More Scary Apothecary cross stitch patterns from Hands On Designs

The last three designs in the fabulous cross stitch pattern series Scary Apothecary by Hands On Design are now available! Witty, colorful, easy to stitch and finish, this series will liven up your Halloween display. The three clever new patterns are:

• Snail Slime ("Take a slug!")
• Spider Legs ("Serving size 8")
• Skeleton Polish ("No tarnish varnish")

Details on the designs and the materials you'll need to stitch them all:

• Stitch count: each is about 3.5 inches by 5 inches stitched on 32-count linen
• The linen: Cathy, the designer, used 32-count Winter Wishes, from Fabrics By Stephanie
• Threads needed: Classic Colorworks Bean Sprout (2), Boysenberry Jam (1), Finley Gold (1), Frog Legs (2), Pumpkin Harvest (3), River Rocks (3), Shamrock (2), Sugared Violets (1), Ye Old Gold (1), Zack Black (4)
• Kreinik threads needed: one spool each of Kreinik Very Fine #4 Braid in colors 011HL, 027, 242HL, 5013, 5510, 5535, 5720, 5815, 5835
• Designed by Cathy Habermann of Hands On Design

For more information on the new designs or earlier patterns in the series, contact your favorite needlework store or Hands On Design, https://handsondesign.biz/ 

Photos of previous patterns in the series can be found here http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2019/02/new-cross-stitch-from-hands-on-design.html and here http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2019/06/start-your-halloween-stitching-now.html

Read more...

20 experiences in 10 days and 2100 miles

Adventures with thread maker Doug Kreinik

Every year, my wife, Myla, and I aim the car in a direction and set off on an adventure. This year we decided to head for Vermont, my wife’s 49th state (now we are tied in the number of states visited). Along the way, we learned interesting facts and saw fabulous sites.

Hidden in the rolling hills of upper New York State driving out of Utica, you will find the Holy Trinity Monastery- a Russia Orthodox friary completed in 1946 in Jordanville, New York. Next stop was visiting a friend in Johnstown, NY, the site of the last battle of the revolutionary war taking place after Yorktown.

Our first goal was soon met by dropping into Ausable Chasm located south of Plattesburg, New York, known as the Grand Canyon of the east coast. Very beautiful, lots of walking trails, short rafting trip, and lots of rock formations. If you're going, get there early.

On leaving, we took the Port Kent Ferry to Burlington, Vermont—a very relaxing hour trip. It deposited us into downtown Burlington, a city with great restaurants, walking and biking paths, beautiful vistas and even a very busy boardwalk area on Lake Champlain. We walked the University of Vermont campus and saw the statue of Ira Allan, the younger brother of Ethan Allan and founder of the University of Vermont.

Then...aaahhh...we visited the famous Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream factory in Waterbury, Vermont. It was a very short tour, but we saw how they make ice cream and of course enjoyed the tasting room. I am lactose intolerant so I selected their Vegan ice cream (it was good).

I like to bake, especially cookies and breads, so a stop at the King Arthur baking school in Norwich Vermont was fun. I picked up some gifts and of course flour. No tour here, but if you want to go to a baking school, this would be a nice venue.

Being in manufacturing, I am always interested to learn how machinery works or was created. The American Precision Museum in Windsor, Vermont, takes you step-by-step through the development of the machinery used to create the machines we use today. This is the ultimate museum of how-they-made machines that make other things: from gun assemblies invented during the revolution creating replaceable parts to machines created for the cutting of gears, to the development of textile machinery. It was all fascinating.

When in Vermont, we had to visit the Vermont Country Store in Weston, one of Myla’s favorite catalogue stores. It was unbelievable the assortment of candies that are no longer available except there. I saw Charles Chips in a can and that brought back childhood memories.

The American Fly Fishing Museum in Manchester Center, Vermont, is a small museum that packs a lot into a limited area. It covers the history of everything fly-fishing: rods, reels, clothing, hooks, lines, and more. The fabulous non-profit organization Project Healing Waters has an exhibit on the second floor with a fish plate denoting the wars fought in the last 120 years. Colors used in the flies represent the wars fought. I noticed that the purple heart used Kreinik braids.

From the fly fishing museum, we stopped at the 301-foot memorial obelisk in Bennington, Vermont, dedicated in 1891 to celebrate the Battle of Bennington. The battle actually took place in Walloomsac, New York, but was fought by soldiers from Vermont.

But Doug, what about the food?

Kreinik friends know how much I love to find good restaurants and good food. We ate well on this trip! We love lobster rolls, and found Brown’s Seafood in Seabrook, New Hampshire, to be a very good place to eat.

Back to the interesting sites...

A surprise along the way to Boston was America’s Stonehenge in Salem, New Hampshire. This site has a lot of walking. Hidden back in the woods is an historical site more than 4000 years old. It is not known who created the sanctuary, but the on line app we downloaded walked us through, explaining all the rocks, how they lined up to Stonehenge in England, and also that it was used as a hiding place for runaway slaves in the 1800s.

We viewed the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit at the Massachusetts Fine Arts museum in Boston. The exhibit took us on a tour of his life and times, explaining who he painted, where and when. It was very exciting see all these pieces in one place. The museum also had a fantastic collection of old musical instruments from all four corners of the world. Never knew that there were so many types of lutes.

Wakefield Rhode Island, east of Newport, has a lot of small mom and pop stores including a drug store with a soda jerk. It's a fun stop if you're driving through.

Myla has always wanted to visit the Catskills, so after visiting my older brother in Connecticut we headed to Woodridge, New York, in the heart of the Catskills to visit Doris, owner of Needle Gallery and More. It was a lot of fun surprising her and getting a tour of the shop, which stocks Kreinik threads. Check out my video posted on Kreinik's Facebook page.

The Poconos are vast. Lake Harmony was perfect place to spend an evening of eating and sitting outside. We also found a hidden treasure in the town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. This charming little town has walking and biking trails as well as rafting, kayaking, canoeing, a train ride and interesting old homes. We walked around this very old town, remarking on the wonderful old buildings and parks. We then took the train through the Lehigh Gorge.

Lancaster’s Central Farmers Market a fun market, with lots of food and Amish handicrafts. It is located in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and is a good stop for a bite to eat if you get there early.

This trip was a drive through history, and our next stop was no exception. Gettysburg Battlefield National Museum is really worthwhile. They took us through the entire event, minute by minute, covering what lead up to the battle, the generals and troops involved, and the results to the soldiers and citizens in the area. We saw the aftermath of battle and the horrors of war. There were many videos to watch while going through the museum and even a bus tour through the battlefield. We ate crab cakes in the old Dobbin house’s Springhouse Tavern. The bar was built in 1818.

On the 10th day, we got back home. Our cat was glad to see us. It was one fun adventure of experiencing 20 great things in 10 days through 10 states. I encourage you to take as many road trips as you can while you can, for the sights, sounds, food, and memories—and don't forget to visit needlework stores along the way.

Read more...

Kreinik is heading to the TNNA Summer Trade Show

The National Needle Arts Association summer trade show is this coming weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, and Kreinik will be there with a fiber-filled booth. If you are a needlework related business — publisher, designer, teacher, manufacturer, retailer — we want to see you there! Get the show details from www.tnna.org.

The Kreinik booth will be quite literally overflowing with fibers for knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning, felting, embroidery, Temari, Kumihimo, Swedish weaving, mixed media, needlepoint and more. You can't (and shouldn't!) miss us: we will be the ones showcasing a fabulous Parkersburg Yarn Bombing display from our hometown fiber artists. 

Show organizers also have classes and events designed to help us all learn more about our industry and individual fiber art techniques. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new friends. Put Kreinik booth #624 on your must-see list for TNNA's Summer Trade Show.

Read more...

Start your Halloween stitching now

Tis the season! It may be summer outside here in the United States, but now is the time to get ready for Halloween—at least with your stitching projects. Pick up Hands On Design's new Scary Apothecary series for small, quick, fun-to-stitch-and-display projects. The designs have that clever Halloween sense of humor and a subtle sparkle thanks to Kreinik threads.

Designer Cathy Habermann just released the next three designs in the series: 

• Cackle Lozenges "Shriek well"
• Coffin Paint "After-lifetime warranty"
• Cauldron Cleaner "With enhanced spell check" 

There will be nine designs in the entire series; you can stitch one, two, four, more, less or all. Another thing we love about this series: easy finishing. Cathy has supplied instructions for how she finished them, and you can do it at home. Don't use that as an excuse to wait until October to start stitching these designs though—get the patterns, threads and fabric now. Work on one a month and you'll be on your way to having your custom Halloween decorations ready. The designs make great gift-swaps too. 

The series uses nine Kreinik colors in Very Fine #4 Braid: 011HL, 242HL, 5510, 5815, 5013, 5535, 5720, 5545, 027. Print this list and use it to shop at your favorite needlework source, or online at www.kreinik.com. 

Read more...

Download the official Kreinik Metallic Thread Home Inventory Form

"Know before you go," is good advice when it comes to shopping for anything, including Kreinik threads. To make tracking your Kreinik thread stash easier, we've created a home inventory form. Download this Microsoft Word document, which shows all Kreinik metallic thread colors and indicates which colors come in which thread sizes. Fill in the blanks with the number of spools you have at home. Then you can carry it with you to your favorite needlework store, or keep it on your computer for online shopping.

Here's the link: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Metallic_Home_Inventory_Form.html

And here's what we need you to do: test it! Does the format work for you (ie, a Word document)? Is it easy to find colors? Any and all feedback welcome. Let us know here in the comments, via Facebook Messenger (connect with us on Facebook here), or email info@kreinik.com.

If you want a chart showing all the colors, download this one: https://www.kreinik.com/PDF/2019_11x17_metallic_chart.pdf or treat yourself to an actual Kreinik Metallic Thread Color Card. 

Share the links above with your stitching friends so they can test the new inventory form. Thank you!

Read more...

Road trip time! Visit Homestead Needle Arts in Michigan

Put this stop on your needlework shop travel list: Homestead Needle Arts, 8185 Holly Road, Suite 4, Grand Blanc, Michigan, https://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/

Put this shop on your summer travel list: Homestead Needle Arts in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Doug recently gave his famous thread talk here and reported, "It's a fabulous shop." Get to know owner Theresa Swiecicki and learn about the shop in our interview below.

Doug Kreinik, the very tall Theresa Swiecicki (owner of Homestead Needle Arts) and Kreinik Creative Director Dena Lenham

Q: How long have you had the shop?
A: I have owned Homestead Needle Arts for over 15 years.  The shop has been in business for over 45 years in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  I live more than 30 miles from the shop but kept it here as it's always been in Grand Blanc.  

I've always been interested in fiber arts and can remember lacing cardboard back when I was young and thinking it was the most fun thing ever!  In my early teens I learned quite a lot from books.  In my 20's I took an occasional class at two different shops near my home.  One of the earliest needlepoint pieces I stitched was the chart Ashes of Roses by Fancy Work and Fantasies and it won the Blue Ribbon at the Michigan State Fair.  I was addicted!  

In late 2003 I found out that the owner of Homestead Needle Arts was closing the store and I inquired about purchasing it as I was unemployed at the time.  So I bought my own job!  

Homestead is one of the shops that fulfills orders placed on the Kreinik website, www.kreinik.com. Theresa is terrific about getting Kreinik to you, whether it's for fly fishing, needlework, crafting, quilting, etc.

Q: Which Kreinik threads do you carry?

A: I carry Kreinik braids in Sizes 8, 12 and 16 and some of the more popular colors in 1/16" ribbon.  One of my favorite things to tell a customer is "I can order that for you" because I know how frustrating it can be to want a particular thread and be unable to obtain it.  

Stitchers had a fun and inspiring time when Doug Kreinik visited the shop for his famous Thread Talk

Q: Do you have classes at the shop?

A: I teach a two hour class twice a week at the shop and am currently teaching an all day class one Saturday a month.  The two hour classes encourage the student to bring in any needlepoint piece and learn at their own pace and at the Saturday class we're all working on the same painted canvas.

I also host teachers and my favorite one by far is Kathy Fenchel.  She teaches here monthly and her students have become very proficient.  It's difficult to get a seat in her class due to her popularity!  I have hosted other national teachers here at the shop over the years.  

Other fun events I've held include learning to paint your own canvas, simple ornament finishing, experiencing different silk threads, Getaway Weekends, and of course, the  Homestead Needle Arts Customer Garage Sale where customers sell their no-longer-loved needlepoint supplies; we've had this event for over 30 years.  I also host a monthly stitch-in where a group of us will spend the entire day stitching and socializing.  That's a popular event!  

We'll be right over for our free kisses, sweet Skye!

Q: We have heard you often have a very special visitor to the shop...

A: On occasion, my golden retriever Skye will come to work with me but as she is still very young and she demands a lot of attention from people.  My last dog Star was so well behaved that she came every day and even had her favorite customers!  

For more information:

• Homestead Needle Arts, 8185 Holly Road, Suite 4, Grand Blanc, Michigan
• https://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/homesteadneedle.arts/

Read more...

Do you have the newest Kreinik color list?

Kreinik's newest metallic colors on a needlepoint canvas by Robbyn's Nest Designs

With the recent addition of our new metallic colors—9591 Buttercup, 9592 Peony, 9594 Bluebonnet, not to mention the fabulous 096 Sea Glass from last year—we just updated the Kreinik Metallic Color Reference Chart. Photo swatches of all colors in all metallic thread sizes are shown on one side. The color chart also tells you which colors come in which thread sizes, since not all colors are available in all sizes. Download your copy here: https://www.kreinik.com/PDF/2019_11x17_metallic_chart.pdf

Download a copy of our color chart here: https://www.kreinik.com/PDF/2019_11x17_metallic_chart.pdf

Keep the color chart download on your phone, tablet or computer as a quick reference guide. If you choose to print it at home, you will need 11" x 17" paper; it is double-sided with full color on one side and black and white on the other. If you are unable to print at home and want a printed version, send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to: Kreinik Metallic Color Chart, PO Box 1966, Parkersburg WV 26102 (your envelope must have appropriate postage; one copy per envelope; no emailed versions available).  

Even better...

If you want the truest color reference, treat yourself to the Kreinik Metallic Thread Color Card. This flip-book has actual threads wrapped on cards, so you can match your canvases and projects exactly. Ask your favorite needlework store to order one for you, or get one here: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Kreinik-Metallic-Thread-Color-Card.html

The Kreinik Metallic Color Card features actual thread samples for the truest color representation.

Read more...