Signature Needle Arts

Today is the day… for the van to leave for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  This is our third year and we are really looking forward to seeing the huge crowd and being able to answer, “YES, we do have circulars!”

For those of you who may not have heard of this festival—it is the largest in the nation with upwards of 90,000 attendees who come to see the animals as well as an incredible array of dyers, spinners… and needle folks.                                      

We had no idea when we applied how lucky we were to get in on our first try. The crowds are really unbelievable—even when the weather is bad like it was last year:  cold, windy, rainy. That didn’t stop the intrepid shoppers though!

For many people it is a wonderful way to get to see and touch a fabulous selection of yarns. For Signature customers they can see and try all our needles and take them home on the spot.

 It has been “all hands on deck” for folks here to get as many circs and other needles built, packaged and packed. Maryland is a bit unusual because a vendor can’t really ship the booth furniture and product and have a trucking firm drop it all off at the booth and pick it up when the show is done.

At a quick meeting this morning a comment was made about “making so many needles my hands are bleeding”—which is an exaggeration, but not much of one.

We have to pack everything in a van and drive the 16 hours (one way). Every evening we have to pack up all the product and schlep it to the van for a trip back to the hotel—which is about 30 miles away. This year Daniella and her husband will be doing the driving and Laura and I will fly. Her husband will be the one helping carry all the heavy stuff in and out and Kent can stay home and relax.

He has done his part in the past 2 years—driving, carrying, and worst for him listening for 32 hours to me “helping” him drive. For any of you who know us, you know that I am not kidding. I have saved his life thousands of times with my kind suggestions of how he might improve his driving. I know that deep in his heart he believes that should he snap and kill me over some “help” no jury would convict him.

 For those of you who will NOT be in Maryland the circs WILL be on the site on Saturday May 1 BUT we will not ship until we all return on Tuesday May 4.

 As we told you earlier we have had some tough testers trying the latest revision of the circulars and have asked them for some comments. Remember they were chosen to test/evaluate because they were objective and we knew would be honest with complaints or concerns.

 “The earlier circs had the same perfect weight and coolness to the touch as Signature straights and dpns, and of course the same wonderful points.  The test circs had all these qualities, PLUS the join was now perfected.  It used to snag a bit, and now it does not, it’s as simple as that.  And the joins swivel, and I have a choice of needle lengths!  I can’t imagine how it could be better.  As soon as you have it out there again for sale, I’ll be putting in my order.  Thanks for caring enough about your product to take it back, and improve it!”

 “Of course the needles and tips are incomparable, but now the joins on the new circulars posed no problem with even the most temperamental yarn.  Even more pleasing was seeing how responsive Signature Needle Arts was to the specific recommendation from users that the join be more tapered than the first generation needles had been.”

 “The long stiletto point makes execution easy. I knit several dozen nupps and they came out perfectly.”   

 “I love the cable on these needles; it’s soft and flexible but doesn’t develop the permanent curl that many circular needles have.”

 “The stiletto tips make these perfect for lace knitting.  I think I need every size!”

 “I have not seen a company so dedicated to providing top notch customer service, a superior product, and the willingness to listen to the needs of their customers and make modifications when needed. 

“Signature has been tireless in their pursuit of the perfect circular needle.  Countless hours of testing and design have led to a new generation of precision knitting tools any knitter would be proud to use.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.