Get this show on the road

Here in Portland, Oregon, the weather has taken a decided turn to the autumnal mode. While we’d all love to take a road trip to sunnier climes, we’re also happy to stay here and pack up the beautiful boxes of Shibui that get to see other parts of the country...and the world.

After a very successful stint at Knit Purl, downtown Portland’s favorite LYS, our Luxury, Sock, Argyle, and Baby trunk shows are hitting the road. While at Knit Purl, the sumptuous samples helped book and yarn sales soar; over 50 Socks booklets left, usually accompanied by a few skeins of Staccato or Sock; and nearly 100 Luxury booklets were sold. Needless to say, Silk Cloud, Baby Alpaca, and Staccato sales were off the chart! 

To help avoid the dreaded same-as-sample-itis (you know what we mean; when everyone who comes in MUST make the pattern in the exact same colourway as the sample garment.....), we’ve had our army of knitting elves swatch a variety of combinations of fiber and colour. We’ve put these together in a neat little booklet that will accompany the Luxury trunk show, and will help customers visualize different opportunities to make a garment that is uniquely their own.  Here are some of the many samples made blocking before they joined the show:

To schedule a trunk show for your shop, contact Lindsay at lindsay(at)shibuiknits(dot)com. She’ll let you know what slots are available for a two week showing. As the holidays approach, all three of these packages highlight items that make perfect holiday gifts or just provide a bit of a treat for the knitter during the cooler months to come.

- Kristin F.

Long, hot summer days

(c) visualdensity (flickr)

Nothing says summer to me like sunflowers. They're absolutely iconic of warmth, sunshine, and lazy days.  Which is probably why I associate rich golden yellows and mellow oranges with the height of summer.  In reflection of that, I pulled together my favorite August colors to share...

Staccato Butter	Staccato Bohemian	Staccato Sprout
Highland Wool Pagoda	Sock Finch	Staccato Redwood

I'm sure plenty of people will argue with me and say these are fall colors, but I'm sticking to my choices.  Think marigolds and lilies and bumblebees and, of course, sunflowers, and you might just agree.

It'd be fun to share more, but we're just swamped (have you seen the Fall Staccato multis?).  Check back on Thursday for an update on the goings on in ShibuiLand.  Oh, and keep a weather eye on the horizon for an action-packed Newsletter!

~ Sara M.

Incoming!

Wow, a very large shipment of yarn surprised us today (we weren't expecting it until Friday or later...) and so we (mostly Marj) have been scurrying around, trying to get it unloaded and divvied up for our customers with back orders.  But, rest assured, that we now have quite a back stock of Merino Worsted (our 2nd most popular yarn, after Sock):

As well as EVERY SINGLE COLOR of Staccato.  For you knitters who, like myself, have been mourning the recent paucity of Staccato, rejoice in our new overstock!

And since we're kind of overwhelmed by so much yarn, so very early, we're going to distract you from our lack of content today with some more beautiful sneak peeks from our upcoming booklets, Shibui LUXURY and Shibui SOCKS:

Shown above is Elizabeth (the pattern, not the model) from Shibui LUXURY.

Which, incidentally, will be available at Sample It (TNNA Columbus) in THREE colors!

Shown above are the Ainsworth Socks from Shibui SOCKS

Which also will be available at Sample It (in three colors, as well)!

Both photos were taken last week at our super-secret photoshoot location, which we mentioned in April.  Coming next week, we'll post the winners of the Caption This Image contest we posted, again, in April.  Look for it (and some more sneak peeks!) next Wednesday.  Until then, stay shibui!

~ Sara M.

Yarn on our shelves!

Sara here.  Marj can't come to the blog today because we just received a big, beautiful shipment of Staccato and Sock from our mill.  If you are one of our very many vendors with a back order, rest assured that Marj is working tirelessly to fill your order(s).  For a complete list of all the colors that came in, see below.  Also, check out the amazing eye candy from our latest photoshoot...

Staccato:

• Cotton Candy
• Tide
• Rasberry
• Watermelon
• Apple
• Ivory
• Butter

Sock:

• Cranberry
• Seaweed
• Mulberry
• Peony
• Jonquil
• Lily
• Kiwi
• Peacock

We also have more luscious yarn due to arrive in a week (or so).  Check back then for another status update. Then, lastly, for your viewing pleasure, eye candy!

Dog Day Morning

We promised posts on yarn trends, sharing our small-business experiences, and Shibui Shenanigans. This post is decidedly the latter...

because the adults are on vacation! That is, if you consider toiling to configure, construct, and captain the finest booth TNNA has ever seen to be a vacation (we certainly do).

One of our employees has thus seen fit to partake in the annual "Bring Your Dog to the Office of a Yarn Wholesaler Day". Not just any dog either: Jake will steal your heart and come back for your sanity.

After a freak power outage yesterday, we can all use a little puppy love. The effect of cuteness and licks-to-the-face on productivity remaines to be seen.

Hello World!

ShibuiBlog becomes self-aware at 2:14 AM. Pacific Time, January 7th, 2010. 

But what does this mean for you? We'll be crunching numbers to determine the hottest new yarns from Shibui and our partners. From trade shows to inter-office shenanigans, you'll never miss a beat in the exciting world of yarn distribution. 

We hope this 'blog will also become a resource for other small-businesses, as we share the triumphs and tribulations of running our own. Shibuiknits owes much of its success to the hard-working (and fashionable!) staff here, and this site will give them a forum to share their secrets as well. 

If you have any questions for us, any suggestions for things you'd like to see on ShibuiBlog, or are just feeling lonely on a Friday night, please give us a shout at blog@shibuiknits.com.