We admit it. We are pattern driven. Give us a great design and we will find yarn to suit it. So when books arrive at the store, we have to resist the impulse to sit at the table and read through all of them to find new designs. (It is a bit easier to resist when we realize that our incredibly hard working staff would be a bit peeved.) Today was INTERWEAVE PRESS day at the store, and we are hoping that one our floor is cleared of the hundreds of skeins of MANOS resting there that we will ACTUALLY have time to embrace the new arrivals.

Three of our favorite references are back in stock: CROCHETERS COMPANION, KNITTER'S COMPANION, and YARN REQUIREMENTS. And a couple of beloved stand-bys return: FOLK BAGS, FOLK SHAWLS, FOLK VESTS, SCARF STYLE, HIP TO KNIT, AND FELTED KNITS.

But we saved the best for last. New arrivals? COLOR WORKS and THE ART OF FAIR ISLE KNITTING for those who want to travel to the realm of color knitting; KNITTING GANSEYS for those who are eagerly anticipating BETH BROWN REINSEL'S trip to the shop in July, KNITTED EMBELLISHMENTS and ONE SKEIN for those seeking quick vacation projects, and NATURAL KNITS FOR BABIES AND MOMS which features organic yarns and extremely clever designs (maternity and nursing sweaters, for example). OK, we are hustling the staff along so that we CAN spend some time with these beauties.....

And don't forget SUNDAY IN THE SALON. For the next three weeks we are having a KNIT ALONG of IRIS SCHRIER's amazing DIAGONAL TANK. We started this during our rain-soaked jaunt to the Eastern Shore and can report that both the REGAL SILK yarn and the pattern are terrific. As is Iris. We ran into one snafu in creating a diagonal (hampered by our left handedness) and frantically called ARTYARNS. Even though Iris had left for the day, she returned our call via cell phone within about 20 minutes. Is she not the best??????

Remember those fabulous afghan kits from WOOL IN THE WOODS that never hang around long at the store? Well, they are back in stock! With a slight price increase (now $101.99), they are STILL an amazing bargain. Hold three strands of hand dyed yarn together on a size 17 needle (getting the message about how quickly this will knit up?) and voila! A work of art.

We have three natural in stock, one with pink/green pastels, one in blue tones, and one in an earthy mix of rose and olive. Hurry in. If these are around next week, we will be stunned.

Sometimes it is good to be blissfully naive. We escaped town on Monday morning for our annual "Best Friend Thelma and Louise Trip" not realizing that the torrential rain we experienced on Sunday had paralyzed the area. OK, we noticed that the traffic going into town seemed a BIT heavy, but we were listening to our CDs and remained pretty much unaware of the situation until we started receiving calls from our staff members who couldn't make it into the store. MANY, MANY THANKS to Adrian and Karina who struggled in Monday, and to Martha who logged in an unbearable commute from Southern Maryland to work Tuesday. And many thanks to our fabulously patient customers who shopped as well. We are a bit embarassed that we missed it all. But we were slogging though the rain ourselves on the Eastern Shore. Even during the deluge we got to see a great new knitting store in St. Michael's (FRIVOLOUS FIBERS) and the entire BLUE HERON YARNS operation in Easton. And got to have a bit of fun with our best pal, Alex, as well. It was, however, wonderful to see blue skies and sunshine today. Hope everyone is safe.

ANNIE MODESITT has rescheduled her KNITTING WITH BEADS for SUNDAY, AUGUST 20. We will, of course, be personally contacting every participant from the original sessions, but feel free to call us at the shop and let us know if you can make the new date. If not, your money will be cheerfully refunded. But we hope you can attend!

And Martha just phoned with word that our FALL 2006 MANOS DEL URUGUAY order has arrived. We will be checking it in and shelving it tomorrow, and we will have to raise prices slightly, just $1.00/skein. So if you want some of this yummy yarn at the existing price, hustle down to the shop, or call us with a credit card. By tomorrow afternoon, the new prices will be in effect!!!

Yes, we WILL be open tomorrow. Annie Modesitt is ill and the programs for tomorow will be rescheduled. So come on out to the shop and we will hvae opne knitting from 2-4 PM. Don't have a project? We will help you select one and get you started. Lots of snacks, company, and air conditioning! We hope to see you.

And check out the new patterns we received from KRISTMEN DESIGN STUDIOS. We searched and searched for the lovely Jolene at the TNNA Show because she was kind enough to spend a day at our shop when she was in town. Couldn't find her in the maze that was the convention center. But she found us! Her designs for sweaters (men's and women's), shawls, and vests are really remarkable. If cables and/or lace interest you, take a look. If not, read through her patterns anyway. They are clearly written and explained.

Very imporatant announcement. Annie Modesitt is quite ill and has had to postpone this Sunday's KNITTING WITH BEADS. We have emailed every participant and will follow up with phone calls, but we WILL be rescheduling. As soon as we get the new date, we will alert everyone, and will, of course, refund the money of anyone who can't make the rescheduled date. So sorry.

So we WILL be open regular hours this Sunday. Come on in and knit with us from 2-4--we will have open knitting with lots of help for projects!

The TNNA boxes just keep arriving. First up, thanks to the discerning eyes of MARTHA and ADRIAN, amazing buttons are here. Not just your ordinary buttons, these are made from wood, glass, and bone. Just gorgeous. Buttons can simply make a garment. Don't believe us? Don't buy your buttons until you are finished knitting, then come in and check them out on the project. You will be amazed.

Books galore,, and thanks to LYNNE, both old friends and new favorites. We are back to being fully stocked with 365 KNITTING STITCHES, the popular perpetual calendar we have sold since the day we opened. Ditto for LITTLE BOX OF SCARVES, and KNITTED COASTERS. That holy trinity of Sally Melville is back on our shelves: THE KNIT STITCH, THE PURL STITCH, and COLOR KNITTING. You will never find a better combination of patterns and instruction. And for those hard-to-find patterns, DEBBIE BLISS' JUNIOR KNITS is back in stock. Great patterns for toddlers through teens. Two new books: LAINES DU NORD and FAIR ISLE SWEATERS SIMPLIFIED. The first is a great way to learn to read patterns--all the designs are easy and yet very stylish. The second? You KNOW we are just crazy about color knitting this year!

Finally, we were very impressed when we met ANNI KRISTENSEN from HIMALAYA YARN at the TNNA show. Here lovely demeanor was only exceeded by the incredibly cool yarns she sells. Many are made from recycled silk and saris, and her pattern support is highly creative. We bought a lot of her yarn and many patterns including those for BAGS, SHAWLS, and JACKETS. We have already squired away five skeins to do her STAINED GLASS JACKET while on vacation later this summer, so hurry on in!

Totally portable books! We love the VOGUE ON THE GO series of books. They are loaded with patterns and inspiration and measure about 5"x7" so can fit beautifully into any beach bag!!!! Check out BABY BLANKETS, BABY BLANKETS TWO, BEGINNER BASICS, CHUNKY KNITS, TEEN KNITS,BABY KNITS TWO, AND WEEKEND KNITS!! And if you have more room, take a peek at EASY AFGHANS (knit and crochet) and EXQUISITE LITTLE KNITS. The books are a bit bigger, but still fabulous!

So find a pattern you like; we will help you find an amazing yarn and get you started on your way!

It just gets so exciting to get the calls on our day off that MORE HAS ARRIVED!!!! So we have to run up to the shop and check everything out.Today? We received our FAVORITE new book: INSPIRED CABLE KNITS by Fiona Ellis. Her designs are gorgeous! We have already knit a shell on size 2 (yes, that would be size 2) needles from the elegant PATRICIA ROBERTS 4 PLY COTTON. And also in the book box? Iris Schrier's MODULAR KNITS (we are currently working on her silk tank), and Vogue BEGINNER BASICS. So no matter what your skill level, we have patterns and inspiration for you.

We LOVE the folks at DALE OF NORWAY. Not only were they really helpful at the TNNA Show, but they shipped IMMEDIATELY!!!! We are now fully stocked with BABY ULL, a 4 ply washable wool in fabulous colors, NEW PATTERN BOOKS, and (drum roll please) HEILO. Heilo is THE Fair Isle yarn. 4 ply, pure wool, can stand up to all sorts of stranding. So bring it on. And if you need help, check out the VOGUE ULTIMATE KNITTING REFERENCE, which came in from Sterling Publishers. There is a whole section on Color Knitting.

Better with classes? Can you wait until Sunday, July 30? Lynne will be teaching "On the Other Hand" in our Sunday Salon. And on the following Sunday morning she will teach "Two Hands, Two Colors." This will get you ready for the process of Fair Isle knitting by showing how to work two colors using both hands!

And it's patterns!!! Lots of them. From OAT COUTURE, KNITTING PURE AND SIMPLE, and VERMONT FIBER DESIGN. Designs for coats, vests, shells, sweaters, bags, blankets, even dolls. Come check them out!

A few things for the blog today. First, as always we will be closed on FATHERS DAY. We have received many comments in appreciation of this, so thanks. We feel it's important to mark the day and glad you support us in our desire to honor our dad and cater to our husband's every whim!

Second, we received some stock of SCHAEFER YARN LAUREL, including the amazing colorway CATHERINE THE GREAT. If you are looking for a great summer yarn, look no further than this hand-dyed 100% PIMA COTTON. It is a shop favorite. 400 amazing yards for $36.99.

Finally, re Annie Modesitt's presentation next Sunday the 25th. We have had a lot of movement among class participants, and we are concerned that not everyone has received the materials list. If you have not, PLEASE call the shop or email jacqui@woolwinders.com. You will need to bring yarn, needles, and beads to the class, and we will let you know exactly what you will need.

Thanks! And stay tuned for the TNNA report. It should be in your email by this weekend.

The city of Rockville is doing roadwork right in front of our shop today and tomorrow. So when you head over here, enter the shopping area from REDLAND ROAD (not KING FARM BLVD) and park at the Safeway. It is just around the corner! Need more details? Call the store and our lovely staff will give you detailed directions.

We are back from the annual TNNA Show (watch your email this week for our report on trends and happenings!). We caught up with many of our favorite distributors including Judith from DESIGN SOURCE, the purveyors of the fabulous MANOS DEL URUGUAY yarn. This is a store favorite and standard, and we have quite a bit in stock with more due in at the end of the week. But here is the deal. There HAS been a price increase in the yarn (just a dollar) which will affect our inventory with the new shipment. If you buy it NOW, however, you will get it at the old price. This will last until we get our fall order. Judith ships fast, so hustle on in at get Manos, both variegated and solid, at the existing price. ($12.99/solid, $14.99 variegated). And we have fabulous pattern support as well., including a free scarf pattern.

This Sunday, join us in the Salon for a session on SHORT ROWS! Kim and Lisa will instruct and demonstrate the method of wrapping a stitch to knit backwards (really!) and create terrific shaping. They even have some great patterns including a T shirt that is sized from a 32 to 56" bust!!! The program will run from 2-4 PM.

And the newsletter is out via email! Hope you got it this morning. The phone has been ringing constantly with class registrations, so don't hesitate to call us if there is something you want to learn this summer.

We are off to TNNA in beautiful downtown Indianapolis! Marietta, Karina, Kim and Lisa will be minding the store and we will catch up with you next week.

A few things we thought we would share with our customers and readers. First, the SUMMER NEWSLETTER will be out via email in a few days. The only way to get this ahead of the pack is to have registered on our website. So take a glance at the lower left side of this page where it says "MAILING LIST" and submit your email address. Please note that because of spam issues, this is a three step process that ensures you really want to receive emails from us! Follow all the steps, ok?

Second, we will be at our annual TNNA meeting this weekend. This is our market meeting where we see all the trends and goodies in the fiber world! So stay tuned for a report of our observations (and purchases!). The store will be open this weekend thanks to the BEST staff in the fiber world.

Finally, don't miss our SUNDAY IN THE SALON this weekend. Lisa and Kim will be demonstrating the technique known as "short rows." This is a fabulous way to shape garments and add interest to scarves, shawls and the like. They will be sharing some patterns that utilize the method, and will be happy to help you with yarn selections! The program is from 2-4, is free of charge, and refreshments will be served.

If so, we have IN STOCK the new colors of Noro SILK GARDEN for the fall!!! Yes, it is early, but this yarn is a winner in the Noro line. And for those of you who don't know the method behind Noro's fabulous color selections, each year he eliminates and adds seven colors to his palette. We never know what is coming (or going!) until we meet with our rep Jay. But we promise these new colors are just gorgeous!

And if you are still in your summer knitting mode (as are we, we confess), we are now fully stocked with CRYSTAL PALACE NEEDLES, both straight and dpn.

Many of our customers long to progress to knitting garments but are afraid that the finished projects won't fit correctly. If you fall into that category, don't miss this SUNDAY IN THE SALON which features FIT FOR SUMMER. We will take a complete set of your measurements (discreetly of course!), help you select a yarn, and create a pattern specific to your measurements and yarn gauge! And you will get to keep a set of the measurements on a handy card. We recommend that you start with a vest or shell. Why? You won't have to deal with pesky and time-consuming sleeves!!

The program is free of charge and will run from 2-4. Refreshments will be served, so come on out and join the fun!

We get a kick out of discovering a yarn that our customers love. Our most recent find was CASCADE SIERRA, a pima/merino blend that offered machine washability, great yardage,light worsted gauge, and a reasonable price. While we viewed this primarily as a baby blanket offering, we saw it fly off the shelves for washable sweaters and vests as well. We tested it personally, and can report that it knits quickly into the most luscious things (currently on our needles for a WHITE LIES DESIGN cami). Needless to say, we have had to reorder most of the colors already. And today they arrived! So come check out this three-season wonder. 190 yards for $8.99. This yarn is fantastic!