back in stock for the THIRD time—-the gorgeous hues of LAUREL in colorways BEATRIX POTTER, BARBARA MCLINTOCK, AND ETHEL WATERS. These sell out faster than you can blink an eye, so come and get ‘em!!!!

Of course we know you can’t resist Sheep & Wool this weekend—who can? But it DOES get crowded and kind of smelly, so when you have had enough, head out to the cool calm of WoolWinders for a glass of wine and some weekend knittin’ programs! Since it is a new month, we have exciting new and FREE programs.

First up, we continue our STAYCATION theme of spring with the Saturday Knit Along of PLACEMATS. These are really fun and practical to make….and they make great gifts for beach houses and dinners on the porches of friends. We will give you the patterns; you can make these out of any worsted weight cotton (LAUREL, SIERRA, ALL SEASONS) and size 8 needles. What an original thing to create, huh? There are four, so we can do one per week and have them done by the end of the month!

And on Sunday, we will be knitting a lovely WINE COZY. Think Wolftrap picnics, family barbecues, or Mother’s Day gift. The only problem with this wine carrier is that you will NEVER get it back if you bring it to someone’s house. And there may be an issue at only making one. Again, this takes worsted weight cotton…and this time you will need size 6 straight needles. We have a beautiful model done by our very own KATHY CEA. We actually have them in stock. Please download the pattern from www.knitty.com so their designers can get paid, ok? We don’t want to make illegal copies at the shop.

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As always, both programs are free of charge and run from 2-4 PM. Just give us a call to sign up so we save a spot for you at the table.

And join us for a very special SUNDAY IN THE SALON. Bailey, the adorable 4 year old shown below, has been diagnosed with leukemia. Her prospects, thankfully, are good. She has requested that her Aunt Sharessa, a customer of WoolWinders, knit her PINK CAPS WITH FLOWERS to cover the hair loss she is going to experience with chemo. So we have decided to help. Our SUNDAY IN THE SALON for MAY 17 will be dedicated to Bailey, as we knit caps and embellish them with crocheted flowers. Please join us for this wonderful program. Give us a call at the shop 240.632.9276 to sign up. The program is free, and for this special event we will take reservations in advance of our usual week ahead sign up. We will limit the program to 16 participants because of space considerations, so please call early. Many thanks.

And like her others, BREEZE is a beauty. Just in time for spring and summer knitting:

We are staring at a bright blue sky for the first time in days….looking forward to a lovely weekend at WoolWinders. Come join us. Our Saturday KAL is progressing through their lovely SLIP STITCH PILLOWS and many will have them done in time to begin next month’s MAY KAL—PLACEMATS!!! Stay tuned for that announcement.

On Sunday, we will be creating a very special project perfect for Mother’s Day--FELTED ROSES. These are quick and lovely—make a few, put them in a vase, and you will bring tears to the eyes of the recipient. You will need one skein of Cascade 220 (we have some beautiful pinks and reds), enough for five roses, along with a skein of green for stems. Bring needles size 7, 8, or 9—whatever you have. This is a wonderful way to learn the technique of FELTING. The program, as always, is free and runs from 2-4 PM. Just give us a call so we can save a spot at the table for you.

Today is the day! If you have anything that needs to be professionally blocked, bring it to the shop by COB today (6 PM).Hershey’s Cleaners will be coming by tomorrow to pick everything up and will return it next Thursday afternoon. They do a tremendous job of blocking, whether it be lace, a sweater that needs to be blocked to measurements, or stitches that need to be evened out. They block all fibers—cotton, wool, and blends. Just make sure when you drop your things off that you do two things: give us a credit card for the service (it runs about $8), and any special instructions you may have. Your card won’t be charged unless you fail to pick up your blocking within two weeks of its return.

And stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about the upcoming weekend. The weather promises to be beautiful. We’ll open the doors as well as the wine for a special Sunday in the Salon perfect for Mother’s Day gifts.

WE ARE CLOSED FOR THE EASTER HOLIDAY TODAY.

We wish everyone a happy and safe Easter holiday. It’s a beautiful day in Maryland—take your crafts outside and enjoy!

That’s right. Three beautiful colors of the light DK weight cotton SUSAN: ETHEL WATERS, BEATRIX POTTER, and FRIEDA KAHLO. And guess what you can do with it? Hold it double and make the mesh market bag! What a great gift for Mother’s Day. One skein will make the bag!!! We have a few patterns left and can assure you it’s a quick and easy knit.

Comes every week, doesn’t it? The benefit of shoppping on Tuesdays at WoolWinders? You get DOUBLE CREDIT on your frequent buyer card for all non-sale purchases (except for classes, lessons, special orders, and finishing). Fill that card twice as fast and the 15% off ANY PURCHASE (again, non-sale) will be yours. So come visit MARIETTA who is working today since it is spring break, and get double credit.

As for this weekend….we continue our SATURDAY KAL with the beautiful SLIP STITCH PILLOW. Everyone who participated last week did a fantastic job of learning the stitch pattern and technque. Come join us 2-4 PM if you want in.

And we are CLOSED SUNDAY for EASTER. Yeah, we know. We’re Jewish. But what the heck. We wanted to give everyone here a day off to spend with family. So we will wish everyone, without regard to beliefs, a safe and happy holiday.

WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon is now offering a new service to its customers: BLOCKING. We have arranged for HERSHEY’S CLEANERS to pick up and deliver here at the shop every THURSDAY beginning April 16. Just bring your garments that need to be blocked to the shop before then and you can pick them up the following week. We have been using Hershey’s for over a year and can vouch for the quality of their blocking (and cleaning, for that matter). Just make sure you do three things: include any specifics with the garment including whether you need the piece(s) blocked to specific measurements; make certain that you have the things at the shop by close of business Wednesday of the week you choose; and please give us a credit card number.the blocking is incredibly reasonable (averages about $7.00 a sweater). We won’t charge your card as long as you pick up your garments within two weeks, but we will be laying out the money for the blocking so appreciate your cooperation with the card. . We will bill you when you pick up your garments the following week.

So put away those beach towels until the summer and take back your dining room table!

has arrived at the shop; if past history indicates the future, it should be gone by this weekend. We received SUSAN in colors VIRGINIA APGAR, BILLIE HOLLIDAY, and CATHERINE THE GREAT as well as LAUREL in BILLIE HOLLIDAY and FRIEDA KAHLO.

Also in, reorders of KIM HARGREAVES beautiful book AMBER, as well as popular colors of COLINETTE GIOTTO.

And new stuff abounds. We have several of Nora Bellows extraordinary NONI BAG PATTERNS, some from her spring collection. Stay tuned for some exciting news about these phenomenal bags. And we also received the uber-luxurious new yarn from CASCADE: BABY ALPACA LACE. You will swear this is cashmere. We met with our Cascade Rep this morning and their new offerings for fall will just dazzle you.

As for this upcoming weekend @ WoolWinders, we know that spring break starts next week, but if you are around, come join us Saturday for the first installment in our STAYCATION KAL—the slip stitch pillow. On Sunday, we pay tribute to our proximity to DC with the CROCHET CHERRY BLOSSOM SCARF. Both programs are free of charge and run from 2-4 PM.