september newsletter: hello autumn!

Fall is trying to appear. Seeing the first few leaves going red despite the warm weather. I can't wait for cooler temps to prevail (sorry Sis...know how much you love, love those cooler temps!).

The Halloween display went up this week and Megan's pumpkin patch reached historic output this year. That means lots of jack-o-lanterns decorating our front porch and the shop. Without further adieu...here's a September update.

Serious Socks October Class

Cathy's at it again with our Serious Socks classes. This time it's the Double Trouble Toes-Up. Never again shall we fall prey to the dreaded "Second Sock Syndrome"! We will prevail. Join us for the class and become a multi-tasking jedi master too.

We'll use Kate Atherley's Apres Ski Toe-Up Socks pattern, coupled with Cathy's tips-n-tricks for two@once.  Now if you're wanting to just tackle a single sock you can still participate. No need to be a crazed knitter all pumped up on multi-tasking madness. Pattern written for single sock knitting.

Starts Sat. Oct 12th 1-3:30pm
(Other class dates to be determined at first meeting)

3 sessions:
1) Cast On: crucial class to get things set up on your circs & do a toe-up cast on
2) Heel Turns: pattern uses a short row heel
3) Bind Off: easiest of the classes and also time to play catch up if any parts trip you up

Supplies:
worsted weight yarn (Viking Raggen sock yarn landing soon-some pics below)
circular needles: 2 pairs or 1 long for magic loop (or dpn's if doing single sock)
various other notion sundries: stitch markers, scissors etc...

Cost: $70 for series (pattern included)
Call or email to save a spot: 209-728-8261 or maisieblue@gmail.com

Books on the Shelf

Book Group Picks 

September Pick:  Shoemaker's Wife

Date: Sep 23 3pm

Future Picks Queue:
Nov: City of Dreams (a past favorite about settling Nieu Amsterdam or Early Manhattan)
Jan: Wolf Hall (reading late in game this critical & award winning book)

Potential Picks Queue:
Not yet released but on my radar:
Funeral Dress (getting nice buzz; could be handsell success and a real tear-jerker)
Teatime for the Firefly (story sounds really intriguing and what a great cover)
Tuscan Rose (okay...cover really grabbed me first off...but storyline promises big Aussie family drama-saga a la Thorn Birds)

Previous Pick: 

We all loved, loved The Chaperone! Compelling narrative of Cora, an older chaperone hired by the parents of a then unknown, teenaged Louise Brooks. Set in the early 1920s it moves back and forth from the Midwest to New York City to tell Cora's tale, with Louise's serving as a counterpoint. Richly drawn characters that touch upon an interesting juncture of American history not often highlighted. Heartfelt, engaging with twists as we watch Cora evolve. Terrific all-round read.

Books, books and still more books...

"It was Colonel Plum in the library with a candlestick..."

This time of year thoughts turn to longing for rainy days, snug and warm in a cozy chair with tea and a good mystery (even when a/c still cranked and swimming to stay cool is de rigueur). Keep an eye out for these new series in the shop this fall:

Soho Crime
Soho publishes great mysteries-all types, locations, genres-and they have numerous series, often new to American readers. The Passport to Crime series, the first books from their most popular series, are at introductory price  and start arriving this week. It's billed as  "Travel the World for $9.99!" Now that's my kind of travel.

Familiar to some will be Cara Black's Aimee LeDuc series set in Paris, or the historicals by Barbara Cleverly with Detective Joe Sandilands. Right now I'm enjoying Detective Inspector Huss, a police procedural set in Sweden. Well developed characters, not too violent or gory (a la Steig Larrsson), and a slowly unfolding investigation. I love the subtle cultural tidbits that shed light on life in modern Scandinavia too.

Soho Crime’s most popular series in a low price

first books from Soho Crime’s most popular series in a low price - See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/travel-the-world-for-9-99/2697/#sthash.bXiVwH8x.dpuf

first books from Soho Crime’s most popular series in a low price - See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/travel-the-world-for-9-99/2697/#sthash.bXiVwH8x.dpuf

first books from Soho Crime’s most popular series in a low price - See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/travel-the-world-for-9-99/2697/#sthash.bXiVwH8x.dpu

Louise Penny Gaining Traction
It's only taken 9 books, 5 coveted Agatha's (only author to do so), translated into 25 languages and plus numerous other literary mystery prizes. You'd think Inspector Armand Gamache woulud be a household name. Well...he is in Canada and now finally here in the US.

Her newest installment debuted #1 on NYTimes list. Not too shabby. As a result of her growing momentum, the publisher reprinted all her books with nice new covers finally. I'm looking forward to delving into the world of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, (aka the Quebec Provincal Police or QPP for those in the know). Sounds like a Canadian Midsomer Murders!

the novels feature many hallmarks of the British whodunit genre, including murders by unconventional means, bucolic villages, large casts of suspects, red herrings, and a dramatic disclosure of the murderer in the last few pages of the book

Right up my alley. And guess what? There's going to be a future tv series too with Nathaniel Parker. Excellent. I'm currently caught up with all the 88 episodes of Midsomer, the 22 Foyle's War and powered through all 15 seasons of Touch of Frost. Maybe this time I'll read the books before seeing the series. That's a novel idea. Even better...wonder if there's audio I can listen to while knitting! Hey now that's the ticket. Holiday are just around the corner and productivity really needs a jump start.

Current Craftsy KAL & a Sale

Crafty's reached 2 million users this week. To celebrate it's a big sale from Sep 14-21st. Now's a good time to grab a class you've been thinking about with these prices.Here's a few we're making plans for shop KALs in next year. If you think you'll want to join us, get the class now:

 Current KAL (Mondays 1-3pm ish)

Craftsy KAL: Crazy Lace Seamless Cardigan (aka Design your Own Custom Sweater from Scratch): Make your own top-down raglan from scratch. Choose the yarn, use your measurements, then swatch. End result = your perfect sweater. We've an informal KAL on Maisie Mondays in the shop (1-3ish). Interested? Purchase the class, print out your materials and join us for hand-holding and encouragement.

Future KALs in the percolator:
Seaming Handknits
Knitting with Beads
Fair Isle Vest
Hats Four Ways
Joining Crochet Motifs
Knit to Flatter

No particular order to above list. Let us know which you like the best here or vote below in the poll:

Which future KALs sound good?
	Seaming Handknits
	Knitting with Beads
	Fair Isle Vest
	Hats Four Ways
	Joining Crochet Motifs
	Knit to Flatter
pollcode.com free polls

Want to see what the classes are like? Check out all the free classes they have. Good way to test out the format first before diving into a full-on class. 

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Enjoy the return of Autumn in upcoming weeks. Next newsletter covers the new fall yarns starting to arrive, whole crop of new patterns and a Holiday gift-giving primer!

Kim

Craftsy Classes at maisieblue Debuts

Some exciting news at the shop. Craftsy.com, a cool online "classroom" for wide variety of crafts, is partnering with local shops like ours. This means when you make any purchase on Craftsy via our special maisieblue links, as a retail partner we receive a portion of the sale. In return, we can promote and host Craftsy classes in the shop.



I'm tickled pink! Craftsy classes are fantastic. I've enrolled in several over the past year. And several new ones thanks to their big Summer Sale going on now (see more on that below). *good news: sale extended through Monday 7/22 EST!*

For those unfamiliar with Craftsy, it's an online instructional site with a wide array of craft classes, all with with well-known instructors in their fields. Each class has 24/7 video access to lessons, patterns, instructors and other students. Instructors answer questions via email any time and there's a classroom student forum to connect with other students. You  take the class at your pace, rewatch videos when you want, take notes with the video as you go, and bookmark areas to come back to. There's an ipad app I love. Easily pulls up all your enrolled classes so you can pick up where you last left off.

When a bout of late-night creative energies keep you awake,  pull up your class and continue, regardless of the late hour. The instructors are no slouches. They're bona fide names you'll recognize: Stephen West, Susan B. Anderson, Donna Druchonnas, Amy Herzog, Edie Eckman, Vicki Howell, Stephanie Japel, Franklin Habit, Laura Nelkin to name a few all have courses. It's like having a Stitches Convention at home, right on your couch all day everyday; whenever you want it!  Check out these free classes to test it out first. That's how I got hooked. The ins & outs of grafting and short rows are fantastic and you'll get a feel for how the whole Craftsy thing works.

Nice bonus: Craftsy is not just knitting or crochet. It's quilting, sewing, cooking, fine arts, jewelry making, designing classes. Any class you purchase via our maisieblue Classes web page or links on our blog helps us continue to host events and classes in our little shop. Click through via our page and we'll get credited for your visit.

In the future we're planning KALs for specific classes we love. First up will probably be: Myra's Crazy Lace Cardigan


I love this class. Enroll on Craftsy, then come to the shop for our meet-ups and we'll work together, knit-along style as we make our sweaters. Right now I'm busy making my first cardigan (Okay....I admit it. I currently have two of these sweaters on the needles as any good Cast On Monster would have). With this class you'll learn to make a sweater from scratch: with any yarn, at any gauge, customized to your own measurements. I've learn SO much already and I'm not even to the armholes yet. It's liberating. I can now pick my yarn, swatch, calculate the numbers and go! Watch for this Craftsy KAL in the shop sometime Fall 2013.

Now's a good time to give Craftsy a try. It's their big Summer Sale jul 17-21. Each new classes a discounted, some big time. I just signed up for Franklin Habits Heirloom Lace Edges and Joan McGowen-Michael's Feminine Fit: Bust Shaping Techniques. I'll be checking daily to see which classes are on sale each day. See one you really like? Let me know and we'll add it to the queue for the fall KAL schedule.

Craftsy Sweet Summer Sale 7/17-7/22 - All Classes now on Sale!

  *sale extended! now runs July 17-22nd!*

Head over to our Classes page on our website. Bookmark it and next time click through to Craftsy from there to help us launch our Craftsy Connect retail partnership in style! This is also where you can find out about our other non-Craftsy classes, like the Building Blocks series (next class starts Aug 3rd) Serious Socks (coming again this Fall & Winter) or details for private knit and crochet lessons.


Now for a little Poll Time Fun!

What Craftsy classes would you like us to do?
	Perfect Fit Crazy Lace Cardigan with Myra Woods
	Knit to Flatter with Amy Herzog
	Shawlscapes with Stephen West
	Wee Ones Seamless Toys with Susan B. Anderson
	Knit Sock Workshop with Donna Druchonas
	Top Down Icelandic Sweater with Ragga Eiriksdottir
	Knitting with Beads with Laura Nelkin
	Celtic Cables with Carole Feller
	Joining Crochet Motifs with Edie Eckman
	Tunisian Crochet with Purl Diva
pollcode.com free polls

Now for those intrepid souls still reading.... a sneak peek: Watch for our Birthday Sidewalk Sale Aug 10-11th. Lots of yarn deals and other markdows. We're cleaning house to make room for new stuff coming this Fall. More details in next newsflash. Just wanted to give our stalwart newsletter fans a heads up today. Also it took forever today to get this Craftsy blurb out so I've run out of time! LOL Thanks for being fans!

Kim and Megan

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