The Spring Class schedule is finished and we have hard copies at the shop. We’ve sent an electronic copy to our lovely webmistress Stacy; it should be up on the site in a few days. But if you can’t wait, come on in! And stay tuned for the SATURDAY KAL and SUNDAYS in the SALON SCHEDULE. We should be finishing those up next week, in time for the SPRING NEWSLETTER!!!! Want to be first to receive them? Make sure you are on our email list. Just go to the bottom of this home page, lower left side. Put in your email address and follow the prompts. Because of privacy laws you will have to answer our email and confirm that you want to be on our list. But sure you do, right?

Thanks to our pals at WESTMINSTER FIBERS, we are now restocked with ROWAN SUMMER TWEED, a yarn filled with personality. Comprised of raw silk and cotton, the yarn has great texture and despite what it says on the label IS machine washable on gentle. In fact, it softens up considerably after a quick cycle. It is, truth be told, one of our favorite summer yarns. And the accompanying pattern book has some terrific and inspiring ideas.

Speaking of inspiring, we are about half filled for our MARCH KAL—DESIGN YOUR OWN SHELL. Don’t pay to learn how to make a shell! Join our free program that runs every SATURDAY from 2-4 PM. Here’s how it works. Bring in a favorite top, preferably sleeveless. It doesn’t have to hand knit, it just has to fit you REALLY WELL. Pick out some yarn (we’ll help you) and a stitch pattern (ditto). After you swatch your yarn, we will produce a pattern tailored to the measurements of that favorite top and get you started. And you’ll have four Saturdays to knit with some friends! Give us a call if you want to participate-we limit the group to 12 so everyone has a place to sit.

Yes, March will be here Sunday!!! So we will spend Saturday the 28th of February finishing up our KAL PEACE OF MY MIND SHAWL. And we’ll get you ready for next weekend’s DESIGN YOUR OWN SHELL (more about that later).

On Sunday, join us in knitting an adorable SQUARE FELTED BAG. Sorry we don’t have a picture—for some reason it wouldn’t copy from the pattern site, but we do have a lovely model at the shop thanks to FLO. It’s made from 3 skeins of WOOLY STRIPES yarn and makes use of the MITERED SQUARE technique. What better way to learn that than with felting—if you goof up a time or two it won’t show up!!! Just give us a call to reserve your spot for this FREE program from 2-4 on SUNDAY.

Those of you who signed up for Sunday’s REVERSIBLE CABLE LACE SCARF are in for a treat. Kerry will be leading the group, and she is just awesome. It’s a full class, so you’ll have lots of company. Bring size 8 needles (straights are fine) and you will also need 300 yards of worsted weight yarn. The store model is made from JULIA, one of our favorite yarns, but we have lots of other choices as well.

Looking for a challenge? Check out this Spring top made from ECOLOGIE COTTON. We converted it from a cardi to a pullover and it has become one of our all time favorites. The beautiful design is made from using not one but TWO cable needles every six rows. It sounds more difficult than it is, and we guarantee the end result is worth the work:

This promises to be an exciting weekend @ WoolWinders. Our Saturday KAL continues with everyone making great progress on their PEACE OF MY MIND SHAWL. And on Sunday, get ready for this. You might have made our REVERSIBLE CABLE SCARF, and you may have even made our REVERSIBLE LACE SHAWL. But how about a REVERSIBLE CABLE AND LACE SCARF???? It’s just gorgeous. And whether you make it in a winter favorite or one of our new spring yarns, you will dazzle with this lovely accessory. Only two spots remain, so hurry up and call us at 240.632.9276, OK?

And Sunday is also the final day for ZIMBABWE donations. Penny has already picked up bags of lovely things given by our customers—please consider donating as well.

Finally, for those fortunate folks who are signed up for the MARCH 15 program with Margaret Fisher, we have her book in stock. Margaret has promised to sign copies for everyone. You can either pick up your copy now or call us and we will hold one for the class for you.

It’s always a bit ironic when we watch the snow fall as we receive a large SPRING order, but so be it. We got in at the wee hours this morning to receive our ROWAN yarns and books—always a highlight of our inventory. We believe they have outdone themselves, those ROWAN folks….with their access to KIM HARGREAVES, RYC and NASHUA collections we are pretty sure you will be totally inspired. Trust us….we have slowed down a bit on the receiving end because we just can’t stop looking at the gorgeous designs. We’ve got 14 (yes, FOURTEEN new books) and lots of cottons and cotton blends for the upcoming season. So ignore the snow, focus on spring, and come on in!!!

OK, we know that it is 26 degrees outside, but inside, at WoolWinders, we are ready for SPRING!!! Our gorgeous KARABELLA yarns arrived yesterday: VINTAGE COTTON, ZODIAC, and WINDY. We carried Vintage last year and sold nearly every skein; this year we added its big sister, ZODIAC, in the worsted weight. And we were intrigued with WINDY because of the spin of the yarn-come check it out. It reminds us of a strong version of Manos STRIA, which some folks didn’t like because of its fragility. Trust us, you could pummel WINDY into submission and it will remain strong but incredibly soft.

Karabella was also kind enough to send us a model in ZODIAC—a lovely halter. Don’t worry, we won’t be modelling it. But it’s adorable, and perfectly suited to the young and trendy among us. And we know you are out there! If you, like us, are older and a bit more weary, the pattern below may be more appealing!

Also in, SPRING INTERWEAVE KNITS. We are sure this is chock full of ideas.

Jann wins the prize! She finished this amazing Colinette shawl/jacket in ONE WEEK!!! Seriously. She came to the shop last week needing something special for a party, picked out the lovely TAO/PARISIENNE combination (we’ve made this…it’s one of our favorites), and promised that it would be done in ONE WEEK. And she works full time. We just wonder…did she sleep at all? And how about those pink boots? Thanks for sending the photo along, Jann. We bet you were the hit of the party.

We received an enormous box of the lovely BEARFOOT sock yarn from MOUNTAIN COLORS, along with some really cool patterns. What a nice surprise in the midst of winter!

Over filled, actually. But unlike the airlines we won’t bump anyone—we will just set up the “kids’ table” in the other corner. We do have plenty of free patterns on hand and we will help you pick out the correct yarn for this adorable and quick baby cardigan. If you were shut out of the program, you can still make this cute garment.

And don’t forget, if you pick yarn that has RED, WHITE or PINK in it you get 15% off through tomorrow in honor of Valentine’s Day!!!

Join us this Valentine’s Day weekend. We’ll have special treats as well as 15% off all yarns with even a smidge of RED, WHITE or PINK in it. And we have two great weekend programs planned.

It’s the second week of our SATURDAY KAL—the gorgeous PEACE OF MY MIND SHAWL(scroll down to check out this beauty). If you were here last wek but can’t make it this week, just give us a call so someone else can have a seat at the table.

On SUNDAY, our Salon program is the adorable CADENZA CROSSOVER SWEATER. Just two skeins of this washable DK yarn from Colinette will do the trick. We only have two spots remaining, so give us a call today if you are interested in participating.

And speaking of COLINETTE, we received our spring order of their lovely GIOTTO yarn. This lovely ribbon can be knit or crocheted into tops and shawls. When making a top, be aware that there is some stretching once done—we recommend getting gauge and then going DOWN one needle size. Trust us on this. Also make it about 1 1/2 inches SHORTER thank you need it to be. It’s a beautiful finished result. And we have tested this yarn and it can be washed AND dried in the machine. We’ll give you guidance about that as well.

Check out the nearly full basket of bonnets for the babies and children of ZIMBABWE!!! Aren’t our customers amazing? We welcomed PENNY, who travels to Africa twice a year, who shared with us some amazing pictures and tales of the people she had gotten to know in that devastated country. What’s better than having fun and doing some good at the same time???

Penny’s next trip is FEBRUARY 25. WoolWinders is serving as a collection point, not just for bonnets, but for so many other things that are needed by the people in Zimbabwe. Take a look at the box on the left which lists some of the items. If you wish to contribute, please bring them to the shop by FEBRUARY 22. Thanks so much.

We know it’s going to be a beautiful day today; can’t wait to throw open the door and let some fresh air into the shop! Can’t you smell spring in the air???? And here’s a lovely way to welcome it-our SATURDAY KAL shawl for February. By participating you can probably get this done by March 21! Come join us from 2-4 PM each Saturday this month. Just call us to reserve a spot in the free program-we don’t want you sitting on the floor:

And we’ll have a photo up here tonight! When we ran out of our “lunch sack” size bags, we ordered a newer, “greener” model made from recycled brown paper. They are uber-cool. And we love being kinder to Mother Earth.

Picture added:

Join us this Sunday for a special SUNDAY IN THE SALON when we knit BONNETS FOR BABIES. Penny is returning to Zimbabwe next month and will be visiting the hospital that received all the booties our wonderful customers knit last summer. She will be on hand (along with some lovely snacks as a thank-you) to show pictures and talk to us about the need for knit items for the babies and children she meets. We have a basic pattern that can be used BY ANY LEVEL KNITTER including rank beginners, and with ANY WEIGHT OF YARN up through WORSTED. Just bring the needles along that match the yarn you will be choosing ( i.e. size 3 for sportweight, 5 for DK, 7 for worsted) if you don’t want to purchase them that day (though we have plenty in stock!). The program is free, will run from 2-4, and we can promise that you will have lots of fun while doing something that is desperately needed.

Just give us a call so we make sure we have a place for you to sit other than the floor. See you Sunday!

Our NEEDLES have arrived from SKACEL and CRYSTAL PALACE. Need we say more?

We have the book for you. This is one of our all time favorites: THE DESIGN SOURCE BOOK OF HOME DECOR. Block and strip patterns from MANOS DEL URUGUAY yarn (the store’s #1 seller) abound in this publication, and each one is a winner. The afghans are quick, portable, and terrific learning experiences. And while normally we encourage our customers to peruse internet sites for books when we are out, be aware of the fact that this book is going for $30.00 on some sites, while we have it for $15.95. Don’t worry, we have already sent some strongly worded emails to internet sellers. We are all for making a profit, but that kind of mark-up is unconscionable for a book that is still in print. We have five books in stock, with ready access to plenty more.

Also in, a box of notions from BRYSON, including some new VERMONT FIBER DESIGN patterns as well as the elusive SUSAN BATES KNIT CHEK.

We are so excited about this coming weekend at the shop. First, we begin our FEBRUARY KAL with the gorgeous PEACE OF MY MIND SHAWL from Wrapped in Comfort. This is a top down circular shawl—very interesting construction and fun to knit. If you prefer to knit a regular shawl, we can offer some of those patterns as well. But we will be emphasizing lightweight shawls this month, so come join us. We have some gorgeous yarns that will take you right into spring.

On Sunday, we are hosting a very special SALON program. Our friend PENNY will be on hand before her next trip to Zimbabwe. She will have plenty of pictures of the babies wearing the booties we made over the summer—and on Sunday we will work on BABY HATS. We have patterns suitable for sport/dk weight yarn but some of our friends have made them already using worsted weight yarn. So bring your needles (straights are fine) in sizes 3, 4, 5, 6, or even 8 and you will be ready to go! The needs in Zimbabwe are extremely critical, and we are happy to pitch in and help. Because of this program, we will not limit the number of participants to 12, though we will cap it at 24 for safety reasons! If you would like to join in this worthwhile endeavor, just give us a call at 240.632.9276. And if you can’t participate on Sunday but would like to knit a hat, just come up to the shop. We will be happy to give you a free pattern and help you pick some yarn. The program will run from 2-4 PM.

Finally, we are excited to introduce a new promotion that begins TOMORROW and will be held every TUESDAY. We’re calling it “TWOsDAYS at WoolWinders” because each Tuesday you will receive a “DOUBLE CLICK” on your frequent buyer card. Don’t have one? Just make sure you are in our store database and you can get one. For every $15 you spend, you will receive not the standard single click but TWO clicks. Shop on Tuesdays and you will fill up your card twice as fast!!! That 15% discount is just around the corner.