Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Spinning wheels....




Our first Spinning Bee was a hit and I was in good company to try out my new Louet Victoria wheel. The participants were equally split: 3 knowledgeable spinners and 3 novices! After several lame attempts, my yarn begin to form before my very eyes! The experts bragged on me saying I was making beautiful "think & thin" yarn. I thought it looked a little like earthworms. Anyway, I sure had fun. Take a look at the different wheels and fibers....



Jan explained carding and combing to us...she perfers combing so all her fibers line up neat and pretty.



Everyone is invited to join us....the 4th Monday of each month. Beginner's are welcome

Next date: February 25th 6-8pm



If you'd like to "give it a whirl" we offer private lessons from one of our experienced spinners.

Still spinning earthworms,
Jo

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Lots and Lots of New Yarn


This past week we got a LOT of new yarn in from Berroco! We got in new colors of some of our old favorites, like Ultra Alpaca, Cotton Rich and Touche. But what we are really excited about are all the brand new yarns that arrived, all of the new spring collection from Berroco, in fact! Comfort DK is perfect for easy care, easy wear summer basics and items for babies and children because its super soft, allergy free and machine washable! We got in two new linen blend yarns, just in time for us to start our spring and summer knitting. Linen Jeans is a tape yarn and Naturlin is a plyed yarn. Both yarns come in beautiful, earth inspired colors. If earthy isn't your thing, maybe you'd prefer Lumina-- a cotton base yarn wrapped with metalic stands in "ethereal" shades. We think they would be perfect in ladder shawls, sexy little summer tops, or for any other occasion where you want to shine! Seduce caught everyone's eye as soon as we unboxed it because of its rich colors and luxurious sheen. Light and elegant, it contains linen and silk. If you are a sock knitter, you won't want to miss Berroco's new self patterning sock yarn- Sox. We got in almost every color offered and they are GORGEOUS. Take a look at the Berroco website now so that you can see how they look knit up. Stunning!

From Lang, we got got Aura an oo-la-la ribbon yarn in pale blue and silver, and MerinoSeta a super soft merino silk yarn that you just want to cuddle up with.

I may be leaving something out...there are so many new yarns its hard to keep track of them all! We also had new shipments of both Addi and Crystal Palace needles arrive.


If you haven't visited the shop in the last week or so, come on by. We have a lot to show you!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

LM Needles

After having a few defective needles returned in the past few weeks, we called Lantern Moon to see what was up.

The nice folks there tell us they had a problem with this last batch of needles-made in Vietnam, the wood shrank when going from the warm, moist climate to their cold, dry climate. As usual, they responded quickly with replacements. This is a nice company and we want to give them a chance to correct a problem.

So for now, we are returning our circular LM's and will get the new and improved version. They have upgraded their connections so this shouldn't happen in the future. For those of you who love LM, hold tight.....we will soon have them back on the shelves. AND....if you have any come apart please return them to us. We'll get you a replacement a.s.a.p!!

BTW....do you have a line of needles you'd like to see in the shop? We want to add another line this summer and would like to know what you guys like (and want)!?!

Thanks & Happy Knitting,
Jo

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Mama E Yarn Dyeing Workshop Rescheduled

Mama E's yarn dyeing workshop has been rescheduled for the weekend of March 7,8,9. Sometimes, things come up and interfere with our playtime!

Those of you scheduled to attend we hope you can join us in March. If not, we'll be glad to give you a refund. For others who wanted to join us but the timing wasn't right, here's your opportunity to dye yarn in March! We will post exact details soon.

Oh....this also means our Pajama Party will be delayed. This may be for the best since our little house doesn't always stay so warm when the mercury dips so low. (Watch us have snow in March!)

Keep wearing your warm, knitted woollies! I love seeing the display of sweaters coming in and out of the shop!
Jo

Friday, January 4, 2008

Cassie heads to sunny California!

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is....Cassie's fiance' accepted a terrific job offer with Google in San Francisco. The bad news is obvious. Cassie is going with him (imagine that) and won't be with us at the shop. Despite my begging, she won't consider just visiting him on weekends and continuing to work at Knit Picky.

I'm gonna miss her so much! I am happy for them, though. In fact Ann Marie, Kim and I were saying tonight that we were slightly envious about this new, fun adventure in their lives. I wish them the very best. Maybe we'll see them back in Winston-Salem when they visit their alma mater, WFU, and their friends at Knit Picky.

Hugs to you Cassie-girl!
Jo

Thursday, January 3, 2008

New Blue Sky in the shop...





That cute little alpaca grinned, and so did we, as we unpacked a big box of yarn! Here's what we got today...


New for us...Suri Merino in seamist, crimson and earth. This is 60% baby suri and 40% merino.


More Melange in cornflower, huckleberry, and relish (their names are the best)!


Worsted Hand Dyes in green, light blue and cranberry.


BSA Organic cotton in orchid, flamingo and azul.


And Alpaca Silk in white. This yarn is amazing.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

The month of men!

What fun I had meeting and talking to the men in your lives! Our Christmas wish list worked like a charm as we helped hubbies, fiances, sons (and daughters) and friends shop for gifts. From the young ones to the shy ones....they each came in the shop with the look of excitement!

Thanks for sending your guys to Knit Picky.
Jo