Figuring Out Being Open Again

We are working hard to keep Diva open as many hours and days as possible while keeping ourselves safe and respecting our very minimal staffing at this time. It is our hope to remain open on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays, 11-5:30. As the pandemic stays in our area, even with the arrival of visitors and remains low in incidences, we will be taking appointments for browsing, one on one and opening more hours. Everyone, there is a lot of yarn and buttons and notions and supplies in the shop now!

One thing I did over my stay home time was crochet and knit. Actually, I even needlepointed too and I have not done that since BP, before Phil! I knitted and crocheted with cotton yarn having never really been a fan before and I have to say, my eyes are opened! The quality of cottons we have in the shop is extraordinary! I am so excited about them, that I may work with them the rest of what will eventually be a warm summer. If you have not tried cottons, the new cottons, I urge you to check them out. Pretty wonderful stuff.

If you have been knitting, like I have and watching this week's news, I just want to say that the love of craft can unite us, the work of handcraft can center and calm us and we can be the best people we can be. I don't want to sound all mushy and sappy but I love craft. It unites me with people who may not believe or think the way I do. It makes me see another person as a person with kinder, loving eyes and more than anything, taught me compassion while bringing me peace. I wish the same for you.

Watch our FB page for shop updates and as the weather warms and clears, watch for our sale library cart outside. Did I mention we did a lot of cleaning, organizing and purging while we were closed? Well, those items have to be sold at a deep discount. So sad! HAHA! Not! You will love my cart items!

Just a note: Masks are required as is the liberal use of hand sanitizer and only one person at a time in the shop.

Opening

Diva will reopen on Thursday, June 4th from 11-5:30 and be open Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays at this time. Private appointments

may be available by giving us a call and arranging a time.

Masks are required to be worn. One person at a time in the shop. Hand sanitizer is available for use. There can be no non shoppers with you. No spouses, kids or friend who is tagging a long. No pets.

We will not have seating for in store knitting, pattern browsing or instruction. We will not be winding yarn either. So sorry! We are dealing as well as possible with the pandemic and things may change. Until then get some good yarn, and carry on!

Diva at Home

Home since March 10th, when an order by the governor closed all non essential businesses. We do not think yarn and fiber shops are non essential businesses but who am I or we to argue?
I immediately thought, upon hearing this order, of all the time I could spend knitting and crocheting and a zillion other crafty, arty, homey
things I wanted to do.

Needlepoint! Yes! I took out my supplies, things I had not looked at in 25 years, and finished one needlepoint and began two more. Of course, I need more yarn! I used to sell handpainted needlepoint canvases and taught classes in this fine old craft too. These were the days BK. Before kids. The rythem came right back to my hands and the more I danced with thread across the canvas; the more I loved the stitching I was doing!

I also found on my over crowded book shelves in the studio, my favorite how to book on needlecraft, The Readers Digest Guide. What a treasure! It literally has everything I could want to know in it with clear, concise directions and pictures. The pictures may be dated but the information is spot on. Nothing fancy, just an excellent guide! If you ever get a chance to get a copy of this book, and I think they are out of print now, you should definitely do it! I have not been disappointed ever. Plus used bookstores are a great adventure in themselves and worth a few hours of browsing time.

I refreshed my memory how to's and from this book made granny squares! 

I finished ( finished, me! ) A couple of projects and many swatches for the shop. I love to knit and crochet but my baskets of unfinished projects can certainly haunt me. Having this extended time off, and I use that word, off,  loosely, has enabled me to finish things! 

Crocheted shoulder wrap in cotton by Cascade Yarn. My favorite pattern, WAVE.

Finally, something knit and finished too. A hat in a fair isle free form pattern in Swans Island wool. My own hat pattern, in my favorite knitting technique, Fairisle.

Shown with flowers from a dear friend!        

Soon, we will be back in Diva, the store and staff regaling you with knitting stories from our days of the pandemic quarantine. My best advice to you on all of this? Always buy yarn when you can and ALWAYS buy extra!! 

Be safe. Be well. Know we count you among our very best of friends. XO

       

Is This Happening?

All this knitting and crafting time? Is it for real? I have actually in This stay home time, been doing a lot of knitting, crocheting and stitch work. Work that I can do not only as shop samples, but just for fun! I have all the basics done in knitting & crocheting swatch samples of new yarns and as you might have guessed, new yarns will again be coming in when the stay home time has wound done. I will leave you today with a few things I have finished and I have to say, I enjoyed it all. I am hoping that you are also finding peace, relaxation and joy in creating.

Lots of drawings that will become needlepoint  canvases.

Hat project nearly done. Swan’s Island Yarn.

A felted wool banner for our doorway.

Left on our door by an anonymous customer.❤️

So, here we are. In the house. Unable to do much about getting the shop open to customers. We are going to try to open up on Friday and Saturday this week with Quynn working the shop. Shorter hours, 11 - 5, just so that we may try and keep the rent paid and the employees too. We are worried that after 29 years in my beloved shop and business, that things could change so fast and we could be closing up shop. I just told someone if I have to, I will store everything and begin again. Again. The future will be brighter and the future will happen- again.

I am crafting a lot in my studio. Making things for the shop and working on getting the new inventory I purchased before the shut down ready for the next time we are open. I am also making a few things that I have said I want to do, just for me. Drawing, knitting, embroidery work and this afternoon, on this sunny much warmer day; I am going to trim up my 24 year old lavender plants before the bees really return. My grand dame rosemary bush needs a little TLC too. This will be good because Lucas can lay in the yard in the sun, and warm the sore muscles that perhaps caused the limp he developed yesterday. You can not keep a good dog down but I aim to keep him a bit quieter. As for my darling Phil, who this morning isn't quite as darling as he was a few days ago, is bored. Bored. Bored. I have to find some projects for him. Today is likely the day I will finally get out to my metal room, a separate little building on my property that was formerly the Cat House, and is now a place for my kiln, metal work and glass cutting supplies. For a year I have meant to finish getting it set up and the time is now. I can get Phil to install a couple of shelves and fix the lighting and... I am sure I will think of other things for him to do.

What are you doing? Are you making things? Feeling creative? Reading? Baking? Cooking? Walking? Hiking? Netflixing?

The thing I am enjoying the most is the quiet outside. No cars really moving. Traffic is almost nil. My neighbor, Henry who works in his yard and business with big mowers and backhoes is quiet now.  Even the other dogs in the neighborhood seem to have a reverent quiet about them. Friends in Venice, Italy say the waters in the canals are clear, the San Francisco Bay Bridge is deserted, the LA freeways moving clearly, and Seattle sounds and looks a lot like it did when I first moved here in 1976.

I am writing again on my blog and promise you pictures later. Plenty of pics already are posted on my facebook pages. Wynwoods Gallery and Lois Venarchick and Diva Yarn and The Secret Life of Lois' Happy Drawings. Check them out. Send comments. BeKind. Be nice. Be well. xo