We are very excited at the prospect of Anna Zilboorg visiting the store on Sunday, March 21 for an afternoon book signing. And after today we are ready! We received four of her books: Magnificent Mittens, 45 Fine and Fanciful Hats, Simply Socks, and Knitting for Anarchists today. Make plans to meet this wonderfully creative woman in March.

Also in today the new Knitters Magazine!

Yesterday we wrote of Baby Seth's arrival; son of Scott the UPS Guy. What better gift than UPS baby booties? These brown and gold numbers are the perfect beginner project; they take about 4 hours to complete and teach such important techniques as knitting, purling, yarn overs, increases, decreases, and an I cord! And they are really cute, to boot!

We had a large crowd at WoolWinders yesterday, with lots of friends dropping by to chat and knit. We love a full table in the salon area; the snacks (and often wine) come out and tales are swapped, both knitting related and otherwise. Everyone is smelling spring in the air. Come see our lovely selections of spring and summer cottons, silks, ribbons and rayons. We can help you make a simple shell or sweater perfect for those warming days.

And don't forget to check out our classes. We have added several new ones including "Uh Oh" in which you can learn to correct any knitting mistake; Domino Knitting; and Knitting Beyond Scarves!

in more ways than one! Our substitute UPS Guy brought us every color of Dale of Norway's new STORK yarn. This 100% cotton yarn is meant to be used in the same manner as their wool Baby Ull, so patterns are interchangeable. This is the perfect yarn for those who want to knit those gorgeous Dale patterns in cotton rather than wool. We can't wait it use this!

And the reason we had a substitute for Scott the UPS Guy is that Scott is the proud father of son Seth, who was born last night. Mother, father and Seth's four siblings are doing great! We were quite touched to receive an email with the news, as Scott is an important member of the WoolWinders family. We have a special gift for baby Seth; look for the picture tomorrow!

In addition, we received new cotton color sock yarn from Regia, a wonderful new 3.5 st/inch cabled cotton called Splendid from Mondial (and it really is splendid!), and new colors of Linie Spirit and Vision.

Finally (drumroll here, please) we now have SIZE 15 AND SIZE 10.5 SHORT NEEDLES IN STOCK!!!! Pony Pearl came through. Wheeee!!!

We sent out our March 2004 Newsletter yesterday, a few days ahead of schedule. Our mailing list has grown to over 3000 names and postage alone was getting out of hand so we switched to electronic delivery. If you did not get the newsletter by email, it is most likely because we do not have your email address. Please sign up using the form on the left side of this page. You will get an email back from us asking you to confirm that you are "opting" to subscribe to the newsletter. Just follow the directions and you will get future announcements and newsletters electronically.

We plan to use the electronic delivery method to announce sales and specials so please do subscribe!

And the newsletter itself can be downloaded by clicking on the link on the left side of this page.

Thanks and Enjoy!

We had been missing Scott last week when several days went by without a delivery. But today he wheeled in eight boxes for us to unpack! It was a BIG pattern day, and we have now restocked our Ann Norling, Oat Couture, and Fiber Trends selections. We have new felting patterns, shawl and hat selections, as well as old favorites that fly out of the store quickly.

We were also delighted to see a box from Unique Kolours, distributors of Colinette yarns. Our Isis and Zanziba stock is full, and we received Colinette's fabulous summer ribbon, Giotto. If you have not worked with this exquisite yarn, come in and see the selections. Giotto is perfect for summer shells and T-shirt patterns, as well as light weight accent scarves and shawls.

And if you are still seeking a quick warm sweater, we have new colors of Rowan Big Wool. You can knit a sweater in a weekend with this fabulously soft merino.

WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon is ready for Spring knitters! Whether you want to learn Mosaic or Domino knitting, have a yen to make socks, or want to progress beyond scarves, we have the class for you! Our instructors Jacqui, Karen M., Karen R., Kathy, Jessica, and Kate Ann are excited about teaching new knitting techniques and projects. Our Spring schedule is now posted.

Our classes are limited to five people maximum and do fill quickly. To register, please call Jacqui at 240.632.9276 with a credit card to guarantee your spot. If you have to cancel, we ask that you do so by the week BEFORE the first class. We will cheerfully give you a store credit. After that, we cannot refund your money.

We are especially excited about our new offerings: Knitting Beyond Scarves, The "Uh Oh" Class, and Domino Knitting. Check out the descriptions for these and all our other classes. And we have expanded our class time slots: we are now giving a sock class and beginning knitting during day time hours.

So learn that technique or skill you have always wanted, with WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon!

Dominique, our fiber arts major at Towson, had a few seconds today to work on her Daria scarf.

Check out the technique! This is a great way to crochet in between customers!

Daria is Noro's venture into novelty yarn. The cotton/rayon blend makes a cool looking scarf! We are going to try a bag next.

We were privileged to have Beth Brown-Reinsel in the shop two weeks ago.
She has designed some lovely patterns for ganseys, socks, dresses, mittens etc. and distributes them through her company, Knitting Traditions. Beth travels all over the country teaching knitting techniques like Norwegian knitting, twined knitting and the like. After meeting her, we were so impressed that we called and said that we wanted to carry her pattern line. Fifteen of them arrived today! We don't normally selll patterns over our website, but if you are interested in exploring these, please give us a call. Her top-down gansey sweaters are particulary good for advanced beginner knitters. And her socks are fabulous!

We have been exploring the wonderful world of handpainted yarns, and today received our shipment of Laurel from Schaefer Yarn. If you have not experienced this world of knitting, this yarn would be a good place to start. Laurel is 100% mercerized pima cotton; it has the feel of a soft silk but the resilience and care of cotton. We are carrying the yarn in every colorway; the series is known as Memorable Women. You can tell your friends you are knitting with Judy Garland or Frida Kahlo among others! The yarn is not inexpensive, but the hanks are large (400 yards) and knit at 4-4.5 stitches to an inch. We also have several patterns to support this gorgeous yarn.

We also received some old favorites: Berroco Bulky Chinchilla (though the elusive black is STILL backordered!); Berroco pattern books #209-212; Skacel Juliet and Fiori, two fun novelty yarns that can be knit into scarves and accents for spring; and a new ladder novelty yarn called Tropicana, which has a bit of glitz to it!

We are getting the Spring newsletter ready. It will contain information about classes, yarns, patterns and accessories at the shop, and will be posted on the Website as well as sent electronically. Make sure you have given us your email address, either by clicking on the site or coming to the shop. Finally, we are in need of a knitting tip! Submit the winning one and you will receive a $20 gift certificate. Just email your entries to jacqui@woolwinders.com

Ponchos are quite hot right now. Having grown up in the sixties, we remember ponchos well and thought perhaps that they should be worn by teenagers or children. Well, Marnie proved us wrong! How cute is this? She is modeling a poncho made from Rowan Plaid, and we think it looks fabulous!!! Marnie has not been knitting all that long, and loved making her poncho. A terrific project!

Though it was a federal holiday, Scott the UPS Guy still paid us a visit. He delivered some Berroco Optik and Softwist, two of our most popular winter yarns, as well as some backordered copies of the Knitting Journal.