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.

So long snow, hello flowers!

Today, I turned a corner in our neighborhood and saw a beautiful display of deep purple crocus. I love March. It's so unpredictable, isn't it? Sunny, warm days followed by crisp windy days. Soft gentle rains sometimes turning into a wintry mix! You just have to be ready for anything.

The seven snows we had this season were beautiful and a perfect setting for knitting. Many of you snuggled up as I did with yarn, new patterns and hot chocolate making some wonderful "me" time.

Dream in Color and Yarn Bowls!

We've got Dream in Color for the first time, and both Jo and I are in love! The top row is all we have left of the Starry (superwash sock yarn with silver sparklies!) and we got Classy, a superwash worsted weight merino, in all sort of luxuriant semi-solids!



We also got the first yarn bowls from Melanie Micale, a local potter, and they're fabulous! She's got a variety of glazes and different styles, and they're all nice and heavy and sure to keep your unruly yarn in its place!



Zoe likes them, and we know you will too!

-- Samantha

A Wintery Blast of Color from Cascade!

Cascade continues to be an amazing yarn company: excellent quality, great prices and more beautiful colors now than ever. We just received a big shipment of refills. Recently, Cascade introduced a new 128 Superwash Wool that has been flying off the shelves. It is soft, durable and washable. So we've restocked the shelves on this yarn and others including Sierra & 220 Superwash.

And you must see the new Great American Afghan Booklet! It shows exquisitely designed blocks using shades of pinks and greens. Very spring like!

Stop in soon for best color selection! Happy cold weather knitting!!

Party Time!

After the East Coast Blizzard of '09, Knit Picky had to postpone their annual holiday party. Luckily, the weather has cooperated in 2010 (so far) and we were able to get together at Firebirds off of Hanes Mall Blvd. this Sunday for an evening of good friends, good food, and of course, lots of wine!

If you have any photos you'd like us to add, please email them! If you weren't able to join us, I hope you'll be with us next year (and a lot of times in-between!)

-- Samantha

Patterns!

You might have noticed we were closed this past weekend. Inventory is a reality for every retail store. I will be the first to tell you no one REALLY enjoys it. For us as Knit Picky, we would rather be open, knitting and spending time with our friends like you. You are probably wondering why I told you all of this. Susan and I were in charge of counting patterns. I work here and I had NO idea how many patterns Jo has in the cabinet. I saw designers that I didn't even know we carried. There are beautiful patterns for everything and anything you could want to make. This realization inspired me because if I didn't know what we had, I doubt you do. I have put out 6 patterns with yarn suggestions. My hope is that every 2 weeks, I'll change it and display new patterns with yarn suggestions. The options are endless. Now, I just have to find a way to add more hours to my day for all these patterns that I want to knit.

Happy New Year to all - I hope to see you soon.

Kim

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