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

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?!