The Holidays with Family

We had a frosty good time visiting family in Chattanooga. On Wednesday night, we bundled up and went to the top of Lookout Mountain to walk through the light show at Rock City.  The hiking group included myself, Steve, Zach, Melissa, Steve's sister Angie, her hubby Mike, and their two wee ones, Sarah Kate & Abby (both adorable but I'm a little biased!)

Have any of you been to Rock City?  It's the magical home of garden gnomes, sprinkled with a bit of Mother Goose and mixed with a breathtaking view of the city of Chattanooga.  (you can see the lights of the city behind Zach & Mel in one of the shots).  This park has been around as long as I can remember and I often went there as a kid during my summers in Chattanooga.  The easy hike through the rocks offered a cool break from the southern heat so I couldn't quite imagine what it would be like walking the trail at night, during cold weather, but I was in for a treat! There was no wind to speak of that night so the serene walk around 9pm was very comfortable especially around midway when we discovered a crackling, warm fire pit!!  And the recent snow made the scene a true winter wonderland!

Here's the gang...Aren't they cute?

Decorating Day at the Shop

It's a great chilly day for decorating, don't you think??  I'm off today and will be decorating the shop.  I have Margie, Steve, Mom & Nina helping me so it should be fun.  Where does the time go?  Is it really 22 days until Christmas?

Remember as a kid how long the month of December was?  Do you have a favorite early childhood memory about Christmas?  If so, tell us about it.  I love hearing these stories.  I'll tell you mine, too.

Come see us this weekend and enjoy some relaxing fun time at Knit Picky!

Jo

Something for Everyone

The Festival of Trees was delightful!  Kids dancing, groups singing, beautiful sound from a wind quintet from NCSOA, just plain fun.

And there were special items all around that brought back warm and fuzzy memories.  As a kid, everyone I knew had a Mr. Potato Head.  They just did.  It wasn't the "best of the best" as games went but it filled time with brief bursts of fun either by yourself or with a buddy.  I'll bet if you are over 40, you had one for sure!

Then when Zach was little, along came Woody!  And of course with all the little dancing darlings at the show, you know there was plenty of pink (aka the butterfly tree).

Thank Goodness for Nursing

Most of you know I am an oncology nurse "by trade" as they say.  And sometimes we all gotta do what we gotta do, right?  So, I'm fortunate to have found an excellent nursing position with High Point Regional and I started a couple of weeks ago.
What lead to this decision?  My husband, Steve has been in the lumber industry since college.  I don't have to tell you how the building industry is doing these days.  So after two layoffs, and much discussion, we both felt it was time for me to resume my career in nursing.

So what does this mean for the shop?  Knit Picky is alive and well!  In fact, this is the season where excitement and energy radiate through the old house!  It's contagious.  I read an article about women who run successful businesses and one sentence hit home with me.  "Hire good people and let them do what they do best". 

I'm fortunate to have Margaret Harvey (aka Margie) as my new shop manager.  Most of you have meet her by now but if not, please meet her.  She has a calming, soothing personality and is just what you need when you've had a rough day!

Kim is amazing, and has been with Knit Picky from the early days.  Kim brings a artistic, daredevil energy to the shop.  She used to sky dive as a hobby so who can expect her to be a ho-hum knitter??

And our weekend girls are Samantha (my almost daughter 'cause we share a closeness and worked so closely together) and Shanna (she's like my little sis... adorable and fun and we connect like family)!  These two will be working every other Saturday.

Margie, Kim, Shanna and Samantha are very competent, hard working shop staff and are  eager to help you anytime.  And when we get lucky.....Inger, Belva, Susan are teaching and having a good time with students.  Nina is helping out on Tuesdays and has a unique knack for creating color schemes and designs.  Steve, my wonderful husband, is volunteering anytime the ladies need him around and that seems to be a lot these day. I secretly thinks he likes it there and you know what?  I can't blame him at all because it is a wonderful place to be.

And last but not least, Zoey is still numero uno shop dog!!  So, in a lot of words that's what is happening in my life right now.  I hope to see you on Saturdays and any chance I get to be in the shop.  Thank you for your generous support of this local business.  You have made the shop what it is today!

Hugs and happy knitting,
Jo

Thursday Mornings @ Knit Picky

Cleaning out documents today and found these fun pictures of the Thursday Morning Knitters.  We have a yummy good time!  If you don't know about our open knitting groups, here's the scoop...

It's FREE!  It's open to anyone.  And we encourage relaxing, enjoyable conversations.  Of course, we always appreciate seeing you knit with Knit Picky Yarn.  That makes us proud and shows others our products.

• Thursday Mornings ~ 10am-Noon
• Wednesday Evenings ~ 6pm-8pm

And some even WEAR yarns from Knit Picky and that really makes us feel good!  Thanks for supporting your lys-it means a lot to us.

Halloween Sale Going on Now...

Looking for a bargain? Stop by today! We've got baskets of yarns marked from 25% to 50%. Also have pattern booklets on sale and our clearance bin (which Steve wants to rename "Clarence") is full to the brim.

Our First Kid's Knit Night!

We had a great time! Some of the girls attended our Yarn Camp and some were brand new and even learned to knit using wire! What do you think of that??

Hand Spun Treats!

Hand Spun Bouquet....one beautiful skein!

Saturated Fall Colors from Yo Yarn-you've got to grab one soon!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Starry

Just in....more of the sparkling Starry Sock yarn from Dream in Color!!

We Have a Rasta Winner

Thanks for all 21 posts about this wonderful yarn! I can't wait for our big batch to arrive and you'll be the first to know when it gets here.

We "spun" the random number generator today and it selected #1!! Our first winner is Shannon (knitnpal)! We'll have your Rasta ready for pick up.

Rasta Give-A-Way!!

This is 90 yards of yummy! Malabrigo does it again with this bulky, kettle dyed wool saturated with color. We expect a shipment of this new yarn around mid-October.

Post a comment and you may be the proud owner of this skein. We'll choose a winner on Tuesday AND post about it!!

Thanks for your amazing support of Knit Picky!!

X0X0

Knitting Needle Purse Handles

Good purse handles are hard to find! One customer told me she scours the Goodwill and buys bags for the handles only. Great idea.

Pictured here are some handles similar to those used in the popular cabled bag by Champagne Maker, called "The Irresistible Chip Bag"....these handles, now in stock, are a bit larger and perfect for Champ's larger version of the Chip Bag. Our 100% Egyptian Cotton is ON SALE for 25% off while supplies last. Our blog readers are the first to know. Stop in this weekend for a ball or two!

Have any of you made a chip bag?

Guess where I've been knitting?

Easy, right? This is to inspire you to post the answer because beginning next week, we're starting our random number give-a-way!!

Every so often, I'll offer a give-a-way. Then I'll run the random number generator. The response number that matches the random number selected will win a free gift!

Why are we doing this? It is super easy to post here on the blog rather than our newsletter. While we aren't giving up the newsletter, this is just a faster way to get the word out about new arrivals, specials, shop news, etc.

So....I want to encourage you to read the blog regularly and post! Send me your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and comments. This will keep you in the know about what's going on in your LYS and you might just be our very first winner!

The San Diego Serape'

Susan designed the San Diego Serape' and it is the best stash buster and looks great hanging over jeans and a tee.

Check out Nina's recently completed serape' in shades of pink (on right)!

This is a free pattern with purchase at the shop. Bring in your favorite stash yarns and let us help you create your very own version. Or we can create a kit for you and send it your way!!

Let's Taste Cakes

What could be more fun and yummy than tasting cakes?

On Saturday, Melissa, Zach, Marla (Mel's mom), Steve and I made the cake tasting circuit. So far, wedding planning is delicious.

Zach & Melissa

The Bride & Mother of the Bride

'Hummm...wonder if the guys are wating on me at Beer Fest?'

'Babe....whatever makes you happy makes me happy'

Beautiful!

Hello Indie

Come check it out!! Three boxes of new yarn arrived this week from Knitting Fever.

Indie is the cutest chunky monkey I've seen and is machine washable plus what a great name for a yarn, right? It's so much fun when I receive yarn that I ordered months ago, back in the Spring. It's like I recognize a fun new friend that I once met before! Using size 17 needles, this yarn makes for a quick weekend project. And we have cute hat and wrap patterns to boot! I'm taking a couple balls home this w/e to knit one of the hats.

Specs....
51% Wool, 49% Acrylic, US 17, gauge 8-9 sts over 4 inches, 47 yds.

Also in....the most luxurious new yarn from Debbie Bliss called Andes. Combine baby alpaca and mulberry silk and you have sheer beauty. This yarn catches my eye each time I pass by it....the sheen is elegant and the hand is soft and delicate.

Specs.....

65% Baby Alp, 35% Silk, US 6, gauge 22 sts/4 inches, 110 yds.

Other newbies include more of the amazing RUCA (our sugar cane baby) in 4 shades. Baby Cashmerino in the ever popular color Light Pink and a new Periwikle. Kirameiki from NORO....need I say more?

And I can't forget another bulky beauty....Fabula!

Zach & Melissa are Engaged!

I can vividly remember the day Steve asked me to marry him. We were in the library of The University of Tennessee @ Chattanooga one cool, November day. I was so surprised when he whispered those words and I wanted to laugh out loud with excitement but could not..."quiet, please" was all around us. So we both grinned from ear to ear, snickered a lot and tried to talk quietly.

Boy how time flies. Now, my son is engaged. I'm going to be the mother of the groom. Zach asked Melissa to marry him a couple of weeks ago. She said, "yes". Now they, too, have a special moment to cherish! I told them to write down the date because I can recall a lot of dates in my past but for the life of me cannot remember the exact date of my engagement, can you?

Melissa and Zach began dating in the tenth grade and have been inseparable since. She is a daughter to me and I'm thrilled for them. Now we begin to plan for the big day.

So what do you think of this Sweet Pea Nosegay? Melissa emailed this photo to me....we thought it was so cute. Maybe knitting will have a part in the wedding after all!

Yarn Campers~Week 1 "Design School"

We are having a ball this summer with our young fiber artists!!! Our first week (June 21-25) included 3 former yarn campers, Catherine, Elizabeth and Bridgette. These girls could already knit and purl but had never read a pattern or made much more than a scarf. They created these top down sweaters in only 1 week!

You'll agree....these gals are amazingly talented! Post a comment to show your support!

Peas in a Pod!

Last week, I had a surprise visitor!! Chloe came by with her grandmama Pat, and signed up for yarn camp. Chloe is a returning yarn camper and we are thrilled to have her back. Don't they look cute wearing their coordinating outfits?? Thanks for the visit and we'll see you in July!

BTY....Yarn camp/Design School is going on this week and I'll post pictures very soon!

Yarn Dyeing Class this past Saturday

Susan's group of 4 spent a lovely afternoon getting their hands dirty. From green to red, I saw evidence that they played hard. Here they are in the pre-rinse cycle before becoming colorful characters.

Stay tuned, I'll post pics of the yarns they dyed soon! Look for another yarn dyeing session in May/June. If you are interested, call to get on the wish list for this class @ 768-5599.

New Spring/Summer Yarns

Pictures speak louder than words.

Sewing class project

Well, I took my first sewing class to see if I could master the machine and be qualified to create linings for my knitted bags. Kim, Susan and I enjoyed a relaxing Sunday afternoon at Karen Gray Designs. We laughed, cut, sang, cut some more, ironed a bit and then took on the Berninas. Our instructor, Sue, was simply wonderful. Here's my first project and I'm pretty proud.

Go, Susan, go!

Cute Kim, taking a break while the machine is being looked at....did you hit a pin?

The amazing Sue! thanks for a great day.