we have knit.) This year, she has packaged them in smaller, more manageable skeins, and they come in nifty colors! Check out “Rainforest!”
Finally, we got in something completely different - Farmhouse Silk Blend. Its a wonderful blend of Raw Silk, Cotton, and Lamb’s Wool…people have already started some lovely shawls, capes, and other things out of this. Its different than most Farmhouse Yarns -it has a smaller gauge, a more rustic, tweedy feel, and more subtle colors. Here is “Rhythm and Blues.”
That’s a lot of yarn, folks! Come check it out!
May 12th, 2010
Gentle Knitter: Vasco da Gama and Prince Henry, The Navigator, were notable Portuguese figures of almost 500 years ago who were leaders in the exploration and expansion of knowledge about the New World. In that age of discovery, not only were new lands found, but the culture and handiwork of Portugal were spread around the world. Most notably the impact of Portugal’s culture is still seen today in many South American countries.
At the recently concluded Stitches South, we were privileged to meet Miss Andrea Wong who taught several classes in that style of knitting known as Portuguese Knitting. As a native of Brazil, Andrea learned this style from her Mother who had learned it from a Portuguese immigrant more than fifty years ago.
We are carrying Andrea’s designed Knitting Pins and DVDs which teach the fundamentals and are so happy to announce that our very own Miss Sarah C. will be teaching Portuguese Knitting in the Shop. Like Admiral da Gama and Prince Henry, you too can set sail on your voyage of seeking new horizons and exploring new ways and in so doing expand upon your knowledge with the guidance and teaching of Miss Sarah. Call us at Only Ewe and Cotton Too at (770) 740-0844 to begin your very own new adventure of discovery.
To guide you into this consideration of Old World style knitting, may I suggest you first listen to Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” and as with this class, you will find a whole New World of Knitting-maybe even with a symphony in your heart and hands.
For now I am your,
MB
May 11th, 2010
Gentle Knitter: A love story is unfolding even as we speak today. It is the budding romance between a gifted ballerina named Miss Lilly and her neighbor Stan. It seems that Stan is a somewhat colorful character who is known for his love of long walks with Lilly capped by a cool drink and perhaps even dinner when it can be worked into her busy schedule. He really doesn’t require much, just for her to run her fingers through his hair, mummur sweet words and give him a kiss; if Stan could remember his French, he would speak to Miss Lilly such terms of endearment as enchante’, mon amour.
You too will find yourself falling in love with our new 100% Super Wash Merino Yarns from the Knit Witch in both Fingering and DK Weights. With vibrant colors and a soft touch that will speak sweet words to you in any language, you may find youself, like Stan, speaking the language of your love for these Knit Witch Yarns. Do come by and see these latest yarns and then please bring in your finished tank top, vest, sweater or even socks to show us. We too may be heard to exclaim ENCHANTE’ MON AMOUR!
For now I am your,
MB
May 2nd, 2010
Gentle Knitter: I begin with selected quotes from the poem, “The Daffodils”, by William Wordsworth.
“I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils.
Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle in the Milky Way,
They stretched in never ending line along the margin of a bay”.
Stitches, the big knitting and crochet event with classes, fashion shows and vendors, comes to Atlanta this week and Elyse has been hard at work assembling the yarns and patterns that will both inspire and delight you. She just opened a box of Kollage Yarn called Milky Whey which we will be bringing to our Booth #437. As a preview, a whole “host” of our Gentle Knitters tested several skeins of this out of the world Kollage Yarn.
What is really so outstanding about this yarn, in addition to its feel and drape, are the beautiful colors with the first one that was unpacked being the color of daffodils. It brought to mind those earlier lines from the poem which then concludes with these lines:
“And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils”.
Come by and see us at Stitches, take a look at the galaxy of colors of Kollage’s Milky Whey Yarns and you too will find your heart filled with pleasure and maybe even want to dance.
For now I am your,
MB
April 20th, 2010
Gentle Knitter: Growing up in Richmond, I started to school at the William F. Fox Elementary which was built in 1900; it should be noted that I was not one of their first pupils. Each day of school began with us singing the Friends Song:
“Friends, Friends, Friends,
I have some Friends I love,
I help my Friends and they help me,
I love my Friends and they love me,
Friends, Friends, Friends,
I have some Friends I love.”
On this past Sunday, Elyse and I were treated to a surprise 5 Year Celebration of the opening of Only Ewe and Cotton Too which was organized by Miss Polly and hosted by the Sunday afternoon Sit and Knit Group. The gorgeous flowers along with the tasty salsa and delicious cookies and cake really hit the spot.
I think the Friends song, some 60 years later, is so appropriate in thanking you, our friends, who have supported Only Ewe and Cotton Too through the past five years. For indeed, Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life.
For now I am your,
MB
April 19th, 2010
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