However our Free Class on July 2 will start at 6 pm as usual.

6/18/08 We have finally got homework for Arnhild's Classes in Special Events. Also some wonderful yarns in

What's New.

6/14/08 KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY

Are your needles ready to be seen? Join us for outdoor knitting today on our refurbished (in progress) patio at the back ofg the store, or at the cafe tables in the front.

Or else look at cool pictures of Rollingwood Alpaca by following the link.

6/12/08 Lots of changes, lots of new stuff. I lost my camera, and took that as a sign from somewhere that I didn't have to go on the web. Finally decided that the powers that be really weren't trying to give me a message about the web, maybe just a reminder about how absent minded I can be. Any way, check out the What's New page for some of the goodies.

5/31/8 The weather is finally co-operating, and we are unpacking new yarns everyday. Right now we are also working on making the patio area outside the shop more comfortable for outside knitting. Two planters are going in today, with more tables and flowers to come.

SALE 5/23-5/26

5/24/08 Yes, we were busy yesterday, but not too busy to finalize Arnhild Hillesland's classes. She is coming back in June, and teaching Norwegian Mittens and Fair Isle Pulsewarmers. This is your chance to learn 2-color knitting from one of the best. We're so glad she agreed to come.

5/22/08 One day and counting to ..........our 4th MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.

SALE

Okay, you know the drill. The sale starts Friday 5/23 and ends Monday night 5/26. Everything is 20% off except Class fees and Gift Certificates. No Punches will be given. Have Fun.

5/21/08

Two days and counting to ..........our 4th MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.

We are battening down the hatches and clearing the aisles for this weekend, but are a little hampered by the new stuff that keeps coming in. Had to rearrange all the cottons yesterday to make room for new ones.

5/20/08

Three days and counting to ..........our 4th MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. Stay Tuned for details.....

4/24/8 Our new Spring Classes are up!! Check them out.

4/21/08 It was great having Lucy Neatby for the weekend lat week. As usual you learn stuff just by osmosis when she is around. If that wasn't enough, her new DVDs are now in, so you can maaster intarsia among other things with no fear. I myself am going to try Double Knitting after watching that tape. Mostly because of Lucy's Cape Spear Blanket.

4/03/08 Learning curves abound. Added 2 new pages to the site and cleaned up others, and realize we are now big enough to need a 'sitemap'. Ugggh. However, the new pictures on our Free Gallery page are nice. Maybe that will make learning 'sitemap' protocol easier? I doubt it.

3/28/08 More Cottons keep coming in, the latest is from Plymouth called Oceanside Cotton. Another Organic, this one is really cool because it is undyed, and naturally colored in 4 shades. How do they do that? I know, it's from growing colored cotton, (think back to Mendel and his sweet peas), but it' still really neat.

Other news is that The upcoming Free Class will be a 2 colored bias striping scarf. As usual, it's on the first wednesday of the month from 6-8pm. So stop in the store to see the example before Wednesday April 2, or check back here in a day or two for a link to the picture. (I forgot my camera again).

3/17/08 We are slowly gearing up for both Spring and the Think outside the Sox Contest sponsored by Cherry Tree Hills Yarn and XRX. Design and knit a pair of Socks by January 1, 2009, and enter it for a chance at 20,000 in prizes. Think what that could do for your stash.

3/07/2008 LUCY NEATBY is returning on April 13 & 14th, 2008 for 2 classes!!!! Check out our Special Events

1/25/2008 Did you know that we had over 55 of the colors of Simply Shetland's Spindrift? As a matter of fact that we have many, many, many balls of it? As of last night I can tell you exactly how many balls, and can only say Thank God Katie gets to count the DK.

The thing I wonder is does the IRS really care about the color range? Did they spend last night thinking about projects? Drat. Now I am going to have to offer a fair Isle hat class just to swatch for a project.

1/14/08 Okay, I'm a little behind here. We've been having fun trying to do the end of the year clean up, that joy the IRS called 'inventory,' while also getting in lots of new Cascade 220, needles, patterns, etc. I am also working on the class pictures today and tomorrow, so bells and whistles coming on the class pages...

12/28/07 Winter/Spring Classes are up on the site, just click on the Classes link. Other exciting things, Nettie's Show at the Egg & I got a nice write-up in the Star Tribune this morning, complete with a slide show on their site. Way to go Nettie!

12/13/07 Yep, the new Noro sock yarn is in. I forgot my camera, (and my car, but that's a different story,) so won't have pictures until later. I did however manage to get some new pictures up in my blog, and the What's New page.

12/12/07 There's a rumor that the Noro Sock yarn is in. I was down in St Peter and got a call..... Of course that meant I had to come back to the cities to see. I will report more tomorrow!

11/21/07 I can't believe Thanksgiving is upon us! Isn't this early? Does this mean Christmas is around the corner? (picture panic as mittens, hats and sweaters must be started and completed soon...)

Rather than panic, I'll just procrastinate by updating the web. I've added the Simply Shetland Trunk Show to our Special Events page, and added some more color to the What's New page, a necessary step in a dreary november day....

11/12/07 I've been too crazy finding new places for new yarns, and saying goodbye to old yarns, (sigh... the clearance table looks great) to update lately, but am finally back on the web.

Annie Modesitt's class was great, everyone really enjoyed it, and now we are looking forward to Arnhild Hillesland coming in December. Her class is full, so we will have to invite her back hopefully after the holidays. A few or the yarns are showing up on What's New, so check them out...

10/31/07 Okay, new learning curve time. I have finally learned how to insert pictures in What's New, and while it ain't pretty yet, the pictures are.

10/30/07 Absolute exhastion as the UPS truck has become a too frequent visitor. On last Wednesday I told him to 'go away, we don't have room!' On Friday he was the one who said "I don't think all the boxes will fit inside."

Stuff and pictures will start showing up in the 'What's New page.' or at least as soon as the 'Bengay' and aspirin take effect.

10/27/07 Arnhild Hillesland is coming to teach a 2 part class on Fair Isle techniques in December! Mark your calendars for Thursday December 6th from 6-8 pm and Friday December 7th 1-5pm! more details by Monday!

10/16/07 It's cold, rainy and fall. A good time to get back to wool knitting. I've mentioned before that there is always a disconnect as this is the time of year the Spring lines come out with the Sales Reps.... However, I always use that as an opportunity to revisit their fall lines so it works.

Coming in this week are two very large orders from Cascade and Plymouth Yarns. I am not sure where we will put all the yarn, but I know despite the eye-rolling from staff that we will all be happy to see the wool yarn section bursting with new and different colors.

10/12/17 Just found out that Annie Modesitt will be coming to teach 2 classes! Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 3 and go to the Special Events page.

10/02/07

Added to my blog, added to What's New and finally a link to Carol's blog . Check out the dog wearing a Mobious.

9/29/07 We've added a new class (or rather I got the info up) on our Shadow Shawl. Check out the Advanced beginner's Class page!

9/27/07 Cool! The cages for the Elm Trees came last week, and they are beautiful! It kind of reminds me of growing up in Brooklyn. Don't know why, but the cityscape has always been important to me.

lots of new stuff, check out what's new...

9/12/07 Brrrrrrr.... Well, this morning certainly is reminding us why we knit. Not only the colors and textures, but also the warmth. We are all thinking of the next big project, and preparing as we finish the smaller ones of summer (socks, scarves, baby things). I finished a shawl yesterday and am on a quest for the perfect colors fo a Norwegian sweater. We''ll see how it goes.

9/5/07 I'm still working on classes, the web, and other assorted junk, but thought I'd update my blog for the first time in a year. Now that Katie has a blog, and Carol is thinking of starting one...

8/31/07 I have to admit, the web stuff is getting a little fun and a tad obsessive. I have managed to get the pages for classes up with some bells and whistles. I will add more pictures as there is time. Lots of new stuff has come in, to find out what, try the what's new page.

8/28/07 More learning curves ahead. I have gotten a little complaisant with my HTML abiliites and of course that means I have run full tilt into a road block. My vision of the class pages have pictures that enlarge, descriptions, etc. What I keep getting is a polite little message from my server that basically says 'nope, try again.' Okay then. I will keep trying to make my vision a web reality in my spare time. I appreciate everyone's acceptance of the pared down version. I did manage to get an intermediate class page in a pared down version. Check out the picture of our felted critters!

8/24/7 Class Schedule is up!!!! Full Descriptions and more bells and whistles coming in a few days.

The State Fair is here, which means Fall is around the corner. Too many new yarns to describe today, as I am working on a Class List. My goal is to have them up by this afternoon, so check back here and see if ther is another post.

8/10/07 A week has now gone by since the bridge went down. It has been good to see the Cities pulling together, and Minnesotans and other Americans starting a debate on our priorites. We had a neighborhood gathering on Hamline and Thomas on National Night out where we celebrated the new trees, commemorated those gone, and appreciated our ability to reach across divides. Speaking of divides, politics, and taxation, here's an idea I'd like to toss out; although an increased gas tax may be a necessary burden on us all as a way to make our roads safe, if we do it, why not add an additional 5 cents per gallon dedicated to taking care of our returning Veterans to ensure their welcome home is followed by the services they will need, and that none of us would begrudge. Enough politics. The small day to day joys will have to suffice to keep us all sane. For some of those small wonders, see the 'What's New' page.

8/02/07 Horrible. Unbelief, a pause to collect your thoughts and check in on those nearest and dearest; hoping that all are well, and knowing that many others across the Cities are doing the same but with trajically different results.

7/30/07 National Night Out is coming up next week. We will be having a small celebration of the new trees and for the help Jay Benanav and Jane Prince gave to make our corner look so great! Check back for details!

7/23/07 The City came out yesterday to check on our new trees. It was great to see them, although a little puzzling. Sunday? They check trees on Sunday? Oh well, whatever works. The report is good. Those funny green bags (tree gaiters) around the trunks are working well. People have been curious about them, so here's the scoop: They are containers for water that seeps into the soil slowly, each holds 20 gallons, and I fill them once a week. They are working well, although I still don't know exactly to what the name refers. Are they 'gaiters' because they wrap around the tree trunk? Or are they 'gators' because they are green and resemble an alligator's mouth? One of the mysteries of life. As long as they work, as it was very tedious to lug 5 gallon carboys one at a time to each tree 2 to 3 times a week.

7/18/07 The strange part of the yarn business is the seasonality. It remains odd to me to order a winter yarn in April or June for delivery in July or August. I am always delighted to see the yarns when they come in, but occasionally feel that time is out of whack. Yes, we just received some lovely new fall yarns, that are beautiful, gorgeous, and enticing me to knit them, (check out our What's New Page), but it was a relief to also have a box of cotton yarn to open on a sultry day.

7/09/07 Lots of change at the store. After three years in business, we continue to try to do just a little better. The latest is our switch to a lesser impact on the enviornment. We have always looked for renewable resource yarns, small independants, and fair trade products, and now we are taking a larger step.

Later this summer we will begin using the brown kraft bags instead of plastic to bag your purchases. A small step, but like the trees in our front, one that can have a long lasting impact. In addition, we are now carrying a nifty low cost 'market bag'. These bags are recycled from the plastic pop bottles that are ubiquitious throughout our lives. Recycling is great, I do it all the time, but the problem is we need to develop markets for recycled products or the excess materials go straight to the landfill (usually in other countries that we pay to take our excess). In Europe these 'market bag' types are seen everywhere; Why not here? So, come in and take a look at them, they are lime green, with our new logo, and cost five dollars. I carried one home from the show at Columbus packed with 60 pounds of books, my bottled water, and 2 knitting projects, through three airports and 2 flight delays (a very long day). To make the idea of using a 'market bag' easier, we will support these bags by giving you an additional punch on your punch card if you bring them in to pack your purchases. We all need to make recycling work through supporting the sale and manufacture of items made from these type of materials.

7/5/07Oh boy, I got an amateur page up!!!!! follow the link to Lessons and tips!! I'll work more on it later today, but the first part is up and working!

7/01/07 I hate learning curves. I am teaching myself HTML and trying to add some tutorials to the site. It is amazing how many bad words can come out of your mouth after 3 hours of work disappears into the ether. Hopefully I will be able to get the new pages up after the holiday on the fourth. If so, check back for a page on blocking lace shawls. At least we now have the lace weight cashmere in to console myself with.

6/26/07 Thank Heavens for air-conditioning. We are currently marveling at our NEW TREES outside our windows as we unpack more fall shipments. The City of St Paul, Councilman Benanav, and Emmy Vadnais have made it possible to transform our corner. We now have pretty pavers in place of ugly macadem, and the new improved disease resistant Elm trees planted throughout the corner. I love looking at the trees and the promise of shade and natural air conditioning they represent for the future.

6/14/7 Chaos is currently reigning as we recieved 16 boxes of fall stuff yesterday. Charmed Knits should keep the Harry Potter fans at bay until the book is out and our Kureyon and Silk Garden got a needed boost.

4/25/07: Lucy Neatby was here in November 2006, and wowed us all with her innovative knitting techniques. And we've just received all her new instructional DVDs. We've had her Knitting Essentials series for a while, as well as her Sock Techniques series, and now we also have the 4-part series covering all sorts of basic and not-so-basic topics, as well as her Double Knitting DVDs.

6/5/07

If that isn't enough Lucy for you, check back for updates on her next visit (April 2008)

We now have Frabjous Fibers recycled rayon "Millefiori" as well as their recycled silk and cotton yarns. They make colorful, unusual scarves, purses, or hats.

Feel like a different project? Keep your favorite dog warm and pampered with a coat (modeled above by Tyler who as you can tell really is a tractable as well as a fat cat). Tyler's coat is from Fiber Trends, knit from the wonderful array of colors from Gems Merino, but we have many other dog sweater patterns if you are dismayed (like Tyler) at dressing your pooch in fire hydrants. Other fun yarns are just waiting to be seen and touched, see the luscious Louisa Harding line or the richly-colored laceweight Lacey Lamb.

Borealis Yarns
1340 Thomas Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104

(651)646-2488

Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday: 10 am - 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday: noon - 5 pm