Spinning Away!

We've finally got the photos from our Insubordiknit Spinning Workshop together! We've put them into a slideshow for your viewing convenience.

If you're wondering which one is Jacey, she's got a crazy felted bowl hat on in one of the early pics!

I know I had a fabulous time, and Jo did too. Rumor is that Jacey is creating a brand-new teaching workshop for 2011 -- here we come!

-- Samantha

Friday, Dec 19, Closing early!

I heard the news and now I'm watching a wintery mix start to fall!! How exciting! We will be closing at 1pm today and wanted to get the word out. I'll also put it on our phone message.

Be safe, ya'll! And what a great Friday night to snuggle up with hot chocolate and knit.

"Let us knit, Let us knit, Let us knit"

Voila...Silk Scarves!

Our Tinkerbell Silk Scarf class finished up this afternoon with some very pretty pieces to show for just a one day workshop. The class started off quiet as everyone studied the parts of their kit....planning and thinking....and before long they were busy as bees.

Susan provided the perfect blend of education and encouragement. If you have an interest in taking this class, let us know and we may be able to set up another session.

Nice job, ladies!!

Relaxing and sipping serendipiTea!

Just got to the shop after spending the morning in line at traffic court. Back in September, I received a ticket for an expired tag. No warning...the real kahuna!

So, three hours later I'm glad to report I maintained my good driving record and got out with no fine. Nerves a bit frazzled but time well spent in this case.

I walk in to the shop to find the beautiful display of teas I recently ordered. Yeah!! These cute containers hold about 6-8 servings and have a clear top so you may see the colorful ingredients. Ruby Sipper was the all time favorite during our Kimono Day followed closely by Fiji and Yin Hao (a Jasmine Organic green tea). Perfect for sampling on a gray day like today!

Stop in for your very own tin of relaxation. :)

Jo

Fun at SAFF!

Just returned from a beautiful weekend in Asheville. Belva, Susan, Amanda and I do a girls trip to the mountains each year and we couldn't have picked a better weekend for amazing fall colors! Aren't our leaves gorgeous this year?

The Southeast Animal Fiber Festival was busy! Friday is our day to shop SAFF and to see friends like The Unique Sheep and Miss Babbs and The Knit Witch. This year we saw a few changes as the event continues to grow. The alpaca barn was a new vendor area. Several vendors who we used to see in the barns were inside as new vendors took their places. And probably glad to be inside as a misty rain held steady on Friday. But fiber lovers are resilient, right?!

Saturday we woke up to a chilly, sunny fall day; perfect for walking and shopping. We hit a huge shoe outlet and the Asheville mall. We stayed in The Biltmore Village so walking the village is always a delight!

The drive home was fun-plenty of good conversation and more yarn and fiber (and shoes) than we could almost fit in the car.

Wag more, bark less

This morning, I am reading an article about small businesses in The New York Times Small Business page.

In the article, I learned about a site called Yelp.com. The article encouraged business owners to seek out customer review sites (i.e. Yelp.com) and respond to them. If they are good, then send a thanks. If they are not so good, then try to resolve the problem and usually the poster will update their review.

Okay...off I go to Yelp.com. I was surprised to find 3 Knit Picky reviews. And very pleased that they were good! The first was posted in Jan 2008 (now there's a savvy computer girl knitter!). The others were in 09 and I and thank all of you for posting about the shop.

One reviewer said they didn't get help as fast as they wanted even though the person behind the counter wasn't busy. I'm wondering if this was me, maybe deep in thought trying to figure out how to blog! Another reviewer stated she goes to Knit Picky whenever she cannot find something online. Hummmm.....how can we reverse that to say....I shop at Knit Picky all the time, supporting my local business economy, and when I cannot find what I want there then I shop online. But the overall impression I got was positive and that's terrific!!

The NYT article also said to encourage your blogging customers to blog about the shop they have grown to love. Positive energy travels fast in cyberspace. And anytime you have problems or suggestions or good, kind words, I encourage you to share them with me. Email me at knitpicky@bellsouth.net. I think about customer input when I make shop decisions and I appreciate your input!

Wanna see this site? Here's the link so you may visit Yelp.com. It really is an interesting site but I wish the name was Wag.com (positive doggie spin vs negative doggie spin) Aahaa!! Guess what? There is a Wag.com - check out their website. They have coasters with cute dog faces! I just requested some for the shop.

Happy Sunday,

Jo

Let's open these boxes!!

I walked into the shop yesterday and found Pam giddy with excitement! The famous, fabulous Stitch Poet Trunk Show arrived. Now let me say, Champagne and I are dear friends so I am a bit biased but jeez....this girl is completely talented! The Big Chip Bag is knitted beautifully but there's more....Champ adds wooden dowels, cabinet pulls from Anthropologie (no less) and a little leather trim & handles. Wow...I want this bag....think Champ would miss it? :) I invite you all to come by and take a look at the Stitch Poet creations while they are with us for a couple of weeks!

Pam artfully placed the collection throughout the shop. Of course, we have the patterns and yarn ready for you! So the only problem you might have is deciding on which design to choose or how many!

Visit Champagne's website here...

Today, Randy (favorite UPS guy...handsome too), brought in two more boxes! Wheee....life in the yarn shop! First, our order from The Nantucket Bag Company. These clever bags are every knitter's must-have bag: the workhorse bag for those who are serious about yarn.

And.....drum roll please.....Jordana Paige's new Rio bag color "Blue Lapis" arrived today. Better grab this one before it goes home with me. ;)

See you soon!

Jo

Fair Isle and Spud&Chloe

This weekend, we had the pleasure of having Nancy Shroyer teach us about Fair Isle and color. The homework for the Fair Isle class included picking 3 worsted weight colors to create our headbands and get started. After deciding I didn't have what I wanted in my stash, I headed over to Knit Picky to pick something out. I checked out the amazing colors of Cascade 220 that we got in, the Venezia and the rest of the enormous Cascade shipment. Then I picked up a skein of Spud&Chloe. This yard is a blend of 55% Wool and 45% Organic Cotton. It is SO soft and the colors are stunning, so off I went to cast on my homework. The wool and cotton blend is fantastic. It feels as soft as cotton, even my finicky older child likes it, but has the hand of wool when knitting with it. It is like the best of both worlds! I washed and dried it this morning (yes, I have finished the headband) and it washes like a dream.

The class was fascinating. Nancy is extremely knowledgeable about ALL things fair isle. There wasn't a question she couldn't answer. She had me using both hands (hats off to you English style knitters, it's hard!) and I'm already planning on more fair isle projects. I can see how it is so addictive.

Thank you, Jo! The time with Nancy was invaluable and the yarns you carry are yummy!

Fair Isle Workshop

Next Saturday, September 19, we are honored to host a national knitting instructor. You may take a lesson from Nancy Shroyer for less than $50!

Nancy is the owner of Nancy's Knit Knacks and is a fabulous designer of Fair Isle knitting patterns. Have you ever wondered how people knit with multiple colors creating a fabulous pattern? Here's your chance to learn! Trust me...if you can knit and purl, you can take this class and learn new techniques.

What is Fair Isle?
Fair Isle is a traditional knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. It is named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, between the Orkney and Shetland islands. Fair Isle knitting gained a considerable popularity when the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII) wore Fair Isle Tank tops in public in 1921. Traditional Fair Isle patterns have a limited palette of five or so colours, use only two colours per row, are worked in the round, and limit the length of a run of any particular colour. (from Wikipedia)

We are offering 2 classes:
1-Choosing a Color Palette-this class is helpful on so many levels. It will help when you choose colors for a knitting pattern or choose clothing and accessories when shopping. You may even use what you'll learn to decorate a room! Only $40.

2-Fair Isle 101 - this is an introduction to Fair Isle and color work. You'll have some homework to do before class and during class you'll knit a creative headband learning techniques as you knit. $45

So...what do you think? Come on and join us. It will be fun and educational and we will welcome Nancy to Winston Salem with a warm, cheerful group of knitters!

Call 768-5599 or sign up online here.

Jo

So long sweet Sky Birdie

Sky Birdie passed away yesterday, August 14, 2009.

As most of you know, she's been our shop bird since we opened the store in June 2006. When Sky was a "tween" she was a gift to Melissa during her senior year of high school in 2003. When Melissa left for collage, Sky took up residence with my mom. Then mom began pet sitting a lot and needed a new place for Sky. She brought her to the shop one day and told me, "A bird brings good luck to a new business". Where she got that bit of wisdom, I have no idea...maybe in a fortune cookie?

But she was right...Sky was the ever cheerful, optimistic greeter of new customers, new friends, knitters and crocheters alike. She was always a topic of conversation for anyone new to Knit Picky. Even the yarn campers loved Sky and as they put name tags on themselves they stuck one to Sky's cage, too. Sometimes quiet and sometimes loud, Sky Birdie kept up with the social activities going on around her.

Last Saturday, Sky quit using her right leg and despite our best bird-nursing care, she didn't make it. I'll miss her. I already do. Especially during the quiet moments in the shop. Today Steve buried her in the back yard of the shop just behind the bluebird and beside the big ceramic chicken and chicks. So when you look out and see the antique yard art pieces, you can smile knowing Sky had a great life as our LYS pet. How many birds can claim that?!

Local Girl Onstage!!

Got home tonight, reading my many emails and wait.....is that our Laura in wild colored knitted stockings on stage in Portland?? Why yes it is!! Laura Bullins of The Unique Sheep made the headlines (or sidelines) of Knitting Daily. Have you seen it? If not, here's a link.

And as luck would have it, Laura will be joining us at Knit Picky this month. On Friday night, Aug 21, we will have a fabulously fun P.J. Party. For only $30, you'll get to join the group and enjoy dinner and mingling as we hear Laura tell all about The Sock Summit in Portland, OR. We will also have games, goodies and our favorite massuse, Maryjean.

On Saturday, Aug 22, Laura and Kelly will teach classes. Sign up now to learn all about the Gradiance Technique and make either a fantastic headband or a child's sock. See the class details here and you may register online. We have limited spaces for both the classes and the P.J. Party.

Way to go, Laura Belle!!
Jo

Knit Picky Knitter's and the Winston-Salem DASH!

Stitch and Pitch 2009 was terrific. Wonderful weather, good knitting friends and good food made for a great night at the game. Thanks for coming out to join us and if you couldn't make it this year, be sure to watch for next year's event!

WFU Baseball field was beautiful and we enjoyed a summer cookout at the new pavilion. Hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, pasta salad and all the fixing's were ready when we arrived and were really very good!

Marcie Brown was the winner of our Design and Knit a Sock contest! In fact, she was the only brave person to enter our contest. So Marcie won a $25 gift certificate and a new WS Dash tee shirt. Plus we got our pictures made with a few Dash players, one with big feet especially admired her work!

The Mocksville girls, aka the Slip Sisters, were in attendance in full force AND won several door prizes. Way to go, girls!!

We had several good looking guys with us again this year...my Steve, Shanna's new hubby Chad, Amanda's boyfriend, Alli's hubby and son, Will, seen here with more energy than anyone. I hope I didn't leave one out 'cause we love having our sweeties join us for these events!

So another successful Stitch n Pitch!! Whoo Hoo...fun girls knitting at the ballfield! Special thanks to The Stitch Poet and KFI for donating to the goodie bags!

Cherry Tree Hill Close-out!

We've decided to bring in some new brands of sock yarn and one of them had to go to make room for all of the yummy new yarn. We've decided to stop carrying Cherry Tree Hill's sock yarn. If you've ever wanted to pick up a skein or ten, now is the time. We've marked it down 25% until it's gone. Cherry Tree Hill is good for socks as well as baby clothes. Thinking about lace but not ready to jump into something that small? Why not try a lace scarf in CTH for the fall?

Remember, sock yarn doesn't count as stash! :)

-Alli

Let's Fall in Love

Steve and I will celebrate our 27th anniversary this July 17th! So I planned a surprise for Steve. This past Friday night, Steve and I went to see the one person in this world that he adores (other than me!) in concert. Diana Krall appeared at The Peace Center in Greenville, SC and we were not disappointed. From the time Diana glided onto the stage until she finished up her encore performance, we were mesmerized. Her beauty is surpassed only by her touch on the piano and her sultry voice. When playing and singing she often changes from a quiet whisper to a bold, bar room sound that keeps you fully engaged. Between songs, she'd be laughing and talking about the antics of her two year old twin boys and her husband, Elvis Costello.

A few times, I looked over at Steve and thought I might have to pinch him. Last year, around my birthday, Steve took me to see my "one and only" - Harry Connick, Jr.. So now we've both had our big dates with our musical crushes and we'll talk about it for months and years to come. If you ever have a chance to see Diana, or Harry, make a point to do it. You'll be enchanted!

Did I get much knitting done on our one night to Greenville? Nope but that's okay....I did find myself wishing I had snagged the black BeSweet wrap with the Ostrich trim to wear to the concert. Then I just decided I needed one of my own. So I didn't knit but my knitting wheels were spinning.

The Black Be Sweet/Ostrich Feather wrap is one of the many in the shop from Be Sweet. The Trunk Show is HERE for Be Sweet Bags & Yarn. Stop in now until July 25th to see the show!

Jo

Maryland Sheep & Wool Adventures!

I'm finally getting around to posting again. Sorry about the loooong delay guess I was focused on the trip!

As you know, we just returned from our trip to Baltimore and Columbia, Maryland. Thirty one fiber fans took the bus ride to Maryland with us. Joe, our driver, was very gracious and tolerant and safely drove the group around without once telling us to, "settle down".

Even early Friday morning Joe kept his cool while we laughed, knitted, shared stories, knitted, drank Mimosas, watched "The Wedding Singer", sang along with The Eagles, and drank Mimosas and talked some more. Poor Joe....what is he thinking (these ladies cannot sing!)?

Lunch at Phillip's Seafood in Baltimore was delicious. My favorite was the crab cakes and something called Crab Imperial which I'm thinking had a lot of butter in it. Our Baltimore fiber celebrity, Erin Taylor Bell (aka MamaE C-Eye-Ber Fiber) joined us for lunch and brought a couple of door prizes: a hand dyed skein of sock yarn and two skeins of hand dyed worsted for two of our lucky ladies!

We walked around the area, went to Barnes & Nobles (the craft section, of course), and posed for cheesy tourist photos. Fun!!

Friday night, we were all checked into the Columbia Hilton. Many ladies went out to dinner and several, including me and mom, stayed in and crashed in our P.J.s. Loading a bus at 6am made for a long day.

Saturday morning brought the big day to life! We woke up to dark, cloudy skies and the threat of storms. We did get rain but fortunately, it was more of a cool, breezy, misty rain so we weren't blown away but stayed comfortable among the sometimes "standing room only" crowd. Someone said they were glad we had the weather we did instead of hot, steamy sun to heat up the farm animal aroma.

Now you see 'em....................................................

now you don't. Good Dog!

As you can imagine, the festival was all I hoped it would be and more. I was lucky enough to find a large vendor of spinning wheels and promptly sat to spin on a Kromski Minstrel. SWEET! Later, I

found a vendor of glass button and markers who agreed to sell to Knit Picky. Another vendor will be sending us hand made drop spindles that are well balanced and spin effortlessly. I'll let you know when these new goodies arrive.

Two entrepreneurs...one politely wiping kettle corn from her lips. And the MSAW crowd!

Saturday night we all enjoyed gathering in the Hilton atrium as GuidoS Dreamy After Party. The door prizes were spectacular and 4 of our ladies won big! As for fashion, Kim wore her Sasha skirt and was one of the stars of the night. The more wine she drank, the more she shimmied. Sarah wore a beautiful pink knitted dress, in a size 2 maybe, and looked like she stepped out of the pages of Interweave Knits. Somebody got pictures of Sarah but I don't remember who. (Please send if you have any-she wants one and so do I). And Laura's Unique Sheep samples were draped throughout the party adding color and creativity to the Hilton! There were many more hand knit items just too many to name them all!

Knit Picky gave a strong Southern whoop every time one of our knitters won a prize. A group of ladies from Canada won several things, too, but remained very calm. We joked that with a few more glasses of wine, we could easily teach them to whoop it up! They thought that would be fun, too.

Sunday we slept in a bit and then met for brunch. We choose from a waffle station, an omelet station, shrimp and salad and a large variety of pastries. And coffee...lots of hot coffee.

With full bellies, we boarded the bus with our luggage, yarn bags, purses and newly purchased goodies. Most of us quietly knitted or napped as the rain poured down and we cruised along the highway towards home. We arrived home around 7pm with new friends, new stash additions, new spindles and a contentment in knowing we had a wonderfully full and fulfilling weekend.

Thanks to all who joined us and I look forward to a future trip together!

Jo

3 Knitters Share Same Birthday!

What are the odds that a friend shares your birthday? How about two friends? It happened with me and Shanna and Juli!

March 19th is our special day.

Every year I look forward to getting together on Knit Night for our triple knitter birthday party. Thanks to all who joined us tonight and to those who sent their well wishes! We celebrated with champagne, chocolate cake, wine & cheese, funny cards, warm hugs, flowers and good friends. What more could anyone want?

Knit Picky's Snow Madam

Hooray for the beautiful snow! This time it happened as we all waited and watched the downpour of rain and wondered if it would really change over to snow....and it did. As I swept off the front walkway at the shop, I scooped up some handfuls of snow and made a mini snowman (or madam). I plucked a gauge swatch from one of our baskets, ruched the edges (don't you love that word?) and made a tiny beret. Pulled off a smidgen of red roving and viola...she was ready to greet the yarn lovers!

Zoey was enchanted with the March snow. This was her first as she turned 3 years old in January and our last big snow was, well...I can't recall. Anyway, she romped and ran only stopping long enough to lick the fluff and off she went again.

And now I'm ready for spring!

Jo

Riding to Avalon

Hey everyone,

I've been doing so good posting to my own blog, but I haven't posted here in ages. I hope this message finds everyone in good health and happy spirits. I've been working on Riding to Avalon since the new year and am proud to announce that I finished it. If anyone has considered making it, feel free to send me any questions. I found parts of the pattern 'interesting'. I used Sublime Merino Cashmere Silk DK, which I have to admit, has become my new favorite yarn.



Happy Knitting - Stay Warm!

Spinning Therapy

Just look....another wonderful way to wear silk!

I wanted to share pictures from our spinning workshop with Linda Witt of Louet. On Saturday, January 31st, our intimate group laughed together and played with our wheels. It was relaxing and we created some wild, chunky yarns. Susan has already combined each of her spun samples to create a beautiful artsy scarf (picture to come soon)!

Oh, yuk....I have a double chin when I spin. Gotta work on my technique.

Is this a great smile or what!!??!!

So for now, my spinning motto is this: why stress and strive for complete yarn perfection when you can create funky, one of a kind fibers!

Thanks, Linda, for teaching us new techniques, terms and in depth knowledge of the fibers we used.

Want to give spinning a try? Knit Picky offers private lessons at your convenience and beginning group classes every other month. Call for more information or to sign up for a class. 336-768-5599

The Case of the Missing Addi Clicks

I was a young, die hard fan of The Nancy Drew series (hence the title of this post). My favorite Nancy Drew book was The Mysterious Mannequin. Anyone else love ND??

I want to discuss interchangeable needles with you. Tiffany and I met with our Skacel reps yesterday and got the scoop on the Addi Click sets. "Where are our sets that we ordered in October?" we asked. It seems they set exceptionally high standards, as they should for $150 per set, and the first TWO batches did not make the cut. "Do you have a set we can see?" we quickly begged. Well of course they did! So we thoroughly reviewed the "set of the century" and here's what we found. Tiffany and I liked them very much. However, we each learned a thing or two that surprised us.

1-The Addi case is strong and elegant, held together by a magnetic flap over the front of the box. It felt like opening a jewelry box-black on black! Nice but about twice the size of the Denise case. Not so easy to pop in your knitting bag but a perfect fit in your suitcase. We gave the case a thumbs up!

2-The size of the case allowed for 12 needles. How did they choose their sizes? First, with the amazingly tight and secure locking mechanism the smallest size possible is a US4-and that is included. The largest size is US15 for all the instant gratification knitters. To get 12 sets in there, it was necessary to omit one so the US 5 is absent. This bugged Tiffany more than me but after thinking it over, I can't recall the last time I used a US4 but I can a US5. Hummm...

And the other big moment was learning they included a US 10.75 instead of US 10.5. Of course this is based on all the metric knitters of the world not just little ole' US knitters. No biggie for me but will take some getting used to.

3-The workings of the needles & cords were NICE. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of the join, a spring action mechanism provides a tight, smooth join. And as with all Addi's, the weight of the needles makes them feel like a high quality mechanical instrument!

4-The light blue opaque cords are wonderful and will hold a sweater with ease. The case provides 3 cords: a 47" a 32" and a 24" WITH a connector to make an even longer cord OR attach two ends together and serve as a holder. Nice!

5-In the future, you'll be able to add bits and pieces (more cords, tips, etc) so that will be a plus. But for now, they are extremely hard to get. We are on the large waiting list of shops and hope to get ours soon. Maybe in time for Spring Break? Be assured, you'll be the first to know when they arrive in the shop and I think we will have a shop set you may play with and make your decision. If you can live without a size 5 in your interchangeable kit, then you will absolutely LOVE this set.

Now for the discussion part...

*Any of you own a set already and if so, what do you think?

*How do you plan to use an interchangable set (as your primary needles, back-ups, etc)?

*What do you think of the cost of the set?

*Does it break your heart there is no US5 or not a huge deal?

As always, we appreciate you buying from us and supporting local small businesses! If you want a set, let us put you on the call list and you'll have first dibs on them!
Jo