We have copies of the SUMMER CLASS Schedule at the shop and have sent an electronic copy to our webgoddess Stacy. These classes fill early, so just call the shop to sign up. Classes begin July 1 and will run through September 30. New offerings include TOE UP SOCKS and a THURSDAY MORNING SAFARI, which begins in September. And for the summer we offer a 15% discount on class materials instead of the usual 10.

Our SUMMER NEWSLETTER is in the works; look for it within the next two weeks. We send this electronically, so if you haven’t signed up on our website, please do it now! Just go to the lower left side of the home page and fill in your email address; you will be taken to another screen-follow the prompts. Finally, respond to the email you will then receive from us confirming that you want to be on our mailing list (arent’ anti-spam laws wonderful????). The newsletter will be chock full of interesting stuff including our annual TNNA report from the market and show this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

Need information about our upcoming SUNDAYS IN THE SALON? We will be knitting the adorable BABY OWL SWEATER over the next two sessions—a classic treat for that “bright” child in everyone’s life. And you will learn cables too! If you have never knit a sweater before, this is the perfect way to start. All you need are basic knitting skills: cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. We will teach you the rest. As always, the program is free of charge—just call us to reserve a spot.

We are back from a brief break away from the shop, and are ready for our upcoming SUNDAY IN THE SALON—the final session of the fabulous DIAGONAL TRIANGLE TANK. Don’t worry if you haven’t had a lot of time to work on it; come to the session with whatever you have finished and we will make sure you have the skills to finish the shell. And of course we are always here if you run into problems. The program will run from 2-4 PM on Sunday; the shop will be closed Monday for Memorial Day.Happy Knitting!

But we always herald the arrival of needles, particularly when we have been without them for a while. So we were delighted when our substitute UPS Guy walked in with a big box from SKACEL. Although a few sizes were backordered and we are still in the queue for the lace needles, we are FINALLY well-stocked with most sizes, including the elusive SIZE 6 in both wood and metal!

MALKA SCHER! Malka created the swatch that was named BEST IN SHOW by two staff members who were not present at Saturday’s SWATCH-A-THON. Malka will receive a $25 gift certificate for the shop. Congratulations to Malka, and thanks again to all those who helped us out!

As for this week’s SUNDAY IN THE SALON, join KIM as she guides you through the creation of a lovely reversible lace shawl. You can use virtually ANY yarn in the shop, but come in ahead of time so we can make some recommendations based on the weight you are seeking for the wrap. As always, the program is free of charge and will run from 2-4 PM. Please call to register.

Thanks to our wonderful customers who came to the first annual SWATCH-A-THON yesterday, we have knit samples of nine of our new yarns! We were delighted to hear that everyone enjoyed it so much that they would like to schedule another one! It’s always fun to play with yarn:

The final results being blocked. Come check them out Monday at the shop:

Everyone who participated earned 15% off their day’s purchases, and we will award a $25 gift certificate to the creator of the “Best in Show.” We are going to ask PAIGE and GAIL, who work Monday, to make that assessment, so the results aren’t compromised, and the result will be announced on the website, of course!

Happy Mother’s Day to all. We are closed today (yes, we will be doing a lot of knitting at home!) and will reopen at 11 AM Monday.

Just in time for last minute Mother’s Day shopping, two beautiful spring yarns (which truth be told sell all year). First, RYC NATURAL SILK ARAN, a soft blend of silk, viscose and linen. Gorgeous color palettes in subtle tweeds. Delicious to work with…and wonderful pattern support.

Next, a perennial favorite SCHAEFER YARN LAUREL. 100% pima cotton in huge hanks (400 yards), this yarn glorifies the unique Schaefer colorways. Two skeins make a medium to large shell or tank; three to do a sweater.

So treat mom (or yourself) to these goodies. Want 15% off? Come join us tomorrow, SATURDAY, from 2-4 PM for the first annual SWATCH-A-THON. Make a six inch square swatch to help us out and receive 15% off your day’s purchases! And if your swatch is “BEST IN SHOW” you will also receive a $25 gift certificate from the shop!

It was hiding behind a chair on the floor, which speaks to our need for better vacuuming. But thanks to anyone who checked their bags to look for it. We are just glad we don’t have to knit another back, as we are out of the dye lot!

If you have been in the store over the past week, please do us a favor and check your bags. We have lost the back of a sweater in progress—it is made from IVORY SIERRA and is a TAHKI STACY CHARLES pattern with cables on the bottom and ribs on the top. If you have it, please return it to the store! Thanks.

The weather was gorgeous this weekend and Sheep and Wool was going on in Howard County, so our expectations for the weekend were pretty low. As usual, however, our wonderful customers far exceeded them. Business was quite brisk, in large part due to the mammoth amount of yarn and patterns we shelved last week. The SUBLIME line, for example, blew out of the store. We have already sold seven bags of the yarn and the accompanying pattern books are terrific:

And what could be better than new colors of the fabulous BABY COVER washable yarn, perfect for blankets and sweaters for wee ones:

And we had a full table (with spillover to the couch) for our SUNDAY IN THE SALON. Everyone worked really hard on their REGAL SILK DIAGONAL TRIANGLE TANK:

Don’t forget we are closed next SUNDAY for MOTHER’S DAY. But to make up for it, we are hosting a very special SATURDAY IN THE SALON. Join us for the first annual SWATCH-A-THON from 2-4 PM. Help us swatch our new yarns and receive 15% off all your purchases that day! The best swatch will also win the knitter (or crocheter!) a $25 gift certificate at the shop. Just call to let us know you will be participating!

Thanks to the best staff in the retail knitting world, 18 boxes of yarn, patterns and books are unpacked, priced, and shelved. Our cupboards are full once again. Today we finished the CASCADE order and then attacked the KNITTING FEVER. In addition to some new colors of NORO IRO, CASH IROHA, KUREYON and KOCHORON, we are fully restocked with pattern books using those fabulous yarns. Whether you like CORNELIA TUTTLE HAMILTON, JANE ELLISON, or DEBBIE BLISS, we have the designs! And we are also restocked with BABY CASHMERINO and three new pattern books from Debbie. So come check them out!

And for something totally new, we fell in love with the SUBLIME line of yarns. We started off with CASHMERE MERINO SILK in both DK and ARAN weights and three lovely pattern books. While the pictures that will be on the website when we get home tonight reflect only the CASCADE, it’s because our camera ran out of power!! We promise to take pictures of the KNITTING FEVER stuff tomorrow. That’s after some wine and a long soak in the hot tub. We are exhausted.