Heartland Fiber Co.

Hey everyone! Don’t forget to mark the date of the 3rd annual Heartland Fiberpalooza – March 23rd 9-4 at the Winterset Elementary School – new location is going to be GREAT!!! We have more and NEW vendors signed up for this year! We will also run in-store specials and draw for a $25 Gift Certificate. Be sure to stop by Heartland Fiber and sign up! Also, the 2nd annual Mid Iowa Yarn Shop Hop will be April 24th-27th. New shops this year include Hill Vintage and Knits in DSM East Village and The Sheep Stockings in Marshalltown. More details to come – we have a planning meeting this weekend.

We have added MANY new and awesome yarns in the shop so stop by soon to check them out and have a cup of coffee with us!,

Despite the crappy heat, we had a lot of fun celebrating Christmas in July.  It was good seeing many of you and having a table full of knitters, plus some!  We heard a lot of guff from townsfolk about our Christmas tree in the window, etc., but what they don’t realize is that if you are a crafter and you plan on making your gifts- you better get cracking!  We are amping up our line of kits for those of you on a time crunch and are always on the lookout for one or two skein projects.  The trend for this fall and winter is sparkle, sparkle and more sparkle.  There are some mega bulky yarns out there, but that trend is curving towards ‘chunky’.  Unfortunately, so are we…… and we’re not talking yarn, here!    Come in and see what’s new, sit and knit or just visit.  Our next event will be our fall open house in September, but don’t wait till then!

Well, Thelma & Louise – aka Marcia and Amy – are back from TNNA in Columbus, OH, which is the granddaddy of all needleworks market.   Between eating Jeni’s Ice Cream and looking like deer in headlights, we were able to accomplish quite a lot!  In a few weeks look for new lines of yarn in the shop like Berrocco, Florafil, James Brett, Westminster and Baah!  We ordered tons of new patterns to go with the new yarns plus we’ve put in a HUGE order of the new and improved Kollage Square Needles now MADE IN THE USA!  The trend for fall and winter is sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, and we ordered plenty!  Hopefully by our annual Christmas in July event Saturday, July 21, we’ll have several of the new items in the shop.

BUT….. being gone for so many days has its price.  The mice really DID play while we were away!  The ‘posse’ did a great job of adding new displays and keeping the shop running- gee, Aunt Debbie even created her OWN special!  Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande is now 25% off.  Who knew?!?

We're all 'gussied up' for the Yarn Shop Hop!

The first ever Mid-Iowa Yarn Shop Hop was a fun, wonderful success!  The consensus among shop owners was that it was not only well attended, but a great experience meeting new friends.  The Second Annual is already on the calendar, so save the date:  April 23-27, 2013.

Several people checked out our fabulous courtyard and commented that they’d like to sit and knit out there-  we hope you do!  The courtyard was a big selling point for us when we decided to move and we hope to make it just as inviting as the shop.  We plan to have our weekly Stitch & B@*ch out there and we invite you to grab some friends and come on down!  Get some lunch to go and spend the afternoon!  Its OK to spoil yourself!

We’ve had a crazy past couple of months with moving, Fiberpalooza, the Yarn Shop Hop and regular business, so we’re taking a break.  Aunt Debbie and Betty will take our place May 9-14 while we road trip to Oxford, MS.  We’ll be attending a graduation down there, touring the beautiful old town, going to a baseball game and blues club, visiting Patsy at Knit 1 Oxford and eating the wonderful southern food.  Marcia might even spring for a new Vera Bag and we’re hoping to run into Eli Manning or John Grisham!  It’ll be a great, much needed break and you’ll be in good hands with Deb and Betty.

When we get back tourist season in Winterset will be in full swing and we kick it off with the John Wayne Birthday Celebration May 25 & 26.  We’ll be serving pie on the 26th and I’m sure we’ll have something going on in honor of The Duke.  No matter what, we’ll be having fun!

Just a reminder that the first EVER  Mid-Iowa Yarn Shop Hop is quickly approaching!  Pick up your passport and visit all six shops in order to be eligible for lots of fabulous give-aways!  Since we’ve moved to a new location, we’ll be having our Grand Re-Opening/Spring Open House in conjunction with the Shop Hop.   Stop in for additional specials, prizes and, of course, treats!  The Shop Hop is Wednesday – Saturday, April 25 – 28.  Participating Shops:  Ames:  Ames Knittery & Rose Tree Fiber Shop;  Ankeny:  Knitting Next Door;  Carroll:  The Yarn Basket and Quilt Shop;  West Des Moines:  Knitted Together;  Winterset:  Heartland Fiber Co.   

Sometime in the next week we’ll be adding our new class schedule to the calendar.  If you’re on our e-mail list, we’ll be sending out the information about the same time.   The classes will include a Finishing Class taught by Victoria Wickham.  She is an expert sweater knitter and  a wealth of information.  We’ll also have a beginning weaving class and a beginning spinning class, just to name a few.  Lots going on at HFC!

We’ve been so busy with Heartland Fibepalooza and moving the shop that we haven’t had time to really dig into the new spring yarns.  We’re pretty excited about the soft cottons and silks arriving weekly.  Even though it wasn’t much of a winter, its still fun to switch to lighter, brighter knitting and crochet.  We promise, we’ll get busy knitting up some store samples in the new fibers for the Shop Hop and Open House!

You knew we were crazy and we just proved it by painting, packing and moving the shop across the square and holding Heartland Fiberpalooza all in a span of two weeks!  But, both went great, we love our new location and we’ve already set a date for next year’s Fiberpalooza.  Just goes to show you, crazy works.

Moving Day!

We had six more vendors than last years’ events and we figure there were about 280 attendees.  We heard nothing but postive feedback from both- hopefully everyone was telling the truth!  Cafe’ Yarnia even sold out of sandwich makings by 12:30!  That’s something you never know what to plan for…….     Each of the vendors donated something for an amazing basket of goodies that was raffled and Kat Safris of Johnston, Iowa, was the big winner- congratulations Kat!

So, save the date for next year:  Saturday, March 23, for the third annual Heartland Fiberpalooza- be there or be square!  Until then, get your fiber fix at the first ever Mid Iowa Yarn Shop Hop April 25-28 and at the Adel Sheep and Wool Festival the second weekend in June.

Kathi Huebner of Old Haus Fiber

We had so much fun last year, we’re doing it again! The 2nd annual Heartland Fiberpalooza will be Saturday, March 24, 9:00 – 4:00, and it will be better than ever!

The Des Moines Metro Knitters will be there in full force offering FREE knitting lessons. There will be demonstrations for spinning, weaving and knitting PLUS classes. Learn how to plant and use a ‘dye garden’ from Mary Paul Even of the Des Moines Weavers’ Guild. You may have seen the article about her in a recent Des Moines Register. This class is sponsored by Applehurst in Winterset. There will also be a class entitled ‘What Was I Thinking When I Bought These Sheep?’- you will learn about women in agriculture, how to start up, find money and grow your business. This promises to be a fascinating seminar!

Cafe’ Yarnia will be back, as well, with its wonderful, homemade food and those fabulous desserts! So, plan to come and spend the day!

As promised, here are the details for our Fall Open House!
Friday Sept 30th and Oct 1st One-woman trunk show from Esther Purl Fibers-Regina Frahm will showcase her hand-spun (from her own flock) and hand-dyed GORGEOUS yarns! If you have never worked with hand-spun now is the time to get started! These yarns are not only beautiful, they are a total joy to work with. Regina will be here both days of the Open House!
On Saturday, Marjon Schafer will be presenting 2 FREE workshops. At 11am Unravelling Ravelry – how this website can help you with your knitting. At 1pm HELP!
My sweater is growing! A little about yarns and how to pick the right one for your project.
Hours for the Open House Fri Sept 30th 10-5 Sat Oct 1st
10-4. Bring your project and spend the day – we will have specials and of course, TREATS!!!

Be sure to check the calendar at www.heartlandfiber.com for all the wonderful classes we have lined up for this fall! We are thrilled to have Victoria Wickham teaching 3 of the classes! She is an absolute “knitter extradonaire”!!

Hope to see you all soon, and once again thanks to all of you for your continued support! We truly do appreciaate each and every one of you!!

Marcia and Amy

Hello Knitters and Crocheters!
Here’s a list of our upcoming events:
Saturday September 9th Metro Knitter’s Campout

Fri Sept 30 and Sat Oct 1 Fall Open House workshops, sales,
Christmas Gift ideas and
of course FALL TREATS!!

Sat Oct 8 and Sun Oct 9 Madison County Covered Bridge Festival

Fri Nov 18 and Sat Nov 19 Holiday Open House our gift to all of you!

Fri Nov 25 Lighting of the Square Old time Christmas fun – including a
lighted parade and SANTA!!!!!

More details to follow on all these fun events, but mark your calendars now!! We have something AWESOME planned for Friday Sept 30 during our Fall Open House that you won’t want to miss! Let’s just say for now, if you love handspuns you’re gonna LOVE this event!!

Thanks to all of you for stopping by the shop and for your continued support – we couldn’t do it without you!!

Marcia and Amy

Hello HFC bloggers!
Starting this weekend (the 24th and 25th) any new yarns received that week will be on sale for 20% off!! We have LOTS of new surprises for you! The cubbies are so full we had to add some new ones to hold all the new yarns! We have added a new brand to the store- Araucania -and wow do they have cool yarn!! Also, you will find we have added several lace weight selections-alpaca, sugar cane, just to name a couple.
Bring your knitting or crochet project and spend the day with us! We’d love to have you! Thanks for your continued support!

Marcia and Amy