From our friends at KNITTING FEVER and ROWAN, much needed yarns to fill the empty bins! We are now stocked with BLACK CASHMERINO ARAN, BLACK BIG WOOL, and sold out colors of the very popular CASHSOFT DK. Wow! Have you all scooped up these terrific yarns! So let the baby blankets, cozy hats, and sweaters commence once again. And just in time for the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, thanks to our wonderful staff we have extended our shopping hours last minute purchasers before Christmas and Chanukah. From Monday, December 19- Friday, December 23, we will be open every day from 11 AM- 8 PM!!!!

The rest of our beautiful KOIGU order arrived today. If you have not worked with this amazing yarn, come in and see the array of colorways we have. The yarn, a machine wash/dry sport weight merino, is hand-dyed in extraordinary palettes. It is PERFECT for socks, scarves, shawls, and even sweaters if you are, like we are, small needle knitters!

And we are also restocked with the valuable KNITTERS COMPANION. If you are looking for a gift for the new knitter in your life, this is an indispensable reference guide. Nearly every question you will ever have about a technique is answered here.

Finally! It is 24 degrees out and gorgeous!!! We have sunshine, we have calm winds, and we have a store filled at WoolWinders! We have Holly 103 on the XM Radio, we have homemade brownies (made at the home of SAFEWAY), we have smiling faces on Martha, Lynne, Lew and Jacqui; we have Winter Class Schedules, and we have shelves, bins and spinarounds bursting with yarns, patterns, books, and notions! So come by, have a brownie or two (because who among us really ate enough yesterday?), and shop till you drop. It is PERFECT knitting weather!

We are delighted that John the UPS Guy walked in today with our reorders of several popular Elsebeth Lavold pattern books: TAKE FIVE COLLECTION, VIKING KNITS COLLECTION, MELLOW TONE COLLECTION, and SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY COLLECTION. If you are not familiar with her patterns, you are in for a treat. Her designs feature exquisite cables and textured stitch work, and are beautifully written. Up for a cold weather challenge? Settle in with one of her Celtic cable designs in a soft and cozy wool. Ummmmmm.

And we had ANNIE MODESITT back for a THIRD visit yesterday. Annie continues to amaze and dazzle us with her wit, creativity, and quite frankly her plain talk. She made LACE KNITTING as simple as a knit and purl! Students left with yarn and patterns in hand and we expect to see gorgeous finished results before too long!

We will blog again on Friday. In the mean time, have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. We are off to New Jersey for the holiday; one of the unexpected perks of marrying a terrific man-he has a great family! How lucky are we?

We kept the secret beautifully, didn't we? Annie will be back to teach a class on LACE KNITTING in her own inimitable style on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 from 9AM-12 NOON. Why did we wait to long to tell you? Well, because we actully filled all the slots when she was here last time. But because it is the weekend before THANKSGIVING, people's schedules are bound to change. So we now have TWO, that's right, 2 spaces available. Interested?Give us a call at 240.632.9276. The cost is $35 and you will have the time of your life with Annie!!!

The Winter Class Schedule is finished and is in the shop. We have sent the electronic copy to our webmistress, so look for that on the site within the week. But our classes fill QUICKLY, so if you are eager to learn anything from beginning knitting to felting clogs, come on in and grab a copy! New classes include: TOOL TIME, an introduction to knitting and crochet notions and needles, A FELTING SERIES to make BAGS, CLOGS, MITTENS, and TOYS; SOMETHING FOR ME, which helps you create a beautiful top no matter what your size, and ADVANCED BEGINNERS, for those scarf knitters who want to move on!!! We have also added a new section of the popular SAFARI class, this time on Friday mornings from 9-11. And old favorites abound. SOCKS, BEGINNING CROCHET, ARAN KNITTING, FINISHING TECHNIQUES....it's all here!

We are so appreciative of everyone coming in for their holiday projects! Want to make your knitting life a bit easier with all those gorgeous hand-dyed hanks you've accumulated? We are now stocked with Crystal Palace SWIFTS and WINDERS which will make those winding chores FUN!!!We'll even give you a demo on how they work!

And so is Lew, who rose early this morning to load all our pictures!
As we promised, we'll first show off the fun we had knitting for the kids affected by Hurricane Katrina. We had a full table (and sofa) and lots of fun!

Even family members pitched in! Martha's daughter Glenda drove from Waldorf to join us, and she finished first. Here she proudly displays her knit pig:

And her other daughter Jennifer was second, displaying her bunnies:

We also had lots of finished objects on film. Our Snowman Hat class is filled, and you can see why:

While Susan stopped by with son Sean to proudly show off his Cashmerino Chunky sweater:

And here is a true "JEN'S PONCHO" from the Knit Stitch book, modeled by Jen, Martha's daughter! How beautiful is it in the Clara Barton colorway of Schaefer Yarns Esperanza???

And another Susan models her sweater knit by mom Judy, who sits behind her at the table:

While the first Susan (get it?) shows off the sweater she made herself from Esperanza:

Shy Laura displays her lengthwise scarf knit from TURMALIN, only doing so if we agreed not to photogragh her in her workout clothes:

And finally, this is why we have fallen in love with BLUE HERON Bulky Chenille. A picture IS worth a thousand words.

And a final note. Catch the December issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC if you can! Knitting HAS gone global, and the article begins "Meet Lew Rose." How cool is that? Many thanks to Lynne, who wrote the article and provided the gorgeous yarns for the photo.

Searching for truly special holiday gifts? We are now restocked with LANTERN MOON NEEDLES in sizes 5-19. We call these needles the FIRST CLASS of needles; once you use them, any other needle seems like flying Coach. Yes, they are pricey. But aren't you worth it?

And we had another great evening of TOY KNITTING last night. So great, in fact, that we have decided to extend the activity through mid-December. So come join us on THURSDAYS from 6-8 PM as we knit toys for the kids affected by Hurricane Katrina. We are having a ball doing this, and it's not just the wine and cheese.

All you Anglophiles as well as those who just appreciate a very special wool, take note. We have received four new colors of the immensely delicious (and popular) PATRICIA ROBERTS LAMBSWOOL! We have already sold out of her turquoise; now come check out the PALE PINK, LILAC, BROWN, and OLIVE. What drew us to this yarn was not only the beautiful hand of it, but the clarity of colors. We like her palette so much that we have already put in an order for 4 PLY and DK WEIGHT FINE COTTON for this spring. And we are so proud to be one of the very few stores carrying this amazing line. Thanks again, Patricia!

is coming into work early to prepare for a class and listening to a voice mail message from an employee/friend who called last night at 10:30 to reveal that her Rowan Wool Cotton swatch was washed and dried and she maintained not only her stitch gauge but row gauge. The excitement in her voice was palpable and infectious. Because isn't that what we all want? The passion of achievement in our knitting. Go Lynne!!!!

And on two separate notes: First, come join us tonight from 6-8 PM as we knit holiday toys for the kids affected by Hurricane Katrina. Karen Richardson, toy knitter extraordinaire, will be with us. Talk about infectious enthusiasm.

And second, Karen received a full time job offer in her field of Training yesterday. We know first hand what a fabulous trainer she is and how lucky the organization will be to have her. Congratulations Karen!

It figures that just after we took some great pictures of our customers' finished projects and ongoing toy knitting that our computer at home would pass on....but fear not. Our wonderful husband took the day off today to await the arrival of our new Dell. So once all the programs, including Photoshop, are loaded, we will be able to bring you the pics. We promise they will be inspiring.

Speaking of inspiring, we were so excited * about receiving the KOIGU yesterday that we neglected to add that we are now fully restocked with CRYSTAL PALACE NEEDLES. Let the knitting of scarves, socks, hats etc. resume.

* How excited? We came in on our day off to swoon.....

23 of the 32 colors! Need we say more?

If you are hankering to make a fabulous sweater or wrap for the coming cold weather (we PROMISE it WILL get cold eventually!) but don't want to work in wool, come check out two new yarns from BLUE HERON. Both are fast knits (2.5-3/stitches to the inch on 11-13) and both are cotton or cotton/rayon blends. Great for kids, as they are machine washable, or for any adult who doesn't like wool. And we know you are out there, because we've heard your requests. We didn't want to stock just ANY cotton during the winter; these yarns are spectacular. BLUE HERON hails from EASTON, MD and we love supporting local fiber artists. And if you want something really special in a lighter weight, we have a limited supply of their RAYON METALLIC. Two will make a gorgeous holiday shell or wrap. We are starting ours as soon as our PRISM top is done. Which may be tonight!

Also in today, restocks of the LOUISA HARDING BOOKS and IMPRESSION yarn that has flown off the shelves. Check out the beautiful wrap that adorns our model, KNITASHA. She looks lovely in it, as will you!

And finally, two new books: CROCHET FROM THE HEART and BIG KNITTING. Lynne is checking them out as we write this!

We took some great pictures of the group that showed up Thursday to knit holiday toys for kids affected by Hurricane Katrina, but our computer at home has died an unfortunate death, and we can't load them onto the site from work. So you will have to take our word for it that it was GREAT FUN and if you want to join us, please come on Thursday from 6- 8 PM! Karen Richardson, toy knitter extraordinaire, will be on hand to share wisdom, encouragement, and patterns. And hopefully when we get our new Dell at home we can share the photos of such things as Glenda's pig, Jennifer's bear, and all sorts of other goodies!

With apologies to Samuel Beckett, we are all WAITING FOR KOIGU. This amazing yarn is produced and dyed in Canada by the lovely Taiu and Richard, who take painstaking care to get the colors and quality just right. Consequently, the yarn takes time. And time. When we order the yarn at the TNNA Show in June, we know it will take months, and quite frankly that is why we schedule classes that use Koigu late in the year. But we want you all to know that we are on top of things, and in fact talked to Taiu this week, who engaged us in a three way conversation as she called to Richard in the dye-ing room. "RICHARD? IT IS JACQUI. WHEN ARE THEY GETTING THEIR YARN?????" Replied Richard, "JACQUI FROM WOOLWINDERS??? TELL HER I LOVE THE COLORS SHE PICKED OUT!!!!" The bottom line? The yarn will be shipped tomorrow. So stay tuned. We expect it next week. And you all will be the first to know that the 20 skeins of 35 colors have arrived.

Too busy to knit holiday gifts? If your schedule is hectic, but you want to give fabulous hand-made gifts, we have the solution for you! Come check out our SAMPLE SALE. We have children and adult garments including PONCHOS, SWEATERS, SHELLS, AND SCARVES. Designs and yarns inlcude NORO, DEBBIE BLISS, BERROCO, and JAEGER among others. All are priced, and during the month of November, you can take 15% off the ticketed price! And if you want to pass them off as something YOU knit, you have only your conscience to contend with; we will keep your secret. Like VEGAS, WHAT HAPPENS AT WOOLWINDERS STAYS AT WOOLWINDERS!