by: Gretchen

Open House – this Saturday, October 6th!

 

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Open House! See you next year…

Make a great day of it at Halcyon Yarn’s Annual Open House this Saturday. Free and fun fiber arts for the whole family – and great savings however you shop, in-store or online!

Everything is 10% to 30% off all day, and online until midnight!

Enter Code: HYOH2018

For those of you who are new to Open House, here’s how the discount works online:

• Place your order and enter code HYOH2018, you’ll automatically receive 10% off.
• When we process your order we’ll draw for an additional discount and you’ll receive the higher of the two, up to 30% off!
  
• Orders over $200 (before taxes/shipping/discount) receive a free canvas tote bag!

Join us from 10:00 to 4:00 in the retail store at 12 School St., Bath, Maine. Or shop online until midnight (EST) to enjoy this great event.

* Please note that telephone customer service will not be available Saturday, please leave a message and we’ll return your call Monday.

Enjoy Fiber Art Demonstrations in Weaving, Felting, Spinning, Dyeing, Lucet, & Rug Hooking all day in the 3rd Floor Classroom and throughout the store. Ask questions and try your hand at new crafts.

Indigo Dye-It-Yourself! We’ll have another great community indigo dip happening on Saturday at Open House. Indigo Sessions are from 10:15 to noon & 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the School Street garage/loading dock. Check out the details here: Community DIY Indigo Dip

Artist talk and conversation with rug weaver and Halcyon Yarn co-founder Hector Jaeger. Meet Hector, see examples of his hand-dyed woven rugs, and learn about his process. 1:30 pm, first floor lobby.

Great sales on everything store wide, plus new items, door prizes, and refreshments all day long. Join us in person at the shop in beautiful Bath, Maine… Or visit online for great deals too… See you soon!

#halcyonyarnopenhouse #halcyonyarn #halcyonindigo #lys #madeinmaine #yarnlove #fiberarts #maineyarn #weaving #knitting #handmade #dyeing #felting #rughooking #crochet #yarnshop #visitbath

Check out visitbath.com for local area attractions, including dining, lodging and the Downtown Autumnfest, also happening on October 6th! If you’ll be downtown, take advantage of the It Pays to Shop Local special. When you spend $50 at any participating business you can receive a $10 Gift of Bath certificate, good at over 70 stores!

by: Gretchen

Fall Classes & Events… Visit Maine!

 

As the locals know, fall in Maine is perfect for day trips and long weekends exploring. Many of our visitors are wrapping up a summer on the road by coming to New England… Now is a great time to make a trip to Halcyon Yarn for sweater weather inspiration or get a head start on holiday gift making. Check out the calendar and plan for a visit!

by: Gretchen

Check your calendar! Fall classes and Open House are coming soon…

 

The weather makes it hard to believe that fall is just around the corner, but the calendar doesn’t lie! Labor Day weekend is upon us and it’s time to start planning for a great fall fiber line up!

by: Gretchen

Summer is cruising along – join us!

 

Here in Maine we’re into the swing of seeing summer visitors and we’re thrilled to welcome old friends and new! If you’re in New England, or would like to be, here are some great reasons to visit us at Halcyon Yarn, and some fun events to plan for. Read on for summer yarn fun to look forward to…

by: Sierra Roberts

New Technique + Photo Tutorial! How to create a horizontal chained dropped stitch braid

 

Photo Tutorial: How to create a horizontal chained dropped stitch braid

This super cool knitting technique has been popping up all over the internet lately – let’s see what all the fuss is about!

by: Amos

Healing powers of knitting and weaving – Fiber Arts in the news

 

Many of us knit, weave, crochet, or otherwise find time with fiber because it’s relaxing. It can be a break from many different stressors and a calming re-set in your day. It’s simply fun! Turns out, we’re not the only ones who have found this. It also turns out that the benefits go beyond personal health – they propagate across communities and beyond!

We first noticed a great article in the Indpendent that highlights recent finds related to knitting in research and by knitting enthusiasts. Then a bunch of papers picked up a literature review by the amazing British group Knit for Peace. The review highlights and collects research that what we’ve been noticing for a while, and thoroughly convinces us that knitting is scientifically proven to be good for your health! How so? To quote the review:

• Lowers blood pressure • Reduces depression and anxiety • Slows the onset of dementia • Is as relaxing as yoga • Distracts from chronic pain • Provides an opportunity for creativity (at a time of reducing capacity) • Increases sense of wellbeing • Reduces loneliness and isolation • Increases sense of usefulness and inclusion in society

It is also, by the way, heart warming to see the work of Knit for Peace! They do many things – like bring together women from traditionally hostile communities in India and Rwanda to knit together, and then distribute the goods created to those in need. They also coordinate distribution of knit goods made by volunteers in the UK and beyond to areas in need such as Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, anyone wondering about weaving? The story of Philippine refugees who weave not only for financial support, but also for the community that comes with it, is a powerful testimony to the healing powers of weaving. Another story about the power of weaving to help displaced peoples comes from Bangladesh, where weaving is proving to be a driving force in rising a village out of debt and into prosperity.

As we pick up our needles, or hook, or begin to weave, or spin, it’s inspiring to reflect upon the traditions that we’re keeping. And it’s nice to know that those traditions are a powerful force for health, for people and communities around the world.

Take a little time for self care and community with your favorite craft, and know that you’re part of a worldwide community of people doing the same.

by: Emily Werner

Spring / Summer Classes at Halcyon Yarn

 

Get ready for an amazing summer of fiber arts – the first round of spring and summer class dates are open for registration! We’ve got something for just about everyone and there’s still more that we’ll be adding soon, so check back often.

Keep reading for class details and information about visiting Bath…

by: Amos

And the Gold Goes to Knitting! Fiber Arts in the News

 

Recipe for winning Gold? Knitting and Netflix.

Lizzy Yarnold, gold medalist in Skeleton at PeyongChang (who should get gold for best last name in our opinion) warmed out hearts with a great interview written up at The Guardian. Lizzy appreciates knitting because “My nan taught me to knit years ago and passed away two years ago and so it’s a way to feel connected with her”. Also, it’s a great way to cope with the unimaginable stress of Olympic competition. For the full inspiring interview, head on over to The Guardian.

Finnish Olympians are fiber arts fanatics

Turns out that more than half of the Finnish Olympians are knitting! Like Lizzy, they find it a great way to calm their nerves, keep the mood light, and stay grounded. With so many knitting what are they making? Super cool it turns out: they’re collaborating on a blanket for their president’s newborn son! Maine Public has more of the story, as does Business Insider and many others as evidenced on Twitter’s #knittingteamfi hashtag feed.

Gold Medal for Reducing Pollution Goes to: Natural Fibers

Wool, cotton, and other natural fibers “just feel right”, and that’s reason enough to love them and use them in our projects. New research summaries provide another reason to feel good about using them – keeping our drinking water and wild environments free of “microplastic pollution” from textiles. Up to 35% of primary source marine plastic pollution may originate from synthetic fibers, and over 90% of tap water samples in the US are contaminated with plastic microfibers. How so? Clothing like fleece jacket can release hundreds of thousands of fibers with each wash. These fibers persist and accumulate in the environment and in living animals. What does this all mean? Researchers are just starting to understand the consequences and scope of the problem, so this is something we’ll be keeping our eye on for updates.

How do natural fibers help? Importantly, natural fibers shed less, and what they do shed biodegrades in the environment in any case. But more than that – natural fibers have have less impact on the environment during their “use phase”. Wool garments in particular are used longer and last longer (especially when hand made – keep that sweater because it’s special!) and require less frequent washing and care. Looking at this research, we actually wonder if, given the use patterns of hand-made garments, even those made with synthetic fibers would have greatly reduced environmental impact as compared to mass-produced garments?

In any case, a huge thank you to all our awesome customers for helping to keep our planet beautiful and reducing pollution with natural fibers!