OK, we are expecting some nasty weather this weekend, so what better time to join us in the Salon on Sunday to knit CABLED HAND WARMERS? Knitting knowledge of using double pointed needles will be most helpful; if you have never used them before, you may want to get some ahead of time and practice! The amazing MARIETTA will be leading the program, and the handwarmers are just adorable. We made our sample out of DEBBIE BLISS CASHMERE (three skeins are needed), and there are some other yarn choices as well. If you have size 6 DPNS, bring them along. We are running low and may have you use size 7s, which will work just as well.

As always, the program is free of charge and will run from 2-4 PM. You can make these beauties up in a few hours/hand, so they make great CHRISHANUKWANZAA gifts!!

Two more entries in the store today: restocks of the GORGEOUS Cherry Tree Hill Handpainted SUPERSOCK yarn. Beautiful colors, washable merino, great yardage....what else could you ask for in a yarn? And to complement those tootsies, check out the new BEST OF KNITTERS JACKETS. It is a terrific book filled with casual, office and dressy jackets (and the occasional shell). And of course, it has wonderful instructions, thanks to the folks who give us KNITTERS magazine!

Javier came in with a full cart today. And what goodies!!!! New colors of NORO SILVER THAW, a kind of lighter weight Kochoron with the stunning Noro colors. KNITASHA, our lovely mannequin, is modeling a sweater from the yarn, so check it out! Some great patterns, too, in the NORO 20 book which we received as well.

And for those of you who love the feel of Alpaca (and who doesn't?) we have 10 colors of CASCADE YARNS CHUNKY BABY ALPACA. The great thing about alpaca is that it provides a quick knit yet never feels heavy because of the yarn's loft.

And from the fabulous Ms. BLISS, her new SIMPLY BABIES. We are sitting down with the book right now to find a pattern for our friend Sarah's bundle of joy, expected this coming February!

We fell in love with this yarn last summer when we visited Patricia's lovely shop in London, and we are so proud to be one of a handful of stores in the U.S. that carries it. If you have never knit with 100% lambswool, you are in for a treat. The yarn is just yummy, and the color range is exquisite. One 50 gram ball of DK Weight yarn has a generous 170 yards! After a minor glitch in pricing (we thought the yarn was priced at 10 balls/kilo when in fact it was 20---far more reasonable!!!), we have shelved this yarn and it is ready for knitting. OK, we already took a bag of the yellow to do one of Fiona Ellis' cable designs. So hurry in.....

And a late delivery from Javier the UPS Guy: 6 new colors of ROWAN FELTED TWEED as well as new pattern books for RYC ALPACA DK, SILK WOOL, CASHSOFT ARAN, and CASHSOFT DK. We confess. We peeked. Have you seen those cabled knit handbags in the latest Nordstrom's Catalog? Well, you can knit one!!!

Join us today as we learn LACE KNITTING! We are going to demonstrate the FEATHER AND FAN pattern and get everyone going on a scarf, shawl, or blanket! Bring a skein of yarn, needles one or two sizes above gauge, and some markers if you have them! Free of charge--2-4 PM.

Are at the shop and should be up on the website in a few days. So stop by to get the earliest information about our Beginning, Advanced Beginners, and Safari classes, as well as new additions: Two Socks on Circs, Advanced Crochet, Crochet for Knitters, Fair Isle Cozies, Design Your Own Blanket, and Mosaic Hat. Lots of fun stuff this fall!! And when you sign up for multiple classes, you get a 10% discount after the first, or most expensive one!

And join us this Sunday in the Salon. Has Lace Knitting intrigued but terrified you? We will teach you how to knit the FEATHER AND FAN Lace pattern, which will give you all the skills you will ever need for lace. And we'll even get you started on a scarf, shawl, or baby blanket! 2-4 PM. And the program is free of charge.

Are here. And they're fabulous. And in very limited quantities; just three of each. They come in Rosewood and Ebony, in 26 and 32" lengths. And they will look just beautiful in the SOPHIA and UMBRIA baskets we also received from LANTERN MOON. Treat yourself. Who deserves it more than you?????

The much-anticipated MARILYN pattern is here! This gorgeous Aran Cardigan was the hit of the afternoon. And do we have wonderful yarns for it! Don't forget your coupon......

We spent quite a bit of time yesterday bagging up some summer yarns for deep discounts. We have bags of GREEN MOUNTAIN SPINNERY COTTON COMFORT, ELSEBETH LAVOLD CABLED COTTON, SKACEL PORTOFINO, NORO HANA SILK, FILATURA ZARA and others at 30-50% OFF!!!! In additions, we have navy HARRIS TWEED CHUNKY (enough to make a great sweater), LOUISA HARDING ANGORA, and SOCK YARN on sale!!! Prices are marked on the bags. Great buys for our great customers.

And please remember that we are CLOSED tomorrow, Sunday August 20, for a special presentation. Thanks for your cooperation.

So we have it! For all those color knitting projects, we have the EZ BOBS in stock in all three sizes. These are THE best bobbins on the market-they hold a ton of yarn, the yarn feeds through the bobbins beautifully, and the yarn doesn't slip. Whether you need a little bit of yarn or a ton for big intarsia projects, we have the size bobbin for you.

And with the bobbins came the rest of our notions. We are now fully stocked with ROW COUNTERS, POINT PROTECTORS, and SCISSORS among other items. No matter what you need to complete those projects, we probably have it!

Just a reminder that we will be closed this Sunday because of Annie Modesitt's presentations. Join us NEXT Sunday, August 27 when we will be learning an easy lace pattern, Feather and Fan! If you have ever wanted to learn lace knitting, now is your chance. We will show you just how easy it is to knit even the most intricate lace pattern with just a few tips!

And come out this weekend to meet our new next-door neighbor, PAWLITICS! If you have a dog or cat, check out PAWLITICS grand opening on Saturday, August 19! Ian has stocked the store with fabulous natural, chemical free food as well as fabulous toys and pet accessories! We are happy to support him and his staff and wish him every success. Our three cats have already sampled and approved of the food!

We arrived a bit late to work today to find our fabulous staff awash in ENORMOUS boxes that Javier the UPS Guy had just delivered. Wow! Most of the NASHUA line from ROWAN is here now; gorgeous fibers and colors. Check out the JULIA, a worsted weight alpaca blend in the most amazing tones; CREATIVE FOCUS CHUNKY a dead ringer for the fabulous POLAR which is no longer distributed; KID MOHAIR, chunky weight kid mohair in gorgeous hues including jewel tones; and plenty of new NASHUA books to support these gorgeous yarns.

And from KNITTING FEVER, beautiful NORO yarns including their new boucle SILK MOUNTAIN; more AURORA for those of us who plan on a sparkly fall; and the popular chunky silk blend IRO. And from LAINES DU NORD, more ultra-yummy BABY COVER, and a striking variegated worsted weight wool blend CICLAMINO. This is great scarf/hat/accessory yarn and promises to be a quick and easy knit.

Finally, from COLINETTE, new colors of the beautiful pure silk TAO, along with a pattern book. This yarn is extraordinary to knit and the patterns are lovely.

And on this beautiful day with little humidity, our thoughts turn to knitting of course. We believe you could even knit the wool outside! What could be better?????

Get a jump on your Chrisanukwanzaa gifts by knitting FELTED MITTENS! These are so much fun--everyone loves them from toddlers through grown-ups. We know, because we have given them to everybody we know over the years and no one has ever been ungrateful! And so, we will learn how to make them in the Salon this Sunday. Only basic knitting skills are needed; we will teach you how to knit in the round on double points, how to do short row shaping, and how to felt the mittens when you are finished! We have plenty of gorgeous felting yarn and size 10 dpns. Come join us from 2-4 PM, relax, have a glass of wine and a snack and knit some mittens too!

Last year we saw many of our customers with these really cool clear project bags. They were sturdy, had strong zippers, and lots of room for one project and appropriate notions. So we thought, hmmmmm. Wonder if our friends at Elman Labels could make these up for us with our logo.....and voila! We have them in stock. Best of all, they are only $8.99!!! That's not a typo. $8.99. Come check them out.

Javier was very good to us this week. He brought us about half our CASCADE order from the TNNA show-come check out the stock of CASCADE 220 and 109 TWEED (favorites for felting AND wearing!), the new VENEZIA (chunky weight cabled merino). and FIXATION (Kathy's favorite sock yarn, and she is our sock teacher!).

And more riches from ROWAN, including CASHSOFT DK in white and cream (let those baby blankets and buntings begin!), and their new SILK WOOL DK, which we have declared our new favorite yarn. Check out DEW in the Rowan 40 book. Although it is shown in Wool Cotton, we have already worked with that (and loved it, we must say) and so feel compelled to use a new yarn. Yum. The question is can we wait until we get home to start it????

Finally, restocks of Schaefer LAUREL, our year-round 100% PIMA COTTON. This is an extraordinary yarn in extraordinary colorways. And stay tuned for an announcement regarding the genius behind the yarn, CHERYL SCHAEFER herself.

Oops! We goofed. The store will be closed on Sunday, August 20 because of the Annie Modesitt Workshops, so the Sunday in the Salon scheduled for that day will be held next week, August 13. Come join us as we learn to make FELTED MITTENS. A great holiday gift for anyone from children through grown-ups (great for snow shoveling!) The STRANDED BAG will be rescheduled.

What a lovely combination, huh? We are fully stocked with straight knitting needles from Lantern Moon (circs are coming soon). We like to refer to these as the FIRST CLASS of knitting needles. If you have ever flown first class, you know how difficult it is to return to coach. Trust us. If you use these needles, you will never want to use any others.

And the lovely KRISTA pattern from White Lies Design is back in stock; we sold out our supply of this gorgeous and easy T almost immediately. It is a great way to learn lace knitting! Also in, her lovely AMELIE jacket, which combines knitting and crochet.

Finally, if you are seeking the perfect vacation project, check out our BLUE HERON ELEPHANT CHENILLE. This bulky, ultra soft yarn is amazing. Hand dyed on the Eastern Shore, one skein has 100 yds, enough to make a gorgeous scarf. Keep the stitch pattern simple, knit on a size 7 or 8 needle and voila! You could even be chatting with friends as you get a jump on holiday and fall gifts!

Keep cool. Hope to see you this Sunday in the Salon!

Come join us this Sunday as we begin the TWELVE WEEKS OF CHRISHANUKWANZAA. Each week we will feature another gift idea perfect for the holidays. Just think of how relaxed you will be with all of your hand-made gifts taken care of ahead of time!

This week we will learn how to knit and felt the EWE JEST BAG. If you have been curious about modular knitting and/or felting, this is the perfect small project! You will need two skeins of contrasting colors of MANOS DEL URUGUAY YARN and size 9 needles. That's it. Come early to wind your yarn-the session will begin at 2:00 PM and end around 4. We will, of course, have refreshments and camaraderie. We predict you will be making more than one of these adorable bags for holiday gifts!

Javier the UPS Guy was very busy. And very hot. Upon our return today, here is what greeted us:

COLINETTE PARISIENNE: Exquisite hand dyed kid mohair. Pattern Book Too!
COLINETTE TAO: Hand dyed silk. More colors are coming
ROWAN:
SCOTTISH TWEED ARAN
CASHSOFT DK
FELTED TWEED
KID SILK HAZE
KID SILK NIGHT (sparkly!)
WOOL COTTON (Martha's Favorite!)
CASHSOFT ARAN
SOFT BABY
BABY ALPACA DK
TAPESTRY
ROWAN BOOK 40 and RYC BOOKS
MANOS VARIEGATED (Come check these out--gorgeous)
TWO NEW MANOS BOOKS FOR JACKETS/THROWS
LAINES DU NORD BABY COVER (machine washable/soft and yummy)
BABY CASHMERINO
NEW COLORS OF DEBBIE BLISS CASHMERINO ARAN and CASH IROHA
LANTERN MOON BASKETS AND TOTES
DOUBLE EXPOSURE: KNIT IT BASIC. KNIT IT BOLD

So think we'll be a bit busy? Just as well. We need to take a bit of a break from knitting as we completed two sweaters on our vacation! Of course, we did fall in love with one of the new MANOS JACKETS in a new colorway, so by the weekend........

And of course, our gratitude goes out to MARTHA, KARINA, ADRIAN, MARIETTA, and LYNNE who kept the store humming during our absence.