Well, here we are again. Another one of those days when I go rogue.
Now mind you, Julie and I just spent two full days planning events for June, July, and even part of August. We sat with calendars, class ideas, trunk shows, workshops, and all the little details that somehow turn into very big details. By the time we finished, I felt pretty accomplished.
And honestly, I'm quite proud of myself.
I leave for Italy in four days, and for once, my suitcase is already packed. Those of you who know me understand this is a minor miracle. My clothes are packed, my travel essentials are mostly organized, and I have even started planning my carry-on tote bag.
Of course, the biggest decision isn't what clothes to bring.
It's what knitting and crochet projects get the honor of traveling to Italy with me.
That is serious business.
The problem is I have two projects I really should finish before I leave on Tuesday. Rational people would spend their evening working on those projects.
Apparently, I am not rational.
Instead, tonight I decided to teach myself how to wet felt a bowl without following instructions.
Just because.
My husband looked at me and asked, "Do you ever stop? Can't you just stick to knitting, crochet, and pottery?"
Bless his heart. After all these years, he still asks these questions.
He knows perfectly well that the answer is no.
The funny thing is that I wasn't even felting the bowl for a current project. We may have a workshop coming up in August, and I simply wanted to start experimenting. I wanted to see what would happen if I tried this technique, what shape I could create, and whether I could figure it out before somebody showed me the proper way.
That curiosity gets me every single time.
Then tomorrow night, instead of working on the things I probably should be finishing, I want to start playing with another idea: making light orbs for an upcoming event at the store.
You see the problem, don't you?
One idea leads to another. Then another. Then another.
The truth is, Julie and I continue to feed off each other's creativity. I have said many times that she is like my twin, and it is true. One of us will mention an idea, and before long, the other one has expanded it into three more ideas. We dream up classes, parties, decorations, kits, workshops, and events faster than we can write them down.
I love her dearly, and I honestly think we make each other worse.
Or better.
Depending on how you look at it.
As I look over our summer calendar, I get excited all over again. We have so many wonderful classes coming in June. Trunk shows are arriving one after another, and honestly, I can barely keep up with all of them.
Then comes July.
Christmas in July.
And yes, we are having a pyjama Christmas party.
Because why wait until December to celebrate?
Many of our July classes are centered around making Christmas gifts. We will have projects that you can make for yourself or for someone special. There will be slippers, a sweet little knitted change purse from a pattern I wrote many years ago (and I bet Debbie remembers it), and plenty of opportunities to get a head start on holiday making before the rush of December arrives.
Dianne is teaching a wonderful "One Skein, One Day" workshop featuring a Modern Christmas Stocking, complete with a sweet little lunch. If you know Dianne, you know there will be plenty of encouragement, laughter, and probably a few stories shared around the table as well.
When I stop and think about it, that's really what all of this is about.
Yes, we teach knitting and crochet.
Yes, we sell yarn.
Yes, we have classes, workshops, trunk shows, retreats, and parties.
But what we're really creating are opportunities to gather together. To learn something new. To laugh. To encourage one another. To be inspired. To make something beautiful with our hands while spending time with people who understand why we love creating so much.
So while I probably should be finishing those two projects before my trip, there's a pretty good chance I'll be over here felting bowls, dreaming up light orbs, planning future workshops, and adding one more idea to an already overflowing calendar.
After all, that's just how I'm wired.
And at Yarn Store Boutique, being a little rogue is often where the fun begins.
We hope you'll come join the party. There's always a chair waiting for you, a project to inspire you, and probably a new idea that Julie and I dreamed up five minutes ago 🩷🧶✨