Look What Happened Today!

This is my husband who hates heights - can you tell from the look on his face? But....he loves his wife so he put up the shop sign. Thanks, Greg!

I owe you a big blog.....

Here's Classy from Dream in Color - lined up all pretty on the shelves!

Smooshy arrived today and is updated on the website! I'm pondering getting in Fatty for the shop (and online?) - it's the Dream in Color bulky and the sample I received today is gorgeous!

Here's part of the sock yarn room - this little shop is stuffed with yarn! Pure heaven if you ask me??!!!

See how brilliant my dad is? He made the peg board for me to hang up all the needles and notions!

This is half the SnB room - the other half is a mess at the moment but doesn't it just make you want to sit down and knit!

And here's the progress on my Lizard Ridge - I have 24 colors of Kureyon in stock all ready for our Lizard Ridge KAL which starts on Wednesday, September 5 at our first SnB.

I've really put this aside for the moment in favor of knitting shop samples - right now I'm working on a Dream in Color top down raglan for me which I cannot wait to finish and wear -

I've got a new line in the shop that I'm pretty sure will be available online as well. You can read about it here. Here's the scanned shade card - 4 new amazing yarns that support a valuable cause - it just doesn't get any better! Did I mention there was baby llama? No.....oh and did I mention Jane Ellison did a whole pattern book showcasing this entire collection? ........ I probably didn't mention that each and every skein is under $10 CAD - this is a winner in more ways than one!

Opening Day Details

Tuesday, September 4th

10am

Free gift with purchase!

Free coffee (Tim Hortons's - what else???)

Free Timbits

(Timbits would be the centers they take out of the donuts to make them donuts for my American friends!)

I'm still kickin!

It's Sunday and here I sit in the office of my little shop - my computer appears to be working and I do have email. Quite a feat though - Bell Canada sends you a box and says it will take just 15 minutes to hook up high speed internet - not true! Two phone calls to tech support and 4 hours later we have internet. Urrrr!

Everything is really coming together - I'm tired, tired, tired but happy. We have lots of time now until September 4th for finishing touches - and more yarn!

I have a dilemma and keep wavering back and forth on it - should I have the whole store inventory online or just socks and lace as usual. Some days I think just keep the online as it is and feature some of the instore stuff from time to time and then of course, there are other days where I think it should all be online. My big concern is that I can't like the online inventory with the point of sale system because it's hugely expensive to do that but I do have my sister working with me full time and so (most times!)feel confident we can manage the inventory manually. So....what do should I do - what would you like me to do? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

I was going to post pictures - but a police officer just came to the door and said the street is closing for a parade and I don't want to get stuck here until after 4 pm - pictures tomorrow, promise!

Contest Winners

Three blog readers guessed the exact number of Classy skeins to arrive! I can't bear to draw for a winner so all three win a free skein in the color of their choice!

The winners are..................

Heddy

JLB

JC

with guesses of 240 skeins!

Email me at connie(at)pickupsticks(dot)ca to claim your prizes!

The move is going well - the store looks better and better every day - today the computer goes so I will be working more often up in Bradford. Right now, I feel like I'm in a mess because the yarn is up there and I'm here.

Yarn Harlot

Yipee! The Yarn Harlot is coming to Aurora - care to join in the fun? Email Nancy (President of York Region Knitting Guild) to reserve your spot! Email her at: nmcinnis(at)aci(d0t)on(dot)ca

Here's the details:

Tuesday August 21 at 7pm Aurora United Church, Basement Social Hall. 15186 Yonge Street, Aurora.

See you there!

We're getting there...

Here's Greg and the Home Depot guy loading up more shelves - I'm still not sure there's enough but I won't tell Greg!

Here's Blue Sky Alpacas - I'm starting with Worsted Hand Dyes, Suri Alpaca, Bulky Naturals and Bulky Hand Dyes - once this started to happen then I got really excited -

Here's Noro - Kureyon and Silk Garden to start - I'm still loving my Lizard Ridge blanket and can't wait to get our KAL started!

I almost went to the wholesaler's again today - I was at my grandmother's and it's just about a block from there but I controlled myself. I have more than enough to fill the shelves - and there's still more on the way! My Dream in Color is due in this week and it will be put up on the website. There will also be pre-orders for the Tulip baby sweater - no sense in winding kits if I don't have to.

My grandfather's antique desk is too big for the space I wanted to put it - now I'm not sure what to do with it. Greg's aunt came by with the offer of a microwave and coffee maker - good, good, good!

I'm tired but excited - very excited!

CTH and Somoko Winners!

Congratulations to Yvonne and Michelle!

Yvonne guessed the number of Somoko skeins correctly at 75!
Michelle guessed the number of Cherry Tree Hill at 300 - her guess was closest because 310 skeins arrived.

Please send me an email to connie (at) pickupsticks.ca with your addresses and color choices!

Congratulations!

The contest for Dream in Color is for Classy only. If you've guessed for Classy and Smooshy, I will only use your Classy guess. Smooshy isn't expected for 3 weeks.

Oh and did you see? I'm having a moving sale at Pick Up Sticks - I cannot get into my yarn room for the boxes - 10 boxes were delivered just yesterday, not to mention everything else that had already arrived! So....I'm having a big blow out one day sale - 25% off everything in the store.

One more thing - the new carpet is going in today and I have insurance so we're moving this weekend! Yeeeeeeeha!

Contest Winner

Hi again - Cherry Tree Hill arrived! All 31 colorways - 10 of each which means that 310 skeins are here altogether! And the winner for the Cherry Tree Hill yarn (2 skeins) is Michele from Richmond Hill! Congratulations!

Guess what? I just got a call from Dream in Color and there are lots and lots and lots of worsted weight yarn on the way to me - with Smooshy sock yarn to follow in about 3 weeks. So here's the deal - how many skeins are on the way? If you guess correctly then you will win the Shrug pattern and the yarn in the color of your choice to complete it. Heck - it's my anniversary so let's have some fun!

Somoko is not here yet but we do have a correct guess for that - I won't announce it until the yarn arrives in case anyone wants to keep guessing!

Happy Anniversary to Pick Up Sticks!

Yes that's right - we are one year old today! Unbelievable!

I'm off to do store stuff today - insurance, sign etc but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for all of your support. Pick Up Sticks is more than I ever imagined it would be and none of it would have been possible without great friends and customers like all of you!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Progress.....

This post will have lots of pictures but not many words because I'm really tired....here's my great dad priming trim first thing this morning.....





Here's Angela priming panelling - the ceiling in this room is about 15 feet - fun wow trying to get it all primed!



Here's my darling husband taking his first coffee break - I took a picture of his work - we had to send him back to fill in the cracks with primer.

See? Brown gaps in his painting!





















Here's my sister, Lisa and her husband, Dave hard at work! Still priming - it seemed like an endless job!






And some results - these walls are painted with one coat of primer and one coat of paint - it just might be enough considering all the shelves that have to go in. The space has a real cottage-y feel now which I absolutely love!

The main area is almost done - just trim to do tomorrow! So far I'm thrilled with it - makes me love it even more!

Just a bit of knitting news - some Cherry Tree Hill came in but there's still more - it's on the website so you can have a look - so the contest is still on!

I'm a lucky duck to have such a great family and great friends ....now if I just sell some yarn then I can pay the rent! :)

Contest

Well, Pick Up Sticks officially has a bricks and mortar home. I took possession of the building yesterday and I have to say I've felt kind of foggy all day. It's just a dream come true and I cannot wait to see my little shop all set up! We had a little stitch n bitch there last night on folding chairs with Tim Horton's coffee and timbits. A big huge thank you and hug to both Marion and Clare for my gift. A beautiful antique mailbox and vintage knitting patterns from the 1930's. Perfect to go along with the other antique-y stuff I've been buying. Thanks to Marion for our first project class idea. What else but Lizard Ridge? I'm working on the details and will announce it soon. My website has a new store location page - that's where you'll find all the store info - thanks to my webguy, Scott, for getting it done so quickly. I love the map!

So the contest....you want to know about the contest? Well, Cherry Tree Hill and Louet Yarns have begun a new collaboration - Cherry Tree Hill colorways on Louet Yarn hand dyed by the brilliant, Cheryl of Cherry Tree Hill - what could be better? So....how many skeins do I have coming in? Closest guess wins a skein in the colorway of their choice - contest closes when the yarn arrives - which might be tomorrow so you better guess quick! And....Fleece Artist has sent Somoko sock yarn to me - guess how many skeins of that I have on the way and you can win a skein in the color of your choice. Two contest, two chances.........go for it!