Indulge Yourself!

Suzy Roy

After weeks of frantically knitting gifts, it's time to rekindle your love for your craft. Take some time to slow down, relax, find warm fibers, and sign up for a class with a project or technique you want to learn. Go ahead -- you deserve it! Have a look at our upcoming February & March classes, featured below. Register for the one that is right for you -- go to www.woolwinders.com or call the shop today! 

 

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Oh the COLORS!

Suzy Roy

It's clear that COLOR is the trend for the season. And what better yarn celebrates color than Freia Ombre? With the long color runs of Freia Ombre Super Bulky, you'll want the colors to be the star of your finished piece. As you work with this yarn each color will gradually shift into the next to create an ombre masterpiece! This super bulky yarn is a single ply that require a little extra care and attention, so be sure to always hand wash your Freia Ombre knits.

With just one or two skeins you can work up fantastic hats and cowls that will keep you warm and stylish throughout the winter months. Check out all of our different colorways and find your perfect bulky pattern by stopping by the WoolWinders Rockville shop. We love helping you find your next project!

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Trend Alert!!

Suzy Roy

As seen in the current Vogue Knitting Magazine and this past weekend at Vogue Knitting LIVE! - Yoke Sweaters!

 

 

Yoke sweaters are currently a HOT knitting project - but these beautiful sweaters have a rich history. For example, the iconic Icelandic sweater was created to keep you warm during cold, winter months. 

There are many yoke sweater patterns - and we encourage you to check out Ravelry for some ideas.

Need help with your sweater? The WoolWinders Safari Classes - a monthly class where you bring in the project you want, is a perfect class where you can get help with your yoke sweater knitting. We also have Sweater Academy, a monthly class in Rockville, where you can work on the sweater of your choice.

 

Maybe you would like some ideas for yarn for your yoke sweater? Malabrigo RiosShepherd's Wool, and BlueFaced Leicester are yarns that come to mind. Stop by Annapolis or Rockville to see our full selection of worsted weight yarns!

 

 

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Gayle Roehm Book Signing

Suzy Roy

Come meet Gayle and get your Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible signed in person! That's right, in addition to the Japanese Lace Scarf class, we're having a book signing with Gayle! 

We will have books for sale or you can bring your own. 


Saturday, January 27
12PM - 1:30PM
WoolWinders Rockville

For more info about the Japanese Lace Scarf class, please see the class page. For more information about Gayle, please see our previous blog post. And if you have any questions please call or email us.

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More information about Gayle Roehm Lace Class

Suzy Roy

We are Excited to welcome back Gayle Roehm - who is coming to WoolWinders Rockville right after she completes a full set of teaching courses at the famous Vogue Knitting Live! in NYC. Gayle will be joining us for a Japanese lace knitting class and a book signing! 

Description: Knitters who love beautiful stitch patterns are delighted with the "Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Designs by Hitomi Shida," recently published in English. This class will give you an exclusive preview of one of the designs - Hitomi Shida's Exquisite Scarf! Join the translator to knit the scarf project from this book, and gain experience and insight into the complex charts and symbols. We'll start the body of the scarf in the first class, practicing chart-reading and some of the more complex maneuvers, to be sure you can work on the project later at home. In the second class, we’ll complete the “frill” at one end. The pattern will be provided; you don't need to purchase the book ahead of time.

Class Dates/Times:

Saturdays, January 27 & February 10

2PM - 4PM 

Materials Needed for Class: Approximately 350 yards of DK-weight wool or wool-blend yarn, preferably in a light color. A set of straight or circular needles in US size 6 (4.0mm); you may want to have a couple of additional sizes to get gauge, especially if you're a tight or loose knitter.

Cable needle.

Small amounts of smooth waste yarn. 

Location: WoolWinders Rockville

 

MORE ABOUT GAYLE


Gayle teaches knitting classes around the country with a focus on using Japanese patterns. She loves to introduce knitters to the pleasures of Japanese designs, and her knowledge of the subject is unmatched. She majored in Japanese studies, speaks Japanese, and lived in Japan during and after her college years.

She went on to business school and worked as a management consultant all over the world, including many visits to Japan. She is an avid knitter and has been incorporating Japanese patterns for many years.

With the rise of the internet, anyone anywhere can find a wide range of Japanese books and patterns but many have found the translating difficult. Enter Gayle, who has been able to provide instruction on how to translate these beautiful patterns. Her classes have been VERY popular at events such as Vogue Knitting LIVE, Stitches, Interweave Knitting Lab, Yarnover, Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat, Sock Summit and more. Gayle’s designs have been published in Knitter’s Magazine, Interweave Knits, A Gathering of Lace, and by yarn companies. For several years she translated Japanese patterns for Dancing Fibers (now Sunrise Yarns/Diakeito), and she prepared the Japanese section for the book Knitting Languages. She also sells original work at a local fiber arts gallery. 

We are very excited to welcome her back to WoolWinders! Come meet Gayle at her book signing and her class! 

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Gayle Roehm Returns!

Suzy Roy
You won't want to miss this! Gayle Roehm returns to WoolWinders Rockville for a class AND a book signing! Save the date, sign up for the class, and stay tuned for more info! 

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What knitting techniques and projects are you hoping to learn in 2018?

Suzy Roy

Whatever your fiber-crafting goals are, WoolWinders is here to help. We have a full list of classes scheduled for the 2018 Winter season at both Annapolis and Rockville for Safari and Project classes. Below you'll find the classes schedule for January - including a special class and book signing with our friend, best selling author Gayle Roehm!

Please take a look at the classes and make 2018 the year you invest in something that brings you joy, satisfaction, and peace! We hope to see you soon at WoolWinders Yarn Shop! 

 

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The Open House - Featuring June Cashmere

Suzy Roy

Today we continue our feature of June Cashmere, the luxury cashmere yarn company that will be featured at the WoolWinders Annapolis Open House on Saturday, October 14th and Sunday, October 15th. 

We hope you've enjoyed learning a little about June Cashmere over the past few blog posts. June Cashmere is an extraordinary company, with extraordinary yarns and an extraordinary story. WoolWinders Yarn shop is very excited to bring June Cashmere to you!

We hope to see you at our Annapolis shop on Saturday, October 14th (11am - 6pm) and Sunday, October 15th (12pm - 5pm). Amy Swanson, of June Cashmere, will be here on Saturday to tell you about the company and show you the beautiful yarns.

We are also giving away door prizes to lucky customers. AND, we're offering 10% off storewide* all weekend! More details about June Cashmere and the Open House can be found on our Facebook Events page. We hope to see you there!

*Discount excludes June Cashmere, patterns, and classes and only pertains to WoolWinders Annapolis during the weekend of October 14-15, 2017.

 

 

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The Commitment - About June Cashmere

Suzy Roy

Today we continue our feature of June Cashmere, the luxury cashmere yarn company that will be featured at the WoolWinders Annapolis Open House on Saturday, October 14th and Sunday, October 15th. 

June Cashmere actively invests in the communities where cashmere is gathered. They promote village-to-village training sessions teaching best practices for increasing the quantity and quality of cashmere fiber production.

This textile company truly cares about producing a luxury yarn that in turn provides betterment for Kyrgyz families. June Cashmere prides itself on restoring cashmere to its most pure and luxurious form with a process that ensures Kyrgyz traditions are not lost. Such an investment in people and resources shows that June Cashmere is a gem of a company that we are thrilled to help support. 

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Casting on in October

Suzy Roy

Here at WoolWinders, we're preparing for your cool weather needs with lots of new yarns and classes. Drop by and let us show you some great one skein projects that are perfect for yourself or for gift giving.

We are also pleased to announce our first Open House in Annapolis, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, October 14th and 15th. We're partnering with June Cashmere, a company which features 100% cashmere, sustainably sourced from small family farms in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. See more information below and watch your inbox and our social media for more details about the Open House and this ethically and environmentally conscious company. 

As we start to reach cooler autumn days, we hope you will stop by. No matter if you are a beginner or a long time knitter, we love to see your projects.

 

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