If you were looking for a new reason to visit our shop, come and get the Summer 2005 Class Schedule! It will be up on the website within a week, but we have already had some sign-ups, and our classes fill quickly because they are limited to 4-5 participants!

What is new this summer? We have a new technique class: Working with Challenging Yarns, which will dispel the myths about working with hand-dyes, chenilles, and ribbons. And new project classes include: Daria Necklace, Feather and Fan Baby Blanket, and Fall Shawl. Old favorites are back as well, including the Felted Market Bag, Socks, and Socks on Circular Needles.
Remember, we are open regular hours Saturday (11-6) and Sunday (12-5). We are closed for the holiday on Monday. Enjoy!

Everyone likes a Memorial Day sale. We do too! Come see our "Bag Sale"- full bags of yarn (10 skeins) for 35% off!! Don't have a project big enough? Go in with a friend!

The yarns on sale include Rowan Polar in white (this yarn has been discontinued, so get it now!), Plume FX in lilac, Lang Tonga in both red/white and blue/white (perfect for summer scarves, shawls or shells), and Noro Kochoron, Blossom, and Yoroi!

Just in time for the Memorial Day holiday, check out the gorgeous knitting bags we got in from Lantern Moon! These are the perfect summer/beach bags. They are straw, lined, and funky in colors like lime, pink, and bright orange. We are picking ours out now.....

Also in, the much-awaited Sheep Tape Measurers. It's not too early to think of stocking stuffers (OK, it is), or just to pick up one of these clever items for the knitter in your life. Or for you.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday. We will be open regular hours Friday-Sunday, closed Monday. Hey, someone has to prepare the barbecue!

The response to our latest email was phenomenal. All the spaces are now filled for the Stitch and Texture class with Destination Knits! We will run the class again, we promise!

There is no doubt that May is a bit of a slow time for Yarn Shops in the Mid-Atlantic (want to know why? The answer is at the end of this blog*). So what do we do? We re-organize, of course! Although only two of us worked today, nearly all of the staff stopped by for various reasons, and pitched in. The result? Well, you will have to come see. More aisle space, neater bins, different placement for the sale yarn, and a lot better organization for the books. Thanks to Martha who initiated the redecorating, and Kim, Adrian, Lynne and Lisa who offered their wisdom and opinions. Come see our new order!!!

* Because women who hide their knitting money year-round, spend it on gardening in May. But you know what? Many plants don't last. Yarn does!

We have pondered the issue of "Baby Yarn" almost since opening day. We think babies are precious and wonderful and deserving of beautiful knitted/crocheted objects just like big people. But they do have some specific issues, most notably their inability to keep things free of spills and mishaps! So while we want to create lovely items for them, we don't necessarily want to take care of the garments in any complicated way.

Our decision? To have a wide range of yarns that are machine wash/dry in natural fibers. Fie on acrylics! Our good friend Flo taught us that; we would watch her make gorgeous things for her children Hannah and Benjamin, and all were made of wools and cottons! And Flo struck us as a low maintenance kind of gal. So we took our cues from her.

All this is an introduction to our latest acquisition-DK Weight yarns from Aurora that are machine wash/machine dry in the most beautiful colors for children. Come touch these yarns-Biberon and Orsetto-which are comprised of extra fine Merino wool. (Don't fret about allergies; a tiny percentage of children are truly "allergic" to wool. Most don't like it because it is scratchy. Merino is not.) They are luscious and light weight, perfect for that special child in your life. You put love into every stitch. Don't they deserve the best?

No kids to knit for? Try these yarns for quick socks! You will not be disappointed.

Walter the UPS Guy brought us myriad goodies today. The re-issued Rowan Book "It's a Tape Thing" is now here, filled with fabulous patterns for their Cotton Tape and Linen Print yarns; Skacel sent us a bright red color of their popular Hobby Kids yarn, perfect for (you guessed it) kids' stuff, and finally Lantern Moon came through with two totes: Palm Leaf in black, burgundy, and cinnamon colors and a new Twisted Seagrass tote lined in black or green silk. Don't you just love the name?

Finally, a word about queries we have received concerning possible summer hours. We don't shorten our hours EVER. Why? Because we knit all year, why shouldn't you? We don't want to be any less available or convenient just because the weather is growing warmer. Don't believe you can knit all year? Come see our gorgeous cottons, silks, rayons and blends. You will be amazed. The summer is the perfect time to progress as a knitter. Stuck on scarves? Make a shell. No sleeves, minimum shaping. We'll teach you how!

No, your computer isn't broken. When you click on our "Store" tab above you get a message about forbidden access. Why? Because we have shut down the internet store portion of our site. But don't fret. You can still order from us, or at least you will be able to within a week or two. We are busy preparing a detailed list of all of our yarns, product lines, etc. which you can then peruse. Find something you like? Have more questions about it? Just give us a call or send us an email. We will happy to ship anything to you! We closed the "store" because we decided we had more fun and stayed busy enough being an LYS; and isn't that what owning a yarn shop is all about?????

Well, this taught us a few things. First, that celebrity teachers are the ticket! Second, that our customers are eager to really learn new techniques (feel free to make continual suggestions in this regard, ok? We are open to try just about anything at WoolWinders!), and third that we need another phone line! So here is the situation. We filled the 12 slots within about 40 minutes, and we have emailed Annie to see if she would be willing to add a morning class. We already have 10 for that waitlist! The good news is that Annie lives just up the road in New Jersey, so we will make every effort to get her back here SOON! Our sincere thanks to Marietta and her fabulous mom Janis, who is in Annie's knitting group and put us in touch with her.

Not to give short shrift to our arrivals from Walter the UPS Guy. We now have the neutral/unbleached colors of the incrediby popular Blue Sky Organic Cotton, as well as reorders of some of the colors that sold out. In addition, two lovely colors of Rowan Kidsilk Haze came in as did the fabulous Kim Hargreaves leaflets for their Wool/Cotton yarn.

Finally, we met with the lovely Donna today who reps for several of our favorite lines. Look for new sock yarn, the amazing Lobster Pot cashmere (yes, truly dyed in Cape Cod lobster pots!) and some terrific new baby yarn that is washable wool in variegated tones. We also bought the new fall colors of Wool in the Woods in three yarns. Is it too early to yearn for August when this stuff will start arriving?????

Ooh ah ooh, do you promise not to tell? OK then, we will share with our readers that WoolWinders will be carrying Great Adirondack Yarns come late summer. These fabulous hand dyed creations were just the fibers we were seeking to enhance our collection of delectable yarns. We filled in some gaps with much needed (and often requested) variegated alpaca and merino/silk blends in sport, dk and chunky weights; we cooed and oohed over their think/thin chunky yarn which we HAD to order. Diane, who reps the yarns in our area, was a huge help. We put ourselves in her capable hands and ordered about six yarns in eight colors each! Stay tuned.

And we just returned from our annual weekend road trip with our best pal, Alex. As usual we visited yarn shops: Noble Knits (where she works part time) in Malvern, PA (our launch point) and the Fiber Arts Studio and Yarn Shop in Cape May, NJ (our destination). Both were terrific! Well-stocked with yummy yarns, patterns, and helpful staff, and as always we came away with a FEW purchases and some new ideas. Look for our cotton aran sweater we will be making from a vintage pattern the Cape May store had. And if you haven't ever been to Cape May (it was our first time!) it is a charming and relaxing get-away.