My Next Project

I finally finished the baby blanket I was working on,  It's made with Flora-fil cotton yarn and Sprout Organic Cotton yarn.  I'll get a photo up soon.  It still needs washed and blocked.  I'm always amazed at how much that simple process can change a piece!

The jacket above may be my next project!  It's made with Kraemer's Belfast Linen Blend.  I'm liking the circular design.  Don't know why, but the idea of making something in one large piece, in a circle, and trying it on as you go intrigues me.  That and I've been looking for something to make with the Belfast yarn.  Belfast is a blend of cotton, linen, viscose, acrylic and silk.  The blend just seems like a great blend for around here in the summer...when it's hazy hot and humid outside but the air conditioning at work is just a bit too cold.  Yeah, I'm one of those crazy people - I wear sweaters in the air conditioning.

On a personal note, I'm feeling much better.  Turns out it wasn't Lyme's Disease, but a liver virus that mimicked Lyme's disease.  My liver's still on the mend, but I'm feeling much much better.  My muscles have stopped cramping up, which is a good thing and makes life much easier.

DYNT hours will be weird for a few days...

Wow.  Two somewhat personal entries in a row.  Must be the bug talking.  DYNT will be operating on a "skeleton crew" for the next few days, maybe longer.  Just Pam's keeping an eye on it when she's there.   When she's not, it's closed.  I'm sorry to have to do this.  Please spread the word.

I've been diagnosed with Lyme's Disease, so until the meds start working and I start feeling better, I'm really not going anywhere for a while, unfortunately, that includes the shop.

Thanks for the help!

Lisa, owner of DYNT @ DYNT on a Spring day in May.

I don't usually put personal stuff or photos of me on the blog or any where connected to DYNT.  Don't know why, I guess I'd just like the shop develop it's own personality.  But I recently needed a head shot for an article, so I learned how to use the web-cam.  That was a silly and fun learning processes.  It's a bit strange to watch yourself on screen and know it's not really a mirror.  

It's also been a while since I've introduced or explained anything about me and the shop, so this week you get a  bit of a personal blog.

A few weeks ago, my hubby's Aunt Barb stopped in to visit me at the shop.  She brought me a wardrobe trunk that had belonged to my hubby's Great-Great-Grandfather.  Like many things in this shop, it's a hand-me-down from the family.  This is both a financial choice and a personal preference.  I want DYNT to feel comfortable and cozy.  

Sometimes I don't think the standard merchandise displaying methods really lend themselves toward cozy.  They also tend to be costly.  But the downfall to this is that merchandising products are designed to hold merchandise.  So they are very efficient at what they do.  I'm hoping to reach a good mix, as I need to cram a ton of yarn and supplies into a small space.  This too helps with making DYNT fee cozy.  Things like the wardrobe trunk really help with this...do you have any idea how much stuff that thing will hold?  I don't either, yet.  But I imagine it's a ton!    

I need to thank some friends, The Curries, who recently moved to the West Coast as well as Josh's crew of workers.  The Curries were able to supply me with some grid wall and it's come in handy.  Without their contribution and the hand-me-downs, I'm not sure how I would get all this stuff in here!  Josh's crew custom built the basket wall for me...without it, I'm not sure how I would have been able to display quite as much yarn and keep the brick walls exposed.  Because again, the brick walls lend a certain air to the space. 

If none of this makes any sense to you, then you need to stop in and see the space!  I'm constantly amazed and thankful for all the help and support my friends and family have provided during the past few months.  Thanks!

Melancholy notes for a grey, rainy day

I just got word today that one of my favorite suppliers will stop dealing wholesale soon.  I didn't stock much of their product, but was slowly working towards carrying more of their lines.  That goal is no more.  It saddens me.  Was the decision based on a growing workload, or because shops like mine just didn't support their business enough?  Either way, I'm saddened.  I strive to carry American Made stuff - this line was US made AND organic!  What a boon!  Not to mention that I love the yarn!

As you know, I look for American Made yarns and supplies first.  Second (and thirdly) I look for fair-trade or eco-friendly yarns and supplies.  That way my customers know that the products they are purchasing at DYNT did not contribute to some of the greater woes of the world.  This loss of a supplier saddened me because it will make it just that much harder to find good, solid, and fun suppliers that I can trust to share with my customers.  I'm glad that her yarns will be available directly to the consumer, but I'm not sure where that leaves me.

I guess it leaves me a bit melancholy.  I wish them well though.  I still love the yarn.

Tools of the Trade.

So you play with yarn.  Did you ever pay attention to the tools you use?  I know everyone has their favorite needles and hooks.  But I'm talking about all the other tools.  It really does make a difference in your craft if you have the right tool for the job.

 DYNT carries some tools of the trade - left handed scissors, USA Made embroidery hoops, tatting shuttles, and of course knitting needles and crochet hooks.  DYNT carries Brittany and Denise needles and hooks.  Both are US made.  Brittany are made from sustainable birch.  Denise needles and hooks are interchangeable plastic sets and singles.  Great for travel and the person who needs every size...I've found them very handy.  If my gauge is off, it's easy to switch up or down a size or two because I already have that size.

There are a few tools that may need some explanation.  Like the top, left photo.  Those are nostepinnes.  What does that mean?  What do they do?  It's so simple, I was surprised to learn about them.  It is a tool used to wind yarn into a center pull ball.  Simply put, you hold the nostepinne in one hand with a tail of yarn at the handle and start winding...there are more elaborate directions to be found on line, but that's the basics.  If you've never mastered the handheld center pull method - for $9.99, this silly simple tool is an amazing little find.  The ones at DYNT are locally made by a craftsman who harvests the wood himself too.

For you hand spinners, DYNT also carries a handful of drop spindles.  Schacht Spindles are pictured above right.  But we also have a few locally made options that are just as beautiful and each of them is unique.  The photo to the left is a Niddy Noddy.  If you don't know what a Niddy Noddy is, it is also a yarn winding tool, most often used by spinners.  What's great about this one?  It travels!  It can be un-assembled and reconfigured to the yardage you need.  The $35 also includes the travel bag.  These too are USA Made!