OK. If it is NOT going to stay cold, we may as well begin our spring knitting. Or at least start ONE spring project. And what better place to start than with something totally new. Today John the UPS Guy wheeled most of our spring order from AURORA YARNS. Within the really big box was BAMBOO YARN. We are really excited about this, because customers have told us that it has the look and feel of silk, but with some memory and bounce! So how about it? Help us crack open this new fiber! And also included was Aurora's fabulous LINEN yarn, which has a wonderful spin to it; the fibers are plyed beautifully. In adidtion to some classic solids, we received some GORGEOUS tweeds, just perfect for summer sweaters. Finally, we were ready for some new inspiration, and found it in the ultra-sophisticated DROPS pattern books. These designs are fabulous. We have seven new books in stock; come take a peek.

Just one package today, but a great one. PURSENALITY PLUS is a fabulous collection of felted bags. If you haven't visited us in a while, you have missed our "WALL OF FELTING YARN" filled with CASCADE 220 and MANOS yarns just waiting to be knit and boiled into felted wool! We also carry NORO KUREYON and ROWAN HARRIS TWEED which are perfect for felting projects as well.

New and experienced knitters alike love FELTING. By knitting pure wool above gauge and then throwing the object into a very hot washing machine (with maximum agitation), you create what used to be called "BOILED WOOL." You can felt just about anything, but purses are great places to start! Come check out the wonderful designs in PURSENALITY PLUS. Whether you want a felted cell phone carrier, beach bag, or evening clutch, you will find the pattern and yarn at WOOLWINDERS!

Even after ordering literally THOUSANDS of dollars worth of Skacel needles before the holidays, we were in desperate need of more. We sent THREE purchase orders to Skacel within the last two weeks, and the first shipment has arrived! We are now fairly well stocked. If there is a particular size you are seeking, call first and we will put them aside for you. But we should have them ALL in by next week!

It is a rare treat to be able to carry a true "local" yarn. We received a call a few weeks ago from Ann, who raises alpacas in Poolesville, MD (just up the road from us) and who sought to have her yarn carried by local shops. Who could resist? We couldn't, especially when she showed us the yarn. Wow! It is everything you expect alpaca to be-soft, yummy, workable. And the yarn was undyed. Yes, totally natural. In the colors of the actual critters. Soft beige, clear grey and deep rich brown. We almost wanted to meet these fabulous animals from RAINBOW ALPACA!

The yarn is sport weight-about 6 to the inch on a size 3-5 needle. And the hanks are HUGE-ranging from 320 to 400 yards. (One will do a shawl; two a T-shrit, three a sweater!) Come see this unique yarn at WoolWinders.

are great companions to knitting. Is there anything better than taking a break from the needles to curl up with a new book? We think not. And today we received Interweave's newest offering: KNITTING OUT OF AFRICA. We are already intrigued. The patterns draw on African heritage and trends and look amazing. Some of our favorite techniques are incorporated-mitred squares, intarsia and the like. Come give this new book a peek!

And back in are favorites: KNITTER'S COMPANION, FELTED KNITS, FOLK SHAWLS, HIP TO CROCHET, and for those of us eager for some quick small projects SCARF STYLE and WRAP STYLE.

We love Missy Burns at Wool in the Woods for a number of reasons, but none more than her spring lines of yarn. She is AMAZING!!! Each year she produces unique colorways in gorgeous lightweight fibers. This year, we imposed on her even more. We asked that she reproduce a favorite from two seasons ago-the browns/taupes/mosses of SERENGETI. She obliged. Then we went even further and asked her to dye SOLIDS to match the four new color ways. And she obliged. So we have the full range of her spring line (FIVE YARNS) in four gorgeous colorways, PLUS matching solids. Get ready for SPRING!!!!

And not to be outdone, CHERYL SCHAEFER (at whose shrine we worship), sent three new kits in EVERYWOMAN, TONI MORRISON, and JANE ADDAMS. These are designed to make afghans, but our very own LYNNE made a phenomenal shawl. There is even enough yarn to make a jacket/coat. So come in and see these very special colorways.

Finally, our friends at UNIQUE KOLOURS have come up with something, well, unique. They are introducing an ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS AFGHAN KIT each month in a special colorway. We just got FEBRUARY. And it is, well, absolutely fabulous (picture to follow). Teals, taupes, roses. We can't wait to see MARCH.

We are back from our annual long weekend in the sun; and couldn't wait to see what came in in our absence. We are excited to report that we are once again carrying CHERRY TREE HILL SUPERSOCK MERINO, named by our own KATHY CEA (Sock teacher extraordinaire) as her favorite. Come see the beautiful colors we have in stock. And one skein makes a pair of socks (or three gloves, don't ask how we know that......)

Also in, the new VOGUE KNITTING, which Kim has already swooned over, more double pointed needles from CRYSTAL PALACE, and reorders of DEBBIE BLISS YARN AND NORO BOOKS.

And we are just delighted that we are once again carrying KNITTING and ACCESSORY BAGS from BUTTERMILK DESIGNS. We carried these when we first opened and after searching far and wide for the best totes, came back to these beauties. All are lined and hand sewn, and the fabrics are gorgeous!

Finally, tremendous thanks to our amazing staff who kept things rocking while we were away. Things change in life, so we are a bit sad to report that JESSICA and LISA, who worked one Saturday a month, have decided that they want their weekends back. But how cool are they? They told us AFTER they signed up to work the weekend we were away. We really appreciate them, and know that we will stay close. Thanks to both of you for all your hard work and cheerfulness over the past few years.

It is 60 degrees as we write this. And even though we know winter will return (probably with a vengeance!), we were delighted today to receive more of one of our favorite spring yarns: COLINETTE GIOTTO. This ribbon is amazing. Whether you make a shawl, jacket, scarf, or T-shirt; whether you knit or crochet it, the results are amazing. We must have been thinking spring, since the colors that came in today look like flowers. And we have a new pattern book, WEST COUNTRY, to inspire you.

And on a more practical note, the CRYSTAL PALACE NEEDLES have arrived.

We love articles about knitting, even when we aren't in them. But let's clarify an important point about last week's article in the Washington Post. The scarf mentioned is fabulous. We have a few of them around the store (ever the fashion trend setters, we knit these a few months ago, and even included the pattern free in our December newsletter!). You can knit them out of just about anything, provided that the yarn has nice drape. What you DON'T need, and WON'T EASILY FIND, are the 47" size 15 needles called for in the article. Trust us. We have tried. We have tried to help customers by looking up these needles on the internet. Bad news? We can't seem to find anyone who stocks them. Good news? You don't need them. We knit our scarves on 32" size 9 and they worked just fine. So come in. We will help you choose a fabulous yarn to make this fun scarf.

Although we were the only ones around King Farm that gave John the UPS Guy a break around the holidays, we have more than made up for it this week. Yesterday's arrivals included the all-important NOTIONS and PATTERNS from Bryson (what ARE you doing with the stitch markers??????), more MANOS and the lovely BLUE SKY COTTON (inlcluding new tweedy colors of the ORGANIC COTTON). All of that is checked in and beautifully shelved by Martha and Adrian.

Today we were delighted to receive CASCADE 220 and 109 (let the felting begin!) as well as DALE OF NORWAY STORK. Not yet checked or shelved but will be by day's end.

We have to pat ourselves on the back for our inventory control this past fall. We ordered just about right, sold down A TON of yarn during the past few months (thank you, our wonderful customers) and so took a deep breath to decide what needed to be reordered before our spring yarns (!) start coming in next month. Today John the UPS Guy brought in MORE MANOS (Lew's blanket has inspired many of you), gorgeous SCHAEFER ESPERANZA and LAUREL, restocks of the popular books SENSATIONAL KNITTED SOCKS, FINISHING TECHNIQUES, and 365 KNITTING STITCHES, as well (finally!) SKACEL NEEDLES.

Look for more deliveries this week. On deck are reorders of CASCADE YARN, CRYSTAL PALACE NEEDLES, COLINETTE YARNS/BOOKS, BRYSON NOTIONS and PATTERNS, DALE OF NORWAY and BLUE SKY COTTON, and some assorted goodies from KNITTING FEVER. So keep reading the blog!

OK. All of you who have been coming into the shop to ooh and aah over Lew's Manos blanket, get ready to do your own. We are now fully restocked with all the Manos colors (with the exception of two variegated ones) that you could ever need. How much do we love this yarn??? We have carried it since the store opened and this is our THIRD reorder just for this season. So I guess you all love it too!

And if a sweater is more your style, check out the patterns Judith designs for the yarn. They are amazing.

Due to a student rescheduling to February, we have a RARE opening in January's SAFARI class. It meets each Wednesday night (beginning tonight!) from 6:30-8:30 PM and is taught by the fabulous KAREN RICHARDSON. If you have not experienced this class with Karen, you are missing out! Just pick a project that is too difficult for you to do alone and work with her and your fellow "hunters" for four weeks. The cost? Just $95. If you are interested, please call in advance of tonight's class, 240.632.9276. Thanks!

We were thrilled that so many of you loved Lynne's recent pattern for the ladder scarf made from Great Adirondack Periwinkle. And so embarassed that the bind off directions were not made clear. So here is our correction for the final row of the scarf:

Work to desired length, then break/cut the yarn, with a tail about 6 times as long as your scarf/shawl is wide (or just give yourself a couple of yards, to be plenty safe). Bind off two stitches in the normal way, which
should leave you with one stitch on your right-hand needle. Thread the working yarn tail back through this stitch (as you would at the very end of a full bind-off row), slip it off the needle, and pull the working yarn
tail to snug it down tight. Knit the next two stitches as usual. Bind off three stitches in the normal way, which should leave you with one stitch on your right-hand needle. Thread working yarn tail back through this stitch
(as you would at the end of a full bind-off row), slip it off the needle, and pull the working yarn tail to snug it down tight. Knit the next two stitches as usual. Bind off the last three stitches, pulling working yarn
tail through the last stitch to secure. You should now have two pairs of stitches remaining on your right-hand
needle (three pairs if you're making the wider shawl). Pull the needle out, and ladder (unravel) all the stitches down to the cast-on row.

Hope this makes it clear. And again, we apologize. Hey, we feel like REAL designers now!!! We have an errata blog!