Crowing Ram

I’ve had more than one person suggest to me that this is the time of the year when us good ol’ yarn shop owners (LYSO to those who prefer letters) get to relax a little after the mad rush of winter.  Um… no.  It would be lovely, but that certainly hasn’t been the case at ThreadBear.

We had a wonderful visit from Terri Shea, author of Selbuvotter, along with a lecture (for lack of a better term) on the history of this Norwegian knitting tradition and a day-long class on the techniques.  Over this past weekend, the lovely and talented (really, quite lovely and genuinely very talented) Chris Bylsma joined us for classes on her ever-popular Crayon Box Jacket and fiber blending from stash.  We also enjoyed a visit from the Zombie Prom Date Knitters; no, they’re not undead, but they do know how to get down with yarn.

Rob and I each have a handful of classes to teach over the course of the week, Sunday’s Easter, and then we’re in Chicago for three days for the Yarn Market News Smart Business Conference.  We’re back on Thursday (officially our day off… stop laughing!  We sometimes get a day off), I teach on Friday night, Rob teaches on Saturday morning, and we have the first of two Yarn Tasting events on Saturday evening.  He teaches again on Sunday (no doubt, while I’m out restocking refreshments), and we do it again Sunday evening… the Yarn Tasting event, people!  Minds out of the gutters.

We get a week of mostly normal teaching and working, then we’ve got a new teaching event that we’re trying our on Sunday, April 6:  A Primer on Ravelry.  We’ve had several people comment on how they have trouble finding things on Ravelry, and we thought it would be a good idea to actually show people how the site can be used and what it’s all about.  So far, we’ve had a very nice response, so I’m really looking forward to that.

Then, on the following Wednesday, I turn 39.  No, not again.  This will be my first time.  And what do I get for my thirty-ninth birthday?  A visit from the girl what brung me!  My mom’s coming for a long weekend!  And this year we’ll be the same age!  She’s been thirty-nine since old heck was… oh, wait… she reads this.  She’s also thirty-nine (don’t ask… it’s magic).  Anyway, she’s been knitting up a storm, and she’s ready to move on to socks, so we’re planning a crash course for her.  Her mom was a crocheter, and it’s always such a joy to have her here.  It’s like having them both with me.

That Sunday, the thirteenth, we’ll also be hosting the U. S. premiere of More Big Girl Knits!  If I understood Rob correctly, authors Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer will be present, but I might be mistaken about Amy.  She’s always so busy with Knitty and her other myriad projects, it’s hard to keep up with her.

As I mentioned earlier, though, Terri Shea gave me a bit of a kick in the pants about getting to work on my own book, so I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for any mention of men’s clothing, fit, and fashion.  To wit, I submit the following: Suit Your Shape (I tried embedding the video, and it was just disastrous).  It’s not a full-scale education, but it’s a pretty damned good primer for guys that generally give less than a thought to how clothing fits our bodies.  If you’ve got other resources I should check out, please let me know.

For now, I’ve got work to do.  Gotsta get ready for the Mary-lady’s visit.  Much love, people!  Talk to you soon!  -M.