For those of you who having been following our DOWNTON ABBEY KNITALONG on our WOOLWINDERS RAVELRY GROUP PAGE, here's a photo of what our sampler scarf looks like at the halfway mark. After tonight, we will have knitted 6 out of the 12 sections with more beautiful patterns yet to come! Want to join us? There's still time! All the instructions can be found on our ravelry group page, each section has it's own thread, at http:/ravelry.com/groups/woolwinders-yarn-shop. And don't forget to share YOUR photos with us at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

Hurray! Another giant step for Woolwinders! Stop by this weekend and see our NEW STOREFRONT AWNING! You'll never get lost again on your way to Woolwinders, all you have to do is follow our sheep logo, "HANK," and our name on our new red awning. Only difference is Hank forgot to put on his red coat when he posed for the awning--all the better to see him! Have a wonderful weekend everyone and stay warm!

Whether you're just starting an afghan or finishing one like Thursday afternoon SAFARI KNITTING CLASS MEMBER, BETH HIRSCH, it is most definitely afghan season! All this cold air is turning many of you into afghan knitters if the number of ladies coming in telling us they want to knit afghans is any indication. Pictured here is a beautiful baby blanket knitted by Beth using CRYSTAL PALACE MOCHI PLUS yarn. The photo doesn't do justice to the lovely color shading or the gentle halo so characteristic of this yarn but you CAN tell the stitchwork is immaculate. Lovely job, Beth! We have LOADS of afghan yarns in stock right now from a new shipment of DEBBIE BLISS BABY CASHMERINO, to the all-purpose CASCADE 220 SUPERWASH and 220 SUPERWASH SPORT (new shipment due next week!), to luxurious bulky BABY ALPACA CHUNKY, and even COLINETTE ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS AFGHAN KITS at Woolwinders, your cold weather yarn shop! 

You've heard of "Little BO Peep?" Well, on Wednesday mornings at our SAFARI GROUP KNITTING CLASS we have "Little JO Peep!" Here's a very pleased JO SEYMOUR good-naturedly mugging for the camera for me this morning to show us her recently completed stunning Fair Isle META MITTENS. Knitted with SHEPHERD'S WOOL, these mittens are not only gorgeous to look at, they also are going to keep her mighty warm during the cold front passing through our region this week. Lovely, lovely job, Jo. Thanks for sharing:)

Woolwinders customer, TERESITA MONROE has some serious knitting skills! Just look at this beautiful scarf she MADE UP and knitted using CASCSADE 220 SUPERWASH yarn! Too bad, Teresita is camera shy, but her knitting speaks for itself--loud and clear. Great job, Teresita. Can't wait to see what you do next:) And coming soon to Woolwinders: LANA de NUBE, an exciting new high-end novelty yarn from PAGEWOOD FARM!

Today our first MODULAR SCARF class met and what a great job they all did! Under the capable tutelage of instructor, LINDA SNOW, everyone left with the understanding of modular knitting and their scarves well underway! I wanted to take a photo of the early stages of the scarf when it looks like a little bikini top but was vetoed for propriety's sake:) There's still two spots left in our second MODULAR SCARF class on SUNDAY, FEBRUAY 3RD from 1-4 PM if you need a good Superbowl Knitting project! Congratulations to a job well done in today's class to: ETHEL MAYER, SHEILA BERNSTEIN, PAMELA BALLARD, SUSAN ALLAWAY, IRENE TRAYNHAM, and RITA WEISS.

We are so please to welcome our newest addition to the Woolwinders family: DANCING LEAF FARM! Beginning in February, start looking for new yarns from Dancing Leaf Farm, including BALLET, SALSA, and SOCK HOP. The owner, Dalis Davidson, is well-known for her rich, saturated hand-dyed yarns which have long been favorites at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival each year. So many of you have asked that we carry selections from Dancing Leaf Farm that we just had to listen and are proud to support a local independent dyer:) Keep the great ideas coming--we listen-- at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

What can you do with a fine gauge yarn, like our new ROWAN FINE TWEED? It's perfect for colorwork, of course, like this CABLE ROSE vest by Sasha Kagan! The long winter months after the craziness of the holidays is over is the best time of year for knitters to really up their knitting game and take on new challenges to enhance their skills. This winter, why not up your game with one of our technique classes such as 1) SHORT ROW SHOULDER SHAPING  on Saturday, February 23 from 12-3 PM, 2) INTRO. TO INTARSIA (used to knit the Cable Rose Vest) on Saturdays, March 16 & 23 from 12-2 PM, or 3) INTRO. TO SOCKS on Saturdays, March 2, 9, & 16 from 12-2 PM? The more you try, the better you get! The only thing to fear is...some tangled string, lol! New Today at Woolwinders: A partial order of SHEPHERD'S WOOL. Six out of the fifteen colors we ordered arrived in a partial shipment today: Berries, Frosty Blue, Seabreeze, Beaches, Denim, and Great Lakes.

Will it snow tomorrow night? I don't know about the weather, but I DO know that if it does snow I want to be ready with all my knitting projects lined up!  Need ideas? We're re-stocking new yarns and books everyday including the new issues of KNITSCENE MAGAZINE and ROWAN MAGAZINE #53! We also have NEW STITCH MARKERS handmade from LIZKNITZ and a brand new BEGINNING KNITTING CLASS opening up on WEDNESDAY EVENINGS beginning in MARCH! If you're looking for an evening class--don't get shut out--register for this one early! There's always something new going on at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

First, meet "Hank!" KATE BLANEY is the winner of our "Name Our Little Red Sheep Contest" which we ran on our Ravelry Group Page! She submitted her son Henry's nickname, "Hank," and the staff loved the name so much they voted it the winner and the name of our store's new little red sheep logo! We snagged a photo of "Hank" today when mom, Kate, came in to spend her $25 gift card prize:)  NEXT, we received in a HUGE shipment of ROWAN YARNS today including: 12 colors of FINE TWEED, 16 colors of FELTED TWEED DK, ALL 8 COLORS of the new KIDSILK HAZE GLAMOUR (kidsilk haze with sequences spun into the yarn!) and it's companion pattern book, THE GLAMOUR COLLECTION, and new books ENCHANTED by Kim Hargeaves, WINTER WARMERS, and the NEW ROWAN MAGAZINE #53! Be sure to stop in and check out what's new next at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!