KATHY YETZ, whose raffle ticket was pulled from the bowl. Kathy wins the gorgeous FAIR ISLE GLOVES hand knit by our very own PAIGE. We happen to know that Kathy is working on a Fair Isle sweater now, so isn’t that lovely when the stars align in the universe? Congratulations, KATHY!!!!

Want to join in the fun?? You can participate each month this fall. Next month, win a NONI BAG hand knit by KERRY. We’ll have a picture up tomorrow, but trust us. You want to win this.

for the start of PAIGE’s SAFARIS, we received four more colors of the lovely JAMIESON SPINDRIFT yarn. This is a personal favorite for all sorts of color knitting. Pure wool, gorgeous to the touch. We now have ELEVEN colors in stock with still more to come from the lovely folks at SIMPLY SHETLAND.

Our friend LAURIE is incredibly talented. We always knew that. She created DESTINATION KNITS, she held retreats at the TABARD INN that included massages, she designed the adorable COWL pattern that we sold out of several times. But this time, she has outdone herself. Check out KNIT OUTTA THE BOX. We are the only shop with these, and they make great gifts for new knitters, kids, or the knitter seeking an “emergency kit” for when you just gotta knit!!! Each kit includes three patterns (keyhole scarf, fingerless gloves, leg warmers), washable lambswool, knitting needles, tapestry needle, yarn cutter, and ruler. In short, everything you need to knit. Laurie plans to distribute these to such places as hospital gift shops and airport shops (inside security of course). But in the mean time, isn’t it cool that WE have them?????

And are we ready!! Back in stock two fabulous books: THE GREAT AMERICAN AFGHAN and THE GREAT AMERICAN ARAN AFGHAN. Both are knit in squares, making them wonderfully portable projects, and both possess the ultimate OOH AHH FACTOR. Just gorgeous. And we have plenty of yarn in stock—you can use SIERRA, 220 or 220 SUPERWASH for these afghans. For those who noticed our shelves were bereft of WHITE or IVORY, we have corrected that problem.

The extremely popular (and challenging) SWIRL SHAWL pattern is back at the shop along with two new colors of 4 ply CASHMERE (black and olive). We love this yarn/patttern line, and judging by the decimation of our stock, so do you!!!

We knew we had a winner with the THREE BUTTON WRAP! The program for next Sunday is filled. If you are willing to go on a wait list, give us a call today, and please, if you have signed up but are unable to come, let us know that as well so we can give someone else a space.

If you didn’t get on the list, don’t despair. We have the pattern here free with a purchase of yarn, and we will be happy to make adjustments to the pattern for you if you choose a different yarn or stitch. This wrap is really easy to do—it is simply a rectangle that measures 18 X 64” inches (make it longer if you are tall!). It has one 2 inch buttonhole that is knit 9” up from the bottom, and three inches in from the side. You can use virtually any yarn in the shop for it. What a great way to learn about gauge, huh?

We received a large envelope from NORA BELLOWS, the genius behind NONI PATTERNS. If you have a hankering to make a FELTED BAG, FELTED OVEN MITTS, or even an UNFELTED RUFFLE COAT for women, take a look at these amazing designs. And don’t worry about the finishing. We have someone on staff who can line a bag, install a zipper, figure out the handles, etc. And we have plenty of wonderful felting (and non felting) yarn for the projects.

Javier the UPS Guy strolled in this afternoon with a box of goodies from INTERWEAVE. Come see the FALL magazine and the way cool bonus of INTERWEAVE FELT which looks to have some whimsical and unusual things!

the Rock Star legend continues; the FIONA ELLIS workshop for November 13 is filled. We will start a wait list, so if you are interested, please call.

And here is the round up for this weekend at the shop. Our SATURDAY KAL continues with the TOP DOWN SWEATER. Everyone has gotten past the grumbling of changing needles and are all marveling at the fact that the SLEEVES GET DONE REALLY QUICKLY!!!! So a rousing success, we would say.

And on Sunday, join us for a very cool, very quick FELTED BAG program. We will teach you the wonders of MITERED knitting as you create a great gift or personal fall bag! As always, both programs are free of charge but you must call to register so we have a place for you at the table. And the programs run from 2-4 PM.

Off topic, but we are helping our next door neighbor, PAWLITICS. Ian needs some part time help on weekends/evenings. He is a lovely guy and the shop is great—carries natural pet food and accessories. You would get to work with a great guy and be right next door to us!!!! If you’re interested, stop in to see Ian and tell him you read the blog!

Now that we have gotten you all excited about FIONA ELLIS’ return to the shop, please note that she will be here on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13 from 6-8 PM. Cost is $50 and you may begin signing up today. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the most gifted teachers and designers we have ever encountered! Just call the shop to learn more!

Well, thanks to everyone who came out in the torrential rains last Saturday to begin the September KAL, the TOP DOWN SWEATER!! We hope you will return this week. And if the weather kept you away, come on out (though we will probably revert to cheese, crackers and such!). As for SUNDAY, the second week of the SHRUG will be held. We have all sorts of options for yarn. Some of the participants are working with the lovely COLINETTE IONA with great results! The program is free of charge but you do need to call and sign up.

And watch for our newsletter this weekend. The writing is done; we turn to the talents of the extraordinarily patient LEW who will format and punch it up a bit. Don’t miss this issue. Lots of good stuff—just sign up on the website to receive it!

Javier was smart to take today off; we had a substitute UPS Guy who did not seem to be happy schlepping in gigantic boxes of yarn. Back in stock? The IMMENSELY popular JOSEPH GALLER PERUVIAN TWEED (two skeins make the beautiful 3 Button Wrap) and multiple colors of MANOS yarn, both the pure wool and the wool/silk. We always love when the fall order of MANOS arrives—since the day we opened it has been our number 1 best seller. So come check out the array of colors back in stock.

We are feverishly working on the fall newsletter which should be out this weekend. We don’t mail print copies—you need to be on our email list to receive it. Want to be? Simply scroll down to the bottom of this page and look left. Fill out all the info and follow the prompts. It’s that easy. And then you will ALWAYS be first to hear about new things at the shop, special events, guest teachers, and sales.

September programs begin this weekend at WoolWinders! We have just two slots available for our SATURDAY KAL which features the TOP DOWN SWEATER. If you have never knit from this direction, we promise you will love it. What’s the best thing about Top Down? The sleeves are done really early in the process, so you feel as though you are just about done before you know it! And the design is really clever. We used to avoid top down because they appeared rather shapeless, but leave it to the amazingly clever CHERYL SCHAEFER to put ribbing into the pattern for a slimming and flattering fit. The model was made from NANCY, but you can use any worsted weight yarn. You will need several sizes of needles—call us ahead of time and we will hlep you figure it out. As always, the program is free of charge and runs from 2-4 PM. Just give us a call so we save you a seat!

And on Sunday, we create a fall version of the lovely LACY SHRUG. We made a bunch of these in bamboo this summer and then created one from a MERINO TAPE for fall and loved the result. This is, quite simply, the most flattering shrug you will ever wear; perfect for those cool fall nights. Again, we have just a few slots open. Give us a call to sign up. Please remember that our free programs are not substitutes for basic knitting classes. You must know how to cast on, knit, purl, read a pattern, and bind off to get maximum results from the program!

The amazing PAIGE has come up with a great gift idea at the shop. Beginning today, everyone who has a purchase totaling just $15.00 will receive a raffle ticket to win a beautiful hand crafted gift at the end of each month! Just think, one less thing YOU will have to create for the holidays!!! We kick off September with FAIR ISLE GLOVES knit by Paige herself!!!

We are thinking you just might want to gift YOURSELF if you are the winner. (note: EMPLOYEES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO WIN. YOU WILL HAVE TO NEGOTIATE PRIVATELY WITH PAIGE TO SEE IF SHE WIILL MAKE YOU A PAIR!!!). We will draw a winner on the last day of the month and then begin the process again with a new gift. Fun, huh? Thanks to Paige for a terrific idea.

There are, of course, some rules. One ticket per purchase—please don’t ask us to split up your purchases so you can get multiple tickets. You can enter as many times as you want, but you will only receive one ticket per day. Your purchase must total $15.00 on NON SALE ITEMS. Thanks.

ALICE participated in our summer SAFARI classes, and knit this gorgeous afghan in SIERRA as a wedding gift for her daughter. Isn’t it amazing???? We are thrilled to be able to share her pride and pictures with you.