Tag: John Novak

Buying Toys, i

For anyone who loves fiber arts, places such as Convergence or Spin-Off Autumn Retreat are a bit of hog heaven.  Vendors from all over the country come to sell their wares.  Workshops and classes abound.

According to many vendors, the turn-out for this Convergence was disappointing.  No major crowds on any day, just a slow stream of buyers.  In some ways, this was great, because as a buyer who has been to really crowded venues, I could take my time and wander here and there – and then return yet again, not feeling rushed to get something for fear it would disappear five minutes later!  However, this is not good for the sellers who have spent money to be part of the market place, who have traveled many miles to get to Long Beach, and who have also spent money on food and lodging.

I did my bit, and met some absolutely wonderful people, and caught up with a couple of my favorite people, John Novak of Village Spinning and Weaving in Solvang, CA, and John Marshall, the master of katazome dyeing from Covelo, CA.

I bought items for spinning, weaving, knitting, and sewing.  For spinning and knitting I bought . . .

. . . the world’s best ball winder from Nancy’s Knit Knacks.  Suzi Liles of the Eugene Textile  Center.  I also bought a cone of Harrisville Designs Shetland in Emerald Green from her, which I have already swatched on US 4 needles and washed.

Suzi was wonderful to talk with, and everyone who was at her booth was helpful and knowledgeable.  Had I a few thousand dollars, I would have come away with another spinning wheel, and a pile of yarn.

For spinning I got some to-dye-for (bad pun!) baby alpaca from Christine at Grasshopper Springs Ranch.

You cannot even begin to imagine what a lovely touch this has  . . .

And, oh, yes, I bought more things, too . . . but you will have to wait for the next installment to see!

Yarns of the City – 27 August 2009

Village Spinning & Weaving

For the fiberholic on a road trip through the central coast area of California – north of Santa Barbara – the Village Spinning and Weaving shop is a must-do. This summer, John and Marsha, the proprietors, celebrated their eighteenth anniversary in the same place by being able to more than double the size of their store by expanding into the retail area next door. When Josh and I visited them in June, they had just broken through the connecting wall.

Some of our closest friends, Stephanie and Jay, were living in Solvang at the time Village Spinning opened. Stephanie is a full-time weaver, and I primarily a spinner/knitter – of course this was heaven for us! And Solvang is always good for a lazy day or a short trip if you live nearby, or need cookies or chocolate or cutlery, or you are on your way to the wine country. (I recommend the large cookie boxes at Mortensen’s Bakery, Ingeborg’s Chocolate, and Nordic Knives, if you need to satisfy some other vices.)

Anyhow!

As you walk in the main door – which will probably still be the only entrance to this fiber wonderland – you enter the current store, filled with yarn, fiber, weaving supplies, looms, spinning wheels, roving, bats, books, dyeing supplies, knitting needles, and on and on. You want it, they probably have it. (Notice, I did not say “need“!)

Getting extra space at Village Spinning & Weaving will benefit everyone. The new space has a lot of lighting, both natural and installed. All this will allow better display of looms and spinning wheels, which is really important if you want to check out how an item looks, or feel how a wheel spins. There will be room for knitters. Some lucky group will get to sit around the fireplace, but the sunny windows are not a bad place to be either. As you can see below, there is a lot to look forward to – at least there was in June. I hope they are all moved in and ready to go!

The service you get at Village Spinning & Weaving is wonderful. And they have a lot of stuff – dangerous! This is what they say on their “About Us” page:

Solvang’s Village Spinning & Weaving Shop was started in 1992 by John Novak and Marsha Mullaney-Novak. This shop grew out of our desire to simplify our lives and provide the best possible service and products — something we find lacking in much of today’s world.

Whether you are looking for a new loom or some cochineal for dyeing or maybe a new tatting book, check here or give us a call.

We carry much more than we can possibly list here, so… we have several different print catalogs – you can download a pdf file from this website for many of them. As things change, sometimes too quickly, prices in our printed catalog may not always be completely up to date.

John and Marsha are very knowledgeable about the products they sell. Inventory includes so many books you think you have died and gone to heaven, wheels to test drive, looms both large and small. John takes a lot with him when he does shows such as the Black Sheep Festival, Stitches, or Convergence. Many of you may have met them at one of these events.

For those unfamiliar with Solvang, it is a small town off the 154 and 101, about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara. The Sant Ynez valley is a beautiful place, and as you come over San Marcos Pass into the valley on the 154, the view is breathtaking. This valley, toward Santa Ynez, is where the movie “Sideways” was filmed.

I’m looking forward to my next trip to Village Spinning & Weaving, to see how the expansion is going, to finger fibers, play with wheels, peruse books I have never seen. My pocketbook may suffer a bit, but it sure is worth it!

See you there, and tell ’em I sent ya!