Sometimes we receive something at the shop that causes us to STOP ALL OUR OTHER KNITTING and pick up a new project. When we received Elsebeth's Lavold's new DESIGNERS CHOICE: THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY COLLECTION we had that reaction.

These 16+ patterns are, well, elegant. Done in DK weight cotton (we recommend either Cotton Classic or Debbie Bliss Cotton DK), they are the perfect spring to summer projects. Lavold gives variations on the patterns, clear charts, and excellent pattern instructions. You will find us here today knitting out of this wonderful book on this beautiful Spring day in Rockville. We have the door open, the fresh air pouring in, and we couldn't be happier with our new, unexpected project!

The Schaefer Afghan kits disappear as quickly as we get them in! Thanks to Cheryl Schaefer, we received three more today; two are already gone. We are, of course, ordering more. Stay tuned. These kits are magnificent; put together by Cheryl herself in unpredictable ways, they feature five hanks of her most beautiful hand dyed yarns: Esperanza, Little Danya, Blossom, and Elaine, which knit together to create a 43 X 60 inch scalloped stitch throw.

Also in today, two restocked colors of Berroco's popular Candy FX. Mix this with Zen for a really cool summer shell.

And if you need an excuse to come in, come see our new decor! We completely re-arranged the store and we are receiving raves about the new spaciousness. And best of all, we now have room for a regular sized garbage can!!!!

OK we admit it. We viewed the entire poncho craze warily, firmly believing that this fashion item is best left to those still in their teens. We held onto this belief through the past two seasons, cheerfully hiding our feelings and selling poncho patterns and appropriate yarn to all those who asked. Would we, however, have donned this garment? NEVER.

Until today. Under duress from Adrian and Jean, we tried on the Colinette poncho that hangs in our window (modelled above by the lovely Marietta, who knit it!). And guess what? We loved it! We looked, if we say so ourself, fabulous. As did Adrian, as did Jean. So we want one. Now.

Two important items about Debbie Bliss. First, her class on June 16 is now full; we are, however, taking names for a waitlist. Debbie is an immensely talented and warm designer who is kind enough to stop at our shop during her swing through the East Coast. We can't wait to see her and compliment her on her fabulous yarns and patterns! Second, we can now knit with her popular Cashmerino Aran; today we received restocks of many colors including the traditional ivory aran. If you have not worked with this amazing yarn, now is a great time. The yarn knits at 4.5 stitches to the inch, making it just the right weight for three season wear, and has 10% cashmere, making it unbelievably luxurious. As a bonus, it is machine washable. Lew made two baby blankets from this yarn; they feel like clouds.

And we also received good Berroco news from Scott the UPS Guy; he brought us almost all the colors of Sizzle. This yarn makes a funky one skein scarf perfect for beginners. 18 stitches on 10.5 needles and there you are!

Finally, we now have three more Absolutely Fabulous afghan kits from Colinette: Waterlilies, Versace, and Sedona. If you are looking for a real treat for Mother's Day, this is it! Eight skeins of hand dyed yarn and deceptively easy patterns make a GORGEOUS afghan....come see the one we have in the window.

Our latest round of pictures of our customers displaying their works. You too can make any of these items. Just stop by the store and we will get you started and provide help along the way!

Noro yarn is notoriously difficult to stock. Each yarn is hand selected, each color hand dyed by Mr. Noro himself. When we get it in, we celebrate. And celebrate we did today as Scott the UPS Guy brought in two colors of their new spring ribbon yarn, GISHA. We have a gorgeous model hanging in our window. Scott also brought one of the most popular Kureyon colors, 88, a richly hued orange/green pure wool yarn.

We also received confirmation today something we always suspected; our high school helper Tori is indeed a rock star! Check out the article about her climbing exploits in today's Gazette!

We were beside ourselves with excitement as Scott the UPS Guy wheeled in two boxes we have been waiting for---from Schaefer and Blue Heron Yarns. We are expanding our selections of handpainted yarns, and these just dazzled us!!!

From Schaefer we received assorted colors of ANNE, a sock yarn that knits at 7-8 stitches to the inch, as well as three one-of-a-kind afghan kits (OK, we sold one already to our pal Darlene as she was waiting on line to pay for something else). Cheryl Schaefer puts these kits together herself; they simply cannot be replicated! Eight kinds of hand dyed yarns make a gorgeous afghan!!! In addition to the yarns, Cheryl was kind enough to send many patterns to go with both Laurel and Anne.

And Blue Heron, a local (Easton, MD) Fiber Arts company, produces exquisite hand dyed yarns for every season. We came across them when it became very difficult to get Touch Me yarn from Muench. Blue Heron produces and dyes a handpainted version of this yarn. The hanks are enormous; one does the scarf everyone was knitting, at a cost of $28.99. Come see these colourways! In addition, we have their beaded rayon and cotton seed in stock. We are so excited about these new offerings for scarves, summer shells, and sweaters.

And not to be slighted; we received restocks of Pony Pearl needles in much needed size 11 and Berroco Plume FX in Metallic.

Dale of Norway is known for many things, not the least of which is their exquisite baby patterns. Not for the faint of heart, these gorgeous designs are done on small needles (sizes 0-3) and are filled with intricate color and stitch work. If you are ready to cast fear aside and try one of these beautiful designs, you may want to start with their new book 142. Filled with 12 designs using both Baby Ull (a washable wool) or their new Stork (100% cotton), the book contains rompers, hats, dresses, and even a Christening set. Don't be afraid--it's only yarn!!!

What pug wouldn't be happy in this lovely creation? Our friend Phyllis had some leftover novelty yarn and decided to trim the sweater she was making for her daughter's dog Lucy. We thought this was hilarious. Don't try this if you have cats, however. Our pets Sparky and Scooter would have none of it!

We are closed today for the Easter holiday. A happy and healthy one to everybody! See ya tomorrow.

Our dear friends Margo and Andrew had twin boys last week. We made these Mission Falls 1824 Cotton sweaters to celebrate. When we get pictures of Nelson and Colin wearing them, we will certainly display those as well!

You may have seen Lew knitting blankets for the twins whenever he was at the store. Pictures of them are here and here. The blankets were made from Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Aran, one of the most popular yarns at the store. Soft and washable, we actually just did an early Fall reorder so that we can be assured of having plenty of stock in all colors! You will love this yarn, whether you make the Ann Norling blankets as Lew did, or any of the sweaters designed by Debbie. Stay tuned for some exciting news about Debbie Bliss and WoolWinders!

Ever wonder who thinks up those names for yarn colors? We think they are in cahoots with the nail polish people. Today we received shipment of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, a yarn we regard as OUTSTANDING for felting projects (and not too bad for wool sweaters, either!). So we are fully stocked with their brightest colors, including Orange You Glad, Limeade, and Aztec Turquoise!

Also in, three colors of Tiny Tots, including the purple used in the popular children's poncho model we have in the store, and three colors of snuggly DK.

Happy Spring!

One of the prettiest novelty yarns we know is Optik by Berroco. It is dyed to resemble stained glass, and comes in beautiful colorways. It can be knit alone or for a really dramatic look, combine it with Softwist. Today we received color 4952 which calls to mind a Tiffany lamp!

WoolWinders will be closed Sunday in observance of Easter. We wish everyone a happy, safe, and healthy holiday.

At WoolWinders, we are fond of saying that "good finishing is the difference between handmade and homemade." Today we received a book we regard as the best reference for finishing, Nancie Wiseman's Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques. Whether you want to learn seaming, button bands, or the kitchener stitch, this is an indispensable guide.

Also in, one more color of a truly splendid cabled three-to-the-inch cotton, "Splendid", reinforcements for our skacel needles, and restocks of Jo Sharp pattern books.

Late addition: Scott the UPS Guy just dropped off our reshipment of LAUREL by Schaefer yarns. Come get this exquisite pima cotton asap; it flies out of here!

And FINALLY....we are stocked with Swifts and Ball Winders. Now all those hand-dyed hanks won't be quite so intimidating.

Today we met one of our closest friends for lunch/shopping in Old Town, Alexandria so of course had to stop in at the new knitting store there. Kristine and Liz are the proud owners of Knit Happens. The store is just terrific. Bright lights, great yarns, nice people. So if you are on the "other side of the river" stop by.

Today is the FIRST Tuesday that we will be open. We hope that our customers are as happy as Scott the UPS Guy who no longer has to schlepp our boxes around for an extra day. Come say hello to Kate Ann, who will be "minding the store" while we still take a day off.

We expected a post-sale funk yesterday, but the store was hopping from the moment we opened the doors just before noon. Lots of customers taking advantage of the held-over 35% off inventory and there are STILL terrific bargains to be had (though thanks to our pal Pam the 50% off Provence is gone)! Be sure to stop by; we will continue these discounts on certain yarns until they are gone.

And for our grand announcement, we are FINALLY stocked with Sirdar baby and kids yarns! Two boxes arrived from Knitting Fever yesterday chock full of KoolKids and Chatterbox, two of our most popular machine wash/dry yarns for very cute baby and kids projects. We are delighted with them, and think you will be too!

Our Spring Cleaning sale was a huge success! We loved seeing the happy faces of customers buying merino, tape, and even silk yarns at 35% off. The lantern moon baskets, which double as shopping baskets, got a great workout, as did our fabulous staff who worked hard to lead people to the bargains and help with decisions. Thanks to Adrian, Jessica, Kate Ann, Lisa, Marietta, Karina and Torie. And special thanks to Lew, who gave up his weekend off from his lawyer gig to run the register. Quite the team.

Speaking of team, we are thrilled to welcome Jackie Callery to the WoolWinders family. Jackie has extensive retail experience in the knitting world and has tremendous technical skills as well. Jackie ran a knitting group for years at a nearby shop and promises to do the same for us; we will keep you posted as to date and time. Please introduce yourself to Jackie when you come in the shop. We are delighted to have her join us.

We delight in providing customer service; to that end, we are extending our sale as follows: all of the 35% off yarns will remain at that discount until they are gone! This includes all Gedifra and Katia yarns, and fabulous bargains such as Colinette Fandango, Mercury, and Wigwam. We will make sure a full list appears at the store and on this site. This is a perfect time to add to your stash; these prices are amazing!

To all our customers and friends--a safe, healthy, and happy Passover and Easter. Please remember the shop will be closed Sunday, April 11. Thanks.