Classes, events, free patterns….don’t miss the WINTER NEWSLETTER this week! The only way to get it is electronically. So sign up on the bottom left side of this page and follow all the prompts. You will then be the FIRST to find out everything going on at the shop! (as an added incentive, we have an email going out tomorrow about a special DECEMBER event. Don’t miss it!)

And a big SHOUT OUT to our very own MARIETTA, who has the courage to follow her dreams even in a wobbly economy. We are delighted to have more of her time beginning tomorrow, when she works MONDAYS at the shop in addition to her weekend gigs. IS’s loss is our gain. We are so proud of you, Mar. You can read all about her new career path in the newsletter.

Family all gone? Hang at the shop today and get some crochet instruction as well. The SUNDAY IN THE SALON features adorable CROCHET animals. These make wonderful quick holiday gifts. As always, the program is free of charge and runs from 2-4 pm. We know everyone’s stuffed, but there will still be snacks and wine.

We always love Thanksgiving weekend because it gives us an opportunity to see folks who visit the area of every year. So come on by! We will be open today until 3, then closed tomorrow so we can overeat like everyone else, and then reopen at 11 on Friday. There will be Thanksgiving treats in case you didn’t eat quite enough, and lots of wonderful ideas for holiday projects.

We continue our Saturday KAL with the selection of holiday shawls and will be modeling the easiest one to do. We have a sample of the mid-challenge Ruana at the shop, and as far as the third one (aka MENSA), we are not too embarassed that it kicked our butt and we gave up. But CAROL, CINDY, and HEATHER forged on and we look forward to checking out the FO.

On Sunday, once you’ve gotten rid of the family that always seems to outstay their welcome, kick back at the shop from 2-4 PM when MARIETTA will be leading the Salon program to CROCHET adorable stuffed animals that go really quickly. We’ll have the usual wine and treats. And watch for the exciting news about MARIETTA in the winter newsletter, which should be out next week.

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone. KNIT ON!

And we got some great ones in today! Check out SIMPLY SHETLAND 5, BABYKNITS HATS & BOOTIES, ROWAN CROCHET WORKSHOP, and MASON DIXON KNITTING OUTSIDE THE LINES. You can even read them in the car on your way to Thanksgiving Dinner! Come on. Treat yourself. Or better yet, put them on your wish list card!

One of the greatest benefits of a wonderful staff is that you actually look FORWARD to getting together. Last night was the annual WoolWinders Holiday Party and staff (we missed you Paige and Kim), spouses, guests, and even some kids partied hard at the lovely NORMANDIE FARMS INN. It’s the official kick-off to the holiday season.

And please note: we will close at 3 PM on Wednesday, November 26 and will remain closed on Thursday. We will be open at 11 AM on Friday the 28th and hope to see many of you then. We wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday!

Well, we THOUGHT we had received all of the KOIGU, but in walked Javier the UPS Guy today with SIX more gorgeous colors of the KPPM. We now have 41 (yes, that is forty-one) colors of this gorgeous yarn. So of course we had to come up with a project for it—keep your eyes peeled for our WINTER SCHEDULE which should be out DECEMBER 1. We have a fabulous SHAWL for the FEBRUARY KAL which takes seven skeins. We plan on starting it Thanksgiving Day, so you can check the WIP on the blog!

For Paige’s fabulous FAIR ISLE BAG program on Sunday. It’s free of charge but there is prep work, so please give us a call if you want to participate. We will get you all set up with the proper materials and make sure you are ready for the program!

We now have the lovely BUTTERMILK ROAD knitting bags, accessory cases and circular needle holders back in stock. These NEVER last long, and are perfect gifts for you to put on your wish list in time for the JINGLE BALLS evening on December 5. Also back in stock, popular colors of CASCADE 220, 220 SUPERWASH and SIERRA.

Join us Sunday for a very special program led by the QUEEN OF ALL THINGS FAIR ISLE*--aka the lovely PAIGE. No matter what you are giving as a gift this season, give it in a gorgeous knit GIFT BAG. A sample is shown below. There is prep work to the program:

So that we may concentrate on learning the Fair Isle stranding technique during the salon, please take the free gfit bag pattern(s) home with you when your purchase your materials for this project and begin the bag, knitting up until the point when you need to start working from the Fair Isle chart. The Fair Isle charts will be provided during the class on Sunday.

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*We admit to feeling extreme trepidation when we saw this on the schedule as our Fair Isle skills rival our Crochet ones. But fear not, you will be led by a true expert, whose knowledge of the technique is second only to her passionate love for it!

Considering taking the Metro to the Inauguration celebration in January? You certainly don’t want to lose your Metro Card going to or from the festivities, right? You need METRO MITTENS (scroll down to see the sample). Our very own KERRY will teach you how to make these on Sunday from 2-4 PM. We only have THREE SPACES LEFT and there is some homework to do beforehand. So give us a call at 240.632.9276 to participate in this FREE program!

Javier the UPS Guy staggered in under the weight of a ginormous box today. We were delighted to learn it was the rest of our KOIGU order!!!! Eighteen more glorious colors of the KPPM yarn. Let the SOCK/SWEATER/SCARF/HAT knitting begin! Oh heck, you can even make a great baby blanket out of this exquisite MACHINE WASHABLE yarn!!! And what better yarn to put on your WISH LIST for our JINGLE BALLS celebration in DECEMBER?????

As promised, here is a photo of the really cool METRO MITTS that will be this SUNDAY IN THE SALON program. See the button? That’s where the pocket is for the metro/id card!