Happy Mardi Gras!
Here at the HeartStrings Studio (which is right next door to New Orleans), it is so easy to get distracted by all the parties going on. This month it is Mardi Gras, probably the biggest party of them all!

In the spirit of kings and queens and carnival, you'll notice that the newsletter masthead photo salutes the traditional colors of Mardi Gras.

Never fear. Although it looks like I am playing, I am here to serve you and can be reached by all the usual means. As a reminder, there are two postal holidays this month here in the New Orleans area, so there will be NO SHIPMENTS on Feb 20th (George Washington's birthday, the federal holiday) and on Feb 21st (Mardi Gras day). Please plan accordingly.

By the way, these giant beaded beads shown above were made using the HeartStrings pattern #H18 Beaded Stress Ball. You can get the neat geometric "sea urchin" effects by simply not beading certain rows in the basic pattern. Feel free to grab the notes for these variations on my Ravelry project page to pass along to your customers. Get the notes ...

Austrian Lace Stirrup Leg Warmers

The latest "Classics Revisited" republication is #A29U Austrian Lace Stirrup Leg Warmers. Enjoy the beautiful photographs of these warmers knit in Tilli Tomas Artisan Sock, an affordably-priced hand-dyed luxury yarn.

This replaces the previous publication #A29 Sock-Not Leggings. Besides new photography, the pattern has been expanded to include written instructions as well as charts. Suggested retail $7.50

Classics like these live on. Team the pattern with a fingering weight sock yarn you stock in either solid or nearly solid colors. Read about the inspiration for these leg warmers ...

If you are on auto-shipment, this pattern will be included in the March shipment (along with Dragonfly Dreams and one other less expensive, smaller pattern that I'll tell you about in the March newsletter). But anyone can order Austrian Lace right now per usual terms and I will ship immediately.

Dragonfly Dreams

Dragonflies symbolize the illusion of light, thoughts and dreams in this knitted interpretation featuring lace, beads and Estonian gathered stitches.

Pattern #H79 Dragonfly Dreams
Suggested retail $7.50

Dragonfly Dreams debuted at Patternfish as a first-run World Exclusive and was the very close 2nd runner-up in their Patternfish 10,000th Design Competition announced in the November 2011 Patternfish Newsletter. Thank you for everyone's help in voting and cheering and voting for Dragonfly Dreams in the competition.

Like the Austrian Lace pattern above, this pattern is available for you to order now, or await auto-shipment if you have a standing order. Read more about the Design Competition ...

Toys of the Trade
Do you carry Yarn Bowls in your shop? This is one I picked up at an art market a couple of months ago. I love it when I have an excuse to support local artists. Isn't it pretty?

I mentioned it last month in my regular newsletter going out to almost 10,000 knitters and wow, it brought lots of comments and interest. It seems that very few had seen a yarn bowl, which alerted me that shops might be missing out on a new "toy" for their yarnies. Checking with your local pottery and woodworking artisans to see what they offer might be a good place to start in selecting some really nice yarn bowls for your shop.

You might find that some craft shows are marketing these as "string" bowls so as to appeal to people who might just want to use them as a pretty thing to put their packing string into.

Be careful, though, as some of these type bowls only have a closed hole. If you would ever need to take the string/yarn out of the bowl while you were still knitting (e.g. maybe to transport your project somewhere else), you'd need to cut the yarn. That might be ok for packing string (which you'd probably want to cut anyway). You probably noticed on the picture of this one, that the hole has a slit up to the top edge so that the yarn can be removed without cutting.

Check out my blog post about the Yarn Bowl ...

Business Savvy

Planning an event with HeartStrings patterns? Let me help you talk it up on my social media networks, fan groups, and newsletter. Contact Jackie E-S ...

Handy Links

  What's New  

  Design Gallery  

  Wholesale Info  

News Nuggets

Learning and Sharing
Bits of Lace 2012 kicked off recently and we already have almost 800 members!

If you'd like to see what is going on and get more ideas for shop knit-alongs and classes featuring HeartStrings patterns, register for a Free Membership. Check it out and join now ...

Project Distinct
Looking for a lucky break to set yourself apart from the competition?

I started following Scott McCain this year. He has so many motivating ideas in his One Thought A Day - Project Distinct 2012. Although there's nothing specific to the yarn industry, there are a lot of good points I think you might enjoy and benefit from.

I especially like this recent article that included the quotation "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." Read and explore more of Scott's stimulating ideas ...

Twisted Tuesday
The Jackie E-S blog will present a spinning article or other fiber-related fun on Tuesday of each week (at least that is my optimistic plan!).

If your shop sells spinning supplies or you are thinking of doing so, you are welcome to meld my articles and finds into your own activities to help promote using handspun yarn with HeartStrings patterns.

Want to come along and play with me? Read more...