A bit disappointed.

And I bet you will be, too. I'm afraid there are no pictures of the City of Roses sock sample, nor of last night's Girasole KAL. Mostly because we had to cancel when the A/C gave out. But, to make up for this deficit, we do have super-dooper Top Secret (can you keep a secret?) screen shots of our new website...

Let's start with the new Yarn page navigation:

Where knitters can browse yarns by weight, fiber content, and brand. Need something vegan? Now you can find the perfect animal-free yarn with just a click of the mouse. Or maybe you are a sock fanatic and want to see all the fingering weight (or Superwash Merino!) yarns we carry - this fabulous page will do all the work for you.

Then, when you narrow down your selection, the "pop-up" information feature will tell you all about the yarns in that category, without having to click on them!

Scrolling over each yarn line brings up a short description of the yarn that includes it's brand and price. Then, once you've found the perfect yarn, the really cool thumbnail color cards come into play...

Just click on a thumbnail and watch the larger image appear above. It's a little like magic (especially to us). But that's not everything (not even close!) we have in store for you with this new website.

There are going to be some amazing surprises in the new site, but we don't want to ruin it. So, please be patient, as the new site will be up soon for your viewing (and surfing) pleasure. Maybe we'll even have a contest. See how many of the new options people can find... Hmm, doesn't that sound promising?

Technical difficulties to the extreme.

My work computer died yesterday - taking all the photos, files and other work related items with it. To top it off, Jenni's computer is also behaving weirdly. We think it's the heat. Cross your fingers for us! Maybe once it cools down again (we don't have A/C in our office), the computers will rise from the dead.

Luckily, I hadn't transferred all the photos from the store camera to my computer yet, so I do have some fun customer FO shots to share, in lieu of the many photos lost with my now expired desktop. Last Wednesday (and I have the time-stamp to prove it), Maile came in with a collection of Swirl Scarves she'd knit over the past year:

Nine in total. Amazing, huh? We had some fun photographing the collection, on Brook, as you can maybe tell...

(this was before the 100F+ weather we're having now, ick)

Maile told us that she loved the pattern because it was so easily memorized and quick to knit. She made Swirl Scarves as gifts for friends and family (many of these lot are destined to be Christmas gifts this year). Then she pulled out two really beautiful sets of wristlets she'd made using left-over ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud:

(and modelled:)

The pattern is in Arctic Knits, and to get gauge Maile held two strands of Silk Cloud double. I'm told (by Brook and Maile) that the finished effect is sinfully sumptuous. Being allergic to mohair, I could look but not touch. They looked magnificent, though. Good job, Maile! I wish I had a blog to link to, or a ravelry journal, so our readers could find more information on her FO's... Alas, it was not meant to be.

I have to admit that my favorite thing about the store blog is all the inventive and creative projects we get to document - all made by customers and staff members.

And, speaking of staff members, have you seen the adorable gingerbread men and women Marjorie made for Christmas in July? If not, have a peak:

Yes, those are indeed gingerbread people wearing icing bathing suits with fish and star sprinkles (it is summer!). This is the kind of thing I wouldn't dare make up. They were really yummy, but it was almost a shame to eat such hilarious cookies.

In closing, we'll leave you with a candid photo of Sandy Kay that Jenni absolutely insisted on:

When Sandy Kay discovered, whilst digging through her knitting bag, the remote to her home TV. Priceless.

Keep on the lookout for the new website (it's so close to launching, we can all taste it!), and a new blog layout. If you didn't read about the Big Project that's been stealing my time from the blog and other worthwhile duties, check out our most recent Newsletter.

Check back tomorrow, wherein we shall unveil a sample being made with our City of Roses Super Sock exclusive and share some pix from tonight's Girasole KAL. Until then, stay cool!

Haven't forgotten to blog...

Just have a BIG Newsletter in the works. Prepare yourself for greatness!

Bad blogger, no cookie.

We were doing so well for so long - a post every Tuesday and Thursday every week - and then I broke stride and it all went to h3ll in a handbasket. Well, no more!, we will have regular posting again even if Jenni has to follow me around and harass me all day. Hopefully that won't be a problem soon enough (we have a big surprise in store!), and we're also talking about broadening the blog to include posts by other staff members and customers. [fingers crossed]

Until then, however, we have some catching up to do. First things first, did you know that we have 33 members in our Girasole KAL on ravelry? Moreover, we had quite the group at our most recent Girasole Knit Night!

Very exciting. And because we enjoyed the last Knit Night so much we'll be meeting tomorrow night, July 22nd from 6 - 8pm. If you're participating in the knit-along and would like to come and knit with us (we have A/C and treats!), you'll be more than welcome.

Next, we have three projects to show off (actually, we have more than three, but I can't find the info on them...). First, Jane came by to grab some needles, but she was wearing her Everyday Wrap, so we made her pose because it looked so good:

We're sure you'll agree. For those of you wanting one of your own... Jane's wrap was made with two skeins of ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud and the pattern is free.

Second, we have Terri's in progress Longbourn Socks:

...which, I'm sorry to say, I have almost no information on. Terri, if you read this blog, please feel free to shoot me an email (info[at]knit-purl[dot]com) and I'll post additional details.

Finally, we have Jenni's in progress Advent Calendar:

Made with itty-bitty baby socks! Adorable, no? I think, as of yesterday, Jenni's onto sock number eleven. Only thirteen left (never fear, we'll get a shot of the finished collection).

And that's enough for today. Until Thursday, stay cool!

Didja see?

We have a new motorized ball winder!

...also, we discovered that the "little" store camera has a video function.

(P.S. a real post should be up shortly)