I am heading out in just a bit to sign papers to officially sell the shop.  Thank you so much to everyone who’s been on this ride with me.  Soon you will be hearing from Mind’s Eye Yarns new owner Sharon Lynn Fagenholz.  She is full of fun and fantastic ideas.  I can’t wait to see what she’ll do!  Happy knitting, crochet and spinning everyone.  Good things are ahead!

The shop is in the process of being sold right now.  We are closed temporarily during the transition.  The shop will be reopening under new ownership in mid-June.  Watch this space for updates.

Right now, I am looking for a home for the display case that was by the cash box in the front of the shop.  It is a little battered but very useful with four big drawers in back and the glass cabinet on top.  Email me at lucy@mindseyeyarns.com if you are interested in taking it.  It is free to anyone who’ll come pick it up.

Dear friends,

Today, I have some bad news.  After a great deal of thought, I have decided that the time has come for me to get out of the yarn business.  As many of you know, my life has changed drastically over the last two and a half years.  After spending my entire adult life single and childless, I gained custody of my now eleven year old nephew in the fall of 2010.  This event changed everything in my life.  Time, love and energy that I had always been able to fully commit to the shop is now needed by my nephew.  I didn’t and don’t begrudge it to him one bit.  He is the light of my life.  However, the shop began to suffer.

Last spring, it became clear to me that the shop was not going to be able to support us in a way that allowed for any kind of savings for college or retirement.  For that reason, I began a graduate program in accounting over the summer.  This took even more of my time and energy from the shop.  My plan at that time was to eventually get full time work as an accountant and hire people to run the shop for me.  Unfortunately, for various reasons, sales have continued to decline and have dropped precipitously since the first of the year.  I can now no longer afford to pay anyone to replace me.  This is especially a problem since I am looking for an accounting internship and need to be available to take whatever opportunity comes along.

Therefore, rather than try to keep the shop going at great cost to myself and for little return, I have decided to move on.  Rather than close immediately, I would like to take the month of April to offer the shop for sale to anyone who would like to purchase it and keep it going.  I am happy to discuss the details with anyone who is interested.  Please email me or give the shop a call.  Just to warn you, running a business like this is a huge job and you have to be good at many, many things.  I would recommend that a group of people with a variety of skills and interests would be the best bet for turning this place around and making it successful again.  I, of course, would help you in any way I can.

I cannot keep the shop on the market forever.  If I do not receive a very serious offer for the place by April 30, I will begin the process of selling off everything and closing up.  So, if you are interested, don’t waste any time.  I would ask all of you to spread the word among your networks to make sure as many people as possible hear about this opportunity.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you, my loyal customers, for all the wonderful years we’ve had together.  Owning this business has been my dream job and I’ve enjoyed it very much.  Being part of your creative process has been eye opening and delightful and I thank you for it.

No matter what happens, I will continue to dye yarn under the Mind’s Eye Hand Dyed label and sell it on Etsy.  Also, all of this year’s Sock Club members will receive their remaining skeins on schedule.

All my best,

Lucy

This is our fourth yarn crawl and even though Windsor Button Shop isn’t going to be part of it this year, we and Stitch House decided to crawl on anyway.  Be sure to check their site for the events they will be having.

Here at Mind’s Eye Yarns, we will be celebrating spinning and spinning fiber all day long.  Here is the list of our events:

10 am – noon     Free drop spindle lessons and a chance to try a wheel

Noon-2 pm          Spinning fiber tasting.  20% off all spinning fiber during the tasting.

2 – 5 pm               Talks on how to choose and prepare  a fleece and techniques for                 making the most of hand dyed fiber including Navajo plying.

All day spin-in so bring your wheel or spindle.

Refreshments, door prizes and giveaways.

I have added two Hand Dyeing Workshops to the schedule on February 23 and March 30.  In these workshops, I’ll teach you how to use commercial acid dyes for wool, silk, mohair and other protein fibers.  Participants will be provided with samples to practice on and can bring up to a pound of their own fiber or yarn to dye.  The cost of either workshop is $50.  Dyes, samples and other supplies are included.  Participants must bring a dust mask and kitchen gloves.  Old clothes and/or an apron are a good idea.  This is a messy workshop but that’s half the fun!

I’m trying something new this year.  Enough people have taken my dye workshops over the years that I have scheduled two Dye Studio Days, one on March 2, one on April 13.  These are for people who know how to dye yarn and fiber but don’t have the space or equipment to do it.  The cost is $35 for the use of my kitchen, equipment, dyes, and other supplies.  The day runs from 11 am to 5 pm.  I will be on hand for consultation if people have questions but this is not a class for beginners.  Participants must provide their own yarn or fiber to dye but I will provide the rest.  This is a great opportunity to do some of your own hand dyeing without having to invest in a lot of equipment and supplies and without messing up your kitchen.

Both the dye workshops and studio days are for adults.  Commercial dyes are toxic and need to be handled carefully.  Neither of these activities is appropriate for children.

We have three double knitting workshops this winter and spring.  Introduction to Double Knitting will be held on two dates and New Adventures in Double Knitting-Two Colors on one.  The cost of the introductory class is $45 and you can take it on either February 17 or March 24. The cost of the advanced workshop is $55 and is only offered on April 6.  Click here for more details on either of these workshops.

Call the shop at 617-354-7253 sign up for workshop or with any questions you may have.  Remember, space is limited and you are not officially signed up for a workshop until you’ve paid for it.

To kick the year off right, we are having our second annual Rock Day celebration on this Saturday, January 5.  We are so excited to be sharing our love of spinning with everyone.  We will be having demonstrations, free spinning lessons, markdowns on spinning fiber and equipment.  There will be refreshments too because what’s a party without refreshments.

What is Rock Day?  It is also called St. Distaff’s Day.  Click here for more info.

To make things extra special, I am making it my Rock Day challenge to get my old great wheel working.  I will be demonstrating on it and giving people a chance to try it.  It is a completely different experience from spinning on a flyer wheel and I’m really looking forward to getting it working again.
Here is the schedule of demos:

11 am Drop spindle demonstration

1 pm- Great wheel demonstration

3 pm- Spinning wheel demonstration

5 pm- How to make a drop spindle with things you may have lying around the house

Quick and dirty drop spindle lessons throughout the day.

There will be 10% off all spinning fiber and equipment excluding wheels.
If you already spin, bring your spindle or wheel and join us for a day long spin-in.

Here are the details for the Inventory Reduction Sale.

If you buy it, Annie and I don’t have to count it!

We will be having some yarns marked down 10%, others 15% and the rest 20%.  All taxable items (needles, wheels, accessories, books) will be 10% off.  Spinning fiber will be 10% off and all magazines will be 50% off.  The sale begins December 26 at noon and runs through December 31 at 5pm (note that the shop is closing early on Dec 31).  So, if you don’t get enough yarn and fiber goodies for the holidays, come treat yourself at the sale!

As promised, here is the new hat pattern with the epic tassel.

The band of this hat is knit flat and then sewed.  You then pick up around the top to knit the crown.  It is a great little pattern that Annie cooked up and it works with all worsted or aran weight yarns.

On Friday, I got a delivery of the new Cascade Yarns Magnum Paints.  It was so pretty that I immediately got inspired to knit a scarf with it.  I decided to go with an infinity scarf that is one big loop and can be worn straight or looped twice around the neck.

This is the ultimate quick knit.  I used #19 circular needles and was done in two hours.  Click here or on either of the images to go to the pattern.