Guest Post — The Bountiful Turkish Yarn Shop

By Charlotte Bloomberg

On a recent trip, my husband and I traveled to Sinop, Turkey, which is about 650 kilometers from Istanbul. After touring the fortifications of this Black Sea town and the Sinop museum, I turned to our guide and said, "Enough! Are there any yarn shops in Sinop?" With a grin, our guide took us to the shop shown in the pictures and introduced us to this lovely woman who was delighted to show me her yarns. As you can see, the store was packed to the rafters. It's a bit smaller than Maxcine's and loaded with amazing yarns.

This was our last stop in Turkey so my husband and I pooled all of our Turkish lira and I held it in my hands. The shopkeeper immediately understood, counted the lira and began pulling skeins. Soon, there was a small pile of beautiful yarns on the table and, selection complete, I left the shop, liraless, but with a bag of lovely yarns to add to my stash. The created garment will be a wonderful reminder of an afternoon spent in a yarn shop in this quaint little town.

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Reminder: The Stitch Therapy LYS has moved to 335 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215, between 3rd and 4th Streets. Please stop by to say hello and see our beautiful new space!

STITCH THERAPY HAS A NEW HOME

In the five years that Stitch Therapy has been on Lincoln Place I have met quite a few amazing people. Years ago a friend reminded me that my mantra was "all I want to do is knit" and now knitting and crochet have become my full-time work, but it is through you, my talented and creative customers and friends, that I have experienced the joy of our craft.



I take pleasure in supporting you through your projects, and if you don't mind, I share the pride that I hope you experience when your project is complete. Stitch Therapy will continue to be an inspirational haven for you in her new home at 335 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th street, opening November 1st – continuing to be a part of the fabric of Park Slope Brooklyn.



This is a move to a future that offers more classes like "Men's Night Out" "Fingerless gloves and Mittens", "Beginner Circle for new Parents-that means you can bring your new baby", "Weekend Kid Camps", "Mystery Squares", a backyard, and more events like the recent book reading. 335 5th Avenue is now the home of Brooklyn Mercantile a wonderful fabric and home shop owned by Tamara Plummer - both shops will now share this address - two shops under one roof!



This change for Stitch Therapy is a good thing! We will be open seven days a week and still be in Park Slope. Did I mention the backyard? The spring will allow for outdoor classes and entertainment. Just as the Lincoln Place spot evolved into the space that it was (if you could see it at this moment you would not recognize it) so will 5th Avenue. I have spent quite a bit of time at the shop and what I love the most is the way the sun floods in through the front window.



This is Phase 3 for Stitch Therapy, Phase 2 was the online shop, I expect this part to be filled with fun and creativity and I hope that you will continue to be a part of it. Check out the new hours on the website and the schedule for the additional classes.

NYC Yarn Crawl - Reading, Trunk Show & Art Exhibit

Click to Download full-size poster PDF

Just a reminder about our fantastic reading and trunk show on Saturday, October 10th at 4pm! Take a moment to pop over to the beautiful website for author, Beth Hahn's Miss Flit.

Mark your calendars for NYC's very first Yarn Crawl

featuring 13 shops and all kinds of carrying on, will be happening over the Columbus Day holiday weekend, October 9-12, 2009.

For details, go to www.nycyarncrawl.com

Join author Beth Hahn at Stitch Therapy during the yarn crawl, as we celebrate the first issue of The Adventures of Miss Flitt, , an Illustrated 19th C. Tale with Knitting Patterns, with a reading and a trunk and art show on Saturday, October 10th, 2009, at 4:00. Beth will also have some limited edition books to sign and sell.

Hope to see you here!

Sophie Digard: Pretty in Paris

Clothing as a form of art is often mocked by those who seldom see the creativity, skill and expression that are often found within design. The appreciation of apparel on a serious level is sometimes confused with vanity, arrogance and almost always pretence, yet it could be argued that the beautiful crochet creations of Sophie Digard show, to the unfamiliar eye, the potential of regarding fashion as an art form.

The French designer's hand-crafted designs come in an array of shapes and forms, from scarves to necklaces, bags to berets – just about everything you could wish for is covered. Rich in earthly shades and complimentary tones, her use of colour is inspirational; creating a mood that is reminiscent of the English countryside – a peaceful elegance.

In particular her scarves are to be adored. The spring connotations that arise when studying a Sophie Digard scarf are so vivid that only memories of bright summer days enter your thoughts. Most are comprised of tiny 'fleurs' and crochet circles stitched together, creating a classic vintage look as well as an artistic master piece. So detailed, so innovative and yet so at ease, Digard's beauties are faultless. Using fine wool, linen, or a simple sewing thread the Parisian's crocheted idiosyncratic pieces are garments to be treasured for years to come.

It's the final days of summer and the air conditioning is on!

The first yarn for the fall season has arrived - I love it. Schulana Merino Cotton 135 - 149 yards of 53% cotton 47% wool - 5.25 - 6 stitches to the inch - 17 rich colors - 12 colors are in 5 more to arrive next week.

Starting today Yarn Sale -

• Summer yarns 15% off - cotton, bamboo, soybean, and linen blends
• Noro Silk Garden Sock - 20% off
• Trekking Hand Art Sock - 20% off
• Ella Rae Lace Merino - 15% off
• Berroco yarns 15% off
• Debbie Bliss yarns - 15% off
• GGH Lara 50% off
• All books and pattern books 20% off
• Back issues $2.00 each
• Clearance 25% off
• Free patterns books

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

With all the amazing fibers and colors available in the yarn world today the opportunity for creating your own cloth offers a wealth of freedom for expression. I knit these hats and swatches about six years ago when I was working in another yarn shop that offered a great variety so I had the chance to experiment with fibers and stitches.

The blue, white and red hat are a single ply -- practically roving -- and the multicolored swatch uses remnants of a light blue yarn for weaving, and hand dyed merino wool. Playing with my Harmony Guide, I picked a two color cable with the idea to knit ear flaps for a hat, add stitches for the back of the hat, and keep the two color cable going.

Well, they do somewhat resemble mutton chops, and the chevron stitch in the red and blue are a bit subtle, but this hat was a hit on the runway last year at the Brooklyn Conservatory where my friend Raphael used it in a fashion show. In muscles and swim trunks the model walked the runway with confidence and my hat covered the beautiful locks of an Adonis. This hat is one of a kind and what initially looked like a odd pairing of yarn worked in the end. Trying something out of the norm can create a fresh new twist on a classic stitch.