Knitiot T-shirts are here!

Awhile back we posted about ordering your own Knitiot T-shirt, but now we have some extras in the shop if you're still interested! Or if we don't have the style or logo that you like we can order you one instead! We all wear ours often and we think we're quite cute in them :) CLICK HERE to take a closer look at all the styles!

I've just been handed the yarn to knit this for the shop! It's a free pattern from Straw.com, the Crystal Palace website.




Needless to say I'm RIDICULOUSLY excited about this one. It requires me to learn the Magic Loop, which I guess I gotta learn sometime, right? Anyways, if all turns out well, maybe there will be a class for me to teach in the future!

I've been eyeing this pattern for quite sometime now, and when Jo handed me the yarn I said, "How did you know I wanted to knit this?". She and I share the same birthday so we think alot alike sometimes! :)

BIG Sale and Sock Club!!

We have two very exciting announcements to make this week. First, we are having a BIG sale for the next two weeks (May 22-31) to clear out some of the current yarn to make room for the new yarn that Ann Marie and Jo are going to order at Market. Each day for the next two weeks we will have a different type of yarn on sale for 40% off and patterns, books or other supplies for 20% off. To find out what is on sale each day, please click here.

Our second big announcement is the start of our Knit Picky Sock Club! Registration is now open so sign up soon! Registration ends at the end of June and your first Sock Box will be ready July 5th! Sock Club members will have exclusive access to some sock yarns and/or colors and will be guaranteed a skein of every new sock yarn we carry, yarns like Cherry Tree Hill, Spunky Eclectic, Louet Gems, sKNITches, The Painted Sheep and more!

Sip 'n Knit

Belva & I had our own Sip 'n Knit as we attended the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival this past Saturday. What a beautiful day to be outside!! Not sure how much knitting was done but we had fun and by the end of the day, we were solving all the worlds problems.

I mistakenly took my Berroco Ultra Silk (white) summer tank project. Did I say white?

I nervously juggled between my red wine and my white tank top and in the end, the wine won out! I tucked the project back in my bag. No big splashes to report so our day ended on a happy note.

Seeing Elkin's lush green park, and the pictures of the wineries, reminded me of the beautiful country side in which we live and play. Last year at Knit Picky we had a Raylen Wine Tasting at the shop and it was very enjoyable. We need to do another one!

Do you all have a wine in mind that you'd like to suggest? Let me know....I'll get busy planning.

What's the moral of the story? Always match your yarn with your wine!!

Happy Knitting!

Jo

Knitting for a Cause Night

This coming Monday (May 21) we will be having our second monthly Knitting for a Cause night. Please join us from 6-8pm to work on a charity knitting project of your own, using your own materials or some of our free patterns and donated yarn, or help us make blocks for a Warm Up America blanket. We will provide yarn and patterns for knitting or crocheting 7x9" blocks that we will assemble into an afghan. We suggest bringing needles size 7 to 11 or hooks size F to K.

Bring your needles and join us for this evening of knitting, community and giving.


p.s. the 21st is also the day that Laura is graduating from Wake Forest and has promised us cake or some sort of party treat to celebrate both her graduation and the beginning of this monthly charity knitting night!

p.p.s. Next month we will have a guest speaker join us from Newborns in Need to talk about how we as knitters and crocheters can help premature babies and their families in our own community. Mark your calendars for June 18th, as always the 3rd Monday of the month!!

Happy Mothers' Day!

Just a reminder that we will be having our Mother's Day Celebration at the shop on Saturday. Stop by anytime between 1-4pm for lots of food, drink, company and knitting. You don't even have to be a mother, this is a time for us to celebrate the mothering, nurturing person inside each of us! We let Laura loose at the grocery store with a handful of recipes so there is going to be a lot of food, come by and help us eat it all!

p.s. we will also have a few doorprizes and other treats to make the day more festive!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Update

I had a great day at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival today. My mom and I bought tons of roving, fleece and other goodies and were completely overwhelmed by the number of vendors (and sheep) at the festival. I met Eunny Jang, the new editor of Interweave Knits and one of my favorite designers, and was inspired by all the colors, fibers and knit and felted works of art surrounding me all day. We also bought a bunch of roving to bring back and sell at the shop, so get ready! I will try to it all off on Monday so that early birds can come in on Tuesday and pick out their favorite colors. Check my blog for more photos and my own ramblings about the day. Oh, and make sure to check back later for updates about tomorrow!
Laura

Laura's there and I'm not!

But I am glad that one of us is there. Where you ask?

At the 34th Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Laura left today for Maryland with "more yarn than clothes", she said. And she'll be scoping out some vendors for Knit Picky.

After hearing numerous customer requests for spinning and dyeing supplies, I've decided that Knit Picky should have that stuff! The recent spinning workshop was filled to the brim. And the upcoming Felted Sheep class has filled up as well. Seems we've got more that a few people as intrigued as I am.

Come by next week to see what goodies Laura brings back. We'll have samplings from various vendors and we'd love to hear what you think!

In addition, Ann Marie and I are going to market soon and the shop will be adding Louet Sales as a new vendor. Louet sells beautiful spinning wheels so if you're in the market, keep that in mind. We'll be glad to order one for you!

Happy Knitting, ya'll, and remember the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair, in Asheville, rolls around the last weekend in October and I will be there!!

Jo

A Mother's Day Tea

Saturday, May 12th, 1-4pm

Knit Picky will show Moms, Grandmothers, Aunts and anyone who is "mom-like" just how special they are!

We will be serving finger foods, tea, punch and desserts. Stop by, sip some tea, pinkie held high, and let's laugh and have fun together.

Bring along a favorite hat to wear or we will have some at the shop you may borrow. Sounds like a photo op to me!!

Summer Yarn Market Coming Soon!

At the beginning of June, Jo and Ann Marie will be headed to Columbus, Ohio for the summer TNNA (The National Needle Arts Association) Market. While there they will get to see (and touch!) yarn, needles and books from almost all the vendors on the market! They are going to be looking for yarns from our current vendors that we don't currently carry. So, if you know of yarns sold by our vendors that you would like for us to carry, please let us know! For a list of our vendors, click here.

May Classes

The May Class Schedule has just been posted here.

Blue Sky Alpacas Trunk Show

On April 30th we are expecting the Blue Sky Alpaca trunk show to arrive and we are so excited! We also have the opportunity to place special orders with BSA and have them shipped out with the trunk show so if there is something you have been wanting-- a color of yarn that we don't have in or a pattern-- let us know by April 21st. Take a look at their beautiful patterns on their website.

I knitted a Wee Tiny Sock for my keys.

Yarn: Spunky Eclectic in Savannah Sweetie
Pattern: Wee Tiny Sock
Needles: US 0

Sassy Stripes by Cascade (aka Jo’s birthday socks from Juli!)

I am hoping these socks hold up well because I am wearing them all the time! Juli knitted these beauties and gave them to me for my birthday. Aren’t they great?

Thanks Juli girl!

More about the yarn…

A sturdy blend of merino wool and nylon. Self-striping in terrific colors!

Content: 75% Merino 25% Nylon

Weight/Yardage: 50grams / 218 yards

Gauge: 7sts/inch on size 1-3 US

Care: Machine wash; tumble dry (can’t beat that!)

---Jo

I just have to share....

My new Ariann sweater (pattern by Chic Knits.) Some of you have seen me working on it. I highly recommend this pattern. It was fun to knit - challenging, but not too challenging. I used the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran which is a pleasure to knit with.

I was having problems trying to figure out how to work the raglan decreases with the lace. Did a little search on the internet, and found a great answer. The pattern is a twelve stitch repeat - really two mirrored sets of six stitches. If I couldn't finish a set of six stitches, I changed to stockinette for the group.