Wow! Did we buy books at TNNA! Today we received Knitting Simple Sweaters from Luxurious Yarns, Simple Knits for Little Cherubs, Vogue Beginner Basics, and Vogue Chunky Knits, all of which are perfect for new and beginner knitters! If you are up to something more challenging, we also received the popular Nicky Epstein Knitting on the Edge. Watch for her new book this fall: Knitting OVER the Edge. Edging can turn even the most basic sweater into a work of art.

And we wanted to let you know that the staff is working FURIOUSLY to organize our hundreds (OK, maybe thousands) of patterns! Beginning next week there will be new binders including many patterns on sale for 40% off. Need inspiration for a new project? Swing by and check out the designs.

We love coming in on Wednesdays when we have had a full TWO days off!!! Boxes always await. We spent our time getting all the buttons entered into the system and displayed beautifully! And Martingale was kind enough to send us a really swell looking SpinAround Book Rack! Come see all the books that you can, well, spin around! Lots of crochet books for adults and kids; the ever popular Finishing Techniques by Nancy Wiseman; and Knitted Shawls, Stoles and Scarves. We are also fully stocked with the 365 Stitch a Day Calendar, and Little Box of Scarves (books One and Two). The new Little Box of Crocheted Scarves and Hats is in as well.

In addition, we received at long last size 11 and 13 circular needles from Skacel in metal and wood. These will not last long!

And finally, new issues of Interweave Knits and Family Circle Easy Knitting. Got enough to read?????

Our FOURTH OF JULY sale starts TOMORROW! Purchase any red, white, and or blue yarn for 15% off! Sale lasts through Tuesday, July 5.

Lots of fun stuff today. We finally have The Knit Stitch back in stock; Sally Melville's first book is a must-have for some terrific patterns and instruction. Also back in: Arans and Celtics, Modular Knitting, and Ponchos and Wraps.
We have had lots of requests for Ellen Originals knitting totes and accessory cases, and today we received them. Our favorite is the Take-Away Stand; it is both stable and portable. Just unhook the tote from the wood stand and, as Simon Cowell American Idol)would say, "Off you go!" And her accessory cases hold LOTS of goodies. The tapestry work is just lovely and we bought some of her new designs.

And yes, we have buttons. Sort of. One big box came in from Dill Buttons; we are expecting another one. Give us a few days to get all these entered into the system and out of the shelves, but our lovely customers will now have one-stop shopping at WoolWinders! No more trips to the fabric store to finish those garments with suitable buttons.

What can you say about a day that begins with Annie Modesitt and ends with Mark Knopfler? We had that day yesterday!

Annie Modesitt (a.k.a The Knitting Heretic) was kind enough to give not one, but two presentations on her fantastic style of knitting, COMBINED KNITTING. We admit to being skeptical. We LIKE the way we knit. But once we tried Annie's way, we were hooked. Without giving too much away, it involved purling in such a way that all knit stitches are done through the back loop. The result? Even tension, quick stitchwork, and best of all, no fat stitches at the ends of ribbing! And there was more, but we will save that for Annie's next visit to the shop. We've seen a lot of teachers, but none can match her energy, wit, and unconventional behavior.

As for our evening, Mark Knopfler played at Wolftrap, the only National Park that hosts regular concerts. It was a perfect Washington evening; the weather had cooled down and stayed clear, the park looked beautiful, and Knopfler played hits old and new. He had us at Sultans of Swing.

Walter the UPS Guy wheeled in four big boxes today. And what goodies within! Books from Interweave: Scarf Style, Handy Book of Patterns, Felted Knits, Shadow Knitting and (drumroll please) HIP TO CROCHET!

And our TNNA order of Manos arrived. Wow! The colors are just fabulous and the new pattern book has what we have named "The cutest damn felted purse you've ever seen." Judith Shangold has taken the mitered square style of knitting to new heights: capes, ponchos, bags, and scarves! We love this book!

Have a great weekend, and remember. Because of Annie Modesitt's classes we will not be open on Sunday until 3 PM. Thanks.

We received lots of old friends today: Blue Sky Alpaca in both sport weight and alpaca/silk blend (and we have already sold one bag of the silk blend!) in gorgeous colors; Dale of Norway Baby Ull and Stork, impossibly soft and machine washable fingering weight yarn; and Crystal Palace short straight and dp needles. So we are well-stocked in some old favorites!

Today on our day off we received a frantic call from Lew, who had spoken with the store only to learn we had received TWO HUGE BOXES from Muench Yarn. "Were we expecting anything?" he queried. Well, to be honest, we had ordered the yarn SO LONG AGO that we had forgotten. But yes, we had in fact ordered this fabulous chunky yarn that is reknowned for making great children's garments and blankets. Of course it is completely machine washable and dryable, and the colors are bright and cheery. Think LIME GREEN, BRIGHT PINK, YELLOW etc.

We don't get this yarn in very often (obviously!) so come and get it while it's here!!!

Many boxes today. Cheryl Schaeffer restocked our selection of the beautiful Laurel Yarn, and included four of her new colors: Queen Lili, Rachel Carson, Helen Taussig and Helen Hayes. If you have never seen or worked with this yarn, you are in for a real treat. 100% Pima Cotton, hand-dyed in the most extraordinary colorways, and each named for a Memorable Woman!

A final color of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK arrived as well; a lovely mint green. Perfect for a cool and quick summer shell.

And we now have the baby pink and baby blue Blue Sky Cotton in stock. Perfect for a snuggly soft baby blanket or sweater!

New to the store is the Nancy's Knit Knack Card. We fell in love with this at the TNNA Show. Picture all of the information in a good knitting refernce book put on to manageable 3 X 5" cards on a binder ring. You can carry these with you EVERYWHERE, even if your purse is tiny!

And finally, we have a fabulous trunk show from Bagsmith. Bags are going to be HUGE this year, and the kits from Bagsmith let you use your creativity and imagination to the utmost. Come see what they have done to get some ideas, and then just go wild!

Yes we know you needed circular needles. Yes we know we did not have a size 7 in the entire store (trust me, we know. We needed one.) But now we are well stocked again thanks to our friends at SKACEL. So if the need for a circular needle hits you, come in. We were back-ordered only on some larger sizes (11, 13, and 15) so those lightweight summer projects ought to be OK.

And speaking of lightweight summer projects, we were taken by the Elsebeth Lavold Designer's Choice #5 which features summer patterns. We have six copies of the book in stock and predict they won't last long. We also received six popular colors of her Silky Wool, a lovely DK weight yarn. Perfect for an early fall project, this yarn has great yardage (192), great colors, and a great price point ($7.99). We have all of her corresponding pattern books as well.

Finally, the ever-popular DENISE INTERCHANGEABLE NEEDLES are back in stock! Traveling this summer? This is the perfect companion. You will never lack for a needle from size 5-15, straight or circular (in three lengths). What makes these needles special is the locking mechanism. Just put the correct tip in, turn it 1/4 of the way, and you have a secure, fabulous needle! And all for $49.99.

Wow! That is all we can say about the Sally Melville WHERE'S THE OPAQUE pattern in her first book, The Knit Stitch. We whipped this up in black using DEBBIE BLISS CATHAY yarn, and it is the PERFECT dressy summer sweater. Come see it! It is hanging in the middle of our left window (if it isn't, it means we are wearing it!) and takes almost no time to knit. If you already own The Knit Stitch, you can begin at once; if not, we are expecting more of the books in any day. We have sold 168 copies already; what does THAT tell you?????