January 2025- From The Crow’s Beak

What a wonderful wintery month January has been! I hope everybody has been a little more successful than me in catching up on their fiber projects while trapped inside! 

It’s these frigid times that makes me really marvel at how, for centuries, human beings were able to keep warm with nothing but the ingenuity of incredibly skilled fiber artists, and a whole army of indigenous animals! Speaking of, did you know wool holds warmth better than cotton due to the molecular structure of the fiber? When cotton gets wet, the microscopic fiber channel collapses, leaving no room for trapped heat. Wool is unique in that it is made of three interlocking channels, creating a much tighter seal that is exceedingly difficult to break! As a result, wool is hydrophobic, and can continue to hold heat when wet! 

If you’re interested in Middle Ages techniques for staying warm, I recommend this video that really opened my eyes on the topic! 

As we transition from mid winter into late winter, The Rainbow Nook would love to invite you to our space to create in community! Alongside our usual classes and social nights, we would like to introduce some exciting new opportunities to sharpen your needles and learn something new!

Our new offerings include: 

• Garment Sewing Series - learn to sew your very own garments from start to finish! 
• Crocheting Fidgets with Beads - take your crochet to the next level by adding a new element – pony beads! 
• Kid's Classes - a triumphant return, taught by yours truly ;)

We are also rolling out a sliding scale payment option for most classes! One hour courses still start at $20, while 1.5 hour courses now start at $25. Our goal is to remain financially accessible while also being realistic about the current state of the economy and rising operating costs as we grow. We sincerely appreciate you helping us keep the store going!

Aside from classes, we are running an unbeatable Fabric by the Pound sale this weekend (Jan 31st and Feb 1st)! Come dig through our backstock bins to refill your fabric stash (weather permitting). 

I’d also like to extend an invitation to my (me, the author of this blog post) yarn spinning club! Come join us every other Friday after Stitch and Bitch (6:15ish until 7:15ish) as we try (and fail…. repeatedly) to figure out the secret to the double-plyed yarn! If interested, please feel free to reach out to my personal email: samimj44@gmail.com

As always, we are so thankful for each and every one of you. This month has been freezing, but the TRN team has been kept so very warm by the joy of our wonderful community. As we transition into February, we are beyond hopeful for the year ahead. Stay safe, stay warm, and stay crafty ;P

– Sami and the TRN team