Tag: Shows

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June 2019 Newsletter

Huckleberry Waffle

Have you ever made a warp that seems to get the better of you? It seems like an awesome idea when it is an idea, but then it makes its way to the loom and you stand there saying….what was I thinking?

It all started with The Harvest Splendour Tea Towel Kit from last fall. It is a 3 stripe design with 2 side sections threaded with alternating curry and brass from our organic 8/2 cotton collection with a centre of lovely stripes in reds, plum and burnt orange. While I wove those towels I got so excited about the colour and weave patterns that popped out in the side sections. My next warp was an entire warp of alternating brass and curry from selvedge to selvedge….wow….what a lot of brass and curry! I tried to love it but it was too much.

After a couple of weeks of doing nothing I added a few zinger stripes of plum, but it still seemed wrong. Around the same time my friend Sharon was weaving waffle weave. She had woven an entire yardage for a bathrobe. It looked great so I went home and rethreaded my loom to a waffle threading and started to play with all kinds of sequences and different treadlings and tie-ups, it was just what this warp needed…some texture to go along with the colour.

Three towels later I noticed that I was running out of warp….how that happened is beyond me….I never make short warps. I was just getting in the zone and it was over….so I made it again playing with different colours and another 8 yards later I had 9 new towels…each one different, using repetitive sequences in Waffle, Plain Weave, Twill and Huck all on one threading.

I have written the pattern describing the design process and it includes all the tie-ups and treadling sequences to create some pretty wonderful patterning. They are all woven in organic 8/2 cotton which was so fitting as I wove them over the Easter weekend and it was Earth Day.

We love Venne’s GOTS Organic yarns, here’s more kits!

  • Harvest Splendour
  • Jane’s Fave
  • Arlene’s Organic Cottolin
  • Spring Stripes

It’s The Little Things

We’ve had weavers ask us how to read a draft so we’ve made a little video explaining the basics and the different types of drafts you might come across.

ANWG Conference 2019 – Prince George, B.C.

JST is coming to ANWG with armfuls of silks! We’ll have a booth in the Market Hall, come by and say hello. Market Hall will be open from Thursday June 13th to Saturday June 15th. 

JST Online Guild members’ meet-up is on Saturday the 15th at 12:30pm. We’ll meet at the Prince George Civic Centre’s outdoor Plaza. Grab a lunch and come meet Jane and fellow guild members. Everyone is welcome!

We love to hear from you!

Like what you bought from us? We’d love to hear about it and you can do so by leaving us a review right below the item!

You may have noticed that all of our products, newsletters & blogs can now be shared through Social Media or sent via email. Simply click on your favourite way of sharing and pass it on!

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February 2018 Newsletter

The Great Canadian Silk Sale of 2018

We’re having a sale on all natural silky things (not unnatural silly things). That means our 20/2 Bombyx Spun Silk, 30/2 Bombyx Spun Silk, 20/2 Tussar Spun Silk and Tussar Tweed are on sale… ten percent off, those savings add up when you’re buying silk. Sale lasts until March 2, 2018 PST 11:59 PM.

Note that this doesn’t include our range of dyed silks.

Fibres West

We’re off to Fibres West 2018 which will be on Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24, 2018 on the Cloverdale Exhibition Park Grounds, in the Agriplex building, Surrey, BC, Canada.

This show definitely won’t be baaaaaaaahd.*

* I am in no way responsible for the very low hilarity level of this pun.

Online Guild update

The first two episodes of Season 2 are up and it is so exciting to see what weavers have been weaving. You can check things out on Ravelry and on the JST Online Guild Forum.

Just a reminder that Season 2 is all about Colour and Design, which is our most sought after workshop and thanks to this wonderful thing I like to call, “the internet”, it will never go away… you can start it whenever you want and move at your own pace.

Kits for the first three samples are now available on the JST website.

Louet floor loom prices

Thanks to the miracle of competitive pricing I can now offer you great prices on all Louet floor looms. Hurray for market forces!

And rather shamelessly I’m copying an idea from the lovely Joan Sheridan and including a one year membership for the Online Guild with every floor loom purchase. Already a member of the Online Guild? Then you could gift your membership to your BFF (Best Friend Forever).

Introductions are in order

I just thought you’d like to know who’s answering the phone at JST now. Chances are you’ll hear the dulcet tones of Elizabeth – a weaver’s daughter who was utilised as child labour to produce warps – or Alastair – if there are computer problems, blame him! Or Grant, who is my own personal handyman. Or Joan, basket weaver extraordinaire. Or “Person Saturday”, Klare. Or even Jane, who does a bit of weaving now and then. Charlotte has now left to go back to school, or rather trades college – cheerio and good luck Charlotte, but remember you can’t escape the JST gravitational force field for too long.

Survey time

I’m currently planning for future episodes of the Online Guild and I would love to know which type of loom you use most, so I’m running a mini-survey.

Click here to go to the mini-survey.

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September 2017 Newsletter

 

Workshop Registration 2018

We are so grateful to all our students who travel from far and wide to attend workshops here at JST.

I’d love nothing more than to have the opportunity to teach everyone of you one-to-one but there are more of you than me!

We cannot accommodate everyone at our in-house workshops – even our wait lists are very long – so we’re going to be transitioning our curriculum to the online guild, starting with Colour and Design in 2018.

Last year I made a commitment to 100 students to run them through the entire curriculum of 5 workshops, one workshop per year. I am honouring this commitment so won’t be opening registration for in-house workshops to the public.

The next Online Guild episode

The next Online Guild episode, “Episode 9: Making a Mohair Blankie….. Yes!”, will be available on October 12.

If you haven’t yet taken the plunge, here are the features of joining the Online Guild:

Join The Online Guild

Online Guild Index completed

Our very wonderful Ginette has methodically created an index for all the Online Guild episodes released so far. If you’re already a member you’ll find it an invaluable aid. If you’re not a member yet then it’ll whet your appetite!

Download the JST Online Guild Index – episodes 1 through 7

Knit City Sep 30 – Oct 1, 2017

Knit City is coming up fast. We will be bringing a lovely booth, full of goodies for weavers and knitters.

If you want to pre-order and collect at Knit City, order on our website as normal but at the checkout make sure to click on the checkbox next to “Ship to a different address” and enter our address (142 Richard Flack Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 1N4, Canada). Then select “Local Pickup” and you won’t have to pay that pesky shipping charge. Don’t forget to add in the “Order notes” that you want to collect at Knit City, otherwise your order items will remain sat in our office, gently weeping.

Knit City, Sep 30 – Oct 1, 2017

http://knitsocial.ca/

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June 2017 Newsletter

Louet Sale until July 31st

Until July 31st 2017 all our Louet looms (but not the Louet accessories) have a 5% discount. So if you were splashing out on a Louet Megado Floor Loom, you’d save almost $1,000… and yet still incur the wrath of your bank manager.

Due to high demand, delivery may be anywhere between mid-August through November, depending upon when you place your order.

Take me to those Louet looms

Dr Beckmann’s Color & Dirt Collectors

We have finally received our large consignment of Dr Beckmann’s Color & Dirt Collectors.

We’ve done some sampling and you can see the “before” and “after” pictures below; they speak for themselves.

Even after washing and pressing these things will get dye run out.

I want those Color & Dirt Collectors!

ANWG is just around the corner

We’ll have a big booth at this year’s Association of Northwest Weavers’ Guilds (ANWG).

If you want to pre-order and collect at ANWG, order on the website as normal but at the checkout make sure to click on the checkbox next to “Ship to a different address” and enter our address (142 Richard Flack Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 1N4, Canada). Don’t forget to add in the “Order notes” that you want to collect at ANWG, otherwise your order items will be sitting forlornly in our office.

Call me a stick in the mud but I won’t be entering this year’s ANWG Shuttle race.

New products

Two new products we’re very excited about are the Thread Count Magnifier and the Traditional Heavy Duty Scissors. The Thread Count Magnifier fits into your pocket and unfolds to allow close examination of your weave. The Traditional Heavy Duty Scissors are reassuringly heavy, giving precise control over your cuts.

Website progressive search

We’ve added progressive search to our website to help you find the product you want quickly. Start typing in the search box and progressive search will show all products that match your typing.

Kits by weaving level

We’ve started to classify our kits by the level we think they’re appropriate for:

Beginner weaving level kits
Advanced beginner weaving level kits
Intermediate weaving level kits

Please let us know if you found them too hard or too easy for your level.

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March 2017 Newsletter

Oh My Gosh….we are waiting for Spring – we can hardly wait!

I hope that you have all survived the cold and snow and if you are lucky to live in warm places….well……how lovely, we are so happy for you!
I should not complain because I spent February in India travelling around with Charllotte Kwon from Maiwa and 22 intrepid travellers visiting some of the most amazing artisans on the planet.
We had lovely warm weather in India and it was hard to write home and tell Grant and gang about it while they were under so much snow.  For all you real winter dwellers out there, it is hard to understand how wimpy we can be out on the wet west coast.  We try to be strong but we whine a lot :^).

IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT FIBRES WEST

It is coming up really soon!!!!!!!….next weekend to be exact.  JST is bringing a big booth with all kinds of great yarn for weavers and knitters and looms for you to try out.
While we try to bring a good cross section we can’t bring everything so if you have special requests please let us know by March 13th at the latest.  For instance we don’t bring our mercerized cotton because we just don’t have room for all those weights and colours but we will bring your special orders with us if you get them in online.
If you want to order for pick-up at Fibreswest all you have to do is enter our home address in the address bar and you will be able to choose pick-up as an delivery option.
No delivery charge for pick-up.   Our address is 142 Richard Flack Rd., Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 1N4.

So come and visit us at the Cloverdale Exhibition Grounds March 17th and 18th.

JST’S ONLINE GUILD UPDATE!

Flowers aren’t the only thing Blooming around here :^)

We have had a remarkably upbeat, positive response to our Online Guild.  Episodes 1 and 2 are now streaming….and I can’t believe I get to say this…..but, all over the world!!!!!   We have members in Ukraine, South Africa, England, New Zealand, France, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, USA and Canada and maybe other countries that I haven’t noticed.   I am overwhelmed by the support and encouragement exhibited so far.   Episode 3 will air March 16th.  So far we covered the importance of making good warps in Episode 1, dressing a loom from beginning to end in Episode 2 and Episode 3 is all about, good posture, shuttle handling, great selvedges, mending broken warp threads, finding that wonderful rhythm at the loom and hem stitching.

If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for JST’s online Guild…all you have to do is click here.    The 2017 Membership is $75.00 $99.00 for 10 videos released every 5 weeks.  Each video is 1:30 – 2 hours long and will stream to you over and over and over as many times are you want, as long as you are a member of the Guild.  Take the opportunity to ask questions and become part of a growing community that shares its love of weaving and learning about it on our Online Guild Forum.  You can read all the posts here but you must be a member to participate.  All this for $7.50 $9.90 an episode.

I just thought I’d share a few reviews from the JST Online Guild Forum…..a place for all members to become acquainted and ask questions.

Episode 1….Loved it! The instruction on counting the warp threads was worth the cost of the year’s subscription. I’m dragging my feet on warping my next project because I want to watch episode 2 first!  Elizabeth

I learned so much about warping that I had missed in other classes. You stressed some of the important little details and reviewed them several times. I also learned more about counting the threads . Thanks for all the excellent instruction. Margaret

Absolutely love these video’s! Now I have Jane in my studio anytime I want! 😉  I think this was a fabulous idea to create this online Guild, so many helpful tips and learning moments! And as usual, I had big smiles and chuckles as I watched Jane in her unique teaching style!  Mary

Episode 2……
Wow, never did back to front warping! I love it and was able to dress my loom with cotton boucle With NO problems! Thank you so much! I have a Renewed desire to weave again 😊 Valerie

I love episode 2 as much as episode 1!  Thoroughly enjoying this and finding it immensely helpful, especially as a newbie weaver Janet

Thanks Jane lots of good tips to improve the threading experience. If I can get them to work on my loom my back will be thanking you. Jennifer

Photos from India

I know this newsletter is getting a bit long but I really wanted to share some photos from India.  Travelling with Charllotte Kwon and seeing India through her eyes is just one of the most remarkable experiences anyone could have.  To see the work that Charllotte, Maiwa Handprints and the Maiwa Foundation do in India is life changing.

This was my third trip assisting Charllotte and I just want you to understand that I am not an intrepid wanderer or traveller, but I would follow Charllotte Kwon anywhere simply because of the good work she does, for the fact  that she is so much fun to be with and that I always learn so much about so many different things.  I am indeed and very lucky girl.

I am always happy to share stories from my trips…… if you’ve ever been on Salt Spring and have dropped in, you’ll know that I’ll talk till the cows come home!  But for today I think I’ll just post a few of my favourite photos from the trip.  Thanks for reading and for all your support.

Happy Weaving

Jane

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JST’s Spring Newsletter

Last Minute Vacancy: Lacey Places Workshop

April 13 -17, 2015
JST, Salt Spring Island

A last minute spot in Jane’s Lacey Places workshop has come available! If you want to explore the world of lace weaves, now is your chance! Visit our website to read the course description. Farm stay is available at JST. Contact us by email or phone (250) 537-9468 to register.

Fibreswest

March 13 and 14, 2015
Cloverdale Exhibition Hall
9am-5pm

Come and visit us at this year’s Fibreswest, now just over a week away! We will be bringing a large selection of fibres, including our own hand-dyed hotline of Alpaca, Silk, and Mohair, but we cannot bring everything… So if you have your heart set on a particular product, please let us know so that we can pack it for you!

For those of you looking for an inspirational boost, on Saturday afternoon Jane will be giving a mini-lecture on colour selection.

For more information on  Fibreswest visit: http://www.fibreswest.com/

Pieces: Celebrating Textiles

March 27-19, 2015
Florence Filberg Center
Comox, BC

If you’re from Vancouver Island, you may want to consider heading to the Celebrating Textile conference in Comox. Explore the relationships between local history, cloth making, natural materials, stitch narratives, global textiles and what is in your closet. Mingle with and celebrate the vast talents of makers and artisans from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The gala opening on Friday night features the acclaimed Charllotte Kwon of the Maiwa Foundation, Vancouver, speaking on “Slow Clothes.” .

Project Planning 101

May 28
JST, Salt Spring Island
9am-4pm
Workshop at JST, Salt Spring, BC — Does weaving math drive you to drink? Come detox with Jane. We will look at warp and weft calculations, planning yardage requirements, configuring warp ends for a given draft and basic draft reading. Don’t be scared … we’ll simplify the process.

Honing your Basic Weaving Skills

May 29
JST, Salt Spring Island
9am-4pm

Just two spaces left in this workshop! Visit our website for more information.

The Natural Dye Workshop with Charllotte Kwon Approaches….

 July 27-30, 2015
JST, Salt Spring Island

And we still have a few more spaces… Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the secrets of natural dying!

Don’t forget that we offer FREE SHIPPING on orders over $200.

Group Discounts

If you buy $500 or more of yarn we’ll pay for your shipping costs and take off 10%. So why not band together with all your guild members or weaver friends and do group orders. You’ll save, save, save.

Mailing List

We want to expand our mailing list.  If you like getting the Old Ladies with String Digest, even if you’re a young lady or a gentleman, please spread the word.

 

Happy Spring from JST!

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January 2015 Newsletter

The First Newsletter of 2015!

The New Year has brought a flurry of change and activity to JST. As we begin to prepare for the first Colour and Design workshop, we want to pause and update you on some of the upcoming events and recent changes.

Now is a Great Time to Shop in Canada!

The exchange rate is currently at 20% in favour of our friends from the US! All the prices on JST’s online store are shown in Canadian $, so imagine taking 20% off with no tax!

Price Changes at JST

This is something that we have avoided doing at JST the last couple years, but our frequent shoppers will notice that we have made a few adjustments this January, not too many but they were definitely necessary.

Honing Your  Basic Weaving Skills, May 29th 9am-4:30pm, JST on Salt Spring, $110 inc. lunch

Do you dread dressing your loom? Do you have trouble with tension and selvedges? Then come spend a day and learn to take control! Become a dominatrix in your own studio! Warping back-to-front, selvedges, bobbin-winding techniques, shuttle-throwing, proper posture and other tidbits are just some of the things we will cover.

Fibreswest

It’s almost that time of year again! On March 13 and 14, 2015, from 9:30 am to 5pm, Fibreswest will be in full swing at the Cloverdale Exhibition Hall. JST will be hosting a fabulous booth, overflowing with magnificent colours (see the picture below from last year!). Among other items, our own hand-dyed hotline of Alpaca, Silk, and Mohair will be for sale, so please come have a look. We are looking forward to meeting friends, old and new! On Saturday afternoon, Jane will be giving a mini-lecture on her source of inspiration guides her colour selection.

Pinterest and Instagram: Join the Fun!

JST has joined both the Pinterest and Instagram online communities! Do swing by our new pages and see the gorgeous new photos uploaded weekly. We appreciate the time you take to send us comments and feedback as the sites are developed.

Greatest Hits from Jane’s Help Line

The site that just keeps on growing as weavers ask questions …  is now an extensive database available for free to weavers everywhere! Without yarn sales at JST the site could not exist, so please consider supporting us the way we support you. The helpline gets more than 200 visitors each day!

The topics below receive the greatest number of hits:

1) Designing Your Cloth

2) Planning Projects

3) Thoughts on Good Selvedges

Weaving for Diabetes

This is a fascinating story that was passed onto JST by a fellow weavers in Powell River. We now share it with you! To see the full article visit Weavers Turn Silk into Diabetes Test Strips.

 

Don’t forget that we offer FREE SHIPPING on orders over $200.

 

Group Discounts

If you buy $500 or more of yarn we’ll pay for your shipping costs and take off 10%. So why not band together with all your guild members or weaver friends and do group orders. You’ll save, save, save.

Mailing List

We want to expand our mailing list.  If you like getting the Old Ladies with String Digest, even if you’re a young lady or a gentleman, please spread the word.

Hope this finds you well. Keep your chin up, Spring is just around the corner!

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Spring is Here

Fibres West is coming!

And the beautiful JST booth will be there with all of your favourite yarns and accessories.

Fibres West will be held on Friday March 21 and Saturday March 22 from 9:30 – 6 at the Cloverdale Exhibition Park Grounds.  Click here for more details and driving directions.

We are bringing a double booth full of exquisite yarns and equipment – but we can’t bring everything.  We will happily pack up specific orders if you get in touch with us by Tuesday March 18.  We don’t want anyone to be disappointed.  A great opportunity to save on shipping.

See you soon!

Some Extra Special Deals

We have two great items that we’re offering at 2013 prices:

We have one Jane 40 for $995.  Current price is now $1200 so you’ll save $205!  Brand spankin’ new, still in the box.

 

 

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We also have one Schacht Ladybug left. The 2014 price has just gone up to $715 and we have this last one available for $595.  An excellent deal!

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Current Prices

A little note to all our Canadian customers.  As we’ve watched the Canadian dollar slide, we have also watched many of our costs rise. WE ARE NOT RAISING YARN PRICES FOR 2014.  This also means that shopping in Canada is a better deal for our customers south of the border.  If you’ve been thinking of ordering from us, now’s the time.

Great News on the Organic Cotton Front

All of the cotton in our COTTOLIN is now ORGANIC!

This wonderful yarn is 60% Organic Cotton/40% Linen.  The colours are fabulous, the texture is wonderful and it makes excellent cloth.  The price will stay at $12 for 100g.

And, you can now get all of our 100% organic cotton on 1 kilo cones.

At $88 per kilo cone, this is a fantastic price.  100g cones are $11.  Not only will you get the satisfaction of weaving with a wonderful yarn, but you will also be contributing to the health of our little planet.

India.

Oh my, where to begin.2 1/2 weeks ago I returned from India and I’m desperately trying to stay between the two worlds.This trip was just as amazing as my first and I feel so blessed to have been able to go back again.

During the trip we experienced temperatures as high as 37C, 98F riding camels through the desert … phew … then I flew home to…..12″ of fresh snow…..and now two weeks later the frogs are croaking like mad and the crocuses are popping out of the ground.

 

 

During my month away we visited many villages of artisans.  Dyers, weavers, block printers, block carvers and bell makers.  It is the people of India that move me the most.  It is those artisans, what they create, how they live and where they live that pull at my heart.  I can hardly wait to go back again.

 

One of the first villages I went back to was Jawaja, a small village out in the desert in Rajasthan.Charllotte Kwon and the Maiwa Foundation have been working with this village for approx. 20 years.It is a village of leather workers and weavers.The weavers as always, steal my heart.This trip I brought them a table loom so that they could try samples of Summer and Winter weave structure for weft faced rugs.

 

It is difficult for them to take a loom out of production to try new things, hence the table loom. They were very excited with many members of the village in attendance for this little table loom’s unveiling.  I was able to bring along a binder of rug ideas to share keeping in mind that they don’t get to leave their village and see what is happening with weavers elsewhere in the world.  They were challenged and delighted to have other weaving considerations presented to them.  Maiwa sells Jawaja’s carpets and leather goods online at this link.

Workshops

One spot left in Colour & Design, April 7 – 11.  Colour & Design will not be offered again until 2015.

 

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Join us to rejuvenate and re-inspire your creative journey.  Jane shares her design process with the group to help you become a confident weaver capable of bringing your own ideas to life!

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Pushing the Boundaries of Plainweave, June 30 – July 4.  One spot available.

Pushing the Boundaries of Plainweave, July 28 – August 1.  Two spots available.

Happy Trails to Charlotte!

Our little Charlotte heads off into the wild blue yonder this coming April.  She’s driving down the west coast in search of fun and adventure ~ in the weaving world, out in nature, through dance and good food.  She’ll be going all the way down through Washington, Oregon and California to Mexico, into Central America and possibly even South America.  If you’ve got any tips about your favourite places or if you’d like to have her drop in and visit for a night or two (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), you can send her an email at pei_sagebush@yahoo.ca.   We’re sure going to miss her around here…..it has been a great 4 years!

 

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Summer 2013

Please note that JST will be closed  June 19th-July 2nd for Fibre Week in Old’s, Alberta and Canada Day on July 1st.

We will still be monitoring emails.  If you place an order while we’re away and we have the stock with us, we’ll just ship from Alberta.

Contest

Our next draw will be July 1st and all purchases between April 1 and June 30 will be entered into the draw box for two $125 gift certificates!  Even if you place the orders while we’re away, don’t worry we’ll ship when we get back and your name will make it in the box.  The two winners from the last draw had a some fun choosing yarns for projects.

Silk in Stock!  In 32 Scrumptious Colours!

 

It’s Here!  It’s really here!  We’ve got both weights of bombyx silk, 20/2 and 30/2, on the store and in stock!  All the other yarns will be up in the coming weeks.

Those yarns are 20/2 Tussah Silk, Mohair Bolero Boucle, Prime Alpaca, Alpaca Tweed, Cuddles Alpaca and Silk Noil.

Fibre Week at Old’s College, Alberta

We are heading off to Olds Alberta for Old’s College Fibre Week and to help the HWSDA celebrate its big anniversary.  We will be closing down the shop on Salt Spring for that event so we are sorry if you were planning a visit during the days between June 19th-June 27th.  We are looking at this trip as our summer holidays.   Jane will be teaching and Charlotte will be at the booth.  If there is anything you’d like us to bring, just let us know.  (Make you sure you call or email by Monday June 17 because we’re leaving on Tuesday!)

The S90 is Back!

Our S90 Ultimate Wheel will be making a special appearance for spinning aficionados and wheel collectors alike.  When it was originally released, the S90 was the ultimate wheel for any spinner.  Though previously discontinued, we’re bringing it back for a limited-edition production run of 50.  Here’s a taste of what you have to look forward to:

The S90 Ultimate is a bobbin lead wheel with our standard brake on the flyer.  Compact and portable, it folds up completely assembled – all parts stay on the wheel, including the optional skein winder!  This wheel possesses all of the elements a great spinning wheel should have: three settings for thick, medium and fine yarns; ratios of 6,5:1, 9,5:1 and 15:1; and a wide treadle which alls you to spin with your right or left foot – or both feet, if you prefer!

The built-in lazy kate holds three bobbins sung to the wheel for storage or it can be repositioned out to the left for plying.  The lazy kate is designed to control the speed of the three bobbins automatically without any adjustments!  Made of beautifully-lacquered birch plywood, this wheel comes ready to use, complete with four bobbins.

Barking Up the Right Tree with Joan Carrigan

This wonderful workshop still has places available.  We are unable to provide B&B for this event but if you check out the link to Salt Spring Accommodations I’m sure you will be able to find a wonderful place to stay.  Joan has thrilled so many basket weavers all over North America.  Come and spend 3 days learning to use Cedar Bark.

New Online Store

We’ve just upgraded our online store, it looks a little different right now and we’re still adjusting some of the features but it’s the same fabulous place for you to find all your favourite weaving equipment and yarns, spinning equipment, toys to get your grandkids weaving and exquisitely designed kits.

New Beater for the David, cute little feller!

Louet North America has developed a new beater system for the David Loom based on the fantastic feedback we’ve received from our customers over the years.  All new looms purchased will have the beater already installed, and there will be a retrofit available for older models.  David is a unique sinking shed jack loom, and has become a popular small floor loom.

Don’t forget about our Group Discounts, they’ll make you dance

If you’re a member of a guild, have a group of weaver friends or are just a prolific weaver yourself, remember our discount policy on yarn orders.  If you purchase $200 or more of yarn we will pay for your shipping costs.  If you buy $500 or more of yarn we’ll pay for your shipping costs and take off 10% before taxes.

Mailing List

We want to expand our mailing list.  If you like getting the Old Ladies with String Digest, even if you’re a young lady or a gentleman, please spread the word.

Remember the Helpline.  We are always there for you.

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Hello Spring!

 

Ding Dong the HST is gone.  The Wicked HST is gone.

That means that from this day hence, there will only be 5% gst on your yarn.  You have 7% more to spend or save, as you wish!

Jane’s Hotline of Hand Dyed Yarns.

The JST Hot Line of Hand Dyed Yarns was launched at Fibres’ West in Vancouver at the end of March.  Hand Dyed by Cheryl Huseby Wiebe of Salt Spring Island, there are 32 exquisite colours to choose from.  We have been working on this colour line since last fall.

 

 

Our next big job is to scan those 32 colours and get them online. Each colour is available in 100g skeins of 11 different yarns from our Yarns to Dye For collection: 20/2 Silk,   30/2 Silk, Tussah Silk, Soie Naturelle, Prime Alpaca, Peruvian Tweed Alpaca, Orlando Boucle, Bolero Boucle, Mikado, Cuddles and Montana.

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Here are a few yummy tastes: Shameless & Favourite Wine, Autumn Spice, Pistachio and Princess Pamuk.  Don’t you just want to eat them? (well, you don’t want to eat Princess Pamuk because she’s our dog.)

 

It sure was fun naming them.

 

The Time Has Come

Remember way back when Jane decided that she’d rather give her advertising budget to you instead of the corporation?  At first we were going to do a single prize worth $250 each quarter.  But then I got to thinking … those big lotteries … if only they spread out all the millions between a whole bunch of people.   Instead of screwing up one person, they could help 32.  So along those lines we decided to make two $125 prizes.

Drum roll please …….

The winners are:

Kathleen Walsh of Powell River!

and

Sharon Butler of Ladner!

Yahooo!  Your gift certificates will be sent to you in an email.

Remember, every time you order from us, your name goes in the draw box.  Next draw will be July 1, 2013.

Lovely Louet Fibre

Don’t forget that JST has an extensive line of exquisitely prepared fibre from Louet North America.

Just in case you are looking for a specific sheep breed, here is some of what we have in stock:

Blue Faced Leicester, Cheviot, Coopworth, Corriedale, Falkland, Gotland, Karkul, Jacob, Manx Loughton, Masham, Norwegian, Perrendale, Romney, Merino, Shetland, Swalesdale and Welsh.

Not to mention Alpaca, Mohair, Flax, Hemp, Cultivated Silk, Eri Silk, Tussah, Muga and a huge selection of exotics such as Yak, Cashmere, Bison and Camel.  Plus more and more and more.

 

What else have we been up to?

I know that it’s only April 1st, but these first three months have been stellar.

We’ve hosted a wonderful basketry workshop with Joan Carrigan,

 

an exciting spinning workshop with Cheryl Huseby Wiebe,

 

our first two full retreats on Colour & Design,

 

 

Fibres’ West in Vancouver,

the Louet Dealer’s retreat where Jane trains Louet dealers from across North America,

and our favourite past time … sharing stories of India and the incredible work that Charllotte Kwon and the Maiwa Foundation do in many parts of the world.

Here we have Kathy Fimrite hanging scarves at the Victoria Weaver’s Guild event and Pat Daniels happily setting up displays in Courtenay.

 

Our display on Salt Spring Island.

Through these three events and everyone’s incredible enthusiasm purchasing the fabulous works of artisans in India we were able to raise $16,000 for the Maiwa Foundation.

Customer’s Corner

Every month we have customers walking through our door sharing the wonderful creations made from the yarns that we sell.  It’s always fun to share their creativity.

Karen Lengyeltoti from Vancouver Island’s Tzouhalem Weaver’s Guild wove this stunning  Mohair Blankie from our Brushed Mohair.

 

Sharon Hatelt took this photo out of her window looking east over Drew Harbour on Quadra Island.

And this is the result of her inspiration in Zephyr Wool/Silk yarn sett at 24 epi.  Sharon created this original design called the Heriot Bay Local Tartan.  It was registered with the Scottish Registrar of Tartans at the National Archives of Scotland.  Congratulations Sharon!

And here we have the lovely Judy Moores from the Deep Cove Guild showing off one of her latest towels.  Judy has been pushing the lid off her colour box by taking a colour workshop with Jan Korteweg and by following JST’s Colour & Design article in the previous newsletter.

Pretty sweet Judy!

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Mailing List

We want to expand our mailing list.  If you like getting the Old Ladies with String Digest, even if you’re a young lady or a gentleman, please spread the word.

Remember the Helpline.  We are always there for you.