On Thursday May 14th, I was honoured to receive an award from Peterborough County Ontario. It is for Leadership in Arts & Culture, recognizing an individual or group that has demonstrated excellence in the arts, bringing recognition to the County of Peterborough, Ontario. It was nice to be celebrated with the many others who received awards in various categories. I feel very honoured to have been included in this recognition😀 I thought I would share some pictures from the event. The award was handed out by Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark and Otonabee-South Monaghan Mayor Joe Taylor.

Save the Date: November 13-15, 2026 A Modern Fibre Gathering in the Kawarthas A soul-filling, creativity-sparking weekend designed for fibre lovers who crave connection, inspiration, and a little escape from the everyday. Hands-on workshops led by passionate instructors. Gather your friends, book a cottage and give yourself the experience of creative immersion, a restorative escape, and the chance to laugh, learn, and make beautiful things alongside people who understand why fibre arts matter. Create, Connect, Unwind Riversong Fibre Retreat 2026 Location: Elmhirst's Resort on Rice Lake, Keene, ON Length: 2 Days / 2 Nights ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Call the Elmhirst's Resort Front Desk at 1-705-295-4591 and request to book the Riversong Fibre Retreat The cost is $896.00 A non-refundable deposit of $224.00 is required to book. Accommodation is one person per private bedroom in shared cottages. *Guests are not guaranteed a private bathroom* You will be asked if you would like to be grouped with other attendees and be sent an email confirmation of your booking. The “cut-off date” for reserving rooms at Elmhirst's Resort is Monday, August 17, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The weekend package includes three fibre themed workshops of your choosing, comfortable shared accommodations in a lakeside cottage; Friday evening welcome reception; three meals served in the elegant atmosphere of the Hearthside Dining Room; use of indoor and outdoor recreation facilities. Riversong Fibre Retreat offers diverse fibre art workshops from passionate instructors, door prizes, a fashion show & tell, a pop-up marketplace, and lots of fun activities and learning for everyone.

Save the Dates: On April 24th & 25th, from 10am - 4pm, we’ll be hosting a special Local Yarn Shop Days celebration, marking 11 years in business. To celebrate this milestone, we’re planning two days of tent sales and in-store experiences, including: - Exclusive yarns and project inspiration - Special promotions and giveaways -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join us on LYS Day, Saturday April 25th at 10:30am for a Making the Time activity with Pamela Van Nest. Pamela is a personal Confidence Coach and author of Making The Time Oracle cards. Pamela will help you identify areas of creativity in your self-care. How creativity enhances other areas in our lives. You will look at how small actions can make all the difference, and finally we'll "play" with the Internal Obstacles" and how to "unravel" them for calmer, more satisfying creative work. Curious? Come find out what this is all about. __________________________________________ Treasured Skein Scarfette Pattern During our LYS Days celebration, receive a Ravelry code for a FREE Treasured Skein Scarfette pattern with every purchase of the Buy Me A River Anniversary Yarn. The pattern codes will only be redeemable for a limited time only: Friday 4/24 at 9:00 AM ET until they expire on Sunday 4/26 at 11:59 PM ET (just before midnight in NY). This elongated, asymmetrical scarfette features bands of vine lace separated by simple stockinette, creating a knitting rhythm that’s both engaging and wonderfully relaxing. Gentle increases shape the piece to a shallow center, then taper to narrow ends - giving it that effortlessly stylish, easy-to-wear drape. It looks intricate. It knits up joyfully. And it lets your yarn be the star. ___________________________________________ When you make a purchase during our LYS Days, you will receive a "20% off a treatment Gratitude Coupon" from The Spa at Elmhirst Resort. All modern makers deserve a little pampering. ___________________________________________

In celebration of our 11th anniversary in business and Local Yarn Shop Day, we will be hosting a "How to Doodle" class on Friday April 24th at 1:00pm est with Jamie Lomax from Pacific Knit Co. Jamie Lomax is the owner and designer behind Pacific Knit Co., an independent online shop and knitting pattern design studio focused on modular colorwork in Seattle, WA. Her colorwork designs focus on fun and whimsical micro motifs (i.e. Doodles) that allow the knitter to choose the motifs, the order, and the colors that best suit their style. By enabling all the possibilities, it really starts to feel like you’re “doodling with yarn” - which is actually where the term Doodle came from for these patterns. This constant shift between easy-to-memorize motifs keeps a knitter on their toes, while supplying them with micro wins at each chart completion, creating a project that is impossible to put down. Jamie will be teaching a "How to Doodle" class that walks students through all the steps to designing a Doodle, with focus and extra time to play around with charts specifically. There will also be time for questions. Jamie will also be sharing information about her business and the upcoming Doodle Sock Book, and the DoodleHQ app. Every Doodle class participant also gets a code for a free download on Ravelry. So save the date and join us as we learn "How to Doodle" with Jamie. Click on the Classroom tab to purchase the workshop. On Friday April 24th at 1pm est, click on the link in the Calendar tab to join the workshop. Take a look at the products from Pacific Knit Co. that A River of Yarn carries here: https://ariverofyarn.ca/search?type=product&q=doodles

Wow, I just got off the phone from a woman representing Peterborough County here in Ontario, Canada. She was letting me know that I have won a Recognition Award from Peterborough County for Leadership in Arts & Culture. A group or individual who has demonstrated excellence in the arts and brought recognition to the County. I think that I am in shock. 😁 I have been nominated but have never won an award before. This is a very, very nice surprise! The awards ceremony takes place on Thursday May 14th, 2026 not far from here at the OSM Community Centre. The official announcement goes out in April, but I am so excited that I wanted to share it now!