It’s very pretty, but it’s still coming down and I think unlikely to get plowed soon. The shop will be closed this morning for sure, I will see how things are around noon and post again.

Not exactly a blackout, lol, it was just as busy as every other Friday in January! But we did raise $1675 for CIMA. FYI due to family emergency, Rik will be alone in the shop Saturday (and maybe Sunday) so be patient with him as he gets yarns wound for people and tries to help everyone. We know it works better with two of us there, but sometimes we have to get by with one. If the snow is bad, we might open late or not at all, so watch this space for details.

Join us for stitching together. If you need help with the Melt the Ice hat, come on by! If you’d like to try dyeing some red yarn, maybe we can do that too. If you absolutely need a tool or yarn to keep you going through the weekend, we can provide that, but all proceeds will be donated to our local immigrants’ rights group, CIMA. (Click the link to donate directly.)

With another winter storm predicted Friday night, we don’t know what Saturday will bring, but we’ll let you know when we know.

We have plenty of choices, and when we run out we’ll dye more!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melt-the-ice-hat

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melt-the-ice-crochet-version

We’re closed today due to the weather, and also mourning the murder of Alex Pretti (along with Renee Good). We keep each other safe.

Stay warm and keep crafting.

With the winter storm predicted, we are following the National Weather Service guidance and going home after lunch today (Saturday, January 24) to stay off the roads. If conditions are bad, we’ll be closed tomorrow. If we have power and internet, we’ll hold Nerd Night on Zoom. We are always closed Monday and Tuesday. Everyone stay safe and warm out there, and if you need help, contact us on Discord or by text, and we’ll do what we can.

Got a shipment yesterday from peace_fleece, our personal favorite yarn for both its story/meaning as well as its long-wearing quality and gorgeous colors. They are still limited in what colors available but we scoop up what we can when we can.

This sweater is now 14 years old and there’s still no pilling, even under the arms!

Just got a big shipment of Jody Long Colourspun: an easy-care wool/acrylic blend. One or two balls in enough for a project, $19 apiece. Let the yarn change color for you and keep warm through the weekend!

The Malabrigo racks are full again, and I’ve got two big cartons of Brown Sheep to crack into. So the time for self-reflection is over. Back to work!

Okay, this isn’t yarn related at all, sorry. Some of us were chatting on Discord about Rent and the weirdness of 1990s media. But that conversation, as well as listening to an episode of the “You’re Wrong About” podcast (Phones Are Good, Actually) got me thinking about growing up enmeshed in a national culture of conservatism and nationalism. I was born in 1972, so my childhood and teen years were all during the Reagan/Bush era. Then in mid-college, Clinton was elected, and my twenties were during a time of increasing openness and acceptance of new ideas and diversity. A lot of those early tiptoe steps look pretty cringeworthy now. And it all came to a crashing halt with the election of W and 9/11.

But it made me think about a couple of my good friends who’ve recently entered their 40s. They grew up in those latter Bush years and entered adulthood with the Obama election. And then hit the disaster of Trump at about the same time in their life as 9/11 hit me. They say everything happens in cycles, that there’s nothing ever truly new. That history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. So for those of you born around 1986-88, I see you. I feel you.

I hope that the current crop of kids growing up in this garbage-fire era gets their own chance to spread their wings and have hope for awhile, even if it inevitably gets snuffed out somewhere down the line. Be good to each other, y’all. Enjoy your problematic faves and make friends across generations. We can learn a lot from each other.