tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post1194474404325683993..comments2024-03-08T01:37:39.323-05:00Comments on Getting Stitched on the Farm: Sad News - Classic Elite Yarns is ClosingKristin Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09038900681076035087noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-21580274200141126092018-10-19T14:30:04.684-04:002018-10-19T14:30:04.684-04:00Oh I wish I had known about CEY going out of busin...Oh I wish I had known about CEY going out of business, my mother has had cancer and almost died due to an allergic reaction to her taxol so my attention was elsewhere. Now all the yarn is sold out.<br /> <br />Personally I love your post and it makes me realize we gave to support all yarn companies. I have always loved the CEY ads on the backs of knitting magazines, like an old friend you could always count on. Strangely enough I recently bought a bunch of the old 90s CEY patterns on Patternfish before I knew the company was closed. So many of them are timeless. I will probably buy more. <br /><br />So many good things are changing about the yarn industry and not for the better . Knitters magazine is gone. I love Ravelry but I dislike that the pattern I love was knit in independent yarn that is no longer available. At least with a Rowan or CEY you have a good chance of getting the yarn.<br /><br />Let's all pay a little more at our LYS and help keep them in business. I bought some Knitpicks yarn once, I was so excited to be able to knit in wool at an agfafforda price and the quality wasn't good at all. Karen Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15988690688020529629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-10776582767209464222018-09-24T18:18:26.453-04:002018-09-24T18:18:26.453-04:00I remember buying the Classic Elite patterns when ...I remember buying the Classic Elite patterns when I was in college because they were so beautiful but I couldn't always afford the yarns.<br /><br />I'll admit, once I got married I didn't dare buy the special care yarns, after my spouse ran a beautiful hand knit through the washing machine then dryer on high heat, ruining it. And he's ruined plenty more clothing since then so it's not like he learned his lesson the first time.<br /><br />My LYS has mainly special care yarns and the staff is, well, hmm. I try to support them by buying my needles and such, and yarn for the occasional project that won't need to be washed.<br /><br />Still, it's a shame to see so many businesses going under. When I buy online I try to buy US-made yarns but other than the squeaky acrylic there's not a whole lot of easy care to pick from.Louisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-47988286430242650952018-09-10T16:53:03.813-04:002018-09-10T16:53:03.813-04:00Thx so much for your kind comments. I had a good r...Thx so much for your kind comments. I had a good ride while I was at CEY and learned so much as the company grew. The market was and still is changing. It is always a struggle to stay up and relevant to business trends and cycles. <br /><br />I hope you are still enjoying your knitting and have found other designers to inspire you. Goodness knows there are many out there. Kristin Nicholashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09038900681076035087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-6893751483371522632018-09-10T09:31:39.538-04:002018-09-10T09:31:39.538-04:00Very sad to learn of CEY closing. I learned to kni...Very sad to learn of CEY closing. I learned to knit after seeing the wonderful CEY ads in VK the early 90s. I had just graduated from college, and the country was going through another recession. The job markets were tight, and I could not afford the pattern yarns. <br /><br />The creative design, at that time, represented to me a golden age of CEY. After you departed from CEY, the designs (and glossy ads) were not as distinctive. They had lost a certain je ne sais quoi and got lost in the noise. I once visited the CEY mill in Lowell, after it had been transformed into a textile museum. It was still producing La Gran then. About a decade later, I could finally afford CEY, but the yarn scene, and knitting, had expanded tremendously, and there was so much out there. Fewer and fewer yarns were produced in the USA. Then, even La Gran was outsourced from S. Africa. It made me sad to see that. <br /><br />I still turned to CEY 90s pattern leaflets for ideas, and collected these, though many the CEY they called for were long discontinued.<br /><br />Thank you for your amazing creative direction and designs. They sculpted me into the (dare I say?) skillful knitter I am today. RHNChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15513345611247176463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-81671299169535695122018-06-20T18:39:58.550-04:002018-06-20T18:39:58.550-04:00I'll always be grateful to you, and Pat, for t...I'll always be grateful to you, and Pat, for the early support you gave me with my work. Very sad....<br />Deborah Newtonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-21593376496136466662018-06-20T15:31:40.610-04:002018-06-20T15:31:40.610-04:00Thank you for all your years at CEY - I well remem...Thank you for all your years at CEY - I well remember making pilgrimages to the original store in Lowell and stepping verrrryy carefully into the millroom looking for more - you understate the dust, the dim light and the grittiness. But oh! the yarns! the glorious colors and fibers! THE MOHAIR! It was the backpage ads come to life. (I always patted the sheep on the way out) Later on it was always fun to see the design photos shot in and around the next location in Lowell.<br />Thank you for all your years at CEY, your classic designs and the beautiful photos - still have some of the postcards on my walls.bpainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-34658693426718840572018-06-19T09:51:33.179-04:002018-06-19T09:51:33.179-04:00the people that were spoken of are long out of the...the people that were spoken of are long out of the business, and I think its interesting to know that things were not all sweetness and light back in the daysharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06437312610554947141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-26950806913396036132018-06-18T09:52:24.847-04:002018-06-18T09:52:24.847-04:00Kristin - I can’t believe that Julia is 20. We had...Kristin - I can’t believe that Julia is 20. We had some good times. My favorite yarn rep Cameron (mother of another Julia) Brown one of your stars. Working with CEY & Melanie F. An Era is passing...... best denysea.k.a. The Big Yarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06712817493702388821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-73772681504213528472018-06-17T17:47:18.793-04:002018-06-17T17:47:18.793-04:00I learned to knit with Knitty Gritty and the adven...I learned to knit with Knitty Gritty and the advent of Ravelry. Knitting was such a passion and I have a full library and a very large stash. I finally decided I have enough. When I buy something it has to be really different.<br /><br />The second reason I’m not buying yarn is that I don’t agree with the knitting community counter-culture. I don’t have colored hair, tattoos or any piercings. I wear makeup and love my husband and clean my own house. I have nothing in common with my LYS’s knitting group. The last straw for me was seeing the pink p*ssy hats that yarn shops had displayed everywhere. If a business caters to one political point of view it’s going to lose a lot of customers. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-36031245059502200142018-06-16T17:38:18.979-04:002018-06-16T17:38:18.979-04:00Oh my. A world without CEY... ?
First, best wishe...Oh my. A world without CEY... ?<br /><br />First, best wishes and thank you to the the CEY family - current and previous! I can imagine how hard this whole thing is. And sad.<br />I always thought of CEY as "special" yarn - ya know when you want to make that special something for someone special or for yourself ~ Like my first sweater top. I will miss everything about CEY. The ads, patterns, colors and yarns. Dang. <br /><br />Then to hear the closing of Crystal Palace - say what! Yes, I live in the middle of nowhere, but dang it. I need to get out more. Or maybe not.... Thank goodness for my stash!<br /><br />Kristin, thank you for sharing your insight to the market and changes. There are so many people out there that don't have a clue what it takes to open and run a business - let alone make a profit. I wish they did, then they might understand. It's hard, very hard for small businesses. I had one, was relieved when we sold it. But I do miss our regulars.<br />Support your local yarn stores! They are important, because if it wasn't for a LYS, I and many others wouldn't have learned to knit.<br />LannieKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13502519013129701412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-16148048982547542082018-06-16T13:58:20.598-04:002018-06-16T13:58:20.598-04:00This is indeed sad. I'm sorry to see them go. ...This is indeed sad. I'm sorry to see them go. Been reading all your comments, I agree with some and disagree with others as it is with all opinions. I'm 36 and live on an island in the West Indies where our economy and my salary don't allow for me to stash buy nor buy yarn over a certain amount per skein ($40 per skein is a luxury I will never be able to afford). Also, we have no LYS's so I have to buy all my yarns online, so please don't paint all online buyers with such a large brush some of us have no other choice. I too dislike the trend in speckled yarns; they make no sense to me. They just look pretty - I used some once but they drowned out the pattern (did this when I was still learning).<br /><br />Thanks for the insight into what goes into running a yarn company. I never pay attention to popular opinion or gossip as most of the time bad reviews are the product of mean-spiritedness. So whatever caused the shutdown I'm so sorry for it and wish them all the best.Julie-Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09821891148444955509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-39261743327367884522018-06-16T13:13:38.583-04:002018-06-16T13:13:38.583-04:00who participated in WWKIP Day? to further promote ...who participated in WWKIP Day? to further promote our crafts? with the closure of stores and one blogger no longer advertising one at a posh shopping center here, my nearest one was not within travelling distance. but i did bring my crochet to a cultural function and while no one approached me about what i was doing, i was able to approach a charity both that sells blankets/shawls of all sizes...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-62600175645386574492018-06-16T12:52:23.042-04:002018-06-16T12:52:23.042-04:00and lest’s not forget charity knitting: while some...and lest’s not forget charity knitting: while some charities desire and/or gladly accept items made from wool for its better retention of body heat, others charities specifically say they want acrylic for its durability and being able to be machine washed and dried with no need for hand washing in an expensive made for animal fibers soap, blocking, and so on. and who has acrylic in abundance at a low price point to be able to purchase large quantities: joann’s, michaels, etc. i don’t work for them, btw, and get no reimbursement for mentioning them. at one time i had the discretionary income to purchase every knitting and crochet magazine published here and in the UK, and to support designers bought entire books even though i only wanted one pattern in the entire book. bought the more expensive animal/plant based fibers to make small projects but if yarn stores, etc. are going out of business in part because i no longer have the $ (like many baby boomers may not - just like there is a stereotype about all millennials having $, there seems to be an assumption that all baby-boomers own homes, are enjoying wonderful 40K payouts, etc. we’re not) which also brings up another point: maybe some of you can afford to teach a knitter with expensive yarn to start with or go to a rest home and do the same, others of us can’t don’t get me wrong: nothing can match the feel of good alpaca or wool or silk and supporting small families here and in South America to make a decent living. think also about those in Peru, etc., we buy yarn from, the animals grown, the people that transport the goods, etc. but also, acrylic provides truckers $ to feed their families, and so on down that money chain. . i agrée that acrylic is harmful to the environment. but should those of us that can’t afford anything else cease knitting, crochet, etc. because we can’t afford anything else?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-2905390520747495232018-06-16T12:33:37.687-04:002018-06-16T12:33:37.687-04:00Ironic that there has been such a shift in marketp...Ironic that there has been such a shift in marketplace/consumer perception of value: in the preceding decades apparently presenting a company as large, established and polished gave its brand added value and it was deemed worthwhile placing an outsized share of company resources into creating that image. <br /> Now if I understand correctly it would seem that the opposite may be more true with an emerging(emerged) greater appreciation for microscale. Perhaps the time has come for "large" yarn companies to present themselves with backstory stressing their surprisingly small size and so on. More than 10 years ago, and "it" designer in New York created a tongue-in-cheek back story in which he sold everything and moved to South America to learn to be a potter In order to ground his high-end design-y manufactured pottery/ceramic home furnishings with an "artisanal" provenance. <br /><br />Perhaps this too will turn out to be cyclical?<br /><br /> Less is more for now until more is more once again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-41113558773068269272018-06-16T10:44:04.064-04:002018-06-16T10:44:04.064-04:00So, so, so very sorry to see this demise taking pl...So, so, so very sorry to see this demise taking place. I was shocked to read their farewell message I found in my mailbox yesterday. CEY no more?! “Such a big company?” However... I was wondering about all the beautiful CEY yarns being so frequently offered at huge discounts online at Webs for quite awhile now... i guess this trend was the expression of a downhill ride and has just culminated in actual end of this cherished company. I will miss the new CEY yarns never to see the light of day with their fab texture as well as colour combinations, a lot - even if I already have a substantial stash of the old ones! The speckled and splotchy yarn taking the market over? Yes, I am seeing this at my LYS, yearly trade show I attend as well as on Raverly every day, but no, this is not for me. The tastes are a-changing and they started to quite a few years back with “grunge fashion” style, where only the most shock value for your buck counts...<br />I have my CEY stash and will probably add to it soon as more of their yarns are being disposed off. <br />Thank you and good luck to the people behind CEY!CEY “collector and admirer”noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-73593765191643954802018-06-15T22:21:20.463-04:002018-06-15T22:21:20.463-04:00things are cyclical. at one time, people sewed and...things are cyclical. at one time, people sewed and knitted and crocheted because they had to - among other reasons because that was all they could afford. my mom has talked about her flour sack dress. i’ve often said we have been enjoying a period of relative luxury since the 80s in that some of us sew, knit, crochet because we want to not because we have to. sorry but i do not have the funds to spend $100+ plus on yarn to make a sweater or afghan. and block it. and hand wash it and so on. also,although many of us knit and crochet and/or spin and/or dye and/or sew and/or...there’s been a certain snobbery for lack of a better word between those who knit or those who spin or whatever to those that don’t whatever and do one of the other crafts. some people think it’s blasphemy when i say i embrace those conventions that encompass multiple yarn and fabric crafts. that, i think, is the only way conventions will keep happening. no body has yet mentioned Stitches and how long that will go on. don’t look down on us that shop at joann’s or michaels or whatever unless you would like to purchase and send gift cards to enable some of us to buy yarns st $40+ a hank.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-1964300132374713662018-06-15T09:48:22.324-04:002018-06-15T09:48:22.324-04:00This is very sad. I will miss the CEY quality yarn...This is very sad. I will miss the CEY quality yarns, especially Liberty Wool, a favorite. I want to offer a couple of observations I haven't yet seen in this discussion. Someone said 'the craft is starting to slump again.' I have only been knitting five or six years so I don't know when it slumped before. I started when I was widowed and needed something therapeutic to do and a way to make new friends, and it has been all that and more. But even in that short time I've seen prices trending up and several fine local yarn stores go under. I don't like the yarns available at the chain stores but I do shop on line for discontinued yarns and other ways to save. <br /><br />Also, I note the tendency for overbuying. There is nothing like browsing in a lovely local yarn store, and you feel you must buy something. Or you see a sale and think "I could do something with that and it's such a good price." And it gets stashed. Eventually everyone who hand-knits will have so many beautiful yarns stashed away that they will stop buying and start knitting from stash -- I know I have done this. I have so much more than I need that I have to stop shopping. Now before I buy I say, "Do I have stashed yarn I can use for that?" (Maybe there's a business opportunity there....buying up stashes and reselling them online on a specialty site, rather than ebay...)<br /> <br />Anyway, I think there will always be people who knit and who like to use good quality materials; I don't think the internet is to be feared; but the economy will continue to be challenging (for us all). I am sorry to hear about CEY and I wish the staff the best of luck in the future. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-48362081509983161522018-06-15T09:46:39.733-04:002018-06-15T09:46:39.733-04:00I will miss CE, the carefully curated selection of...I will miss CE, the carefully curated selection of yarns, and your designs. I've seen local yarn shops killed by on-line nasty rumors, and had my own wiseNeedle independent yarn review website done in by competition from Ravelry. The business is changing, to be sure - consolidating and racing for bottom dollar. There is less room for deep community and one-on-one help, although more room for superficial connection. <br /><br />That being said, I know the craft will survive, somehow. I do wish you and the rest of the CE family all the best, and hope all of you will land softly and comfortably in the next phase of your careers. <br /><br />With gratitude and respect - Kim Salazar Kim Salazarhttp://string-or-nothing.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-33425663078701118902018-06-15T09:28:06.050-04:002018-06-15T09:28:06.050-04:00It is very disappointing to see reliable large com...It is very disappointing to see reliable large companies like CEY close down because of the mistaken beliefs by buyers that they are 'doing the right thing' by supporting a girl with a bag of hand-dyed instead. <br /><br />And I agree with the person who commented on the yarn festivals with one small hand dyer after another, all with in effect identical products. At my last venture to one of these, after seeing 20 or 30 of them I ended up buying nothing and wishing I could see some honest to goodness properly dyed in one colour yarn! I've always been disappointed with over-priced hand dyed that offers nothing I want in a yarn on the odd occasion I have some to hand.<br /><br />The issue goes further than yarn, of course. For example, in Australia it has its impact on the wine industry. Huge numbers of non-serious cottage 'wineries' have the same effect on the serious long term professionals (if that's an acceptable divider of types). No doubt other industries and businesses are affected too.<br /><br />It's all a great pity, but it's the age of the social media bully, an idea gets hold and before you know it....Cathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-80009520677399850632018-06-15T04:43:33.155-04:002018-06-15T04:43:33.155-04:00I have lived in many places over the last 45 years...I have lived in many places over the last 45 years and some towns were so small that there was only one yarn shop for miles. But Classic Elite was always a constant. I loved looking at their ads in the knitting magazines, as I loved their patterns and yarns. Yes, Kristin, most "big yarn companies" aren't really that big. I am glad that you pointed that out. I will miss Classic Elite and their quality products. I will continue to support small yarn shops to the best of my ability. Even though I will be retiring in a couple of years and will not have as much disposable income, I will be in my local yarn shop from time to time. I will spend what I can afford on quality yarns. I will also have gift cars for those shops on my Christmas list.I have bought online when I couldn't find something in the store for a specific project. But I will always prefer my local yarn shop over big box stores and buying online. My daughter thought that I was kidding when I said that I spent so much money on yarn because that was my "retirement". I wasn't kidding at all. I knew all along that one day, my spending power would be more limited. There are Classic Elite yarns and patterns in my stash, and I will remember the company fondly. I am so sorry and sad to see them go, but I wish the owner and staff much happiness going forward. Classic Elite, I "grew up" knitting with you, and you will be sorely missed.Heidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002134763744387099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-35457487231972768742018-06-15T02:10:18.175-04:002018-06-15T02:10:18.175-04:00It is sad to see CEY go but times do change and I ...It is sad to see CEY go but times do change and I have to admit that I have changed, as well. I purchase almost all my yarn online and do so because I've not been able to find a local yarn shop that I feel comfortable visiting. Our local yarn shop isn't a place to create, learn, and talk about our stashes. It has become a place where the women sit around and b*tch about politics and how much they hate feminists and I stopped going when I just couldn't take it anymore. If anyone else is dealing with that sort of situation in their area, it's no wonder that yarn companies which are have products sold primarily through LYS, are having trouble.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-70505207292737647062018-06-15T02:03:54.018-04:002018-06-15T02:03:54.018-04:00Thank you for sharing your experiences with CEY--v...Thank you for sharing your experiences with CEY--very interesting. I know that there is so much I don't know, and this gave me a lot to ponder. <br /><br />I found your assessment of some of the factors you believe contributed to CEY closing its doors. Knowing your experience with the company and beyond adds to the weight of your assessment for sure, but even if that were not the case, you presented an even, honest look at why things like this happen. It just felt informative to me, and I thank you for that.Sarahhttp://knittingsarahk.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-1493373353065431992018-06-15T01:41:11.374-04:002018-06-15T01:41:11.374-04:00I love CEY. Loved- rather. I have quite a few of t...I love CEY. Loved- rather. I have quite a few of their yarns in my stash- even an unused kit, from 2007 still in it's original packaging.<br /><br />Now, no offense to the writer - but isn't it a bit.. er.. in bad taste to mention to potentially millions of readers the fights the owners had behind closed doors? or the dinginess/dirtiness of the offices? Seems kind of questionable to me. Shouldn't we be keeping things like that to ourselves? I don't know... I don't even know the CEY people, but I was shocked to read this on a public blog. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-44747575305621259132018-06-14T22:31:22.696-04:002018-06-14T22:31:22.696-04:00While I think a lot of what you say definitely mak...While I think a lot of what you say definitely makes sense, I'd have to argue the "the younger generation isn't supporting this business" line that has come up here as it has many places. The Millenial generation has less money to spend and that's why we have to be careful where we can be on spending. As soon as I have some extra money, I DO try to spend it on smaller companies with their nice quality yarns or in other ways for local businesses. Most people in that age bracket that I know do, but we're not going to give up our hobbies because we can't afford to do that all the time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23619317.post-66609842496559510202018-06-14T22:24:07.832-04:002018-06-14T22:24:07.832-04:00Kristin....everything you have said is on point. ...Kristin....everything you have said is on point. I come from the other end...a yarn store that struggled to survive. Resorting to classes, long days and nights, creating knitwear for patrons, trade shows, etc. We had to do it all in order to survive. And, then we would hear: "I can't believe the prices of your yarns....I can go to Joann Fabrics or Walmart and get it much cheaper". Well, you could but you couldn't match the quality or fiber content of the yarn. Yes, good yarn is expensive, it takes time to knit a finished product and yup...for those out there that say you can buy a sweater in the store for half the price? Right again. But it will be run of the mill, one of hundreds on the market. The problem is that the craft itself is beginning to slump again...people don't have the time, the money or the wherewithal to CREATE!!! An art form that may have met its demise. I love Classic Elite's yarns and their patterns and you and those that came to the shop selling and showing the yarn to us. I'm saddened and I loathe the changes. To all of you at Classic Elite...I thank you and wish you all a bright future. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com