Halcyon Yarn Blog » Notes

Kinda Silly… But Fun! TP For Fiber Arts…

Amos — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:57:38 +0000

I’m a little worried… Just as we’re starting to have fun making videos, we’re going to get very busy putting together the next Yarn Catalog… Now, don’t get me wrong, working on the yarn catalog is fun too! But making a short on using toilet paper rolls for fiber arts was definitely a hoot. We might even have to produce an “outtakes”… We have more fun(ny) ideas so will try to keep rolling on them, time permitting. Anyway, in the mean time check out Gwynn and Kendra’s most recent video tip:

Useful toilet paper rolls… Yarn and fiber arts tips! from Halcyon Yarn

Some people had trouble with Vimeo video not loading, usually a page “refresh” fixed it, but if not you can see the same Useful Toilet Paper Rolls video on youtube!

New Shopping Cart for halcyonyarn.com

Amos — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:19:30 +0000

Hi from Amos, tech-nerd at Halcyon Yarn. I have made some changes to halcyonyarn.com, and hope that you like them! One dramatic recent change is that we have changed the way you checkout by developing new shopping cart software. I would LOVE some feedback as you check out these new features:

1. You can now see volume-discounts in the cart! Did you know that if you buy 5 or more books, you get a discount? That most yarns (and fibers) have three prices, and the more you buy the cheaper it is? Well with our old cart it was not possible to show these discounts at check-out, and now we can!

2. You can now add gift certificate codes, and discount codes to your order and see the correct total. Keep an eye out as we add discount codes to up-coming newsletters!

3. Web 2.0 goodness – you can add items without a page reload, the cart can update qty totals without a page reload, the cart keeps track of the page where you added an item so you can get back to it later and more!

4. Provides a platform for future improvements! Most importantly it is flexible, so we hope to add more features incrementally.

Please give it a try, and feed back is WELCOMED! Please also do send me an email at mis@halcyonyarn.com and let me know what you love (and more importantly don’t love) about the new cart. There may be the odd bug out there, and I can only fix them if I hear back… Suggestions for new features are welcome too – I’m looking forward to an exciting year of developments at halcyonyarn.com, and I want to focus on what is important to all of you! Thanks much! Amos.

Ravelry Group for Halcyon Yarn

Amos — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:52:24 +0000

We’re a small company, and we love to get to know our customers. We have an exciting new way to do just that: We have a group on Ravelry! For those of you who haven’t heard of Ravelry, it’s a place for knitters and other fiber artists to share their work and ideas, have discussions and much more. We welcome people to join our group (you must join Ravelry first)… then we can chat-it-up with thoughts and opinions, share your projects, talk about favorite yarns, give us feedback, ask questions, spout non-sequiteurs and just join in the fun with us on Ravelry!

Now is the time: Start your Holiday Waffle Weave Towel Kit!

Amos — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:41:53 +0000

…’Tis not yet the season, but it will be soon. In anticipation of the holidays, now is the time to start this wonderful weaving project – and to start down the road to adding a third dimention to your weaving. Waffle weave is a fascinating weave structure that looks more difficult than it is. The little craters create a soft yet functional towel. Since the kit will get you on track quickly you’ll be done in time to proudly display your handiwork at home or to wrap and give as a gift to someone special!

Caps For Kids and More: Fun, Fulfillment & Fibers

Amos — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:41:08 +0000

The recent visit from Sgt. Wall’s family coincided with our regular seasonal preparations for our “Caps for Kids” drive. We had a great drive last year and you can see in this photo the boxes of hats that we were able to deliver on behalf of our customers! It was a wonderful feeling and an honor to be able to pass along your good will and beautiful caps to an appreciative Salvation Army. Thanks to all who contributed last year and we’re looking forward to seeing what you all come up with this year!

Now, with the holidays fast approaching (er, the “make it yourself” crowd have to start thinking a bit earlier then everyone else, no?), we’ve been thinking about giving in general. We thought that this would be a good time to highlight some of the many ways that knitters, weavers, and other fiber artists can help others through their work.

There are many knitting projects that are available to help different populations. You can find a listing on our charitable links page (and you can let us know of others to add). This time of year many contribute to our “Caps for Kids” program (donation to the Salvation Army and other local organizations), you can download the free pattern here. You can also contribute items to be given to Afghan men, women, and children directly through Afghans for Afghans. Closer to home, Project Linus has great free patterns and accepts donations that are used in hospitals and shelters in the US. Project Linus has many chapters, there may be one close to you!

Again, if you have the time and the fiber, be sure to check out our charitable links page, and find a way to help that is right for you. If you want to help out with the KAL for our troops in Afghanistan, or the Caps for Kids program, then we’ll be handling storing and moving the knitted goods, so please mail your finished items to:

Caps for Kids (or KnitALong)
C/O Beth Quivey
Halcyon Yarn
12 School Street
Bath, ME 04530

Thank you for your help and support!

Weavolution Auction

Amos — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:40:48 +0000

We have several items that will be available as part of a fundraising auction from weavolution.com. There will be several auctions, starting this weekend, Nov. 1st. Included items are: Waffle Weave Towel Kits, Newport Linen Classic Linen Towels Kits, and one of our Pearl Cotton Color Gamp Kits. The weavolution site aims to be a social network for weavers and is in the development phase. We look forward to seeing it develop!

Does anybody ever win that darn thing anyway?

Susan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:30:20 +0000

Ever noticed the blue survey card that comes in your order? Have you tossed it aside, thinking, “I’ve never even heard of anyone winning one of the prizes anyway?” Well, the truth is we value those cards a lot, just as we value your input into all that we do. They’re an important way for us to evaluate and improve how we do things, and we always love to hear back from folks. So, we wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all the tons and tons of folks who do return the cards. And, oh yeah, people really do win stuff – just look at the list from the last year:

First, the $10 winners:
Jean Jacobson
Carol Harvey
Laurel Hayama
Bob Carr
Paula Bottomley
Larraine Spector
Susan Rizzo
Jeanne Smith
Avima Darnov
Mary Lee
Janet Colville

And then there are the $25 winners:
Susan Bulk
Mavis Pacchioli
Ann Bont
Mary Ann Wendell

And finally the Grand Prize $50 Winner:
Lois Koenig

Congratulations to all!

Thanks again to all who order, and to all who have returned the cards!

Halcyon Yarn Newsletter = Arty Throne, Sewn Cleanly

Amos — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:13:47 +0000

OK, so spring is in the air, and it’s making us a bit antsy. We’re longing for some afternoons knitting on the beach, or spinning in the backyard while the smells of BBQ drift on by… But, being in Maine, we’re not there yet – we’re still getting scrambled by snow! Warm sun in the morning, sideways sleet in the afternoon. In honor of the crazy mix up that is spring weather, we’re mixing things up a bit: This issue is chock-a-block with some hard-wrung anagrams… Enjoy!

Sublime Angora Merino

Halcyon — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:46:59 +0000

We had a wonderful evening and workshop recently with Clara Parkes, author of such great books as “The Knitter’s Book of Yarn” and the fiber wizard behind the Knitter’s Review. To speak with someone with such a breadth of knowledge (and who can use that info clearly and practically) is a real inspiration. We also had a great time showing her around the store, and to do our own “show and tell”. We were delighted when she zoned in on one of our favorites: Sublime Angora Merino. After stocking up at the store, Clara took this yarn home and really put it through its paces. She liked the results, and you can find her thoughts in detail in her review.

Here is why we love it: It’s soft-soft-soft. So soft in so many ways – from the colors to the touch to the look, it’s Sublimely Soft.

The proof is in the product: Staff have made some beautiful one skein lace hats to protect young folks heads. If you want to treat a baby right, this is THE way to go. But, it is equally divine for stylish adult creations. We’ve been talking about some of the creations in the Sublime Angora Merino book (such as pictured here) and are looking forward to some soft stuff around the shop as a result. But this amount of soft can’t be confined – we suspect that many folks will, as Clara suggests, take “calculated yarn risks” and use this wonderful fiber in all kinds of creations!

The Edgar Scarf

Denice — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:44:44 +0000

The Edgar Scarf was simple and sweet to work up. I loved the Noro Silk Garden for this design. The colorway in the yarn makes this a desirable project for the ‘attention deficient knitter’ ! The squares knit up in a different color each time. Also, the decrease pattern makes it look a lot more difficult than it is. I worked up the cravat size with one skein. I’d wholeheartedly recommend this project for a fun way to sample the colorful magic of Silk Garden (not to mention the wonderful scarf at the end…) Denice