Hello, Dear Friends . . .
How are you all doing? Hopefully you are finding peace and goodness in each day. One of the greatest joys for me during the pandemic has been meeting so many interesting people online who want to get connected (or re-connected!) to rya rug making. So many of you are trying something NEW and that really makes me smile. I am also thrilled to learn that you are feeling enabled to try things because you have my book in hand. I still have plenty of hard- and soft-bound books if you don't have one yet.
- Book Update
- Fall Inventory Additions and Updates
- Photo Sharing--what is everyone doing?
- Inventory Update
- 255 Members in Rya Rug Friends Group
- Frequently Asked Questions and ...
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Did I mention that I now offer the book in paperback? I'm just waiting for your request. Actually you have your choice now of hardback or paperback. Both books are printed in an extremely high quality manner.
My goal was to make both copies available to you, but I had to start with one first. Now I offer the other.
You can either purchase on Etsy at the following links:
or you can purchase either via my website:
Recently I caved and decided to list on Amazon, and it has been a surprisingly good experience. If you wish to order on Amazon--just click here. To the 10 people who have purchased there so far, please leave reviews. The 375 people who have bought from me directly can't leave reviews on Amazon, but you can. Thanks for your assistance.
Other sources for hardback book purchases are:
I welcome your referrals of bookshops and libraries who might be interested in selling my book. My local library system now has 2 copies for Carroll County folks to check out and enjoy at no cost. Why not your library? Please spread the word. I need your help.
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Byrdcall Studio is fully stocked right now with every color of the Rauma Ryegarn (rya yarn) and the Prydvevgarn (the thinner strand also great with ryas).
 I am well-stocked on most kits and can have them in the mail to you within a few days of receiving your order.
I just bought 6,000 needles which should last a while.
Since the last newsletter, I took a photo of each Lundgren Rya color and gave them to my "web guy" to upload to my SHOP at Byrdcallstudio.com. Now you can click to buy any quantity of any of the yarn I carry on my website (for USA orders). A helpful note here: As great as Etsy is for selling much of what I offer, it can be confusing and uncooperative merging mix-and-match items in one purchase. I highly recommend if you have a list of items you want, order on the website, not Etsy. At this time the Etsy shop is better with the listings of the available kits I have. The website is a work in progress. Or just email an order to me. It's not like orders are handled through various departments here. Just me.
Some of you know that I am hoping to gradually sell out my Lundgren yarn. It is 10% off if you order 5 whole skeins at a time. The website factors this discount into your purchase price.
 I just received several new kits from Norway this week. Kroton, Bønn, Barskog, Stormnatt, Barnål, Brudd, Sjakk, and "784 A".
Click on the word KITS to go the the Rauma catalogs on my website. Click on the brown lettered catalog listings. You can also look at the kits--all ready to go within a day or two in my Etsy Shop.
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Here are some of the recent shares I have received from readers! Enjoy--oh, and snap a picture of your project in action and send it to me at [email protected] for the next newsletter. If you can name the photo file with your name in it, that helps me out. Also give me a sentence about your experience (is this your first rya?, a kit design? with whom are you sharing the process--your children? I'll try to share all photos that I can depending on clarity and space available. Thanks.
This colorful rya was sent in by Bobbi Thies from Milford, Ohio. In her words, "I've titled this rya "Reveille" because the word means wake up in French and it's such a bright and energetic design. Just what you'd need for a morning wake-up. It's 33" x 48". I laid all my yarn I wanted to use in the rug on the backing, arranged it and that was my pattern. [brilliant!] So I had a lot of free range in the design as it progressed over the months of weaving. I liken it to stream-of-consciousness writing."
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And the latest work from Carol Solinger from Odenton, MD is this round backing made by Rauma. She drew her design on the backing with colorful Sharpie markers!
And look at this spectacular piece. I have round backings in various sizes. Anyone want to design one? I haven't yet figured out how to graph for a round backing, but drawing on the backing seems to be the best solution. Thanks, Carol!
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Marc and Nina Damashek from Hampstead, Maryland just gave this cherished rya to their grandson, Arlo. He and his family live in upstate NY where it's cold... and right from the start his mother said Arlo loves it.
He clearly prefers sleeping on the floor with the rya over sleeping in his bed! Nina recalls, "We loved the rug when we bought it as newlyweds with wedding money, fixing it was a labor of love, and I am thrilled that Arlo loves it too!"
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I'm so happy to see Marsha McIntosh from Sun City, AZ is knotting rya rugs again after a couple years doing other things. She said, "This is the biggest kit I have made. Approximately 30 x 60 (80 x 150 cm). This is the sixth kit I've made and I designed two. The name of the design is Korona which I think is pretty appropriate for 2020."
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Sent in from Jenny Begg in Spain: "The 3 rulers supplied for my first kits, the colorful one was my original, 50 years ago and the one I almost always use. Just for your archives. ����. Keep well Jenny."
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Many of you know David McKenrick from Cincinnati, OH. He is masterful in his ability to create depth and illusional dimensions.
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My good friend and studio helper, JoAnn Zaleski, did this little rya project while on vacation earlier this month. She said, "While vacationing in Pisgah Mountains, NC I completed this rya rug/chair mat. Testing the Hit-or-Miss Technique (page 157) in Melinda's newly released Rya Rugs book. Choosing three colors of yarn and ending up with 10 yarn combinations. Had a great time in the mountains and coming home with a new work of art."
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Dennis Rinkenberger (one of The Yarn Guys) in Freeport, IL has been busy knotting rya kits this summer. He shares, "So Sommerfugl which translates directly to summer bird but means butterfly is finally done! On to my next rug."
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And speaking of Dennis' next rug: "Leikarring" -- this one is a fun one, too! Let me prepare a kit for you!
That's all for now. Keep those pictures coming!
Hope I didn't miss anyone . . . let me know if I did! I lose sleep at night wondering if I remember all your pictures. Send more photos, friends. I know many of your pictures are shared daily in the Rya Rugs Friends Group.
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You are not going to believe some of the rya works happening around the world. Stay in-the-know all month long! I am loving this addition to our Rya Rug Revival. There is a lot of brilliance in this group...keep sharing. I'll throw in my 2-cents on occasion. ;-) We have 268 members now!
If you are intrigued by making REAL rya rugs, the only good reason NOT to join is if you are not a Facebook person. If you are a member of Facebook (even if you never use Facebook) you can request to join this Group. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you definitely should check this out.
Click JOIN GROUP and you will be asked about your rya interest (to filter out spammers or those without any interest). You can answer in any way you want. Then you can comment and share with each other. Even if you just click on "like" when you see rya rugs that you like...that will make someone smile. To join, just Click. Consider this a personal invitation! No product promotions, please.
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Frequently Asked Questions...
Q: What is the best way to reach me?
 A: Email me at [email protected]. If you have a question too complicated to type as an email, then call me at
410-615-2473 and leave a message. If I don't answer, I will call you back as soon as possible.
Please do not google-message me or facebook-message me because it's hard for me to keep track of all those messages systems. (I have completed disconnected from the AOL email address I had so make sure you don't have that one recorded anywhere.)
Q: Where am I located and what are my hours?
A: I work out of my studio located in my backyard in Woodbine, MD. I do not have regular business hours, but I am more than happy to make appointments at the studio with anyone interested in what I have to offer. Give me a call at 410-615-2473 and please leave me a message. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I will respect social distancing and will be happy to set your orders on the front steps for contact-less pick-ups if you like. Or we can "mask-on" get you started on your project at an outdoor table here until you feel comfortable to do it one your own if you are a beginner.
Q: So how did I get into this whole rya rug thing?
A:
This is such a frequently asked question, I'm leaving this link here because it is nicely put into a nutshell. Credit to Lyndi McNulty and The Carroll County Times.
Finding My Work
My Etsy Shop has just about everything for online buying. My Etsy shop is convenient because you can see up to 10 photos of each item for sale. Etsy also calculates your postage automatically according to size and weight and where you live. That saves me lots of time....Not that I don't love communicating with you, but that is my #1 time-consumer in the day.
My Website Byrdcallstudio.com is now up and running. It doesn't have everything I offer at this point, but in time, it will grow to reflect all I have to offer. If you have any problem in navigating or ordering from the website, let me know, OK?
As shops start to carry my books, I will list them as resources on my website.
Other Ways to Keep Up-to-Date:
And as always, feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you think might enjoy it.
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26 Mentors in USA, Canada, Mexico, and Europe
Let's be creative in how we help each other. It wouldn't be wise during the COVID-19 pandemic to have strangers over to share rya tips, but Mentors can Skype or Zoom with individuals or several people. I don't have to be the only one to host gatherings of like minds.
This month, we have a new mentor in Miamisburg, OH. Let's welcome Lisa Eberhart. She joked, "I can teach the knot, but not the counting for the yarn needed. I just eyeball it for now. I am too lazy." That's fine. Mentors don't have to be experts at everything, just willing to help where needed in their communities.
When someone feels stuck in their rya work. Maybe they forgot how to make the knot. It happens. Rya help could be just a phone call away I'm keeping track of everyone who is willing to assist a beginner get started with a kit or a design. I gladly share the mentor's contact info with the person who needs help (but I do not post their phone numbers or addresses to ensure their internet privacy).
- Lisa in Miamisburg, OH
- Larry in Hyde Park, UT
- Gail in Black Mountain, North Carolina
- Holly in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Jackie in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
- Kristin in Deland, Florida
- Tina in San José, California
- Kris in Paynesville, Minnesota
- John in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
- Janet in Monmouth County, New Jersey
- Inger in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Marsha in Sun City, Arizona
- Madeline, south of Tucson
- Paul in Tucson, Arizona
- Laura in Blaine, Washington
- Denise in Snohomish, Washington
- Robbin--Vancouver/Savory Is., British Columbia
- David in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Eleanor in Fleischmanns, New York
- Laurie in Chatham and Boston, Massachusetts
- Angie is near Mexico City
- Polly in Oakville, Ontario, Canada
- Mia in Stockholm, Sweden
- Marie in Scunthorpe/North England
- and Marian in The Netherlands
You need NOT be an expert. All you have to do to change from a little white tag to a bright pink tag is be willing to help someone in your area get started. I will contact you to make the connection...and no mentor to date has had more than one contact, so you are not going to be swamped! Email me today.
I am only one person in Maryland. But you all are all over the country and the world. I'd love to share my joy of getting people started on their first ryas with YOU if you are interested. Just let me know. If you want to be connected to a mentor, just ask me. [email protected]
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A Few Parting Comments:
 Bye-Bye, Van! Last month I mentioned that since I'm not doing my on-the-road Art Shows anymore and in fact all the art shows have closed for the pandemic, I decided to sell my little Chevy Astro van. Now, a month later, my trusty little van resides with José in Sleepy Hollow, NY. A perfect fit, and a positive experience (once I took the sales listing off of Craigslist which I recommend you not use if you don't want to be scammed!) José had been searching for this vehicle for over a year and promises it the TLC I gave to it.
Happy October -- coming soon!
Life is totally not what we were expecting, but let's go with it.
We don't have much choice.
I leave you in hopes that every single one of us not only survives the coming months, but comes through with new appreciation of the the good things
in our lives.
Take a walk surrounded by nature when you are feeling blue.
May your families and friends
stay close in creative ways.
Stay safe.
Melinda
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Melinda Byrd
Owner
Byrdcall Studio, LLC
Woodbine, MD
410-615-2473
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