Andersen Fiber Works

Spring Fiber Show

2012-03-07T21:21:00.006-08:00

Tyler and I are getting ready for the Spring Fiber Show that kicks off on the 17th of this month at Abernethy Grange. For further information ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifbout the show be sure to visit their website.

Feel free to shop ahead on our etsy page. www.hanksinthehood.etsy.com

A new group and change in hours.

2012-02-26T06:26:00.002-08:00

There has been talk of a spinning group wanting to start up, so we gave it a try last Wednesday and had a good turnout. We will be extending our hours to 8pm on Wednesday to accommodate the new spinning group called the Off the Bobbin! They are an open group of mostly spinners, but knitters, crocheters, and weavers are also welcome. We have the knitters loom available to try out. It is a rigid heddle loom that folds up and is easy to take with you. For being a non weaver I was even able to use this! Just what I needed another fibery addiction. If you have any questions feel free to give the shop a call. 503-667-6852.
We still have our Tuesday morning group that meets from 10am-noon and Thursday's are also a hopping night with a big group of people from 6-8pm. We are still working on the knit a long on Saturdays from 11-1 and will continue with that. Many are still working on their sweaters and new people have just started. So in addition to the February sweater we will be starting a new project as well for those of you who are interested. I will be posting the project and featured yarn soon.

We are also excited as we are close to getting our new site launched! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and hope to see you at one of the groups next week. Jen and Tyler

Amazing Day!

2012-02-24T07:15:00.002-08:00

There are days in life that just can blow you away and I had one of those yesterday at the shop that I would like to share. Before opening AFW I started out doing bazaars, markets and fiber shows. About 5 years ago I had done the Harvest Moon bazaar. I was selling my finished goods and some yarn. I of course had wheel in toe and spun the entire weekend. As all of you spinners know when you spin in a place where there aren't a bunch of us gathering you get a lot of attention. Well I ended up catching the eye of another vendor. She sold felted bags and was drawn to my yarn. We had emailed a few times after the bazaar and she shared that she was sick and going through chemo. Knowing that she worked at a craft store I had decided to take in a goody bag of my yarns and a card to let her know that I was thinking about her and what she was going through. As I was coming into work yesterday and walking past the window I saw that a woman was sitting at one of our wheels. As I walked in my husband let me know that he was working with a couple as she was interested in buying a wheel. She had shared with my husband that she was inspired to want to learn to spin from a lady that she saw at a bazaar. Tyler didn't put anything together or tell me this. As I sat with her and gave her my opinion on wheels and a few spinning tips she started telling me that she does shows and that having a portable wheel was important. She continues to tell me that she had done the Harvest Moon bazaar and was inspired by a woman who spun. She went on to say she gave me some yarn and I still have her card it was Hanks in the Hood. I said that is me! I have thought about her so often these past few years hoping she was ok. To have her sitting there in my shop wanting a wheel because of seeing me spin a few years ago made for a pretty great day! Just wanted to share my feel good story. We ordered her wheel and it should be in today. I am definitely looking forward to many spinning hours with her.

Digging Out!

2012-01-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well after a week of being snowed in, it felt great to finally be back at the shop! The snow was much welcomed the first foot, but by the time we had 2feet within 36 hours, I had enough. The worst part(besides running out of wine and losing power) was after the dumping it poured rain. It then would re-freeze over night which is what ultimately made me stuck. It is slowly melting now though it still covers our backyard. At least getting out of the driveway is no longer an issue. The good thing about being stuck is I got a ton of knitting and spinning in! I knit two sweaters and a pair of wristwarmers! For the month of February we will be featuring our hand dyed bulky thick n thin yarn. We will be working on a basic top down raglan cowl sweater. If you would like to join our knit along you will receive $10 off your sweater kit purchase. If you can't make in to the shop you can shop online at our Etsy store. Just pm me and let me know you want to do the knit along and I will be sure to add the discount. The sweater is a great introduction to learning how to knit and design your own top down sweater. I love doing top down sweaters because it is so easy to try the sweater on at different stages and make any necessary alterations. Not to mention there is no seaming, other then closing up the underarm! I highly recommend picking up a copy of Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top or Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits. Both books are available for purchase at the shop and will be 10% during the month of February. We will be working on the sweater Tuesday mornings through the month of February with the gals from Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group. Join us anytime from 10am-noon. If Tuesday morning doesn't work we will also be knitting away on Saturday's from 11am-1pm. If you don't live close to the shop feel free to join along on our Ravelry group. You can also email me directly if you have any questions about the pattern. hanksinthehood@yahoo.com.

Happy Knitting! Jen

Exciting things in store for 2012!

2012-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

I can not believe I am typing 2012! Where does the time go. At the start of each new year I spend time reflecting on the last year and write out what I am thankful for. I then write what I would like to work on or accomplish in the upcoming new year. As I went back looking at what my goals were for 2011 I just about fell over. I can remember as if it were yesterday sitting down and writing for 2011: Open a yarn store, Work with Tyler and get him out of Intel, buy a Harley, eat more sushi, get more tattoos......etc. So I didn't buy my Harley in 2011, but I did get my motorcycle endorsement and plan on buying my Heritage this year! I also didn't get anymore tattoos and I believe my sushi intake stayed about the same. All and all out of the 37 things on my list for 2011 I accomplished 19 of them. So my hog is not sitting in the driveway and we didn't get to take the kids to see the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando(actually I think that was really more so for me!) BUT I OPENED A FRICKIN' YARN STORE! Not only did that happen but we also bought a mill, Tyler did leave Intel and we are not only working together but are fortunate to have Teri apart of our dream. Every year as I sit down to write out my goals most stay the same. Find more balance, open a year store, have more family time, open a yarn store, be healthy, open a yarn store, knit more, open a yarn store! Well guess what amongst health, family, balance and my Harley I won't be listing open a yarn store for 2012! It is still so surreal to me that this has happened. What a crazy ride it has and I am sure will continue to be. There were so many things I planned for and knew it wasn't going to be easy. I knew there would be many sleepless nights, that our financial situation was going to drastically change and I knew that every day regardless of how tired I was or tight money was I was still going to wake up sublimely happy knowing that I am living my passion and fulfilling my dream! The surprises that came this year were beyond my wildest dreams. I knew that I would be meeting some amazing new people, but to the extent I had no idea. I am so very thankful for Teri. Those days when things are hard she is always there with a positive attitude and lifts us right up. The fact that she can spend 5 days a week putting up with Tyler and I and are craziness is amazing. She has become family and we thank every day for her. Lisa Milliman who many of you know as Dicentra continues to amaze me. Not only am I still blown away each time I walk into the shop and see her balls.....LOL and amazing dyework I have also been fortunate enough to be able to call her a friend. She is a truly amazing person and her friendship and support of the shop I am forever grateful for. I also knew I would be meeting some amazing new artists, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't have imagined being fortunate enough to have met Sarah and her amazing Attitude Hats. Sarah and her hats are magical. That truly is the only way to describe her and her work. When I put one of her hats on I come to life in a way I never thought possible. It isn't only me either. I am fortunate to see people everyday come into the shop and just smile from ear to ear when they try on a hat. Some of my favorite moments of this past year in the shop have come from stories shared by people and why they are buying one of her hats. When opening the shop and having such a large space I hoped that people would gather and groups would form as knit/spin ins were created. What I couldn't have hoped for was a more amazing group of women to show up twice a week. The ladies of Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group are what makes it so easy for me to get through the challenging days. They are and will continue to be my inspiration. You have all cracked me up,(Marlayne and her two different shoes!) lifted my spirits, and made me cry with your compassion and support. Thank you. Deb, Monica, Pat, Alison, Kelley, George and Nancy, Jacey, Stevanie, Larissa, Jill, Maggie, Mokihana, Audrey, Anita, Kaylnn, Janice, Michelle, Georgina and the Moxie crew.... to name a few I also owe many thanks to. There are so many other people I would like to thank as well. Please know that there are many of you that I have not listed that have made a great impression on me and I am forever grateful for meeting each and everyone of you.

We have kicked off 2012 with a lot of new ideas for this upcoming year. Our first goal that we are currently working on is a shopping website. We are also planning to do monthly knit/spin alongs to feature new yarns, fibers, and patterns. We will be starting in February with a sweater from our bulky line. I will be posting further information and pictures of the pattern by the end of the week.

Once again I can't thank you all enough for the support you have given us. Thank you, Jen

Last day of holiday sale!

2011-11-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

We are open today to extend our holiday sale. There are many markdowns througout the shop including Attitude Hats and wheels!

Spend $50 and receive 10% off yarn and fiber only excluding sale items

Spend $75 and receive 25% off yarn and fiber only excluding sale items

Spend $100 and receive 30% off yarn and fiber only excluding sale items

We are open today from 10am-6pm

Our latest newsletter

2011-11-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

AFW's latest newsletter will be hitting inboxes this morning. There have been numerous people who have mentioned to us that they have signed up and are not receiving our newsletter. We have updated our email list. If you did not receive this email and you have signed up please let us know or subscribe to the newsletter online. There are numerous reasons that may be causing you to not receive the newsletter such as a typo on our end, not being able to read your handwriting, or your security on your computer could be putting it in the junk file. In addition to emailing the newsletter we will also be posting it on the blog, Facebook, and there will be printed copies available at the shop to be sure that everyone who wants the shops latest information will get it. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Here is the latest newsletter:

Andersen Fiber Works November Newsletter 2011

The talk of potential mountain snow has us stocking the shop full of cozy knits. Teri and Jen have been knitting cowls like crazy out of Optim. We are putting together kits for quick and easy gifts. Keep your entire family warm this winter on a budget. Optim has the look and feel of cashmere without the cost.

As most of you know we like to re-arrange the shop frequently. We have made a larger seating area downstairs to accommodate some of the new groups that have formed. By popular demand we also have added a "little" cozy stove for ambiance.

Through the month of November we are offering 3 different classes a week. Monica Rees kicks the week off on Tuesday's from 2-5pm. Monica is a highly recommended teacher in knitting, crochet, and felting. She currently also teaches at Mt. Hood Community College. Drop by or schedule an appointment and Monica will be sure to help you with any of your fiber needs.
Deb Accuardi is teaching to your level of spinning on Wednesday from 1-3pm. Deb is well known in the fiber community and we are happy to have her at the shop. We have limited copies left of Deb's book Created in Oregon: A Knitter's Datebook. Be sure to get one before they are gone!
Laurel Coombs is ending the week on Thursday evenings with a beginning knitting series from 7-8pm. If you would like to sign up or need further information on any of the above classes please call the shop or visit our website. 503-667-6852 www.afiberworks.com

As the holidays are fast approaching it make us all think of those who are struggling. Through the month of November and December we will be collecting gently used or new knitted goods to donate to those in need. Receive 10% off your purchase when you make a donation.

December kicks off with a fun two day workshop with the renowned Jacey Boggs. For spinners who have been contemplating taking the class now is the time to make the decision as there are only a few spots remaining.. For further information please call the shop or visit our website. 503-667-6852 www.afiberworks.com

The Andersen Fiber Works family wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. We will be closed Thursday the 24Th to spend time with our families. We will re-open on Friday at 10am.

Thank you, Tyler, Jen, and Teri

Jacey Boggs December workshop is quickly filling

2011-11-01T19:52:00.001-07:00

December is fast approaching and that means it is almost Jacey time! Oh how we have been waiting for this day. There are a few available spots, so if you have been thinking about doing the workshop, now is the time to sign up. Payment in full can be made on our website through paypal, stopping by the shop, calling the shop or mailing in a check or money order.

Andersen Fiber Works
20 NW 3rd St
Gresham, Or 97030
503-667-6852

We realized that unexpected circumstances due accure, especially being so close to the holidays. We will gladly refund your money if you are not able to make the workshop as long as we can find someone else to fill your spot. If you have any further questions about the workshop please visit our website, call the shop, or email Jen for more information. jen@afiberworks.com

Thank you and we are excited to be taking the class with you. Tyler, Jen, and Teri

Making Progress!

2011-10-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

5 months into it and we are finally seeing progress and the shop coming together. Thanks to Teri and all her help on the retail/business side of things it has allowed Tyler and I to focus on production. Those of you who frequent the shop know that we have been hiding out in the back working on production. In addition to keeping the shop stocked we are also working hard on our wholesale orders as well as fiber processing. We are making it a priority to get our online shop up and running for those of you who are from out of town. In the meantime we will be featuring some of our new rovings and handspun yarns on our Hanks in the Hood Etsy page. For all of you who have been drooling over the one of a kind Attitude Hats and fiber and yarn from Dicentra, Ms.Gusset, Pico Accuardi, Stitch Jones, Crafty Puppy Lover, ColorBomb Creations, Fondle My Fibers, and Curly Cewes.....not to worry we will have a shopping site up soon. In the meantime many of these independent artist can also be found on Etsy.

For those of you locals that can visit our shop we have been working on re-arranging and have made the upstairs a huge sale room. You can find fiber by the ounce as well as huge discounts on off season colorways and products.

Be sure to stop by and say hello to the fabulous Cindy Abernethy at Urban Fiber Arts this Thursday evening from 6-9pm to support the shop and Judy Becker's first book "Beyond Toes". This will be an evening that you will not want to miss.
Tyler, Jen, and Teri

Question regarding hours

2011-10-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

We are closed on Sunday and Monday for production. We are open Tuesday through Wednesday from 10am-around 5pm. Thursday 10am-8pm and Friday and Saturday from 10am- to around 4pm. We play around with our schedule as far as closing times due to the demand. We are finding now that the weather is changing and it is getting darker earlier that it just really dies downtown. It is best if you are planning to come in after 4pm to give a call and find out if we will be open late that day. The one day that we are here all day is Thursday. We do offer private evening classes and we will also host evening groups. If you are interested in a class or having your group meet at the shop just call and we will gladly adjust the schedule to accomodate you or a groups need. Hope to see you soon! 503-667-6852

$10 fiber sale

2011-10-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

Be sure to come by and visit Teri at the shop today for some great deals. We have some discount rovings and batts on sale for $10 as we are making room for some new inventory. If you have the spinning bug we currently have the Ashford Joy, Traveller, and Kiwi in stock. For as little as $365 you can be spinning on your own wheel this afternoon!

Sarah has also stocked the shop with some great new hats. Sorry everyone the crater hat I posted pictures of on FB is all mine! Rumor has it she has another one in the works for next week.

The shop is also full of new yarns and colorways that are waiting to become a sweater! Hope to see you later on today. Tyler, Jen and Teri

30% off your entire purchase!

2011-09-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

The Andersen's are hitting the coast thanks to our good friends the Ienna's. We will be lounging in their beautiful cabin on the beach watching the rain dump! In celebration of our weekend vacation we are offering 30% off your entire purchase. Teri will be watching the shop on Saturday from 10am -4pm. Come and stock up on yarn, fiber, needles, bags, etc! This discount does exclude spinning wheels as well as Attitude Hats. We are offering 10% off any Attitude hat purchased on Saturday October 1st. Got those creative juices flowing after OFFF............be sure to come by this weekend and stock up. Thanks! Tyler, Jen, and Teri!

Book Club

2011-09-30T07:52:00.001-07:00

The book club will be meeting today from 10am-noon to discuss the Help while working on their latest project. We have finally got the shop put back together after OFFF and have done some re-arranging. The shop is fully stocked and feeling cozy as we are ready for fall! Come by and check out our sales bin upstairs for some great deals! Another quick note on our schedule. Once again we will continue to play around with our closing times. Tuesday-Saturday we will open every day at 10am. Thursday will continue to be our late night as we will be open until 8pm. Our closing times throughout the rest of the week will be fluctuating due to our class schedule and groups. Just call the shop to check for closing times. Thank you for your understanding. Tyler, Jen and Teri. 503-667-6852

So we have changed our minds again.

2011-09-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

After a conversation with Judy Han(owner of Sunny Hans restaurant)and an empty shop we have changed our mind and yet again decided to close the shop today. We will be back up and running with our new schedule starting Tuesday at 10am. Thanks for your understanding. Tyler, Jen, and Teri

Shop schedule during OFFF

2011-09-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

We have recently learned that the Teddy Bear Parade is the same weekend as Flock and Fiber. This is a big event and a huge draw for downtown Gresham, as it is the last event of the summer. We have decided to keep the shop open during the parade. Tyler and Jen will be at OFFF and Teri will be taking care of the shop. Our hours on Friday the 23rd will be from 10-4pm and Saturday the 22nd we will be open from 10am- the end of the parade.

We are also changing to our fall and winter schedule starting the week of September 26th.

Tuesday 10am-6pm
Wednesday 10am-8pm
Thursday 10am-8pm
Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 10am-4pm

This schedule will allow for us to do production as well as having extra time to plan special groups, events, workshops, and classes. Thank you for your understanding. Jen, Tyler, and Teri.

Oooh it's crispy!

2011-09-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

It is a crispy cool morning here on the mountain making me giddy with the hint of my favorite season that is right around the corner. FALL and the unofficial kickoff of knitting season. Today is a great day to come on into the shop and get started on a new project. Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting group will be working on their latest projects this evening. They usually start coming in around 5:30pm and are very welcoming to new members. The book club is also meeting tonight. If you have been thinking about coming it is not too late. We will be officially picking a book to read tonight. Head on in around 6pm and bring a few suggestions of what you would like to read as well are your latest project. I have heard interest in both the Help and the Hunger Games. The shop is stocked with new wine, Moonstruck chocolates, needles, and gorgeous new Lantern Moon bags and baskets.

Another quick reminder that we will be closed during the day tomorrow as we prepare for the book launch party. The party is starting at 6:30pm and goes until 10pm. Everyone is welcome. We will have plenty of books for purchase to be signed as well as appetizers and beverages. Further information can be found on our or feel free to give us a call at the shop. 503-667-6852

We are also preparing for Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival that starts next week. We will be closing the shop on Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th.

As the market is starting to slow down and come to an end we will be changing our weekend schedule. The shop will continue to be closed on Sunday and Monday for production and open Tuesday-Thursday from 10am-8pm. We will be open on Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm. This new schedule change will take effect on Friday, September 30th. It will also be posted on our website.

Have a great day! Jen

She did it!

2011-09-13T04:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been in the shop since Sock Summit you definitely know the name Ms. Gusset. Tyler and I were fortunate to have met Kylie at Sock Summit. She came all the way from Australia to do the show. Her fabulous hand dyed sock yarn and optim can be found all over the shop. When we met Kylie she was on a mission to raise $33,000 to support the processing of cormo in Australia. Her deadline was Sept 10 and she did it! There is a great article on Kylie and her crusade if you would like to read further about it. In celebration we will be featuring all Ms. Gusset yarns and fibers in the shop. Mention Kylie and her cormo crusade and receive 25% off your entire Ms. Gusset purchase through the end of the 17th.

We have a full week of events going on at the shop. Wednesday evening Laurel Coombs is teaching the second class in her beginning knitting series. This class will cover increasing and decreasing. The class is from 7-8:30 and costs $25. Class size is limited, but there is still space available. Be sure to stop by or call the shop to reserve your space. 503-667-6852

We have a fabulous party planned for the launch of My Grandmother's Knitting by Larissa Brown. We will be kicking the event off at 6:30 on Friday the 16th and going until 10:30pm. Beverages and appetizers will be provided as well as karaoke. This will be a fun filled event that you are not going to want to miss.

Following the party we will be back early Saturday morning spinning our wheels outside celebrating world wide spin in public day. We are open from 8-4pm. Hope to see you all.

I'm Back!

2011-09-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

After surviving Sock Summit, August continued to be very busy. We got the mill installed mid-month and Tyler has been working on processing fleeces and going through training with Leza. We have also been working on a new fiber line. I have been having so much fun creating new colorways. I never thought that when we decided to purchase the equipment that I would get to play on it with color! We have put a few of these new colorways in the shop this week and are continuing to work on some more to take with us to OFFF.

September is full of exciting events. We are currently getting ready for the book launch of My Grandmother's Knitting by Larissa Brown. We have been re-arranging the shop and getting it all stocked up for the signing. I was fortunate to have previewed some of the samples and a sneak peek of the book and this is definitely one for any knitter's library. It is full of great patterns from top designers. The party is Friday, September 16th from 6:30-10:30pm. Everyone is welcome....so grab your knitting buddy and plan to spend a great evening with Larissa, Stevanie Pico, Chrissy Gardiner, Joan McGowan Michael, Leigh Radford, tons of wine, and KARAOKE! If you have any further questions about the party feel free to give us a call at the shop. 503-667-6852

September continues on after the book launch with OFFF the following weekend. We will be there ready to take all your raw fleeces back with us to be processed. We will be having a schedule change at the shop during that weekend, that we will be posting shortly.

In other news we have started the beginning knitting series with Laurel Coombs. The next class is Wednesday the 14th from 7-8:30. It will cover increasing and decreasing. For further information on the class or to sign up be sure to stop by or call the shop. We have two book clubs that have started. They are both reading The Help. One group meets on Thursday evenings and the other group will have their first meeting on Friday September 30th from 10am-noon. Everyone is welcome to join either group.

Thanks to the girls of PicoAccuardi we have two Cricket Looms, a Sidekick and Ladybug spinning wheel available for sale. Every time they bring Crickets in they sell fast.....so if you have been thinking about getting one do not hesitate. For $145 and a few hours of your time you can be weaving a scarf even if you have never touched a loom before.

Jacey Boggs will be at AFW on the weekend of December 3-4. This full two day workshop is filling up quickly. Space is limited so be sure to get your payment in to reserve your spot. Further information on the workshop can be found on our website. You can make your payment at the shop or through paypal.

Enjoy this last blast of sun that we are getting and get ready for knitting season! Jen

Last minute changes!

2011-07-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

We are so sorry to have to do this and apologize for this last minute change, but the shop will be closed today through Monday. We will be back on track Tuesday the 2nd at 10am. Between the shop being pretty empty with all the merchandise going to the summit and Jen has woken up with an eye injury and can't drive. So if you see me down at SS in my sun glasses, I am not trying to make a statement it is just that my eye is super sensitive to light. Once again we are sorry to make this change at such a short notice. We hope to see you throughout the weekend in the marketplace. Thanks for your understanding! The Andersen's

A few reminders

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to head down to the shop for last minute packing and labeling. The shop is looking pretty bare, so we will have to do some major re-arranging during the Summit. Just a couple of quick reminders. Many of you have verbally told me that you want to reserve a spot for the Jacey Boggs two day workshophttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif December 3-4th. If you really want to take the class now is the time to at least put down your $50 deposit. The class is $250 and is two full days. There are only 22 spots available and over half of them have been paid for and guaranteed their spot. I will be advertising the workshop at the Summit and I am positive by the end of the weekend it will be completely full. At this point there are room for 10 more people. You can easily make your deposit through our website or in person at the shop. In the case of a frenzy after posting this and more then the allotted available slots get filled up, it will come down to the time you paid and then a waiting list will be started. If you have any further questions visit the website or feel free to call the shop. Which is the other reminder...we are CLOSED today and Saturday. The rest of the week our schedule remains the same. Hope to see you some time during the weekend. Hanks in the Hood is in booth 806 and Dicentra is in booth 701!

Ready or not here we go!

2011-07-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Sock Summit is here! We have been dyeing and carding like crazy getting ready for this huge event. Hanks in the Hood's booth number is 806. Also be sure to stop by one of AFW's favorite artists Dicentra in booth 701. The shop schedule will be changing a bit this week due to the summit. This week's schedule is as follows:
Tuesday 10am-5pm
Wednesday CLOSED
Thursday 12-8pm
Friday 11am-5pm
Saturday, Sunday and Monday CLOSED.

We will be returning to our normal schedule on Tuesday August 2nd. For further information you can visit our website and the Sock Summit site. Hope to see you there!

We survived ArtWalk but the madness continues as we prepare for Sock Summit

2011-07-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

ArtWalk was a blast! Mother nature even decided to cooperate for the most part. It was touch and go there for a bit in the morning with the rain, but for the most part an overcast, comfortable day. We drew in a ton of people with the gorgeous Lantern Moon display of bags and baskets in the window and of course the kick ass Attitude Hats! 7 of those babies went right out the door. It killed Jen watching them all leave especially the blue and yellow one that Riley is wearing in the FB picture. She has been begging for us to buy her that hat and now we can't. Sarah kept letting us know that Jen is a terrible sales person because the customers think that the hats are all hers and not for sale! LOL. The one hat we didn't mourn was the gorgeous ladybug hat. It went to the most amazing woman with the most amazing story. To keep her name private we will refer to her as June. June is a regular customer of ours and an absolute delight to be around. She just brightens the shop up every time she walks in. So here she comes in during ArtWalk and is right at the hats trying them on. Instantly falls in love with the Ladybug hat and asks me to set it behind the counter that she would be back. June comes back, in a new outfit dressed to the nines and looking fabulous. Get ready to pull the kleenex out because this is a tear jerker....and we do hope that she doesn't mind us sharing this story. Of course Jen was wearing her Attitude Hat and insisted jJune got a picture with her and Sarah all wearing their hats. Before the picture June said I have to tell you this is a gift from my husband. She said well he has been deceased for 10 years now and before he died he made me promise that if he was to pass before I did that I would have his gold bridge removed and buy something for myself. She then proceeds to tell me that she took that bridge and got the money to buy the hat! She had been waiting for just the right thing for 10 years to spend that money on. Boy the waterworks were just pouring out of everyone. I am still all choked up even typing this. She just looked fabulous and by far that was the highlight of the entire day! Best of all she is a regular so that won't be the last time we get to see her in that hat.

The madness doesn't stop though as Jen is now preparing for Sock Summit. Jen is in a bit of a panic and is hoping she can pull it off. You may not be seeing her around the shop as often these next few days as she will be frantically creating batts for the Summit.

We are hosting 3rd Thursday tonight, so be sure to come on down and enjoy some appetizers and wine and check out all the new goodies we have out in the shop. We are hoping to have a good crowd as the Andersen family got their 5 minutes of fame yesterday when an article in the local Gresham Outlook came out. Jen was very thankful to Ann who wrote the story as she spent 2 1/2 hours interviewing her, trying to understand the entire process and what the shop was all about.

On some other new news we just received some new Ashford spinning wheels. We also managed to get our hands on the rare Limited Edition Elizabeth wheel! Yeah we are pretty stoaked about that.

One last note we are trying to figure out our shop and Sock Summit schedule. Next we will be altering our hours for the show. We will have that change posted shortly. Have a great day and we hope to see you tonight for 3rd Thursday. The Andersen Family

Ready to Rock the ArtWalk!

2011-07-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mother nature may be a bit confused about summer, but that isn't slowing down the ArtWalk. Vendors are packed in all down Main Street and AFW is ready to go! We have been told that it will feel packed like Disneyland! Those of you who don't know Jen personally she loves huge crowds about as much as having a root canal! Tyler is setting her up on top of the stairs so she can card! We will be having the upstairs closed today for the event, but not to worry the product has all been moved downstairs and we are as ready as can be. In addition to tons of fiber and yarn we have gorgeous felted hats, baskets, purses, scarves, sweaters and if nothing else come on in and dry off from the rain and have a glass of wine and Moonstruck chocolate. Hope to see you.....amongst the 12k other visitors that are expected.

PS as we are finishing this post the rain has stopped and Gresham is looking to clear up for a great day!

Getting ready for ArtWalk

2011-07-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

The shop is in constant transition once again as we are preparing for ArtWalk this coming Saturday. Our store wide sale continues with 40%-50% off select fibers as well as 10% off all yarns. Jen finally got the carder running so there are some great new batts out on the floor. For all you FB, Blogger, and Raverly fans come on in with the code: Bring back the Sun and receive 20% of any Hanks in the Hood batt....no limit! In addition to new batts we also have some amazing new AttitudeHats. Sarah continues to outdo her self with her funky, one of a kind, unique style. There are a limited amount of the hats so be sure to come and get yours before they will all be gone by ArtWalk. She has also brought in some adorable baby hats as well! We are also honored to be carrying some more Lantern Moon products. Sean will be by this morning and we will have product out by mid afternoon. We are also honored to be working with Moda HandKnit Designs by Taciana. She has some adorable handmade clutc knitting tool bags topped with and embroidered edge and crochet flower. She also has some great smaller project bags that are made out of 100% recycled fabric. She is currently working on some baby blanket kits that will be available with Hanks in the Hood yarn by ArtWalk. For all you felters and spinners the shop is completely stocked with every color imaginable in merino wool!
We are currently featuring the new book Knit Swirl by Sandra McIver. There are a few of us(including Jen)that are doing a knit along. There are 3 books left and selling fast. If you would like to knit along with us and purchase the yarn for your project from the shop we will give you 10% off your entire yarn purchase. We are open from noon to 8pm tonight so come and blow off the clouds and spend some time lounging and crafting. Hope to see you today...The Andersen's!

Baby Ellie and the Andersen girls all love our Attitude Hats!

Store wide sale continues!

2011-07-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Another crazy summer day as we are leaving the mountain with pouring rain. Hoping it is clear in Gresham. In celebration of ArtWalk that is coming up this Saturday the 16th we will be running a storewide sale all week long. 50-40% off select items, 10% off all yarns including handspun. All items will be marked so you don't need a daily code to receive them, however today's daily deal is if you spend $100 you get an extra 10% off this includes needles and finished goods. To receive this deal you must tell Jen or Tyler that they need a new tattoo!

For those of you who have nothing going on this morning Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group would love to have you join them. They usually hang out upstairs between 10am-1pm. Come and get your knit on with a fun bunch of gals!

Yeah Saturday

2011-07-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining we have Lady Gaga screaming through the speakers and we have a store wide sale going on. Bring your wheel, hook, needles, or craft of your choice and enjoy the rays and some great deals! 50% off select items. Definitely worth a trip to 3rd and Main. It is Tyler's first official day at AFW so come on down this afternoon and say hello.....he's sleeping in!

Woops!

2011-07-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so I spaced on yesterday's deal! To make up for it we will be offering 40% off your entire purchase today, excluding spinning supplies and finished goods. Today is Tyler's official last day at Intel, so there will definitely be some celebrating for the Andersen family. We are so excited for this next adventure and some new additions to AFW that we will be announcing later on this month. If you aren't busy this morning the Outlook will be doing an interview on us at 11am. They would love to have some regular customers in the shop to interview! Hope to see you today and sorry for yesterday's messup! To receive today's deal the code word is...Congratulations Tyler!

Wool Wednesday!

2011-07-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th and enjoyed all the beautiful sun we have been getting! It was sure nice to have 3 days at home to re-group! This is a big week for the Andersen's as Tyler's last day at Intel is this Friday. Excited, nervous, feeling a little bit crazy, but can't wait...all rolled into one emotion. Tyler built a couple of new display racks over the weekend and we did a bit of re-arranging in the shop yesterday. We are definitely making progress and the white cubes are slowly going away! The shop is a bit of a mess today, but that doesn't mean you can't find a good deal. 4oz. Merino wool braids are $5 off. That means $10 for hand dyed merino! All you need to do is come in and say "Jen why don't you have your Harley yet!". Have a great day...Jen.

Can we say Summer!

2011-07-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

Do I dare type that word! I think it has officially arrived..at least for this weekend! Head on dawn grab your fruits and veges and stop by AFW! Tyler is feeling very clever this morning and has made up the daily deal! In honor of Independence day we are offering 20% off any fiber or yarn done by an independent artist. HEHE! Clever Tyler! The code word is Happy 4th of July! Last reminder you won't be seeing us until Wednesday July 6th! Have a happy and safe holiday weekend. Most importantly enjoy the sunny weather!

I see sun on the mountain...which means it is definitely in Gresham!

2011-07-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Grab that vitamin D while you can people! There will be some spinning, clicking, hooking, or weaving going on in front of the fountain today at AFW....so come on down and enjoy the sun with us. We had a great night celebrating a birthday with some members of One Hell of a Knitting Group, and are ready for another great day. Today's deal is 40% one single item(limit one per person)...this does not include equipment, needles or any finished goods. To receive our deal mention YAY for vitamin D! Another reminder that we will be closed Tuesday the 5th in observance of the holiday. If we don't see you before then have a safe and happy 4th! AFW!

Thursday's deal

2011-06-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well Oregonian's it is another beautiful knitting summer weather day. The rain just poured on us as we were coming in off of the mountain. It is dry in Gresham so come on down to Andersen Fiber Works and get going on a project. If you are busy today, stop by tonight and enjoy Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting group for a knit/spin in and some wine! Today's daily deal is featured artist WhorlingTides. We have taken her beautiful fibers out of the packaging and re-arranged them all so you can really see their true beauty. Come in with today's code of WhorlingTides and receive 20% your entire order of her beatufilly hand dyed fiber. This deal does not include her handspun yarns or finished goods. Can't end the post without some pictures of my friends knitting socks on their antique knitting machines! Thanks for coming in yesterday! Have a great day! AFW.

Bring on Wednesday!

2011-06-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

As always had a blast with my Tuesday morning group. Once again Sarah had to bring in a stunning hat....thank goodness it didn't fit me. Lucky for all of you as it is still available for sale! Everyone was excited this morning after the Black Sheep Gathering weekend. Full of ideas and cards and contacts of some amazing artists for AFW to look into! Very excited about out new and upcoming products and artists. Lantern Moon needles have arrived and more KP are on the way. We are also getting ready to place an order with Louet....so if you have been drooling over anything let us know in the upcoming weeks so we can get it in our order.

Stitch and Pitch is approaching quickly and Lantern Moon is organizing a bus! If you are interested let us know here at AFW or through Lantern Moon directly..ask for Shawn!

AFW has decided to be closed on Tuesday July 5th in observance of the holiday. We will be back up and running and full of new stock on Wednesday at noon.

Can't end this post without tomorrow's daily deal and a stylish picture of me in an Attitude Hat and fabulous shoes from Church Boutique....Mention Life is Good in Gresham and receive 25% off your enitre purchase tomorrow....no limits!

Tuesday here we come!

2011-06-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have to say Tuesday mornings are my favorite. If you are in for a good time you should definitely come by AFW between 10am-1pm and knit along with Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group. These ladies are a hoot and I couldn't imagine kicking of the start of the week any better. They are very open and encouraging to new members. If you would like more information on the group you can find them on Meet Up. There is some major talent in that group as well and they love to share their creativity! Sara from AttitudeHats is amazing with her wet felted hats and Jen can wet felt a necklace that will make your jaw drop! Linda can knit forward and backwards and all around. She lost me as she was explaining how she does it, but insists it is easy. Marlaine is getting going on the drop spindle and Christine is working on some socks. I haven't been able to spend much time with the group to see what Betsy, Sheila, and Mickey are working on. There are a few newcomers and some that aren't able to make it every week, so if I didn't name you I apologize. So as you can see an eclectic group of talent that welcomes newcomers! I have attached some pictures of Sara's amazing work. Against my better judgement I am forced to try them on and of course I am instantly in love and feel I need all of her hats. She did get me with the green one. It fit my head perfectly. I quickly took it off my head and tried to resist it. Then Jen comes in and says oh you have to put that hat on for me. So I do it again and she then proceeds to tell me that the feather in the hat came from Big Bird her peacock. That was all I needed and the hat is now mine. The gorgeous natural merino one is still available for sale though.

A few reminders Thursday night Socker practice is over for the month of June and will resume July 7th. Deb Accuardi is teaching a beginning spinning class Tuesday the 28th from 6-8pm and Monica Rees is teaching a begin to knit class from 6:30-8:30pm Thursday June 30th. Be sure to call the shop or visit the website for further details and to sign up. There is a minimum and maximum for these classes, so be sure to let us know if you would like to come. I know I have been promising a newsletter and I swear it is coming before this month is over. It will be full of info and classes and groups to come. If you have not signed up in person at the shop to be on our email list you can do so on the website. Lots of fun things and many new additions and changes are around the corner....so stay tuned! Don't forget about the Jacey Boggs class. It is filling up quickly so if you would like to reserve your space you need to make your $50 deposit either through the website or in person at the shop. This is going to be one fun weekend that all you spinners are definitely not going to want to miss! Before signing off I must give a shout out to one AFW's artist's Carla CurlyCewes....it is her birthday today! So of course we are going to feature her and her amazing dye work and handspun yarns. She also just brought by some really cute all natural goat milk soap that are shaped like sheep! Yeah hard to resist huh especially when the Tuesday's daily deal is 20% off your entire purchase of CurlyCewes. Happy Birthday Carla! Tomorrows code word of course is CurlyCewes birthday discount. See you all tomorrow, Jen

Quick Reminder

2011-06-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Just a quick little reminder we are closed today and tomorrow. We will be back at 10am with Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group! If you are looking for a great time to get together with some fun, talented knitters be sure to stop on by. They love to have new members. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and we will see you Tuesday!

Saturday is for Spinners!

2011-06-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

For all of you spinners that aren't able to make it to Black Sheep Gathering we are going to take care of you here at AFW with 20% off your entire purchase of spinning/felting fiber. This does not include yards, accessories, or equipment. This is for fiber only. So come on down hit the market, enjoy the sunshine, get some fiber and spin with us in the sun. Today's code word is SPINNING IS FUN!

WHAT!!!!! It has been 3 weeks already!

2011-06-24T20:01:00.001-07:00

I can not believe that we have officially been open now for 3 weeks. It is still a whorlwind and surreal to me at this point. Friday's are my early night (5pm), as I am back early Saturday (8am) for when the market starts, so I figured this would be a good time to reflect on the past 3 weeks. I must say I am still in awe that this has and is continuing to happen. Crazy ride does not describe half of it. I have been pretty candid and open up to this point with the videos and my blogging so I figure I may as well continue....with that being said the out pouring of love and support continues to just flow through the shop. I am constantly amazed by the kindness of strangers which have now have become new friends, that are willing to help any way they can. To have people continue to come into a space that you have put your heart into and dreamt about for so long and say how much they love to be there and that they will do anything to help see the shop succeed is priceless. The shop has been in a constant transition and I have learned a ton. When you are working with such a large space staging and putting things together just right become crucial....as I have found out, so the shop is definitely in a constant, evolving transition. I will say it is hard to find that balance between what I have envisioned for the "one day if I own a shop" thoughts, to what actually needs to happen. This is not a bad thing, but a learning experience. It is a challenge everyday to make the shop feel like it reflects me and my vision as well as to be set up comfortably for everyone who walks through the door. I embrace this and am thankful for all the advice and suggestions, as that is how I have learned and grown even in these short 3 weeks. If it wasn't for about 8 of my regular customers(yes I have regulars!:)) that have inspired me in new colorways and opened my eyes to artists and products that I wasn't aware of, I would be lost. I know you all know who you are and I thank you tremendously for your outpouring support, belief, inspiration, and encouragement in the shop and my vision. It is with your inspiration I have been able to cross my color block of maroons and black! I have heard from many of you who have said that they too have dreamt of opening a shop. I am fortunate to be able to work with a handful of you as we are preparing for classes or carrying your amazing work and allowing my dream to become a part of yours as well. I won't lie....things are not perfect. I keep thinking I wish I could have opened in a few more months and had things better prepared. That has been hard for me. I have had to learn very quickly that I will not be able to please everyone. Another tough lesson. It is indescribable to put yourself, vision, and artwork out there to the entire public on display to be critized. I knew that was going to happen and that not everyone was going to just fall in love with the concept of AFW, me, my vision, my work, and all the way down to the way the shop looks. That I guess is not the fun side. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post I have been so candid up to this point, why stop now! Those last few sentences I chose to write for one reason and one reason only, and that is for the other person out there who is reading my blog and has a dream to do something you love. You will have criticism and it will hurt. You realize you have to have a bit of a thick skin, and then you realize...no I don't. I am me and who I am and this is my dream, like it or not. For me my dream is to create a space that makes everyone feel as happy as I do when they walk into it. My dream is to introduce more people into knitting, spinning, weaving, felting and the endless possibilites of what fiber has to offer. The shop and I and the people who have come to spend time in it regularly all come from different backgrounds, religions, race, gender, sexualtity, age....etc,(you get my point). And that is exactly everything I could have ever hoped for. I am proud of the shop, the people I work with, the customers who spend time in it frequently, and the constant growth it will take. I do truely feel that this is "our" shop and I love that. 3 weeks....and I thank everyone one of you, even my critics, as you have all inspired, taught me something new, and pushed me to the next level. Here is to another amazing 3 weeks. Lots will be happening in that time. The I in this blog will become a happy WE as Tyler will be on full board. So stay tuned for the next chapter as WE have many exciting new things on the horizon that we are anxious to announce. Once again I must thank you for everyone who has walked through those doors....you have all taught me something and given me inspiration for the next day. Thank you, Jen

Cheers to the Weekend!

2011-06-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

We are ready to kick the weekend off right here at AFW. We just stocked up on some fabulous red wines from our neighbors down at Allegri's. Today's daily deal is to receive one Moonstruck chocolate with a wine purchase. Come down and enjoy a sweet treat while working on your current project. Our wines are available by the glass or the bottle. By the glass they range in price from $3.25- $7.75. To receive today's discount use code BRING BACK THE SUN! Also on an exciting note I walked into the shop with a box of Lantern Moon needles waiting for me.

There may have been some gloom in the weather, but no doom at AFW!

2011-06-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well typical Northwest weather. We kicked off the first official day of summer with a bang and back to spring like weather today. Definitely not gloomy in the shop today though. Met some great new people today. I was super excited to have one of my sister's friend from Washington stop by and introduce herself. Also had a great conversation with a couple who was on there way to Cali and their car broke down. Great people who definitely brightened up the shop this afternoon. The day ended with a wonderful carding class ran by Deb and Stevanie of PicoAccuardi Dyeworks. I am so grateful to the two of them for doing their class at the shop. Big thanks to Teri, Jen, and Gwen who came out and spent time carding and spinning. It was a kick to see all these Ladybug wheels lined up! This late night post is including tomorrow's daily deal. Beings tomorrow is Socker night once again we will be offering a 20% discount on sock yarn. Mention code word Harley the Heeler to receive the discount. See you all tomorrow and don't forget about Socker Practice from 6-8pm with our eastside pro Anita. Be sure to come by the shop or call to sign up!

Wild Wednesday!

2011-06-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the sun yesterday. It is gloomy here on the mountain now and I am hoping it clears up as we drive into town. We keep re-arranging the shop and adding new colorways daily, so be sure to stop by sometime this week and take a look at our new inventory. We have KnitPicks and Lantern Moon needles on the way and they should be here before the weekend. Today's daily deal is 40% off one fiber item. That includes batts, roving, handspun, and dyed yarn. The code word is FIBER! Have a great day.

Sock mania for our daily deal!

2011-06-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Two days off and I went on a sock dyeing mission! Many new colorways will be put up today and throughout the rest of the week. Today's deal is 10% off any Hanks in the Hood sock yarn. Use the code word SUMMER! It is hitting 85 today, so I would love some company sitting outside by the fountain. Head on down and enjoy the sunshine with me! Jen

Late night post for an early morning!

2011-06-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get a late post in as I will be rushing out the door for our early Saturday market opening. Beautiful day today in downtown Gresham and we are all praying for the rain to stay away. We are open tomorrow from 8am-4pm. Head on down and enjoy the market and spend some time spinning or knitting away. Rumor has it there may be a bit of show and tell with some Golding Spindles out by the waterfall! Saturday's daily deal will be featuring the fabulous work of WhorlingTides. Spend $50 or more on WhorlingTides fiber or handspun yarn and receive a Hanks in the Hood batt for free. This does not include any finished goods by WhorlingTides and this is also limited to one free batt per person. I know you knitter's, crocheter's and other type of yarnies are probably feeling neglegtced these past two days as the deals have been focusing on fiber. So for you non spinners or felters out there if you are to spend $50 on any of the artist's dyed roving, top, or batts in the shop we will spin it up for you for free! Certain restrictions do apply, such as the fiber must be limited to 4oz and it will have to be spun in a worsted and above weight. Please speak to Jen for further details and questions on the spinning. The daily deal code to receive this discount is Lobster!(I just bought some on the way home tonight and Chapin and I will be having a feast for dinner Saturday evening!)

Few other shop news comments. First off I must apologize to all of you who have sent an email directly through the website. I have just now figured out that I have been receiving them. My deepeset apologies for not responding. For those of you who have paid your deposit for the Jacey Boggs class I did receive your money and your space is officially reserved. I will be contacting you all individually to re-assure you that I did get the deposit. Just wanted to clear up some confusion on the website contact email list and apologize.

Secondly we have some exciting new Shacht products in stock. We are restocked with a new Cricket Loom as well as a new Ladybug wheel with an attached lazy kate and 3 bobbins. The loom retails for $145 and sold within 3 days of having it in the shop. Definitely a hot, fun easy way to get into weaving at an inexpensive price. The lady bug with the extra lazy kate attachment is $600, and not to spoil the fun but we may have a Sidekick floating around the shop shortly! That is if I don't snag it up first. We also have some new Schacht niddy noddys and oil to keep your wheel happily spinning along. If that is not enough to get the spinning bug in you we are also offering beginning drop spindle and wheel classes next week by Deb Accaurdi! These classes will be offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings and more information will be listed here and on the website this weekend. Feel free to call the shop tomorrow for further info and to get signed up. We are honored to have Deb teaching at AFW to get you all hyped up and ready for Black Sheep Gathering! Don't forget about our Socker night with our pro Anita on Thursday's. We are also starting up a beginning knitting and crochet class as well. We will be sending out newsletters will all this information by the end of the month. If you have not been able to make it down to the shop and sign up for our mailing list please do so by visiting our site(now that I know how to retrieve the message...LOL) or emailing Jen directly at jen@afiberworks.com. Well I am off to bed and looking forward to dreams of sunshine and a lobster feast after work with my son! Hope to see you all tomorrow. Jen

The sun is shining and we are ready for a great day!

2011-06-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

All right Oregonians we are getting some sun! What a great day to bring your wheel, hooks, needles or and crafty project you have going on down to Fiber Works and hang out in the sun. We have some nice summer ales chillin' in the fridges and some fabulous new wines from our neighbors down at Allegri's. We are open from 11-5pm today. Today's daily deal we are featuring two of our artist's Dicentra and Curly C'ewes. Mention Sun!!!!!!!!(with enthusiasm:)) and receive 10% off your entire purchase from those artist. Dicentra has some beautifully dyed BFL and a BFL/Tussah blend, yarns and of course her Great Balls of Fire! Curly C'ewes has some amazing handspun yarn as well as hand painted merino and corriedale. Come on down enjoy the sun with me and let's get crafty! Jen

Thursday's Deal

2011-06-16T08:57:00.001-07:00

We have been spending a lot of time re-arranging the shop and getting more inventory stocked. Today's deal is for the spinner. Purchase a Hanks in the Hood batt and pick out a second one of equal or lessor value for free! There is a one free batt limit per customer. We are open today from noon to 8pm. Don't forget to join us for Socker practice tonight from 6-8pm. $18 for the two hours. Regardless of where you are at with you sock skills Anita will get you all straigtened out! The code word for today's deal is Jen needs a motorcycle! Have a great day.

Daily Deals!!!

2011-06-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

We are starting daily deals for all of our blog readers, ravelry members, FB and Twitter followers. Each day will be listing a new deal and a code word. The discount will not be listed in the shop so remember to come in with the daily code to receive the discount. To kick off our first daily deal come in with the code word Sootie and receive 20% off your entire purchase! This even includes those Great Balls of Fire that you all have been awing over and wanting to buy the entire ball, so here is your chance. The discount does not include any artwork or finished products, such as hats, purses, etc. We are here until 8pm tonight.

Begin to knit!

2011-06-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

AFW is hosting our first beginning knitting class. The class will be taught by Monica Rees. She has years of experience in teaching. She currently teaches at Mt. Hood Community College as well as at Craft Warehouse for Yarn Yoga night. The class is Friday, June 17th. It is from 10am-12pm. The $30 class includes yarn and needles. By the time the two hours are up you will have learned how to caston, knit and purl. You can sign up and pay for the class by visiting the website, stopping by the shop, or giving us a call 503-667-6852.

Ch ch ch changes!

2011-06-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well our first full week is under out belt and we are already moving forward and making some exciting new changes. We are super excited to announce that Tyler will be joining AFW fulltime starting July 1st! This has always been the ultimate goal, and fortunately it is happening sooner then we were planning. After two full weekends I have realized that it is better for me to be doing production on Sundays and Mondays then it is to have the shop open. So starting June 19th we will be closed on Sunday and Monday. We are still working on setting up my studio at the shop so I am having to do production between home and the shop. This schedule will once again change when Tyler is on board full time. We thank you for your patience as we play around with our set hours. Be sure to visit the website for our new hours. We know you are all excited about classes and workshops and we are currently working on a beginning spinning, beginning knitting, and wet felting class. Don't forget that Jacey Boggs/Insubordiknit will be doing a two day workshop on Dec 3-4th. Class is filling up quickly and the only way to guarantee your spot is to put down the $50 deposit. You can do this buy visiting the website or in person at the shop. We are also working on some fun weekly events. There is a great knitting group that is meeting on Tuesdays at 10am. They are Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group and can be found on meetup.com. They are a ton of fun and welcome anyone who would like to join the group. We have a few ideas up our sleeves for knit/spin ins but would also like to hear any of your suggestions. Feel free to post your ideas here on the blog or to email us directly at jen@afiberworks.com. Thanks again to all of you who came out to support us through our first full week! Dye pots are full of sock yarn as I type and shelves will be re-stocked with new colorways throughout the week.

Opening Weekend!

2011-06-08T08:12:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend! Thank you to everyone who stopped in and said hello. Thanks to those of you who spent time spinning in the sun on Saturday. We were fortunate to have such a nice weekend to open on. I can't tell you all enough how welcomed and supported we feel to be in Gresham. All the positive feedback was so nice to hear after 2 1/2 months of hard work putting it all together. It will still be a work in progress, but we will get there. I will have my little helpers there with me from here on out as the kids officially start their first day of summer today!

We had our first knitting group move over to the shop. Gresham's One Hell of a Knitting Group filled the shop with positive energy. I had so much fun meeting all of them and will be looking forward to Tuesday mornings.

On other news we are offically licensed now to serve beer and wine. Moonstruck chocolates will be available by the end of the week. Come and join us Thursday night for Socker practice with our socker pro SockerGirl! Two hours to get all the sock help you could ever want. Whether you are just starting out or an old pro that wants to learn some new tricks be sure to sign up. The class is $18 for the 2 hours. For further information visit our website, stop by the shop, or give us a call 503-667-6852.

This is it!

2011-06-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well it is going to be what it is. I have today to give it my best shot to get the rest done. We left at midnight last night and I have no idea how I got home. Tyler just left for work with me pleading please just call in sick. It didn't happen, he has to do that tomorrow for the opening(hopefully no one from his work reads this and if you do, for my sake I beg of you don't tell Jeff or Bob!) So I am still winding skeins. Yep and they will not all be finished. My yarn will not all be out, and I may or may not have a sign up yet. My chocolates will not be there and I doubt I am going to finish my OLCC test beings I have to read about 8 hours of text before taking it. It will all happen eventually though. I do have a cash register and a credit card machine.......though I am not quite sure how to work them all. Tomorrow will be an adventure that is for sure. On a fun happy note one of the dresses I ordered came so I will have my Betsey covering my body, my Fluevogs covering my feet, and my best friend Megan running through my soul very important! I may have mentioned this earlier but the best advice I have been given during this process is #1 surround yourself with people that know more then you do(that one was easy). Whether they are here in Gresham or across the country in Alabama, Wisconsin, California or looking down on me from above I am definitely surrounded. #2 besides the reminder to just keep breathing the next best advice is opening a shop is like giving birth only worse! I couldn't have explained it any better myself. I think I will still be in labor tomorrow! So I cry and smile and then repeat. I still can not believe this is all happening. The shop and the work we have put in to it and all the fun we have had doing it, to now actually being to the point of opening the doors has been some of the best moments and learning experiences of my life. I will continue to say once again that the outpouring of support from all of you is beyond words. Believe me when I say there are so many amazing people in this world. It is not easy for me to ask for help and I never once had to. You all just showed up. Whether at the door asking for a job or in my inbox with encouraging words to continue to keep me pumped up! So once again thank you thank you thank you! I will leave you all with this before I get to see you all this weekend. I get these friendly little notes from "The Universe" in my inbox every Mon-Fri. Today's was so fitting I will have to print it out and frame it.

How adventurous would life be, Jen, if you were "challenge free"? If you had the perfect body, perfect self-esteem, everyone adored you, and you won the lottery every Sunday?

Not.

Now what if, painful as they may temporarily be, you could choose a life during which challenges might arise whenever your thinking needed expansion, on the sole condition that every one of them could be overcome no matter how daunting they may at first seem?

Everything makes you more,
The Universe

Besides, Jen, everyone adores you anyway.

So Tired.........Must keep going!

2011-06-01T21:59:00.001-07:00

Grand Opening weekend and Summer hours

2011-05-31T23:42:00.000-07:00

Visit our site to check out our opening weekend schedule as well as our set summer schedule. We will be playing around with the schedule throughout the summer to see what the demand is. What is listed on the site is when we are guaranteed to be there. If you are wanting to come by outside of the set schedule, be sure to give us a call or drive by......chances are someone will be there with the open sign on. Looking forward to Friday.

Quick update

2011-05-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

I know I have been pretty quiet these last few weeks as it is definitely crunch time. I had a mild heart attack as my husband walked out the door for work this morning. I was so thankful to have him spend his vacation time last week with me to help out with the shop. We really made a ton of headway and it will just continue to be a work in progress. 2 1/2 months later and I can tell you, honestly I knew the building was 4000sqft but I guess until you really start tearing into that you don't realize how much work it really is. I think even if we took another month to work on it I would still be feeling we aren't ready to open yet! As I have been dreaming and picturing what my shop would look like for so many years there are many things that have blown my dreams out of the water and some things that I am going to just have to take some deep breathes over and let go that I won't be opening with all that I would like to. It will get there though. I just can not even express in words how absolutely amazing this wonderful fiber community is. Other then my voice here on the blog and Ravelry, most of you have never met me in person. I am so thankful to those of you who have come by the shop and introduced yourself and stayed to help wind skeins or answer my questions of should I put this there or how does that look. My eyes are tearing up as I type this and my kids are wondering.....now what is crazy mom crying over. The emails and kind words of support and encouragement mean the world to me. Simple messages reminding me that I won't be able to make everyone happy, and that it doesn't have to all be done on opening day, or the reminder to just breathe is what is keeping me going these last few weeks. I really can not thank everyone enough. It is truely undescribable to have this kind of support before I am even open. I just can't wait to meet all of you in person. I will worn you all now I guarantee I will be a sloppy blubbering crying mess throughout the entire weekend. So be sure to wear a rain coat because you will be drenched after I hug all of you. Bear with me and know I am not some crazy loonatic that you are dealing with. Ok enough of the sappiness...my makeup is already running and I have to be presentable as I am meeting with the OLCC this morning. They are going to do a walk through of the building to see how it is set up. I am not required to have a menu beings that this is a special circumstance. That was a big hurdle, but we jumped right over it. If all goes well it is starting to look like I will have my license by Friday. Now if my chocolates would only get here. I suppose that is a good thing though, as the order would have been halfway eaten by now. I will be posting the opening weekend schedule today after I find out if the commerce is able to do a ribbon cutting, which will determine the time I will be opening. We will be open late both Friday and Saturday and open on Sunday. I will also have a set summer schedule posted on the website by the end of the day as well. Be sure to visit the website for the latest updates and detailed information as it is easier for me to just post it all on there instead of all over Ravelry, the blog, FB and Twitter. Once again thank you for your patience and support and kind words. Keep em coming as I will need every single hang in there I can get these last3 days. Jen www.afiberworks.com

Thank you!

2011-05-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank everyone who read my last post with an open mind and whether you contacted me personally or posted a comment I really appreciate it. I was hesitant all day long whether I should post that or not as I didn't want to offend anyone. I know that spirituality and religion can be a tricky topic and my intention was definitely not to get into anything like that, but to just share an experience that was not only new to me but exciting and positive. Once again I can not thank all of you enough for sharing your backgrounds and beliefs with me and still being supportive. I am just continued to be amazed by how fortunate I am to have this much support before the shop even opens. I guess I really shouldn't be too surprised knitters, spinners, weavers, crocheters, felters and anyone else I may have left out in the fiber community is all so supportive of one another. You may be covered in tattoos, be a doctor, a democrat, a republican, have purple hair, or believe that we are all aliens....and it doesn't matter when we all get together magic really does happen and views, personalities, race, religion, profession, and physical appearance all goes out the window. I am just so excited to get "our" shop open, so we can share all this creativity under one roof. So thank you and as one of you said to me that I just must quote....."Let's keep Portland Weird!" Gotta love it. Jen

Feng Shui and a very active Fiber Works!

2011-05-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very exciting, yet interesting day to say the least. I had a consultation with a Feng Shui expert yesterday. Now don't you all have a good laugh at me, but this whole idea of having someone come in and work with me on staging the shop in a Feng Shui way came to me in meditation. Ok now stop snickering! These days when I get a message or I am told something I am really listening. Some advice or ideas never really transpire, but this one did in a big way. I have never really had any experience in Feng Shui, though it is something I have always been intrigued by and would have liked to learn more about. So that day after my meditation(about a month ago)I got online and started researching experts in the area. I read through quite a few profiles and chose two that I thought I would like to work with. One got back to me immediately and we had set a date for a consultation. Now over the phone it is hard to tell if you are going to have a connection with someone or not. I guess I got off the phone with this individual and thought well she sure didn't disappoint and made an appt. So moving forward a couple of weeks to when I had the appointment scheduled to meet with her, the shop still wasn't far enough along to make the consultation worth it, so I postponed and told her I would re-schedule when we were further along. Now I am going to step back a bit here. For those of you who have been following along between the blog and the videos, know that the moment I walked into that building I felt a rush of just positive energy. As much as I tried to fight taking on this large space and all the work that had to be done to it before even opening, I just couldn't. I looked at building after building and just kept being drawn back to this one. Everything was really lined up as the landlord and I really had a special connection. I have enjoyed learning about the history of the building and consider it a great honor that after 50 years of being a bridal shop and two years of the building sitting empty, that she chose me and my dream to transpire in her shop. She had a few other people that were interested in the building before and turned each one of them down, so extremely honored that I was the one she felt would be the right fit. Now the first walk through with the leasing agent I was just so extremely awestruck by how big the building was not to mention all the work that had to be done. So other then the rush of positive energy at the beginning the rest of the tour was a bit of a blur as I just kept thinking this place just keeps going. The next time we went through was a few days later with Tyler. Now once again I am going to pause here, as I am going to be putting myself out there a bit. Don't want you all to think I am some kind of nut job and I also don't want to freak any of you out about coming into the shop. With that being said here goes. As I went through with Tyler once again the same rush of positive energy flooded right through me and Tyler as well as we walked through the doors. The building is extremely light and even in the poor condition it was in, just a happy place to be. I was a lot more conscience during this tour as I really placed myself being in the shop, doing production, and visualizing a bit of what it would look like as we were done. During this second time around there were a couple of different areas that the energy was quite different in. I will not say haunted, because that is not what I was feeling. It wasn't a feeling of being scared either. I would also like to say that these areas of the shop also happen to be areas that the public will not be in, as they are the upper office and back production area that will be shut off and only used by us. So I kept my mouth shut to Tyler about all of this(he doesn't like it when I talk about this kind of stuff) and carried on. By the end of the tour we were both 100% confident this is exactly where our dream needed to be and immediately started working on the lease. At that point through the tour the leasing agent did talk a bit about the history of the building. I know I have talked about all this before, but for those of you who may be reading this for the first time I will give a quick run down. The landlord's name is Lee she and her husband(at the time)Dee were running a bridal and photography studio off of Main st, but in a different location. Lee's(I know the names are confusing...the wife)parents built this place for them in 1971. Very unique and huge and fit their needs perfectly. Dee ran the photography side of things upstairs(where my production area will be) and had his office on the third floor where they would steam the dresses and he would do his office work. It was told to us that Dee had ended up dying unexpectedly. I never really asked any further questions but at that point a few goosebumps ran through me. It was then told to us that Lee continued on with the bridal side of things and their son took over the photography side. They continued working for I think another 10 years before both deciding to retire. Once again to my understanding at that point the bridal shop was then sold to a woman who was doing their flower arrangements and she ran it for another 10 years or so until it has sat vacant since 09. So here we are. Once again little things running through my head that I wasn't concerned about but was definitely questioning some things beings I felt a shift in energy in certain spots. As I mentioned Tyler doesn't like to talk about these things, so I went to my best friend of almost 20 years. I am hesitant to say that he is psychic, but throughout our relationship I have witnessed and experienced enough with him to know that when he knows something he knows it. So we started talking on the phone and I didn't really say much to him about the building and my feelings at this point and he starts asking me all these questions. After the two hour conversation we are both sitting back going wow what just happened here. He picked up on everything I did and could name the locations without me even saying anything or further more without him seeing or knowing anything about the location of the building. He lives in Los Angeles. So I am now to the point that still not really freaked out, but have to talk with Tyler about some things. Fortunately Tyler didn't get mad and said he felt something in the small time that we were in there but then continued to laugh at what nut jobs David and I were as I was sharing our conversation with him. So we carry on still happy and knowing that this is the right location for us. As I go to finalize the lease and meet Lee for the first time I had one question that I am sure you have figured out by now what.......beings her husband Dee died unexpectedly I wanted to know if he died in the building. Now for meeting someone for the first time that could be a very weird uncomfortable question to put out on the table. I knew I would know if I was going to be comfortable enough to ask her directly or if it was going to have to be asked through the leasing agent. Once again I will pause and say here regardless of what the answer was going to be the lease still would have been signed and we would have carried on. Well instant connection with Lee and I had no problem asking the question during the meeting. She laughed and said she completely understood why I would ask that and that I didn't offend her in the least. Well in short no he didn't die there. I don't know what happened as there was no more information given to me and not my place to ask further questions. I was satisfied with the answer the lease was signed my deposit and first month's rent was paid and I had my keys....tickled as pink as the shop was! So we immediately start working that weekend. Yes at this point Tyler is up to speed and aware of what I felt as he felt them too, but still thought David and I were a bit nuts. So as we continued to work and restore the building I became more and more comfortable with every inch of it and never have had a scared moment for that first month. Once again those of you who have watched the videos know that has not all been the same for Tyler. He still has always felt to this day a bit unsettled asking what was that or not wanting to go upstairs and shut off the lights and making me do it. The kids and I have enjoyed teasing him a bit by saying "oh Tyler don't worry it is just Dee!" So that brings me up to about a couple of weeks ago. I am super comfortable and feel great and positive in the building and I can easily say it is my happy place. I just absolutely love being there. I was down at the shop a few weeks ago in the middle of the week doing some work. It was the day that I was actually able to finish up the railing and take the plastic off from spray painting. It was such an exciting day for me as after a month of tedious work of painting I really for that first moment was starting to feel like we had a shop here. I pulled out some of the furniture and put it in place took a video and before I left just sat there on the upstairs floor and started to cry. Tears of joy as this is all really happening and my dream is really coming true. I had about 15 minutes before I had to leave and get back home to pick up the kids. So I decided I was just going to spend that time sitting there in meditation(once again no laughing)and give thanks for all the wonderful gifts, people, and creative thoughts that I have been given. So I set the timer on my phone and started to relax. I lasted all of about 5 minutes as I had to jerk my eyes open and turn around feeling someone was behind me. The phone then rings and it is a sales person and I decide to just out loud say thank you(as I do every time I leave) and head home. Once again not telling Tyler or anyone else for that matter of my experience. Still not scared or worried I carry on. Well as I mentioned there were 2 Feng Shui experts that I had originally contacted. I had made a decision that I wasn't going to call back the first one I had spoke to on the phone, feeling that the energy in the building was becoming our own and that I guess even over the telephone I just really didn't have a connection with her. Then last week I get a phone call from Lisa Hersh, the second expert I had sent an email to. Her internet was down and she didn't receive my message until then. We ended up having an amazing hour and a half phone conversation and I definitely had an instant connection to her. We just really hit it off and the way she was responding to my questions and my vision for the shop, just made me feel that we were more so on the same page then I did with the other expert, so made an appt. for yesterday(which happened to be a full moon and she said that would be a good day). So that brings us back to the beginning of where I started the post. Not really knowing what to expect I did request help in staging and I said I just feel that the building has such positive energy, but there are certain locations I feel differently about and I wanted to do a cleansing to just basically preserve the positive energy, but make it my own and get rid of any of the lingering negative energy I was feeling. Once again never have I experienced a cleansing and even though I was requesting these things I didn't know why and if a Feng Shui expert was the right person to even talk to this about. This is another area that Tyler does not like to talk about so I let the cleansing thing slip out and allow the teasing of are you going to run around the building burning sage comments as he is laughing. So I meet Lisa at the shop at 10am. We immediately hit it off(as I knew we would) and start rattling on and on about ideas and placements and what a great space I have been gifted with. As I give her a tour of the building the areas that I had noticed before that made me feel different were very intense today. I just can't explain it other then as I was walking her through the shop the hairs on the back of my next were standing up and a strong feeling that we were not alone. At this point I say nothing, but Lisa does. At the same places she said man you and your husband are definitely right to feel the way you do as she was feeling the same hair raising, goosebumps, we aren't alone feeling as I was. We had a 3 hour consultation set and decided to start of with her teaching me about the Ba-Gua map and how it pertains to the areas in the shop and how to work within those areas to allow positive energy to flow through not only for myself but the customers who come in. As we are discussing all of this the building becomes extremely active in a way that it never has before. Let me just say that for the very first time I knew without a doubt we were not alone. So we carry on walking the building and pointing out the areas of the map and giving me ideas on how to display and where and why that is pleasing for the customer as well as for me. When we get to the back of the building where I will be doing my production the energy is extremely strong. We are both experiencing the same physical feelings. The goosebumps, feeling someone is behind you or right there, a brush of air going by you. One of the strongest places this was happening was in the very back of the production area where there is a mirror. For the few of you who have been back there the first thing when they see that mirror in the corner is where does that go to, thinking that building still continues and it isn't a mirror but an entryway to another room. Tyler had the same experience and so did Lisa. For those of you who watch the YouTube videos you know that Harley(my blue heeler)was also very disturbed by this location. We blew it off that it was just her seeing herself for the first time and growling at herself. As I look back on that when we were laughing she was very disturbed and upset. Her hair was standing up and she couldn't stop barking. She even actually peed. Now we thought nothing of it then, but putting things in perspective now really makes that quite a different experience. Animals(in my opinion)have intuitions and pick up on things that we as humans sometimes don't. For example when we are about to have a thunderstorm my heelers start acting different. I know that something is wrong and going to happen. I don't realize a thunderstorm was about to happen but they did. So back to her barking at herself and peeing on the floor. Harley has been around other dogs and has barked at them and had her hair stand up, but never peed. Looking back now(here is a link to the video)she was scared and trying to tell us something. So back to the consultation....as we start to go down the back stairs we pause as this is also a significant part of the map and Lisa is explaining something to me and things that I can do to help make it more of a positive energy. During this time Lisa stumbles and has to grab onto the railing to keep from falling and I hear moaning.(major goosebumps even now as I am typing this)She then says to me something just tried to push me down the stairs. So she says a prayer and asks for the angels of light to become present and help us. We then get ready to do the cleansing. At this point I am going to stop and let you all know, that it was an amazing experience that I was glad I was apart of. I left the shop yesterday feeling that it is still as happy as ever and as we went through the feeling of any other presence or negative energy left. I am deciding to not describe in detail what went on in the cleansing as I know that there are all different types of people reading this blog that have all different types of beliefs and opinions. I did want to share this experience, but I also don't want to offend or turn anyone off from coming into the shop that has different beliefs that are strongly opposed something like that. I also want to make clear that I am an open minded person and I chose to trust my instincts on something and it lead me to Lisa and this consultation. This was new to me and I am very thankful for the experience. I know a lot more about Feng Shui and the way it works and the movement of energy. I definitely would like to continue to learn more about it. If you are interested in further information I highly recommend Lisa. She does workshops and classes and I am hoping to have her do a class at the shop in the not so distant future. Whether it is a class on Feng Shui for couples, for business, or your own personal space at home it is definitely very fascinating. The cleansing that we went through was only one part of what the consultation was all about. In closing I was very exhausted when I got home. She told me that when we were done that we both needed to leave the building and that it will remain very active as the angels of light we called in our doing their work. She said that this will continue for the next 3 to 5 days. I was planning on going into the shop today, but as fate would have it I have a sick child home with me. I am taking that as a sign that a day at home will be good. If you would like further information on Feng Shui feel free to visit Lisa's website or you can contact her directly and info@fengshuinorthwest.com or 503-238-8681. She is very knowledgeable and a wealth of information and I highly recommend her. In closing I do hope that this was read with an open mind and that you will feel even more comfortable when you come and spend time at the shop as that was my intention in doing the consultation in the first place. Oh one last thing I will mention, the mirror. The mirror in Lisa's mind was a portal for entities or spirits, if you will to come in and out. She has insisted that we remove the mirror immediately, which we will this weekend. Another last thing before I go on spirits or entities, once again I am not implying that it is Dee who is hanging around or that what I was feeling was a ghostly haunted experience. That really wasn't the case. The building is so large and so many people have come through it. With all that different energy sometimes things just linger. Entites or spirits can also attach themselves to individuals and decide to linger. So take it all for what it is worth and know that between a fresh coat of paint, a cleansing, and a girl with an intense passionate dream to be doing what she is doing this is an extremely happy and inviting place that I know you will enjoy spending time in. Jen

Video on FB

2011-05-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am still trying to figure this whole Flip to YouTube to Facebook thing out. My video was too long for YouTube but fine for Facebook. It is all so confusing. Here I think is the link to the Fiber Works page to watch the video.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=109461959141051http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

More of sneak preview!

2011-05-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

I must share with you that through this experience I have received two pieces of advice from two very intelligent women, in the industry that I respect very much. #1 I was told(which was also passed down to her)to always surround yourself with people who know more then you do! Couldn't agree more and must say that has been extremely easy for me to do with all the talent I am fortunate to be surrounded by. #2 opening a retail shop is like giving birth........need I say more for those of you who have gone through this experience. Let me just take an opportunity to say I have two beautiful, wonderfully, amazing children that I wouldn't trade for anything; however we are done. One boy and a girl, couldn't be happier. Then the 3rd very well planned for and dreampt about child manifests. I can say I definitely had some contractions prior to the sneak preview on Tuesday. Contractions strong enough to say ahh I should go to the hospital(or sit at the shop until positive energy was running through me and the pain was gone, never mind that it was 2am when I left.) AHHH here we are Friday night and breathing again and back into the nesting stage as I prepare for the arrival! A few bodily aches and pains, but thankfully this child allows the occasional glass of wine or few beers while eating pizza(tonight's dinner.......this may possibly be the 3rd night in a row....of pizza that is). Needless to say between the ultimate high and the unavoidable meltdown that finally occurred, there has been many lessons. Thankfully I have am learning quickly and can honestly say enjoying every single minute of this absolutely crazy ride. I have spoken before of what an iconic building this is that I am taking over and how many sentimental feelings are attached to it, which in addition happens to be in what is called the "Historic" part of Gresham. Yes, I knew there was going to be a great responsibility attached to all of this outside of living my dream and seeing it unfold. Let's just say way beyond what I was thinking. No mistake I am still very honored to have been the one selected to fulfill yet another dream in this glorious happy building. Tons are riding on my shoulders from all different angles and I say bring it on......definitely up for the challenge. After the sneak preview and the response from people who couldn't make it, I know I am not alone in this amazing journey that has far surpassed my dreams. This truly will be "OUR continuously evolving shop" In wrapping up I will add some pictures as well as I am trying to upload a video of the shop prior to the preview. I will avoid posting the video of the water works that I filmed as I cried for my best friends to be there for me at that moment during my breakdown....Tyler, David, Briana, and Rhana. Just know I am not shitting out roses in this whole thing, but definitely imagining I am and that is what gets me through the next day. Continue to dream and continue to believe and when the slightest bit of doubt or a challenge presents it's self all I can say is fart and start smiling....it will turn it all around in an instant. Here are some pictures as I continue to try and upload my long winded video that is past YouTube's time limit. How dare YouTube put a limit on a yarn and fiber shop opening. Have a great weekend, Jen

Great preview and wonderful people

2011-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Extremely short post to let you all know the preview went great. It was so wonderful to meet my Ravelry pals in person. I will be posting more with pictures and videos come this weekend when things mellow out. Thanks again for all of you who came out and supported the shop. It was so great to chat and get some new ideas running through my head! Thanks again, Jen

Sneak Pre-View May 10th

2011-05-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ok I can finally commit to a date to let you all in for a tour! Tuesday, May 10th. I will open the doors at 6pm-6:30. The doors will then by locked by 6:45. During that time I will be giving a tour of the shop and you will be able to roam around and check out the public retail area as well as my private production area. This will be the only time that I will be making the production area available for viewing, as I do not have all the equipment moved in. This is all for safety and insurance reasons. For those who are available to spend some more time I would really like to sit down and answer any questions and talk about some of your ideas and suggestions. The upstairs area will be set up for plenty of seating, however depending on the turnout you may want to plan on bringing a folding chair, if you would like to spin or knit while we are chatting. Refreshments and drinks will be available. I am still working with the OLCC and do not know if serving wine will be an option. Regardless I will be able to offer water, coffee and tea. Beings I have received product from the majority of the artist I will have a limited out available for purchase. Key word LIMITED! For those of you who live out of town or can not make it on the 10th not to worry in fairness I will be listing randomly goodness on FB, Twitter, and Ravelry that will be available for purchase throughout the rest of the month. Links to all of these groups can be found by visiting the website.

I have to request that this be an adult only event. The store will still be under a bit of construction and once again this will be for reasons of safety. If you are planning on attending could you please let me know so I can get a rough head count. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to post them here or on Ravelry or email me directly. I can hardly wait until Tuesday to finally get to meet some of you in person. Jen

A month into and PAINT is stll the word

2011-05-02T06:13:00.001-07:00

Yep more painting this weekend and we are still not done! Believe it or not we are still on track for our June 3rd deadline and actually at this point a little ahead, so as long as this keeps up there won't be any major anxiety for Jen as we are closing in on opening day! We did major clean up this weekend too. All the carpets are ripped out and gone, so that felt great. We did a lot of back and forth between dump runs and bringing stuff to the shop. The market starts next Saturday, so it will make it a bit more challenging to be moving things in and out. The major big stuff is in though, so that is great. What is left I can slowly bring in during the week. For those of you on Ravelry I have promised a sneak preview night, so the local people who are interested can come in before it is all set up and see the layout. I was hoping to be able to do it this Tues or Thurs, but would really like one more week to finish up a few odds and ends. For sure next week. Either the 10th or the 12th! I have no weekend videos to post, but may have some mid week! I have updated the website about our exciting Scholarship Fund as well as an upcoming auction to benefit the Mt. Hood Preschool, that we will be donating to. To read more please visit the site and look under the Events and Scholarship Fund sections. Hope you all had a great weekend. We actually had some sun, which was so welcomed after waking up to a good inch of snow at the end of last week. We should even be hitting 70s this week! YAY for Spring........could it finally be here? My son would definitely say so as his nose won't stop running regardless of how much Zyrtec he takes! More mid week! Jen

Damn you facebook!

2011-04-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well once again I am taking the facebook plunge. I was on it almost a year ago for awhile and I kind of left with a bang......we will just leave it at that. So I am back with my tail between my legs as it is such a great way for advertising for the shop. So here is the link to AFW on FB. Help me out and say you like me. I am feeling a little lonely being the only one who likes my own shop, go figure.

We've set a Grand Opening date and I NEED your help!

2011-04-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Two things.......Our official Grand Opening will be Friday June 3rd!!! Mark your calendars as we will be doing fun events throughout the weekend. The second thing I wanted to put out here is that many of you have shared comments and stories on how the building has such wonderful memories for you. Whether it was a daughter picking out her prom dress or a wedding gown for yourself, this building holds a special place for quite a few of you. It also holds a very special place and fond memories for the owner Lee Kinnear Devore. I feel a great honor that after 50 years(41 of which were in the building)of running a bridal and photography studio that she is opening up this special place to allow my dream to take place. I will be working with Lee to get some pictures and stories about the building and her time there so I can post the history for you all to read. Unlike a lot of you I personally never had the chance to go through the building when it was open as a bridal shop. As I have received so many wonderful stories and comments on your experiences I would really like to put a special book together for Lee to present to her upon the opening. I know she would be so grateful to hear how much her dream and the shop meant to all of you as it takes on a new business. You can write as much or as little as you would like. You can make it anonymous or very personal and add pictures. I can not do this book for her without all of your help. So please pass this on to any one else, even outside of the fiber community that has an experience they would like to share. You can email me your stories directly to hanksinthehood@yahoo.com, or if you want to do a special page and add more we can set up a time to meet at the shop so you can drop it off. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to ask. Thank you, Jen

Seeing some progress!

2011-04-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

After spending Easter weekend at the shop and some work I did today, I can officially say that I am really starting to see the shop come to life. Saturday morning we arrived to the OLCC sign posted to the window. I have been going back and forth with the application and the county and wasn't sure if I would even be considered for it. So we were very excited to see the sign posted Saturday morning. I am not sure what happens from this point on. They said that it is a first come first serve basis and that getting the license usually takes at least 45 days. We made major strides with finishing up some painting and the railing as well as pulling up the floors. Underneath the carpet is concrete and I kept saying to Tyler that I really wanted to just do concrete floors. He told me that it was really difficult and takes a ton of time, so we had just decided to do the laminate flooring. We also have to do part of the staircase and after pulling the carpet up we were surprised to find that the stairs were done in a really nice wood. So we are just going to sand and stain them. After seeing the wood I definitely did not want the laminate. Tyler wasn't understanding that I wanted a really rough industrial look on the floors. I wanted the cracks and texture to remain in it. His experience of doing concrete floors with epoxy and patching and making them smooth and perfect, is very difficult and time consuming. I had talked with my best friend David who owns Church and he left his floors concrete too. He told me that he just patched everything up and put on a gloss. So that gave me the idea to just paint the floors. I went with a bold deep burgundy red. I needed something to pop after all that yellow paint. We got half of the floors done before heading out on Sunday night and I finished the rest of it up today. I need to go back tomorrow and do a second coat. Today was really exciting as I finished the railing and pulled off all the plastic and put some chairs out. It is actually starting to feel like a shop. I just can't wait to see how it looks with all the fiber and yarn on the walls! I posted a few videos of the progress, if you want to take a look. You can visit the website or YouTube.

Got hiccups? Love Dicentra!!!!

2011-04-21T19:52:00.001-07:00

Ok so here is how much I LOVE Dicentra..........I got a call this afternoon from the school letting me know that our daughter was getting the student of merit award. She has talked about getting this non stop for months now, so it was a really big deal. Tyler got off of work early so we could have a special night and take her out to dinner and let her know she got the award(it won't be announced until tomorrow). Dad gets home early and surprises the kids and tells Riley that he is home early to take us all out to dinner because she is being awarded the student of merit. Riley chooses one of our favorite stomping grounds here on the mountain........ZigZag Inn for pizza. Pizza for Jen and Tyler is usually accompanied by a beer, and tonight was no exception. There is a video game section in the restaurant so in between pizza, beer, and video games I get the hiccups. They were not the "Oh I can handle this discretely kind" These ones hurt and they were loud and coming every 5 seconds. I look at my husband, embarrassed and say you need to scare the s--t out of me right now to get rid of these. He is dead serious and looks me straight in the eye and says"Dicentra's fiber just fell off the truck and she won't be in your shop!" CURED! That s--t was scared right out of me and I was free of my loud and painful hiccups. Thank god I have a good sized stash of her fiber in the shop already otherwise the hiccups would have turned to a severe panic attack and a large hospital bill! Had to share this funny-but not so funny-story with you all!

Website

2011-04-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have launched a temporary website for Andersen Fiber Works. Between the blog and site I will continue to update the latest information. You can view the website at
www.afiberworks.com.

The kindness of strangers and new friends!

2011-04-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

I just had to take the time to thank all of you and your support. I can not believe how the Gresham community and beyond has responded to my dream of opening a shop. There are so many of you that I can not wait to meet in person and spend time with sharing our passion for the fiber arts. There have even been a handful of you that have gone out of your way to stop by the shop and donate furniture, props, or offer up your time to help run the shop or teach classes. I can not thank each and everyone of you enough. I feel beyond words fortunate to be fulfilling my dreams with the out pouring of love and support from the fiber community. I am sure I would be feeling more then overwhelmed at this point if it wasn't for all the positive support and feedback that I have already received from the community. Once again thanks to all of you who have reached out to me. I can not wait to meet you all in person. Thanks again, Jen

Week 3 and we're still painting!

2011-04-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the painting has turned out to be a bigger job then first assessed. Tyler and I were laughing yesterday about how huge this project is. When we were first looking at the building, as much as I loved it and wanted to be there I just couldn't help but feeling overwhelmed with all the work that had to be done to it. Then my husband looks at it and says Ah this is nothing! A little paint some new floors and it will be great!!!! He is really eating his words right now. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts he was using a sprayer to paint. We are realizing that there are pros and cons to that. With such a huge space like this and having it be empty a sprayer was a definite must. Especially with reaching the cathedral ceilings. With that being said it does go everywhere which makes the prep time so daunting. When we sprayed downstairs on that first weekend it wasn't as big of a deal because we knew we would be pulling the carpets out. The upstairs carpets were newer and in fairly good shape so for the time being we are keeping those, which meant covering them all up. Plus upstairs is the wood ceiling and beams that needed to be covered. Week 3 has come to an end and we are officially done with the spray gun. The rest of the painting we need to do is good ole brush and roller. YAY I finally get to help! I have felt pretty bad these last two weekends not being much of a help. We are finally to the point that I can really help make a difference in the shop. Things are definitely moving along quite nicely, but we definitely underestimated the time it was going to take painting. We are still on track for a June opening possibly end of May, so that is good. Dicentra dropped off the majority of her order, which is absolutely stunning! I will take some pictures and give you a sneak peek. The needles also arrived this week. There are a few more orders I need to place, but other then that everything else is pretty much on its way. I am working on a temporary website and should have that officially launched this week. Here is this weekends latest video

2 weeks into it!

2011-04-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

We made it through our second week of work. With Tyler's work schedule we are not able to work on the shop throughout the week, which is why I haven't posted anything. I have been spending my week days doing the behind the scene, business stuff. Boy am I having to learn a lot and quickly! We got the phone and fax number's all hooked up last week, so that feels good. I have most of my orders placed, which is also great. I am working with Louet on the spinning side of things and I will be getting my order in with them later on this week. In between all of that I have been super busy dying, carding, and designing patterns(the fun stuff that I like doing)! We are in the middles of the tedious stuff at the shop. I felt that last week we got so much done with the downstairs being painted. We weren't able to see as much progress this weekend as we just continued doing the tedious work of taping everything off. We are on schedule to have the painting finished this coming weekend and then we will be starting on the floors. From the floors on is when the place will really start to come alive as we start setting up and adding inventory. Just wanted to touch base with everyone and let you all know we are still at it. I did a small video on our way out yesterday that I will be uploading on YouTube, if you want to see how much taping is involved! I will definitely have more to report this coming weekend with some great pictures and video.

Day 3 and we've got paint!

2011-04-04T22:39:00.001-07:00

Well we survived the weekend and actually made quite a bit of progress. The kids and I ended up staying home for the majority of the day, while Tyler painted. He rented a sprayer, which makes a huge mess! We stayed home to stay out of his way and to get some much needed housework done. We ended up heading down and taking him dinner and were surprised to see how much he finished. The downstairs is pretty much done except for the high ceilings where is he going to have to get some scaffolding. If your interested I did take some video of the color and progress that he made. We won't be doing much work during the week. I will be in and out a few times taping off the upstairs, as we plan to do more painting on Sunday. The rest of the week I plan on being very busy dying, carding, spinning, and knitting! YAY for the yarn shop! I am having a blast!

The libras had some ADD going on for day 2

2011-04-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

Tyler and I are both Libras! Those of you who are will fully understand what that means when it comes to working together. Yesterday at the shop went a lot like my knitting. I had projects going everywhere. It was one of those days that you felt like you were super busy and did a ton, but then looked back and thought about it and felt like you really didn't do anything. Yep that was day 2. Day 3 is starting off a bit like that as we are sitting at home wondering what our next step is going to be. We did a lot of shopping yesterday, so I think that is what really is throwing us both off. We got all the paint and flooring. Chapin and I went to Target and bought those necessary things like a vacuum, microwave, cleaning supplies, and a box of wine. Yes I did say box. Tyler died laughing when I brought it to the shop. It was actually quite good. I couldn't find a wine opener so I was forced to buy the box. As I said I had ADD going on so bad I was wondering around Target in circles and that isn't good on a Saturday. Let me just say all the naughty children were out screaming with their naughty parents that were letting them do whatever they wanted. I couldn't think let alone shop and look for a wine opener, so when I saw the box I was thrilled. By the time Chapin and I got to the shop it was 3:30pm. Riley was at a birthday party and one of her friends brought her to the shop, so that was great that I didn't have to go back towards home. It felt really good to get the upstairs vacuumed! Tyler finished puttying the holes and thinks he is ready to paint. I in return look around the store and think no way! Here comes the libras........round and round and round we go. Of course I had to throw in there, I can not have any negativity in this shop so let's just call it a night and start tomorrow. Luckily we had separate cars and by the time we got home we were just fine, until realizing that it was about 34 degrees all day and snowing. Those of you who know me or have followed my other blog know that we have 2 blue heelers and a newly rescued black lab. Let me just say that those heelers are my best friends, the lab and I are still working things out. Don't get me wrong I do love Cheyenne, but she is no Sootie or Harley. Regardless all three of them are inside dogs. I felt horrible when I left the house and let them outside because it was snowing when I left. I didn't want to even leave, but Tyler insisted that it was clear in Gresham and that the clear skies were moving our way. So I decided to go and leave them outside and stressed about it all day long. Probably part of the whole ADD thing and not being able to shop and having to buy boxed wine!!! I was devastated to come home to snow on the ground and still snowing and cold dogs. Don't get me wrong they have a mansion of a dog house they can go in to and won't, as well as we leave the back door open to the mudroom. Tyler thinks that my two heelers, were naughty and took over the mudroom and wouldn't allow Cheyenne(his dog) in there. Of course Sootie and Harley would never do such a thing and all three of them were cold and wet, so I have no idea where he got that idea from. Luckily dogs are so forgiving and were just happy to have us home. I made up for it by having Harley and Sootie sleep on the bed. They were in heaven! Don't worry Cheyenne was taken care of too. She is 7 1/2 and huge. She also snores worse then Tyler does. So she sleeps comfortably on her plush dog bed on his side as they snore in unison throughout the night. Back to the shop though. As far as yesterday was concerned we did a few videos but nothing worth sharing. Chapin took a few shots of us unloading the laminate flooring and then the I taped us eating dinner. Pretty boring stuff, so I won't be posting anything this morning. Send us thoughts of a productive non ADD day 3 as we are about to head out for the day.

Survived day 1 and ready for day 2!

2011-04-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

We survived day 1 and are ready to take on day 2. Tyler had the day off yesterday, because his folks were in town for a family event. They got to see the shop, so that was nice. They loved the space and couldn't believe how huge it is. We got the water and gas all turned on and few other meetings out of the way in the morning, pulled some nails and screws and then it was time to head back to pick up the kids. We placed our order for 25 gallons of paint! Yeah we won't talk about how much painting we will be doing!!! After picking up the kids we decided to head back down and really get some work done. I was happy to meet a new knitting friend that stopped by to say hello and see the space. I was a bit bummed as it got dark to realize there isn't very good lighting upstairs. We will definitely have to be fixing that with some floor lamps and a few ceiling lights, as I plan on evening classes and knit/spin ins and the upstairs is were all of that will be taking place. Tyler is back at it early this morning and the kids and I are getting some things taken care of here at the house. Riley has a birthday party today, so we won't be down out the shop until later on. Hoping to finish patching and taping off and to be on schedule to start painting later today or tomorrow. I have posted some more silly videos of our official day 1 at the shop if you are interested. The first one is showing my goofy side for my good friend's in Germany Pedilu and Mouse's dad! Of course we had to take a dance break in between taping off the trim and windows and finally a recap of the day! We are waking up to snow here on the mountain on this lovely morning of April 2. Unbelieveable....it is actually sticking too. So off to start day 2 with more videos to follow!

April 1 Day one. Let the Demo begin.

2011-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

We are heading in this morning, to let the gas guy in and pay our big deposit, as well as another check to the insurance guy. That's the downside of opening a shop. Do these companies not realize that those deposits could have been better spent on yarn and fiber and such. We will be tearing out the carpet and patching the walls today. Pictures and video to follow.

Video Tour around the Shop

2011-03-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have managed to upload some videos from my Flip to YouTube. Here is the link to find them if you are interested Just a warning I am documenting my entire experience of opening the shop. I want to keep a video record of this exciting time for myself and family. Plus not to mention I plan on getting picked up for a reality show! LOL. I keep telling my husband I am going to go viral(I don't even know what that means, except you get to be on the Today show) and TLC is going to start the dramatic new reality show of opening a yarn shop...I can see it now..Spinning Out! or maybe even Spun Out. Those of you who really know me personally are probably laughing as I guess you could say that I can be a bit of a drama queen at times and really would be a good candidate for some good cheezy reality show. Anyways I am new to this Flip thing and uploading to YouTube. I am trying to title everything so you know what the videos are about and can bypass any that you don't care to watch. So here begins my story of opening up a yarn store!

Ok I am having a bit of a challenge organizing the videos in order. So if you want to watch the tour of the shop in order:
I've got Keys!
First Tour Around Shop
Shop Tour
Trying to make peace with my chandelier

I"ve got KEYS!!!!!

2011-03-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

We are heading in this evening to pick the keys up. I will be sure to have the Flip with me and have some video of the shop posted in the next few days!

Let the dream begin!

2011-03-26T17:09:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that I am actually blogging that I am opening a yarn store. I sit at my wheel or carder and just start crying because I am so happy that my dream is coming together. I have been working towards this for the past 4 years when I started Hanks in the Hood. Some of you who have followed me throughout the years may recall that I did open a yarn shop up on the Mt. with a partner. We were both moving in different directions and amicably decided to end the partnership. She is still running the shop today. Since our separation there has been a huge hole in my heart and I continued to dream and push towards where I am today. When we first opened my kids were very young and it was difficult. It definitely wasn't the right time and I was trying to force something that wasn't working for our family. This time around is completely different. The kids are older and healthy and I am ready and so is the rest of the Andersen clan. There are so many forces that have been laid out with these wonderful opportunities that I just can't deny that this is right. This is going to be quite the adventure. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for a June opening, but I am definitely up for it. I am going to try and blog as much as I can about my experience. I also bought a Flip and will be sharing videos of the progress we make. The building is so unique and full of history. It is absolutely huge. When I walked into the space for the first time I was in absolute awe. I felt this intense positive energy, but at the same time felt this is way too big of a space and it really needs a ton of work. After seeing the space we moved onto a few other locations. There was one that was off of the Main St.(which I wanted to be on) that I thought ok this is the one. It was a house and the owner is a photographer. It had a backyard and was beautifully landscaped. I was really drawn to it for two reasons. #1 the kids would have a place to play, as they are off during holidays and summer break and will be coming to work with me. So the kids being happy and comfortable is crucial in making this work. #2 the owner was wanting to sell the house and was willing to do an owner carry contract. So I had made an appt. with the leasing agent for that Sunday so Tyler could see the spaces. I came home pretty convinced that the house was the one he would like and that was the right fit, but I just couldn't stop thinking about this huge unique building. It bothered me all night long. The next morning was Saturday and I said to Tyler, you know why don't we go down and take a look at these places without the agent so you can look through the windows and get a feel for things before we meet up with her. I also told him that I just couldn't get the huge space out of my head and maybe I was just overwhelmed because it was so big and that it just needs some cosmetic work. So we headed into Gresham and after looking in the windows(they are huge and everywhere)Tyler was feeling the same way I was and said Jen you have to be here. From what he could see on the outside he agreed that it just needed a bit of a face lift and to be updated. The great part is that we can take it on section by section. Not to mention I will be able to do my production there. So of course after meeting with the leasing agent we said we would like to sign a letter of intent. We knew that the landlord was older and she couldn't fix the place up on her own, so she was willing to compensate some free rent in return for us to fix it up. Before I go on I need to step back and really elaborate on the intense positive energy I felt in this space that had been empty since 2009. There is a ton of history to this building and it is very sentimental to the woman who owns it. Her father built the building for her and her husband. She ran a bridal shop and he was the photographer. He had his photography studio upstairs and she had gowns everywhere else. Unfortunately he ended up dying unexpectedly. At that time her son who is also a photographer took over and they continued to run the business until she decided to retire which was about 13 years ago. She sold the bridal shop to another woman who ran it for 10 years up to closing it in 2009. As fate would have it the landlord has been very picky about who she was going to allow in there. She really wanted the right person and the right business to go into this space that she cares about so much. So she had turned down a few people until I came along. Lucky for me she believes in what I am doing and that I will be successful. I am sure too it helps that she has dabbled a bit in knitting herself. Regardless there is no denying that this feels really good and is definitely the right time. The entire family is very excited and supportive. I also have some amazing people that I am fortunate enough to be working with. I can promise you this much, this shop will be like no other. The unique architecture alone will draw you in. I am committed to focusing on the independent artist and to try and get more people involved in the wonderful world of spinning and fiber. I am also really excited about educating people on fiber. Prior to spinning as a knitter I had heard of merino, just plain wool, cotton, cashmere, silk, alpaca and mohair and that was about it. There are so many different breeds of sheep that produce different types of wool beyond merino and I am hoping to educate knitters that there is more out there then just wool. I could go on and on at this point, but I won't. I am beyond excited and as I said earlier I am crying all the time because my dreams are all coming true and on a level far more then I even dared to dream about. Feel free to post any comments, ideas for the shop, suggestions, etc. I am open to all ideas and welcome them. In quote of Justin Bieber(sorry I just saw the movie) "Never Say Never!" Dreams do come true!