Market Report Jan 08
Here it is almost Super Bowl Sunday in snowy Ketchum,Idaho. Most of you remember that SBS is our one big blow-out sale of the year. If you can't be here just give us a call to shop by phone. The question is: Will all of us be able to get to the shop? We had a blizzard yesterday that added to our base to total about a yard of the white stuff. It's supposed to snow all week too. A sunny blue sky with no wind helps make this area a winter wonderland at the moment. Wish you were here. In the mean time, here's the market report. The January market is considered more for needlepoint than for yarn, as the yarn wholesalers wait for June market to parade out their fall and winter products. Hence, we shopped for "adult" Christmas stockings in 13-mesh and we filled in our inventory of small projects like ornaments and bangle bracelets. We have a customer who stitched two of the beautiful floral Jean Smith rugs last year so we bought a rose rug and several rose pillow size canvases that are just beautiful. Isabel's adorable truck rug was such a hit at market again, we were inspired to buy tiny little 3-D car and truck ornaments. Our new line of canvases featuring birds was a hit. There are two series, one more detailed than the other but both featuring nests with eggs. What a great idea to stitch one of these for a pregnant friend or relative! As for yarn, we restocked Ozark Handspun, one of most creative sources for artisan yarn. And we were so impressed with the Hunterwasser line of Opal sock yarn that we ordered all eight color combinations. We'll soon get delivery of a new product from Manos: a 50/50 silk/wool yarn that we just can't wait to get our hands on! That's all for now. Remember: phone the shop to take advantage of our Super Bowl Sunday sale on February 3.

Our Redfish Retreat
It always amazes me when we have beautiful weather for the retreat. This year we were really worried when it turned cold the week before, but by the time we headed north it had warmed up a bit. Still, that first morning in the sunny corner of the Lodge was a bit chilly for the knitting students. We made due with extra sweaters and a space heater until the big ole sun did its job. And what a cozy, ambitious group we had! Beth Brown-Reinsel kept our noses to the grindstone learning the finer points of constructing a traditional gansey sweater. As Susan Perry said, "I probably could have learned this from a book, but I wouldn't have taken the time and I wouldn't have had as much fun." The techniques Beth passed along, both on gansey construction specifically but also on general skills, will be referred to time and again by the eager 2007 students. And that's not to mention Kelly Clark's class of stitchers. Kelly wanted to cram two canvases into her two days of classes. So stitchers were busy with homework just in case they had questions as Kelly sped along on her fibers and stitches curriculum. Both groups got their money's worth, PLUS!! And have you seen the new Vogue Knitting magazine? There's an article on ganseys! Our group is ahead of the crowd! Who'da thunk it? ** News from the shop: The new hand-dyed Misti Alpaca Chunky yarn is in and we're drooling. I tell knitters it's like "knitting with a cloud" but now it's like knitting with a psychedelic cloud, or a sunrise cloud, or, well, you get it. We've also restocked LeGran Mohair after a long respite. Just can't beat it. And we've learned that there will always be customers who want to knit a sweater of cotton, so we've restocked it in the right gauge for kid's sweaters. * Many of our customers know about the Castle Rock fire that virtually emptied our community for the usually jam-packed month of August. We stayed open more than most of our neighbors because we learned that those customers who had not fled the smoke were eager to grab projects to calm their nerves. We were grateful for this small but reassuring gesture, as August is typically our best month in sales. The entire retail community is trying to recover from this natural disaster and we must thank our patrons for helping us get through it. As the fire was just feet from private property and Isabel's staff could observe the flames on top of Bald Mountain, skirting the ski trails, we feel lucky in spite of our traumatized bottom line. It could have been much worse. Our thanks to the firefighters and those in the community who rallied to bake cookies, provide ecumenical services, and cooperate with restricted traffic access during this community challenge. And now... it's time to get back to knitting and stitching!

August 15, 2007
Wow, the new fall yarns are coming in fast and furious. Jo Sharp's classic DK weight just begs for classic sweater knitting, especially now that our hot nights are giving way to coolish nights. Koigu sent us a shipload of new yarn, which is newly displayed in the cubbies. It's just irresistable. But they also sent a new yarn that felts, in a huge skein of over 300 yards. It looks just like the regular merino so be sure to ask if you're into felting. We also have a few colors in their beautiful Loop yarn that just begs to be added to the cuff of a sweater or hat. Where should I start???? Too many choices. Just found out that daughter Justine is having a baby in February, and niece Ellen is having a baby at Christmas, and nephew Charlie is having a baby in February too. The family tree is sprouting like crazy. I found a pattern in a Debbie Bliss baby book with a darling sweater that I'm making in three different colors so when we get all those babies together next summer, and pile them only the great grandmother's lap, we'll have a fetching photo. Trying to stay away from my needlepoint, but it's a challenge. Just finished a pair of tops for sandals, based upon Judy and Penny's recommendation that they're incredibly comfortable soles. It makes so much difference when a member of the staff confirms the viability of a product. Judy's making our favorite chevron scarf from Last-Minute Gifts in just one (glorious) color of Koigu, instead of alternating two colors as we've done in the past. It's mostly turquoise with shading of blues and purples. Jane just finished the first needlepoint IsaBully, the mythological monster Argus, who has so many eyes he's always watching. More designs will be available towards the beginning of the year: Amut and Medusa for two. We have so many new books in the shop, it was hard for me to put them down last evening so I could go hear John Kerry and Teresa Heinz talk about their new book, This Moment on Earth. Reminded me of all the organic fibers we carry. Gotta run. More later.

June 15, 2007
Well, we're back from market and I must say that it was a thrill. We introduced local artist Patty Lewis to the world of needlepoint; or rather we introduced the needlepoint world to Patty. Starting with just six of her designs, the featured piece was a three by four foot rug of a red pick-up truck. It's fair to say that Patty's truck was the hit of the show. EVERYONE, and we mean needlepoint retailers, was coming by to see it, even if they didn't order it. But many did. One needlepoint vendor said her husband walked the show and this was the only piece that caught his eye. She's stitching it for him, of course. Though it's large it's on 10-mesh canvas so it's not as big a project as you might think. Hurrah for Patty! Here's the news on yarn: The vendors were a tiny bit more cheerful than they were at the last market. * We replenished our supply of Foxy, a Plymouth yarn that looks like fur. I made a pair of cuffs to wear with sweaters, jackets and coats, and everyone wants to make them. Now they'll have the full color range of Foxy from which to choose. I also scored a beautiful variegated linen from a new vendor. There was a sweater in the booth that just knocked me out. It's from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch book, her Favorite Summer Sweater. The photos in the book don't do it justice. It's very simple and flattering. We also restocked Blue Sky Alpaca in the new colors, including Suri. I talked to the featured designer about knitting us a sample of her very current design. You'll love it. A couple of markets ago I had a chat with Jo Sharp about her DK line. It seemed to me that she had been focusing more on her alpaca yarns and I wanted to confirm that she'd be providing pattern support for the DK. Well it took a while but she's redesigned the colors of the DK line and come out with some great patterns in her new book. That will be coming in sometime this summer. We're still getting great reports on our new Nashua Superwash. It's bomb-proof machine washable for both kids and adults and we have fantastic colors. Pattern support is super too. The Fashion Show at market is always just packed and very glamorous. Last year the favorite garment was made of our favorite Koigu yarn and it was my favorite this year too. Be sure to check out the article about Koigu in the current issue of Vogue Knitting. Misti Alpaca has created a variegated line of our favorite Chunky weight yarn. You just won't believe how beautiful it is. And the texture! If you haven't knit with this yarn as yet, do yourself a favor. It's like knitting with a cloud. Enough about yarn! There's needlepoint news too. We restocked out line of dog canvases, as we never seem to run out of people wanting to stitch a dog. Found some wonderful smaller Advent calendars and I'm going to stitch a sample for the shop: a little train with a loop small enough to tie a piece of candy. Replenished our supply of Julia sandals since both Judy and Penny have finished theirs and given them a thumbs-up. Extra comfy soles enabled Judy to work in the booth all day at market with nary a whimper. I also restocked our golf and fishing belts, which are enjoying a renaissance of popularity. We made room for a new fiber, Vineyard Silks, this winter and will soon add River Silks ribbon. Kelly Clark will use River Silks on one of her classes this September at our annual retreat. Have you received a brochure? If not, just call the shop and we'll send you one. Reserve a cabin with a few buddies and enjoy a few days of uninterrupted stitching and knitting nirvana. Signing off for now. Hope to see you soon.

Surprise! I'm back after a long leave of absence, due partly to my ancient brain's inability to master technical details. Needless to say, the details really aren't that demanding, but you already know that if you're into knitting and needlepoint. It's gloriously beautiful here in the Sun Valley, Idaho area. My favorite time of year, when all the aspen leaves have turned golden against a backdrop of evergreens. Because it's just gold, without all the technicolor of oaks and maples, the whole valley is absolutely ILLUMINATED, reflecting on everyone and everything a most becoming natural spotlight. Amazingly, Isabel's Redfish Retreat was again blessed with the most perfect weather, sunny and warm during the day and crisp at night. Nicky Epstein, our guest knitting instructor from NYC, gave us a scare when she told us a few days before her arrival that she was struggling with an ear infection. Bucking the recommendations of both husband and physician, she hopped on the plane anyway and are we glad she did!! Nicky is so much fun. If you ever have a chance to take a class with her, don't hesitate. You'll learn while you laugh. In fact, be sure to check out the trips sponsored by Vogue Knitting. I became acquainted with Nicky on Vogue's trip to England last fall. Couldn't make it to Scandinavia with them this year, but they're going to Australia next year - Nicky too. Her third and final book on edgings and embellishments will be out soon, then her felting book is out in February. This girl has great ideas coming out of her ears! (Be sure to call Isabel's if you want to preorder either or both.) What's going on at the shop? We have lots of yarn coming in for winter knitters. I'm delighted to stock most everything produced by Blue Sky Alpaca. I knit a darling Santa cap last year, featured in the book Holiday Knits, and this year we have both the bulky and worsted for you to make one too. Quick and easy. Blue Sky just sent us their trunk show, with a beautiful lacey cardigan in ecru alpaca/silk, a Fair Isle vest in alpaca, and lots of other things. The garments communicate what the skeins only promise: pure luxury of hand. Speaking of Fair Isle, have you noticed how many you're seeing in magazines and shop windows this fall? Every ad for exclusive boutique Hermes features a classic cardigan in neutral colors that I just picked up at the local thrift shop for $6. (What a find!) Shop samples that are inspiring many of our customers include an ombre scarf in neutral colors that's really shown off by a unique wrap that we demonstrate on site. We're also seeing a lot of folks knitting afghans inspired by Millie's "No-Brainer Afghan" class this summer. We have a new shop sample of a sweater for a little girl in hot pink Kersti, incorporating hearts knit right in, instead of using another color. And the Fair Isle sweater featured on the cover of Interweave magazine is interpreted in Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora. P.S. Whenever you see a sample in the shop that pushes your buttons, be sure to ask if you can try it on. We welcome your interest, and it's always so much easier to see if something is going to work when it's on a body instead of a manequin or hanger. What's new in needlepoint? One of the new Isabel's designs, a quote from Indian poet Tagore, is now finished into a pillow that's embellished with beads. It's just one of a series of ten. Ask to see your options when you're in the shop, or via email. Judy finished "Septembre," one of our French calendar series. It looked so much like our view up at Redfish that we asked her to add "Isabel's Retreat" at the top. That was the intention of these calendar designs: the idea is for you to add a special date or commemoration or whatever. You'll see how great that works when you visit the shop and see Septembre and also the wedding sampler in the sunflower frame. That's all for now. Thanks for your patience. I promise not to let so much time go by before you hear from me again.

February 20, 2006
Hooray! Nicky Epstein has confirmed that she'll be our guest knitting instructor at our September retreat! I met Nicky during the Vogue Knitting trip to England last fall and put her at the top of our wish list for guest instructors. Besides being among the most creative and prolific designers out there, Nicky is so much fun. You're all going to love her. But have you made your Redfish Lodge reservation yet? We're worried about a sell-out, limited by the lodgings, so make your room reservation right now, and then phone Isabel's to register your credit card for a deposit. Enough about fall! We're still getting a handle on Winter, and it's been cold cold cold in Ketchum. Our Super Bowl Sunday Sale heated things up for the time being. Then we received our Bee Sweet Magic Ball order and things really got hot. Bee Sweet is a new vendor for us, with proceeds going to organizations in South Africa. Their Magic Ball is a creative combination of mohair and other fibers that makes a pretty magical scarf in no time. Place an order while we still have the first round of colors in stock. We just received a restock of Kersti too, in case you're thinking of making a sweater. Heard today that one of our customers made a pair of socks out of Kersti, on #5 needles for a quick and cozy finish.

January 8, 2006
The holidays are over! Hooray, hooray! Yes, we had plenty of snow in Sun Valley for all our happy visitors, but December isn't a big month for us. Everyone is either finishing up gift presents they've already started, or is shopping elsewhere. Sure, we have lots of bags and gift certificates are always popular. But it's AFTER the holidays that we get to see our legions of shoppers, when they're more relaxed and ready to knit and stitch. Luckily, our new point of sale system is up and ready to enter all the info we need to keep our regulars in yarn and fiber. Our new data base will enable us to more readily help when you run out of something. It's all there in the computer. Please be patient with us while we get the kinks out and learn how to more speedily ring up your sale. What's new in the shop? We have an absolutely gorgeous shop sample of a needlepoint handbag decorated with glorious butterflies. It's incredibly difficult to look at the multiple pieces of a handbag canvas and imagine it all stitched and put together. That's why we try to have shop samples. Next time you're in the shop, please share your perspective on things you'd like to see as samples. We're so accustomed to looking at the same products that a fresh point of view is very valuable. Did you notice the "Dorothy" doll last time you were there? Long skinny limbs on a 3-dimensional needlepointed figure enable her to sit on a bookshelf or table most becomingly. Of course you can also get the Tin Man, the Lion, the Straw Man and the Witch! What's new in yarn? We love the tweeds of Rowan, and we've just ordered more masculine colors for those who want to make sweaters for their men. Our Rowan section is expanding this spring because we're so happy with their pattern support and the knitted projects are generally just what we want. More of our customers are making sweaters, we're happy to say. And we have new additions to our shelf cards to indicate which yarns are machine washable; you'll be surprised at how many there are! That's all for now, but don't forget our Super Bowl Sunday Sale on February 5. That's when everything in the shop, except books, is 20% off. Phone orders are welcome!

October 26, 2005
Still jeg-lagged but happy to report that the Vogue Knitting trip to England was a huge success. What a delight to get to know Nicky Epstein, the author of those "On the Edge" books that we adore. She's a hoot! There were 35 happy knitters including five happy knitting shop owners, a good mix of people who are all just nuts about knitting. We flew into Manchester and headed straight to Holmfirth, where Rown Yarns has a headquarters in a former mill. We spent a whole day with designer/author Erika Knight, who divided us into four project tables: At the Knitted Flower Pot table we got to experiment with twine and leather as well as All Seasons Cotton. At the Plastic Tote Bag table we cut those plastic shopping bags that we all accumulate into a spiral strip to knit into a tote. There was a table that crocheted pretty bracelets with yarn, ribbon and buttons, and a table that knit wire into bracelets or napkin rings. But I suppose if you asked the guests they'd say the best part was digging through the Rowan boxes for yarn that cost just one English pound a ball. You can imagine how much excess inventory disappeared that week! Our second day at Rowan was spent with designers Martin Storey and Sharon Brant, whose most recent book is "Classic Knits for Classic Women." Being a rather "Classic Woman" myself, I got permission to try on nearly all the sweaters featured in that book. I was amazed, as was everyone else in the group, at how helpful it is to see the finished garment on a body instead of a mannequin. We all ended up liking that book lots more than we thought we did. There's a coat with corkscrew tassels that at least a half dozen of us will be knitting, as a result. Martin and Sharon asked us to bring a favorite garment that fits well to help us figure out how to design our own projects. They're so brilliant, it's hard to imagine being able to do what they do, but they made it look fun. They were full of compliments about how advanced our group was too! By the way, Sharon knit the sweaters featured in the first Harry Potter movie, and she also knit the ballerina's togs for the Phantom of the Opera movie. We moved on from Holmfirth to York, where we hooked up with Debbie Bliss, who lives in London. One of the shops that features her yarn brought enough to enable the non-shop owners to buy buy buy. It was fun to hear how Debbie got started with designs for children, and then expanded into creating her own line of yarn because she just couldn't bear the color palette of the yarns currently available. (Everybody I know loves Debbie's yarn, but many of us are frustrated by problems dealing with her distributor.) With adult designs, Debbie says the most important variable in choosing the right pattern is proportion. That became so obvious when a few of us tried on the sample sweaters she brought along. We traveled on in our motor coach to Cambridge. The traveling was made more merry by Nicky's seemingly impromptu mini-courses on embellishments like roses and corkscrews. Plus, of course many of us were already knitting the yarns we'd purchased from Rowan and Debbie Bliss. Have you ever been to Cambridge? Unbelievably beautiful but nothing much for knitters, so we went on to London. Designer/author Louisa Harding hosted our visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum, where we visited the costume exhibit that currently features many of the gowns of Queen Maud of Norway, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, c. 1930. What a gorgeous wardrobe! Took lots of photos and notes that will inspire knitting choices. Louisa also showed us the fabric archives, with swatches in hundreds of wooden drawers. It would be so fun to spend weeks exploring the resources of the V&A. The next day we had a class with Jane, another Rowan consultant, whose last name just escaped my over crowded brain. She taught the same finishing techniques class that Debbie Abrahams taught at Isabel's retreat this fall. Because I was so busy at the retreat, I was so glad to have Jane review that valuable information. Our final day in London was reserved for the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. I must say that I was a little disappointed in the show. I'm not sure if it was because I was totally worn out by then, or if I'm just spoiled by the knitting/needlepoint markets that I attend twice a year. I bought a few finished Sacha Kagan sweaters for shop models and investigated a couple of new yarn suppliers. But there was a lot that wasn't of interest so I departed early to assure that I'd make the 5pm curtain for Siegfried that evening. I'd be very interested in learning how that exposition compares to the "Stitches" shows in the United States. If anyone has insight on that issue, please email me. I really hope to plan a trip to England for Isabel's customers in the next couple of years and, at this point, including the Ally Pally show will not be a priority. This is a very long entry, so I'd better close. I'll just add that I saw "Billy Elliott," "Richard II" with Kevin Spacey, and "The Rat Pack in Las Vegas" while I was in London, as well as the opera, so I feel I got my "money's worth." Didn't spot any celebs, but a few of my buddies almost intercepted Michael Jackson shopping in the toy department of Harrod's with his children.

Sunday, October 2, 2005
Wow, it's been a long time since we "blogged in." Good excuse: We're pretty bad at the technology. Soon we'll have it under control, with any luck. There's lots to talk about. We just completed our second Redfish Retreat and it was really great. How could we be so lucky to get perfect weather two years in a row. That doesn't keep us from fussing. First there were the forest fires up near Stanley. Then there was a streak of bad weather. But really, we couldn't have asked for better days and nights than the last week of September this year. There were so many guests frustrated with the phones up there that, for a moment at least, we considered changing locations. That won't happen! Too many of us love the quiet isolation of Redfish. No television, no cell phones, no email, no distraction from doing what we love to do for a few days. But we're still thinking about adding an in-town retreat for those who prefer to be close to civilization. We'll see how that comes together. In the mean time, we've added a new employee. Penny Mendell joined us at the retreat, allowing more staff to get acquainted with her. Transplanted from New York a few years ago, Penny is an avid knitter and promises to try her hand at needlepoint just to get up to speed. So, Retreat Patrons, don't be surprised if Penny answers the phone next time you call Isabel's. Most of you stopped by the shop to check out the expansion. We're still getting used to spreading ourselves across twice the area as the old shop. Sometimes customers don't immediately see a member of the staff when they walk in the door. Fear not! Just give a holler and a warm body will be at your side in a jiffy. Too bad Debbie Abrahams and her sister didn't get to see it. Debbie was late arriving and early departing because of her busy West Coast itinerary. She brought sister Jenny from jolly old England for a first-time look at the USofA. Jenny liked us! And she was a big help in Debbie's classes on Intarsia and Finishing Techniques. Our local expert, Lila Corrock, helped out too. We've learned that helpers are essential for classes of twelve. SuZy Murphy was our featured needlepoint instructor and won lots of points for her sense of humor, not to mention her expertise. Everybody was glad that there were lots of Debbie's and SuZy's books to have signed as a reminder of Retreat 2005. Tina, Jane and Renee from Isabel's gave classes too. Varda even finished her hat. And Renee helped Sally and Margel master double-pointed needles while knitting wristlets. We were surprised how many happy campers decided to join Renee and Tina for the mid-week hike. And half of them went all the way! Those Bay Area knitters are hardy souls! Now we've already started thinking about next year, and how we can make it just as wonderful. Please give us your feedback if you have an instructor or a subject you'd like us to include. Back at the shop, we have an extraordinary quantity of new yarns coming in all the time. Stacked up by the back door is a Muench yarn that reminds us of Rowan's Kidsilk, but in a larger gauge. The colors are absolutely amazing. Anny Blatt has a new cashmere that's reasonably priced in a great medium gauge. And Rowan's new Nashua is sure to be a hit. Phone the shop if you'd like more details. We're happy to help you shop long distance. In needlepoint, we're thrilled with our customer's interest in Isabel's new line of original designs. These are like nothing you've seen elsewhere, very painterly for the most part, challenging the experienced stitcher. But we're hoping to introduce a new line of easy Christmas ornaments in the next few months, so keep an eye out for quick #13 mesh options. Thanks to our Redfish patrons. We had as much fun as you did!

Wednesday, May 11, 2005
It's been a long time since we've "blogged in," and I can't blame it all on the expansion and our new computer system. We've been planning lots of changes on the web site and the diary was part of the overhaul. I hope everybody likes what they see, not only on the web site, but in the new, expanded, ever-more-wonderful Isabel's. We took over the space next door, cut a hole in the wall, made a new office, and took a deep breath. The shop was closed only 5 days, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our wonderful staff. Needless to say, there was lots of schlepping, but it was all worth it. We have new cabinets to display needlepoint. And the yarn is in the sunny new space on the east side of the building. We've added a seating area and soon we'll be installing needlepoint display pages around the pillar. It may seem like we have an entirely new inventory because the space enables us all to see what's there. Judy's been working on the September retreat and we already have three times as many registrants as last year. We hope to completely take over Redfish Lake Resort. Debbie Abrahams is coming over from Yorkshire to teach knitting classes and SuZy Murphy is coming all the way from Wyoming to teach needlepoint. If you haven't received a brochure, please call the shop and we'll send you one post haste. While Judy's working on September, Patricia is putting together a shop class schedule for this summer. Wait til you see what she has in store. The details will be in the May newsletter, but look for Jane's class on sweaters for tiny boys and girls: Peapod for boys and Sweet Pea for girls. Needless to say we have lots of new yarns that we're trying to make room for, but must close for now. Hope to see you soon.

Monday, June 21, 2004 Well, I didn't quite make it to Everest Base Camp, but Gorak Shep but close enough! That last leg of my trek required stepping aside for the 150 yaks in David Breshears party, as they headed down after three months of filming. I was back in the USofA just a few days before I took off for Mendocino to attend a knitting retreat hosted by Annelle of Mendocino Yarn Shop. Local knitters joined those of us tucked into The Farmhouse bed and breakfast for two and half days of knitting from "Folk Bags," the fun book by Vicki Square. And of course we had to check out the incredible yarns at Annelle's shop. What a ball! Annelle's a pro, as she's been hosting retreats since her shop opened a few years ago. I wanted to see how she did it, since we're hosting Isabel's first knitting/stitching retreat in September at Redfish. There are a few folks signed up already, including a couple. He'll be tying fishing lures while she's "tied up" with us. Those who get their reservation in early will get the best choice of accommodations at Redfish Lodge. I was back in San Francisco for just a few days before I took off for Winter Yarn Market in Columbus. The yarn companies are really rising to the challenge of the surge in popularity of knitting. I've never seen such gorgeous fibers, and they're already arriving at Isabel's. Where we'll find room for them all, I don't know. Max and Cole, the sons of Renee and Tina, came in this morning to help us move around shelves and fixtures, squeezing in every single bit of floor space we can eek out. Then the UPS man brought us the models for much of our new line of Isabel's Needlepoint Original Designs. These are adaptations of vintage illustrations from the Bibliotheque Nacional in Paris, monograms decorated by fantasy acrobats that will make our customers do a back flip! These should be available in late July. I'll go to the August Phoenix market to sell them to needlepoint shops nationwide. But there will be designs unique to Sun Valley as well. Look for the burlap tote bag with a Sun Valley Sun logo. And sales of the needlepoint rendition of the child's drawing of mountains with a rainbow will benefit The Community School. There will be lots of options for the leather Lee products as well. Just can't stop churning out new designs. Hope our customers like them. - posted by Jennifer @ 3:57 PM

Thursday, May 13, 2004 Finally Renee reminded me how to log onto the blog and I found Jennfer's instructions! Tina here up to her neck in new yarns once again. Habu, the fantastic Japanese yarn company just sent another box of exquisite specialty yarns. We have Tobi Mori, a synthetic textural yarn that is reminiscent of charm but has solid colors and more texture! They also sent their fabulous paper yarn in rich colors. A few new On line novelty yarns from Knitting Fever came in today too. It is a cold day in Sun Valley with new snow up high in the mountains to the north. After a very hot and dry spring it is refreshing to get some precipitation. The wildflowers are out in full bloom! Off to put away more yarn! - posted by Tina @ 2:55 PM

Monday, May 10, 2004 Getting ready to take off on my trip to Nepal, trying to get everything buttoned up before I leave. Writer Jim Harrison was in Hailey yesterday for his reading. It was great, and the dinner afterward was incredible. Everyone had fun. I was glad to see Tina and Matt at the reading. The painted samples of our Isabel's Needlepoint original designs came in on Friday and they are breathtaking. Very intriguing vintage European designs that will make fabulous needlepoint. The monograms were produced in a large size rather than in the 8 to 10-inch size we anticipated, but we liked the large size so much we decided to order those too. In the midst of this knitting craze it will be fun to generate some energy around needlepoint. - posted by Jennifer @ 8:14 AM

Thursday, May 06, 2004 Tina wrote the "2for1" scarf pattern so we have it now for our customers. It makes the yarn go a long way! Callie and Maemie are trying it and came in to get instructions and of course found more yarns to buy and knit more gifts with. They are even going to expand their horizons and try a triangular scarf. I showed them how to do a 'bar increase'. They said they understood while I was showing them but always forgot when they got home. They already have the Stitch n' Bitch book and can find the 'bar increase' on page 61 (I think). It has been a nice day checking in more yarns and working on store samples while having not too few customers. I don't have to rush out of here because Paul is going on a desert dirt bike ride and Max is going bowling with the Interact club. Ah, a quiet evening to myself. - posted by Ren�e @ 5:21 PM

Every time I go into the shop there are lots of new yarns to drool over! This week it's Jo Sharp's beautiful 100% cotton DK. It's supported by lots of Jo Sharp patterns, but there are SO many sweaters that call for this gauge. And I'm happy to see our new Dale Baby Yarn in cotton, Stork. It's a teeny tiny gauge, #1-3 needles, but ohmigoodness the colors are fantastic. I can just see armies of baby booties marching right out of the shop. It's all I can do to restrain myself from starting (and not yet finishing) another knitting project. Yesterday, a glorious sunny mild spring day, Patricia and I drove north an hour on the Sawtooth Scenic Byway to check out Redfish Lodge. It was fun to be there while they're still getting things in order for the season. Much of it was still locked up, but we were able to meet with Jeff and Alex, the new catering chef, to talk about our plans for Isabel's Mountain Retreat at the end of September. Patricia made sandwiches and we sat on the dock to eat lunch before heading back. There are so many lodging options for our guests, we're sure to make everybody happy as long as they get their reservations in promptly. Patricia and I particularly liked the original, very modest rooms in the lodge. They all share a bathroom but there's a darling little sink in each room and you really get a sense of the historic nature of the property. I know I'll find more reasons to revisit in the months between now and late September. - posted by Jennifer @ 8:29 AM

Friday, April 30, 2004 Wow, I can't believe it. We finally have a blog, otherwise known as Isabel's Diary. This way I can share with all our customers all the highs and lows at the shop, and all the other stuff that's going on, starting with our retreat! Boy, are we excited about our Redfish Retreat at the end of September. I've been so swamped trying to get the new Isabel's line of needlepoint designs to the painters that I've really had to hustle to finalize all the details before I depart for Nepal on May 11. Plus, I've been trying to hike every other day in order to gain plenty of confidence for the trek to Everest Base Camp. Somehow everything will get done. Things are finally slowing down at the shop after a very hectic winter season. There are so many wonderful new yarns to choose from, our customers were really in frenzy, trying to decide what to start next. And the new yarns are still coming in from January market. I've decided to attend June market this year to keep on top of things for next winter, since those yarns will be offered this summer. But how can we fit more yarn on our shelves? Oh well. Somehow everything works out okay. - posted by Jennifer @ 8:42 PM