May is the time for graduation in the valley. All five of colleges send the next wave of eager young adults off into the world to make the most of their education. This year we celebrate with them as our own KeriAnne Shaw graduates from Smith College. KeriAnne will continue to work at Northampton Wools through the summer and into the fall. Congratulations KeriAnne!!

We celebrate every year. Graduation and the reunions that occur at the same time, fill our little town with people from all over the world. It is always a happy time for me, welcoming back some familiar faces that have been gone for a while. I get to see and hear about the life since graduating of some of our favorite Smith and Mt Holyoke alumni, meet their husbands and children, and take a proud look at how much their knitting skills have grown.

Some mothers of these students have made visiting with us a part of the visit to their daughter or son at every opportunity, and I am sad to see graduation and moving day come because I know I will probably not ever see them again. On the other hand I had a customer tell me last weekend that her daughter was graduating and that she had come into the store when she dropped her daughter off as a freshman and now when she was picking her daughter up at the end of her four years. At least her attendance at the store was 100% when she was in town.

No matter how often people visit town, I am happy that they choose to make us a part of their knitting adventure.

I didn’t expect to be writing about philosophy, but every once in a while the yarn business and life connect in such a way as to provide profound opportunities for exploring life’s questions. As many of you know the plate glass window in the store was shattered last Saturday. No one was seriously hurt, thank goodness and the breakage was due to an old fashioned scuffle between two boisterous men on the sidewalk. The noise was tremendous, the police presence was comforting and the support and sympathy from the people milling about was helpful. By the end of the day the glass was cleaned up and the window was boarded up with the usual unattractive plywood.

Now we enter the wonderful world of insurance and the mountain of paperwork it takes to replace one broken window. Nothing ever happens quickly enough so I have decided to stop the worry and the frenetic pace of everything else and let the window get fixed whenever the insurance company and the window company can get their paperwork done.

In the meantime we are open for business as usual and trying to have some fun with things life throws at us. That window breaking has actually been one of my biggest fears ever since I first moved Northampton Wools to this location. Now that it has actually happened I find that I didn’t have to be as worried about it as I was. The thing I feared most has happened, I lived through it, I dealt with it, and realized that my fear was greater than the actual event. A life lesson- our fears are usually worse than reality.

So don’t be afraid of starting that big project or trying that new stitch or even of moving on to start your first sweater. Right now thinking about doing it is worse than doing it! Trust me, I’m still waiting for a new window.  Linda

The stillness in the air in Ireland is remarkable. I have never heard such quiet, even the baaing of the lambs seems subdued and relaxing.

From April 18th through the 28th, 15 knitters and some of their partners and I toured through southern Ireland and Wales. What an exciting trip. We saw lots and lots of sheep and lambs, green fields and pastures that stretched on forever, flowers in full bloom in colors that filled our eyes and we found yarn. We were able to spend three hours in the factory at Colinette yarns touching, choosing and sampling every color of every yarn they make. I could barely breathe as I walked around 2 rooms full to overflowing with the rich colors and the “touch-me” textures. Some of us were able to regain our self control and stop buying in order to visit Powys castle, others of us stayed at Colinette until every pile of yarn had been explored. It was heaven!

Now the adventure is over and I have some wonderful memories and some fantastic pictures. Ask to see them when you visit us, it just might tempt you to join our next expedition to Peru.

We returned to spring in New England, finally. The cotton and cotton blend yarns have arrived and are ready for knitting. Choose from several weights and textures to make your summer knitting project bright, fun and fast. Come in soon while the selection is good, some of these yarns are making a one time appearance. Don’t forget to check the class schedule and sign up for a workshop that will make your summer knitting fun and interesting. Socks are the perfect summer project, portable, lightweight and easy.

After May 31st Northampton Wools Too will be closed on Monday and Tuesday for the summer. Hope to see you in the shop soon, Linda