Yarn Con 2013

This past weekend The Wool Dispensary participated in Chicago's premier fiber fest Yarn Con. This marked the second Yarn Con that we attended and the first two-day Yarn Con ever. It has left me stunned, amazed, very grateful and extremely low on stock.

On the first day, my booth looked like this:

The shelves were full, and there was back stock in the crates and under the desk. Plus some things still drying at home since I was dying yarn til the very last moment. Day two started like this:

Back stock out, crates starting to empty and everything I could find at home on the shelves. I brought 4 bins bulging with yarn, I came home with 1 and half. If the new web store looks a little slim, you know why. Yarn People are ravenous. I did not get to hear her speak but Susan Gibbs from Juniper Moon was there as well. She stopped by my booth and I got an issue of the latest By Hand magazine. Which is awesome and you should totally get your own, 'cause I'm not sharing. However, I do want to share a few images from the weekend.

Me in the Booth

Business Cards at the Ready

Yarn stacked waiting for labels

Naldy Ware - monster for the raffle

Lisa, the best booth bitch a girl could hope for

Sophia likes the Button Bunnies

Start 'em Young

An overview of Plumber's Hall

So, you may be wondering what The Wool Dispensary buys when they are around yarn and fiber-y things for two days straight. I couldn't help myself, at Grinning Gargoyle I picked up a new project bag- uh it has Stars Wars on it and it came with stitch markers, who could resist? Then I had to get matching Wooly totes for Lisa and I. Plus John who helped developed the awesome Wooly app is worth supporting. He's working on a Kickstarter campaign. When he shares the details with me, I'll share them with you. I was very good and only bought one skein of yarn the whole weekend. Even though I wanted to buy more than a few. I settled on a self striping rainbow one from Magic and Moonshine. And I so want to cast on but I am trying to be good and finish a few things first. But I did wind it up into a cake at the Windy City Knitting Guild's booth.

All the loot together, my knitting is already in the Star Wars bag.

The last few things I got were knitting related- fabric covered buttons from Tallulah's Satchels, a beautiful new coffee mug that has a sheep on it and stamped in the clay- Yarn Crazy from Claymate's Pottery (who will also be vending at Yarns to Dye For's retreat in Frankfort, Illinois).

The attention to detail on her pottery is extraordinary.

Last but not least I had to get an original Yarn Con poster designed and printed by Natalia's brother. They were from the 2nd ever Yarn Con. You can see how far this event has come in it's 7th year. I am super proud to have been a customer since the beginning and a vendor since 2011. Hopefully next year we'll see you there!

Hand carved block poster

Let's Rock March

Oose here back from the hiatus that was February. To kick March off Rebecca Danger released her latest pattern, Xavier the Observant Owl. One of the sizes is knit in our very own Deadliest Poison. We've been sitting quietly waiting for this release to come and whoo boy are we excited!

The colors she used are Georgia Building Castles and 12 Dancing Princesses and this wool troll thinks he looks pretty swell. To get your needles clicking the pattern is on sale until 4/7 for $4!

Grab the pattern and grab 15% on skeins of Deadliest Poison as well. A luscious merino cashmere nylon blend this DK weight yarn (so named because it has the world's deadliest fiber, cashmere, in it) will make a lovely-sized squishy friend for you to give to someone special or keep for yourself, we won't tell! He would also be lovely in our Greater Restorative, a single ply DK weight that we promise is as soft as a downy owl's belly.

I'll be putting up a KAL thread in our Ravelry group and we can see just what color combinations appear. Remember to knit daily and enjoy!

St. Nicholas Night

Remember when you were a kid and on the night of December 5th you left your shoes out in a prominent spot, maybe even next to the fireplace with a carrot and a few cookies for St. Nicholas and his reindeer?

Maybe you celebrated St. Nicholas night and maybe you didn't but either way you can celebrate now with yarn from The Wool Dispensary! Enter one of the following coupon codes "Naughty" or "Nice" between 12:10 am on December 6th and 12 am on December 7th for a secret discount on your order. We promise that even the Naughty ones will get a pleasant surprise from Oose the Wool Troll, all in the generous spirit of ol' St. Nick.

We are loading up the shop with lots of goodies, more Greater Restorative, Useful Restorative and more Useful Irradiant so you can make sure your holidays sparkle!

Greater Restorative

Remember way back in September when I said there would be an amazing new color to celebrate The Wool Dispensary's first anniversary? That color never to came to fruition. Instead I decided on adding a new yarn base! Fall in love with Greater Restorative!

Troll Bridge, Georgia Building Castles, Ogre Bogies, Badass Unicorn and Circus Popcorn

A single-ply, super-soft, machine-washable merino, this yarn knits at a DK gauge of 5-6 stitches per inch but could loft up to 4 stitches depending on your needle size and how you wanted the piece to drape. Just $16 for a generous 250 yard skein! That's a lot of hats and mittens! It made a debut at the DIY trunk show here in Chicago.

Mounds of yarn at DIY.

The Sea Kelpie was snapped up immediately and for good reason (it was an amazing swirl of sea greens). Definitely dying that up again when it comes through my door, which should be soon! Look for this and more in the next update around St. Nicholas Day. Want to find find out where you stand on Santa's list? Sign up for the e-pidgeon! The first will be flaping it's wings by the first of December with a special treat for those both naughty and nice!

On the Red Line

In less than two weeks The Wool Dispensary will be setting up shop at the 9th annual DIY Trunk Show. This "diverse gathering of creative talent" will be showcasing their handmade arts and crafts. Over 150 artists in the Broadway Armory at the ready to meet your holiday needs.

Can you spot the monster?

In addition to lots of yarn, including a new base, The Wool Dispensary will be bringing hand knitted creatures! One of them even made it to the ad that will be on the CTA Red Line. Now, you don't to be a knitter or crocheter to enjoy our whimsical sense of humor. You can adopt a monster or creature of your very own. From Cubicle buddy (the smallest) to House Sitter (the largest) there's a buddy for everyone. Come see us and all the amazing artists at DIY; shop local and support artisans! After the trunk show is over, look for the hand-knit buddies to start making an appearance on our website.