| Monthly Newsletter - Issue 91 March 2018 |
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Hello Braiders,
Today I am not so sure how I feel about the old adage
 "better late than never". When I left for Mexico on February 19th there was not even a smidgeon of snow in my front yard. I returned to over 5 feet and in the last two days it has snowed another 3 feet and it is still coming down. I successfully snow plowed the driveway with the tractor, broke an impeller pin on the walk-behind snowblower, shoveled until I am tired out and I have decided that I am done until hubby returns from his "week away" real estate conference! I did good and I am grateful for a strong back! But enough is enough.
I am back from almost 3 weeks in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Half the time I was vacationing with my husband, mom and dad and the second half I was teaching Kumihimo at our Knitting & Kumihimo Retreat. You'll find the re-cap and video below. Enjoy our trip vicariously!
Thanks for your patience while I was away and THANK YOU for all of the orders you placed while I was gone. All orders have been packed and mailed.
The March Kit of the Month is the Kumihimo
Perlas de Fiesta Necklace. I bet you can tell that it was inspired by my recent trip to San Miguel! This one is very easy to make and it's quick too. I have created it in 3 colorways.
Thank you for your continued support. You are keeping me very busy and I am grateful.
Hugs and Happy Braiding,
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FREE SHIPPING Until the End of March
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Many of you have already discovered this and have been enjoying free shipping since I returned from Mexico. There's still time to enjoy FREE SHIPPING.
Applies to orders over $25 (USA only).
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NEW! Kumihimo Perlas de Fiesta Necklace Kit
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The March Kit of the Month is the Kumihimo Perlas de Fiesta Necklace. I had alot of fun making these samples.
The Perlas de Fiesta Necklace Kit was inspired by my recent trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where color is vibrant, fun and striking. In this kit you will learn two awesome kumihimo techniques; 1) Starting in the Middle and 2) the Adjustable Closure.
The adjustable closure, which I have been using for several years in alot of my kits, allows you to wear the necklace as short as you would like or as long as 27" or so (depending on braider). This is a great feature when you are selling jewelry and don't know how long to make a piece.
You should know:
- Kongoh Gumi or Round Braid
- How to drop beads (See Kumihimo Tip #14 for a reminder; www.whatabraid.com)
Kit Includes:
- 2 Colors Pre-Cut C-Lon BeadCord
- 4 Turquoise Disks
- 2 Porcelain Cheerio Beads
- 1 Porcelain Pony Bead
- 8/0 Seed Beads (2 Colors)
- Barrel bead for Adjustable Closure
- Instructions
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It's a Frilly Kind of a Day!!
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It makes me smile when I see you trying new novelty yarns for your Kumihimo braids. Alot of you have been ordering Frilly and I thought I would "encourage" more of you. Frilly can be used as a solo fiber or it can be mixed with other fibers like the
Petite Satin Cord and the
Shimmer Tubular Yarn. Maybe you have something on hand that you would like to combine with Frilly. It's a fun yarn and with Spring around the corner (not in our area) this might be a great time to try Frilly. Until the end of March, Frilly will be 30% off!!
10 yards/ skein
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Porcelain Pony and Cheerio Beads are Back in Stock!
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For those of you tha
t have discovered these little gems you will be happy to know that they are back in stock! Order any. These bright colored porcelain beads are really nice when you want to accessorize your braids.
$0.50/each
$0.85/each
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Petite Satin Cord in 28 Beautiful Colors
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What a Braid is your best source for highest quality USA made Petite Satin Cord.
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San Miguel de Allende 2018 - Trip Report
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Click picture for San Miguel 2018 Video |
We have returned from an amazing "Knitting & Kumihimo Retreat" in Mexico.
I will start with a little bit of history about these trips. My parent's, Bill & Irene York, started the Knitting Basket Knitting Retreat almost 15 years ago and have planned an annual excursion ever since. They have taken an ambitious group of like-minded people to various places around the world including San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca & San Poncho in Mexico; Antigua,
Chichicastenango, Panajachel, San Pedro, Santa Cruz, San Marcos & Santiago in Guatemala; Barcelona, Madrid & San Sebastian in Spain, and more.
When they first started these fabulous trips, my mom, Irene York, taught knitting classes and my dad, Bill York, planned the cultural outings which were consistently art/folkart oriented. About 9 years ago, I joined them and we added Kumihimo and at that time the trips became the "Knitting & Kumihimo Retreat"! I have loved being a part of these adventures!
San Miguel de Allende 2018 was another great trip. The photo above, looking up Aldama Street to the
Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, is one of the iconic snapshots of San Miguel.
The Parroquia is sometimes described as having
pink "wedding cake" towers that soar above the town. This was practically the view from our hotel! Day or night, it is a beautiful site
It is no surprise that San Miguel de Allende with its cobblestone streets, Spanish colonial style architecture, and creative cuisine
won the World's Best Award for "best city in the world" in 2017 by Travel & Leisure. It's magical charm is intoxicating and there is something that makes one want to return. On my last night, after being there almost 3 weeks, I said to my mom, "I think I need to stay another week. I keep seeing new things".
My dad did not let any grass grown under the feet of our group. Our group took a trip to Mexico City to visit the Pyramids in
Teotihuacan where a few of us climbed the 248 steps straight "up" to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. We also had a tour of the world famous Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is one of the most visited Catholic Shrines in the world and it is the National Shrine of Mexico. It was a spectacular and spiritual visit. We spent the night in Mexico City with views from our rooms of the Zocolo. S
pectacular. Before leaving Mexico City, we took a tour of the Frida Kahlo Casa Azul (Blue House) and we also stopped at the National Museum of Anthropology. It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico and houses over 600,000 pieces of art and other objects related to Mexico. It was jaw-dropping amazing.
Another day excursion included a visit to Mineral de Pozos. During the heyday of Mexican silver, this semi-ghost town
was the place where miners would bring their ore to be melted down for shipping back to Europe. Today, it is a paradise for photographers with cotton-candy clouds casting beautiful shadows on the adobe ruins. For our brave at heart, there was even time for a "
spelunking" adventure.
On another day, our journeys took us to the
Finca Sala Vive by
Freixenet winery
. We all donned very attractive hairnets and had a fantastic tour of the winery followed by a sparkling taster at the end. We also visited
the
town of Peña de Bernal which is the
world's
third
largest monolithic rock.
It is said to be a mystical place and that there are more
centenarians living there than any other town in Mexico (life expectancy in Bernal de la Pena is 94.5 years). It was a charming town.
In San Miguel de Allende, we braided in Karen's Kumihimo classes and knitted in Irene's Knitting Classes. Precious moments were "spared" to finish homework assignments between classes! It has been thrilling to see so many successfully finished projects.
San Miguel kept everyone gastronomically satisfied with exquisite dining. There are fantastic restaurants everywhere including Nirvana (welcome dinner), Atrio (farewell dinner), Néctar, Via Organica, Mio Bistrock, La Parada, El Pegaso, El Correo, La Casa Del Diezmo and the list keeps going. One very special evening found us at the Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar at the Rosewood Hotel. We enjoyed 360" views as the sun set over San Miguel.
The shopping opportunities in San Miguel did not leave anyone disappointed. Many of our group went home with an extra suitcase. From jewelry, to art, to clothing, to wire baskets, to ceramics, to large pieces that were crated and sent home, our group had a positive influence on the economics of San Miguel de Allende.
Our hotel in San Miguel, Hotel Boutique Hacienda el Santuario was perfect. From the beautiful rooms connected by garden areas, to the loving & wonderful staff it was a very special place. When I first walked in, a big sigh overcame me and I knew I was home. It was really special. I didn't discover the massages until the last day. Good thing as I would have wanted one everyday!
Mexico is a special place. The people are special. If you have not had this experience, you should. One must slow down and take in the people, the colors, the culture, the music, the laughter - it really is quite beautiful.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all the powers that be that made it possible for all of us to have had such a grand time.
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Stay in San Miguel de Allende
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If you are interested in visiting San Miguel de Allende, I know of the perfect place to stay. 32 Rosal is located in the charming San Miguel de Allende neighborhood of San Antonio. Gary & Susan, the owners, designed and built this amazing place. There are two units each well appointed with a bedroom (Queen Bed),
kitchen, bath, and sitting area with modular units that can be positioned into a second bed. The terrace features a hot tub that overlooks magical San Miguel and there is a fire pit with built in sofas to cuddle up and enjoy the night views (or morning views with your coffee). You can read more about this on the Airbnb. With 5-star reviews, any couple that wants to experience San Miguel will love staying here. P.S. Gary is my brother.
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What a Knit/What a Braid Monthly Newsletters
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Reminder....
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esigner.
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