summer sale at twisted

Posted by Shannon in the shop, sale

the first hint of fall is in the air (although not today - most definitely NOT today), and we at twisted are making way for more fall-y and winter-y yarns. what does that mean to you, our dear customers? our first ever SALE!

come in this weekend, and stock up on those summery yarns you have been drooling over.

10% off
Aracaunia Nature Cotton
Aracaunia Quellon
Debbie Bliss Cathay
Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton
Debbie Bliss Pure Silk
Frabjous Fibers Hemp
Frabjous Fibers Nettle
Louet Euroflax
Schulana SuperCotton
SWTC aMAIZing
SWTCPure

20% off
Aracaunia Pomaire
Cherry Tree Hill North Country Cotton Mini
Debbie Bliss Cotton DK
Debbie Bliss Stella
Farmhouse BoPeep
Frabjous Fibers Banana Silk
Sirdar Just Bamboo
Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton DK
Skacel Urban Silk

Let’s Craft Together

Posted by Shannon in events, sale

happy tuesday to everyone out there. fall is definitely in the air, as evidenced by both the cooling nights, and the countdown on our pal neuroknitter’s blog (which just so happens to be our old electronic home). to celebrate the oncoming autumnal season, we are having a sale this weekend! yeee-hawww! our very first sale. whether you are making a last-ditch effort to hold onto summer, just want to stockpile some cotton and bamboo for next spring, or have been dreaming wistfully of a summery project, come on in this weekend and get that special yarn for 10-20% off.

also of note, tonight is our open crafting night, and the comfy couches and hot tea are ready for your knitterly bums to take a load off. come on by anytime - open crafting starts at around 5 or 6, and the first to arrive get the comfiest seats. we have added a new tea to our repertoire, adagio’s foxtrot, which was a recommendation from our very own adam (sadly for us, now overseas for an entire year). from the adagio website:

Like the dance that inspired its name, our Foxtrot tea is an overnight success that will leave you giddy with joy. It is an herbal cocktail of Egyptian chamomile, South African Rooibos and fresh peppermint leaves. A soothing blend of familiar tastes that produces a pleasantly original combination. It is entirely caffeine-free. The spring in your step is due entirely to its enticing taste.

so come on in, drink tea, say ‘hey,’ knit, crochet, basket-weave, embroider, spin, just plain CRAFT.

Socks steal the show

Posted by Emily in yarn, socks, events

We’re on pins and needles here at Twisted. (Hmm, sitting on pins and needles - sounds like my sofa at home after a late night sewing project mishap…) Why, you may reasonably ask?

First of all, tomorrow is supposed to bring a big shipment of Yarntini sport weight… Keep your fingers crossed that the UPS gods favor us. We’re almost out of the Yarntini fingering - only one skein of our custom colorway, Twisitini, left!

Secondly, tomorrow is also the day we’re getting an armful of wonderful hand-painted sock yarn from our local gal Helen at Painted Skein. I must admit I got a sneak preview when she was in on Tuesday for our open crafting night. It is to die for. If you come over and find that there’s none out on the shelves just look behind the counter and you might find we’ve hoarded it all away for ourselves like neurotic fibery squirrels preparing for the long winter… But ask nicely and we’ll learn to share.

And, finally, with perfect timing, Saturday is the Portland sock yarn crawl organized by Fyberduck. I can’t find details online other than this map, but we are looking very much forward to welcoming the traveling band of sock addicts to our shop!

movie night tonight

Posted by Shannon in events, movie night

come on over to twisted tonight for the 2nd movie night. sticking to our theme of scary movies that just ain’t scary, tonight, we show the classic 80s horror-spoof-musical, little shop of horrors. it’s a classic love story, the oldest story in the book, really. the plot? (from imdb): A nerdish florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed. rated pg-13

to summarize:
what: movie night, starring rick moranis as seymour krelborn and steve martin as that psycho dentist
when: tonight, friday, from 6-8pm
where: twisted, 2310 ne broadway, portland, or 97232
why: because it’s fun AND goofy - what better way to end the week with fun and goofy?

we love you, ups-man!

Posted by Shannon in yarn, socks, books, classes, patterns

our ups man is pretty freaking awesome, everyone. he is foreva bringing us gifts.

first, he brought this:

(cherry tree hill’s new dk-weight sock yarn)

and this:

(every color of cherry tree hill’s supersock solid sock yarn)

which, if you’re interested, can make this:

and this (which is the same thing, only skinnier and longer. and blue.):

(which you can learn to make by taking this class: learn to knit lace with michelle molis, saturday, august 18, 4-6pm. call us. 503-922-1150. sign up. make this fabulous scarf. master lace.)

you can also use some of the above-mentioned cherry tree hill (or the yarntini, or the karen’s heavenly creations, or the ashabee’s fiber oasis, or the zen string, or the dream in color, or the trekking, austermann step, gems, or merlin) to make something fabulous from this most fabulous of sock books, which mister ups-man brought a big ole box of today:

and THEN, on friday, you can head over to the world forestry center and get your book signed.

all because our ups man hearts us twisted chicks and brings us presents!

class update

Posted by Shannon in classes

the following classes still have space available, if you are interested:

Beginning Crewel - TONIGHT, Sunday, August 12. 6:00-8:00pm
$20

Beginning Embroidery - Thursday, August 30. 6:00-8:00pm
$20

Intro to Basket Weaving - Saturday, August 25. 4:00-7:00pm
$25 + $15 material fee + optional $15 tools kit

Felted Bowls - Fridays, August 17 & 24. 11:00am-1:00pm
$40 (in addition to the needles and yarn, you will need a copy of OneSkein by Leigh Radford)

Felted Clutch - Fridays, August 31 & September 7. 11:00am-1:00pm
$40 (in addition to the needles and yarn, you will need a copy of OneSkein by Leigh Radford)

Intro to Lace Workshop - Saturday, August 18. 4:00-6:00pm
$20

Amurigumi Crochet Workshop - Wednesday, September 12. 6:00-8:00pm
$20 (in addition to crochet hook and yarn, you will need a copy of the Amurigumi book)

if you are interested in any of these classes, please give us a call at 503.922.1150. we will be adding more classes this fall, so please keep an eye on our class page, as well.

First TV night tomorrow!

Posted by Emily in events, movie night

Just a quick reminder, season one, episodes one and two, of our inaugural TV show, Supernatural, will be airing tomorrow night from round abouts 6-8pm. We are soooo incredibly excited. To celebrate, everyone in attendance will get a little surprise gift… come join us to partake!

If you’re not familiar with Supernatural, TV Guide describes it as a “drama about two brothers, searching for their missing dad, who chase down evil forces that claimed the life of their mother and the life of the younger brother’s girlfriend. They travel the country in a ‘67 Chevy Impala, encountering paranormal phenomena at every turn.”

Personally, we’re not sure how much of a drama it really is… There are tense moments but, I mean, things only get so serious with a different urban legend playing out every episode. You’ll be laughing more than crying or trembling for sure. Speaking of which, I (Emily) am both the world’s a) easiest person to make cry (we’re talking tearing up at long-distance commercials here) and b) easiest person to scare (the last and only “horror” movie I watched was Arachnophobia circa 1990), so fear not ye other weepers and scaredicats, this show is Emily-approved fun to watch.

Hope to see you tomorrow night!

meet me at the oasis, with a tall ‘tini and some knitted wit. oh, and a painted skein on the side.

Posted by Shannon in the shop, yarn, socks

could that BE a lamer title? i swear, emily had NOTHING to do with it - all me, peeps. all me.

but, it’s a good intro to what we have received these last few days. a BUNCH of really fun, really gorgeous stuff. this has been the week for great sock (and other) yarns to come to twisted for a visit before making their way home with some of you all. what’s arrived? two brand-new-to-us dying artists, and an infusion of a line or two we already carry. plus, some supa-fly local handspun. everything is absolutely divine.

ashabee’s fiber oasis comes in three different blends, all three fingering weight. the blends: superwash merino, bamboo-nylon-superwash merino, and tencel-superwash merino. this stuff does not disappoint, people. bright, soft, lovely. the straight-up merino is, as merino should be, lofty and bouncy. the tencel blend is shimmery. and the bamboo blend is just plain SOFT. can’t wait to make me a pair of socks in every blend miss ashley works with.

we also received some local, breathtaking, stop-your-heart handspun from not one, but TWO amazing women. helen from painted skeins (photo to the left) and laurajean from knitted wit (photo below) brought this yarn over on sunday night…oh, i can’t even describe it, except to say that any self-respecting knitter would want to dive right in. knitting this stuff would be an added bonus to merely owning it. i can imagine gazing at it lovingly and petting it every once in a while, while trying to think of a project worthy of its beauty. whooooooooooooo.

laurajean also brought some of her hand-dyed sock yarn, which is beautiful. her sense of color is divine, soft and soothing, yet eye-catching. her yarn is a fingering, as well. we have a bunch of fantabulous colors to choose from.

a box of woolarina showed up at our doorstep last week, too, and it is awesome! bright and soft. yummy.

and, this morning, we got a big ole box of yarntini fingering. many of you have been asking for this, and it is well worth the wait. most of you probably already know what a color genius jessie is, but for those who don’t, please stop by and check it out.

tonight begins our open crafting night, so come on by, fondle the new sock yarns, and stitch with other crafty folk. we have plenty of comfortable seating, soothing teas, and great juices. our first movie night was a huge success, and we’d like to thank everyone who came by to giggle their way through ‘Shawn of the Dead.” this friday begins our foray into “Supernatural” territory…

movie night at twisted

Posted by Shannon in the shop, events, movie night

tonight is the night, folks, the inaugural twisted movie night!

eta: the movie begins at 6pm, and runs a bit over an hour and a half.

we have decided to go with a monster theme for our first few movie nights, but, as emily said a few posts ago, the films and tv shows we show are not going to be scary, per se.

our first film? shaun of the dead.

from the imdb website:

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living…shaun of the dead is rated ‘r’ for zombie violence/gore and language, so it may not be the best bring-your-kids-along film night.

July contest winner!

Posted by Emily in contests

We received 28 truly fabulous haiku about summer knitting, ranging from the funny (there was a definite sweat/felting theme) to the sublime. We each had several favorites, but both agreed that Pam captured the essence of summer knitting best of all:

I sit by the pool
And wonder if I can float
While knitting my socks

Congrats, Pam!!!! Two skeins of bright, summer yellow Debbie Bliss Pure Silk are all yours! For everyone else, now that your haiku muscles are in practice, check out our August contest. The subject for this month: learning a new craft… The prize: a felted bag kit, complete with 3 skeins of Ella Rae Classic and a pattern from Black Sheep Bags. Fun no matter what your skill level is!

Since we loooved the other entries so much, we just had to post them all, too. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who entered!

yellow summer sun
breezy moments on the porch
knitting up my bliss

Yarn screams to be knit
But the lap wants to be bare
Small knits — Socks perhaps?

dust off the needles
katie was born months ago
winter approaches

Leashes and needles
Knitting a large Afghan dog
For fun in July

Sitting on the dock
Breeze teases my yarn and soul
Wouldn’t trade this day!

Red licorice yarn
Skims a frosted iced tea glass
Seasons intertwined

Being enlightened
Put no wool in hot water
Unless you want felt

the sad school teacher
for nine months she can not knit
oh, the summer bliss

Silken yarn slips through.
Knit! Rhythm, meditation.
Heat relief. Cool dawn.

Sun burning bright hot
Felts mohair shawl in my hands
Better knit some socks

Silky summer breeze,
golden skeins of summer sun,
tis Bliss to be alive

Knitting in the sun
Sipping tea and having fun
Twisted is the best

Title: 3HNJ
Hot Hazy Humid
New Jersey Summer Knitting
I cotton to silk

Socks on bamboo sticks
Some new summer project fun
Warm things for winter

When the yarn is soft
and the needles are just right
knitting can be great

Fingers are sweating
Wool is not good for today
Try some silk instead

Yarn, how I love you
Though I am a crocheter
Twisted still loves me!
(I hope you do anyway!)

Summer sun ablaze.
Too hot for working wool.
Cotton is lovely.

The sun behind me,
Warms the fingers clicking sticks,
Becomes yellow sock.

Breeze through leaves of trees
fibers through fingers of hands
needles glint gently

Knitting on my mind
Sun is blazing in the sky
New yarn so divine!

Temp work such a yawn
Want to stay home and knit more
In the sun so warm.

knitting with cotton
cools me off in the summer:
better than ice pops

Summer sun beats down,
Wool between sweaty fingers;
Dreams of winter’s snow.

lightweight shapely tank
rowan calmer in kiwi
won’t finish ’till fall

When summer heat comes
The only good things to knit
are winter dream socks

hot humid outside
cool indoor climate control
knit slip pass over

2310 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232     *     503-922-1150     *     info@twistedpdx.com