Fresh off the needles this morning! Wednesday morning safari class member ROBERTA MCCLIMENS completed this absolutely stunning feat of knitwear using STONEHEDGE FIBER MILL'S SHEPHERD'S WOOL! Her stitchwork is perfectly tensioned and her fit is just right. What a lovely job, Roberta! I am sure she will have many happy  years of enjoying the satisfaction of wearing a beautifully knitted sweater which fits her own body and was hand knitted by her own hands. Handknitting for oneself doesn't get any better than that!

 

  Every now and then we're lucky enough to find a book or magazine that seems made to order. This latest issue of KNITTING TRADITIONS MAGAZINE is that issue for me and if you like intricate lacework, flowing cables, or detailed colorwork reminiscent of the Shetland Isles, this is the issue for you too! I fell in love with this issue so much so that I cast on right away last night and began knitting the SANQUHAR GLOVES by Beth Brown-Reinsel on page 41 (my WIP is pictured above). The historical articles are wonderful and ANY project from this magazine would make a fabulous heirloom as well as a skill-building notch on any knitter's belt at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

  Woolwinders is CLOSING EARLY AT 3:00 PM TODAY, SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 due to inclement weather. We do not want anyone, neither our customers nor our loyal staff members, out driving around in this unexpected snow, freezing rain, and in increasingly hazardous road conditions. Please stay home and stay safe and we will see you when we re-open according to our regular business hours on Tuesday, April 1st. Stay in and knit!

Have you ever wondered why you enjoy knitting? Each of us has his or her own personal reasons, "It relaxes me," "I feel creative," "It's my me-time," "It helps me stop eating/smoking/killing my husband." The beauty of knitting is every single human being can benefit both physically and mentally from the simple act of knitting! Attached is a link, thanks to our astute staff members here at Woolwinders, which once again expounds on the benefits of knitting. Our brains, and thereby our bodies, respond to the task on so many different levels simultaneously that it is nature's perfect drug, lol! Simply twisting string around two sticks (or a hook) sets your brain to firing up all sorts of healthy triggers from improving cognitive abilities and working towards protecting against mental aging to meditative effects reducing both physical and emotional stress thereby potentially helping to reduce heart issues, anxiety, and depression. And it doesn't hurt that we get to play with pretty colors and make some fantastic creations in the process, lol! So check out the link below and get knitting friends, it's good for you!  http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/25/health/brain-crafting-benefits/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

  Oh so lovely for spring and summer! This light and fresh GOSSAMER COWL, knitted up by our own speed knitter, FLO MEIT, is Woolwinders's featured free pattern for the Metro Yarn Crawl April 5-13th this year. The yarn is the star of this project and is our featured yarn for the crawl: PAGEWOOD FARM'S GOSSAMER SILK W/FELTED SILK FLOWERS! Yarn Crawl Totes (must have to participate and receive the 20% discount during the crawl) are on sale NOW for $15. Be sure to get your tote, or to get your GOSSAMER SILK (!), before they disappear, at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

  Get ready for spring! The new Spring 2014 issue of KNITWEAR, the wonderful new special edition magazine from the editors of Interweave Knits, is now on sale at Woolwinders! KNITWEAR takes designer knitwear to the next level with uniquely constructed garments with an eye towards style and wearability. In this issue, you'll find fabulous new ideas for spring projects including lace, stripes, knitted pleats, alternative funnel necklines, and trendy boxy silhouettes. There's something for everyone, so be sure to pick up your issue today and get started on your new spring knitting project at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

  Did you ever see a yarn and just had to have it? No matter how many times you walked past it and tried to ignore it, it's siren song just kept on calling you until you had no logical knitterly choice but to give in and indulge? So goes my love affair with the newest brand of yarn we are adding to our collection at Woolwinders: HIKOO SIMPLINATURAL! From the incredible "sponginess" of the hand to the subtle flecked nature of the coloring, this is one truly lovely baby alpaca/mulberry silk/fine merino blend yarn that is a must have knitting up at 4-4.5 sts=1" on US 8-9 needles with an admirable 183 yds. per skein. My next personal project to celebrate spring will DEFINITELY be with HIKOO SIMPLINATURAL! Will yours? Knit on, friends!

  We all know our own JENNIFER RAYMOND is a fantastic knitting/crochet INSTRUCTOR, but did you also know that she is a fantastic knitting/crochet DESIGNER as well?! With several published patterns to her credit as the creative force behind TINKING TURTLE DESIGNS, we are pleased to introduce you to a particularly exciting new pattern she just had published for free in KNITTY, SPRING + SUMMER 2014: OCTOPODES SOCKS! These quirky, yet classic socks are just too cute for words! Need a little help with the color stranding technique used to knit them? No problem: register for Jennifer's SAFARI GROUP KNITTING CLASS on WEDNESDAYS, 9:30-11:30 AM this APRIL 2, 9, 16 & 23 and get help from the designer herself at WOOLWINDERS, your neighborhood yarn shop! Congratulations, Jennifer!