Hello!
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We both send you best wishes for health and
happiness in the New Year. We hope that 2006 brings you many
new and exciting fibre adventures. |
The New Year marks the start of our ninth year in business. As
always we look forward to supplying your yarn needs by being a
responsive and helpful yarn source
We will continue to offer weaving and knitting enthusiasts a
wide range of Rayon Chenille and Tencel products. We currently
offer the widest selection of undyed Tencel sizes in North America.
In 2005, we saw the sales of undyed yarn increase again. This
suggests the trend to hand dyeing and hand painting is continuing
to grow. Many of our customers have found it is the only way to
achieve the distinctive results they are seeking.
Both of us want to “Thank You” for your support of
Yarns Plus. We welcome your suggestions and comments.
Don and Marie
Yarns Plus will be closed January 25th to February
23rd …..
We’re going to be away so Yarns Plus will be closed
from Wednesday January 25th to Monday February 23rd. Orders
received by Friday, January 20th will be shipped before we
close.
We are in good stock position right now with the exception
of a half dozen of the 2/8 dyed Tencel colours. By early
March we’ll be fully restocked to handle all your
needs, on our usual “Next day on it’s way”
shipping plan.
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Red
What does February bring to mind? Well, for me, preparing some
work for the upcoming month means planning to use red and every
possible variation of this wonderful colour.
To quote Itten, “its irresistible radiancy is not easily
eclipsed.”
I have definitely found that red is one of the most popular hues
when it comes to selling my woven pieces. It has such a broad
range of beautiful variations-pinks of all sorts, yellow-reds,
blue-reds and orange-reds and then moves into purple-reds.
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Itten says, “ Red has a great wealth
of modulations because it can be widely varied between cold
and warm, dull and clear, light and dark without destroying
its character of redness”.
Red has the longest wavelength and lowest energy of all
visible light. It is thought to be the first colour perceived
by babies. Of the warm colours, it is the hottest and nearest
in wavelength to infrared which actually produces the sensation
of heat. It is the fastest moving colour in terms of catching
the eye, and has the greatest emotional impact.
Illustration of transitional family of colour blocks
going from reds through pinks to purple. |
Red sits at the top of the rainbow. The emotions evoked by red
are those that get the blood up; from love and courage to lust,
murder, rage and joy. The physical effect of red is said to be
such that exposure to quantities of the colour quickens the heart
rate, prompts the release of adrenalin and creates a real sense
of warmth.
The bond between red and life has made it a significant colour
in every culture on Earth. According to Yeats, “Red is the
colour of magic in every country, and has been so from the very
earliest times”.
Many examples of ‘red’ entering our everyday language
exist; such as ‘caught red-handed’, ‘red-light
district’, ‘a scarlet woman’, and ‘a red-letter
day’. Red’s character alters dramatically where the
colour turns pink.
| It becomes gentle and acquiescent.
No one really has a bad word for pink. It suggests tip-top
condition and high spirits-if you’re in the pink,
then everything’s rosy. Up to one hundred years ago
all reds would have been obtained from one dye, madder,
with a variety of mordants. Different mordants would produce
different shades and many variants. |
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Presently there are a great many red dyes available for us to
use, or we can begin with one particular red dye and mix in other
hues to come up with just the ‘red’ we desire. It’s
not always easy to get the ‘red’ you’re looking
for. I know I spent considerable time and went through many trials
to finally reach the particular ‘red’ that I wanted.
I never did find a ‘red’ dye colour that I liked on
its own. I am using Procion MX fiber reactive dyes. The formula
I finally came up with for a ‘red’, that I personally
perceive as ‘red’, mixes “Strongest Red”
with some “Fuschia” and a hint of “Navy”.
I found that the “Navy” helped to knock back the ‘orangey-ness’
of the ‘red’ dye. When I want a darker ‘red’,
I substitute the “Navy” dye for a black dye powder.
The amounts of dye used vary, of course, with the shade of hue
desired at the time. Think RED. Happy Valentines Day!!
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From the Distillery |
A full schedule of events is planned for the Distillery District
during 2006. Many of the favorite events that make the District
such a popular destination are returning. We’ll keep you
posted on all the planned happenings.
When you visit the Distillery District be sure to drop into Studio
105, Case Goods Building, 55 Mill Street, Toronto. Wednesday—Sunday
noon to 5 p.m. On site parking is now only available on the south
side of the Distillery District.
A complete schedule can be seen on their website - thedistillerydistrict.com.
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Parcel Postal rates
have increased
It would appear Canada Post ignored the hope I expressed in the
last newsletter that their annual start of the year rate increases
be minimal.
We received a mailing in mid December with the invitation to
visit a web site where all would be revealed. Much to my dismay
it advised of a 6.1% rate increase for parcel post with a slightly
higher increase for out of Canada destinations.
This increase is actually well over the 6.1% because the 7.5%
fuel surcharge is calculated on the base parcel rate. The new
rates come into effect January 16th.
We will continue our practice to bill shipping at cost backed
down to the nearest half dollar. We cut cartons to fit the contents
wherever possible and use shredded paper as packing to minimize
added weight. We would like to remind customers due to revised
International Postal Regulations parcels sent out of Canada must
carry the customer’s as well as our own telephone number.
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What's New &
Coming!
New Hand Painted Variegated Colorways...
Marie has started to create two new hand painted colorways that
will be available in both Rayon Chenille and 2/10 Tencel. More
detail in the next newsletter.
1450 Mill Dyed Rayon Chenille…
We have added four new colors first mentioned last month.
Red Purple, Emerald, Plum and Dark Navy. Sample reelings are only
a phone call away, toll free 1 877 4484544. We are sold out of
Almond and Peach.
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may just have it?
When we buy mill end lots of rayon chenille we often end
up with smaller quantities of some colors. When the quantity
of a color on a shade card gets low we may drop it from
the card but still have stock. One of these colors may be
just what you need for a project. Just call, we’ll
be glad to send a reeling for you to check. |
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Shows we will
be attending in 2006….
- June 2-4, 2006 -Friendship Wasoon Northern
College,Timmins, Ontario
- September 23, 2006 - Five Counties Seminar,
“The Eureka Moment”. Burlington Art Centre, Burlington,
Ontario
- October 21, 2006 - OHS Central Region Seminar,
Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Ontario.
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March/April Specials
Annual Dyer’s Special…. all undyed yarn 20% off 2005’s
lowered prices! see
more...
Shop for all your dye season yarn at great savings starting
March 1, 2006. All seven sizes of Tencel, all four sizes of Rayon
Chenille plus 4 ply Rayon will be on sale.
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Customer Satisfaction
Guarantee
As mail order specialists we fully understand the apprehension
to purchase yarn sight unseen. If you are planning a project and
feel our yarn may be suitable we’ll be glad to send a reeling
of any yarns you may want to order so you can be sure they are
right for you. Just call toll free 1-877-448-4544.
If you buy yarn from us and discover it is not exactly what you
wanted for your project we’ll take it back. We want you
to be happy with your Yarns Plus purchase. To make it absolutely
risk free we are happy to exchange an item or give a refund. We'll
even pay the return postage. Just call!
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A Little Pearl…..
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great
way.”
Napoleon Hill
American Author
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