Last night we held an informal meet and greet to give the staff and a few loyal safari class members an opportunity to get to know the new owner, Amy Murphy, a little bit better! The evening was filled with food, friendship, plans for the future, and, of course, our favorite activity: knitting! Here are a few pics from the evening!            

  Last night I earned a big, "shame on me!" Ok, so I am knitting an afghan for my son and a huge section of it is just mindless stockinette stitch. We were going to a movie that was, let's just say, rather testosterone-driven and I was more enthused by the prospect of the popcorn than the actual movie. Hey, I have spent the last 20+ years living in a testosterone-driven household so this is nothing new, lol. However, this night, I decided I was going to try an experiment. I often knit while talking to others or while watching television and  do not always necessarily look at my knitting. But could I knit in the dark?! You already know what's coming! So I quickly grabbed a new skein of yarn and did a row to attach the new skein and stuffed my project into a bag and headed out to the movies, oh so carefree and light of heart that I was not going to have to watch Tom Cruise too closely for two hours (BTW he's not my favorite, sorry).  I proceeded to watch most of the movie which had a pretty good story line in between a lot of "Tom Teeth" smiles, ate a lot of popcorn which is definitely not Nutrisystem approved, and worked "blindly" on my afghan. As long as I remembered, or could feel, which side I was on I was golden. Two hours later we get home and I pull my knitting out of my bag so excited to see if I purled when I should have knitted, or if I had dropped a stitch or knit any stitches together only to happily discover that I hadn't and that I could, indeed, knit in the dark. I felt so masterful! I felt so special! I held it up in the light to show my family and to boast at my own knitting prowess when, alas, I discovered it was even easier than I had thought to gauge how much I had knitted during the movie--that section was a different shade of red! I had not checked the dye lot on my skeins and ended up with two shades of red in my afghan, see the sad, sad testimonial photo above. A lesson even we more seasoned knitters seem to never need to keep learning: ALWAYS check your dye lots!!!!! Knit on, friends!

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Murphy, the enthusiastic new owner of everyone's favorite local yarn shop, to discover a little more about who she is and some fun hints about what customers can expect. Here's a little bit about Amy! So, where is she from? Growing up, Amy lived in Texas, attended high school in Minnesota, and went to college at Boston University, so, needless to say, she's been to many places! The good news is, she's been living in Maryland for ten years, so have no fear. She has plans to stay at Woolwinders and help it prosper for many years to come! What are her favorite projects to knit? Because Amy has two little ones-ages 1 and 3-her favorite things to knit are super-cute baby items such as colorful blankets and sweaters. Her favorite project to date was an adorable green baby sweater with tiny duck buttons. (So cute!) She said seeing her daughter wear something she made with love was the most exciting part of her experience knitting for her family. Does she have any future knitting projects? (Of course she does!) Just to name a few things, Amy said that she's currently working on a cowl, but she has plans to knit socks, more cute items for the kids (maybe she'll take the How to Knit a Stuffed Animal class), and of course, she has plans to learn from all the workshops offered at Woolwinders when the chance arises. What is she most excited about? Amy said that she can't wait to get to know her customers, work with the current staff, and build on the foundation Paige has created during her time at Woolwinders. (Intern Exclusive: I have it on good account that there are some awesome plans for the growth of Woolwinders coming in the next year, so keep checking back to see what Amy will be doing in the upcoming months.) Ok, now for the really fun stuff! While knitting and crocheting is fun, we all know that what's discussed while working is equally important. So, here are a few television shows that Amy is always up for talking about! - The Real Housewives (the whole series) - Homeland - Downton Abbey (The legacy continues!) - Veep SNEAK PEAKS (A.k.a. the most exciting part of the interview) Any hints at what's coming in July? Yarn! Lot's of yarn! Amy happily revealed that she'll be bringing back some old favorites as well as some new and fabulous brands that Woolwinders hasn't carried in the past. Here's just a taste of what will be arriving! - Malabrigo (YAY!) - Madelintosh (In a variety of great new colors!) - Millamia - Bergère de France - String Theory - ITO Before I wrap this up, Amy wanted to answer two common questions most people had about the transition. 1. Will the store be closed the first week of July? The store will be closed Tuesday, July 1st through Tuesday, July 8th so that all the new yarn and goodies can be shelved and prepped. 2. Will there be classes/are the teachers staying? Yes, the current staff and teachers will stay the same. Well, now that we all know a little more about Amy, the next step is to go to Woolwinders and meet her yourself! She'll be around most of June to learn the ropes from Paige, so when you stop in for a class or just to pick up a few skeins, make sure to ask for Amy. Additionally, she said that if anyone has suggestions for a particular type of yarn or about changes for the store, she is always willing to hear them! So while we will all miss our fearless leader, Paige, it's nice to know that Woolwinders is in good hands! Thank you, Amy, for the interview, and I hope to see everyone this week!

Are you a “funky wrapper” or “pushing pincher”? Well, the ladies attending last Saturday’s Continental Knitting class are now! With the help of SUZY ROY and some middle-finger assisting, these lovely knitters can now say that they are comfortable knitting and purling with their left hands! Great job, ladies! Keep on knitting!

If you take one class this summer, take CHRISTMAS IN JULY! Register today to make this incredibly adorable holiday strand knitted and designed by LINDA SNOW on SATURDAYS 1-3 PM, July 19th & 26th. While knitting up these lovely little gems, let Linda teach you a variety of knitting techniques including SHAPING and COLOR-STRANDING as you enjoy preparing for the festive season ahead. Make just one or all of these fun and decorative adornments and use them attached to an I-cord strand as seen in the photo or make them individually as ornaments, gift tags, or place settings this holiday season!   

Hello fellow knitters and crocheters! For those of you who stopped by Woolwinders during the early-afternoon hours this week, you probably know that the store has a new communication intern for the summer. My name is Jules Garabedian, and I’m a rising senior at James Madison University studying Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication (a.k.a. Professional Writing). I’ve been knitting for almost two years, and my favorite projects are Fair Isle hats and scarfs (I was taught by the Fair Isle Queen herself, so I’ve been trained by the best!). My not-so-secret obsession with baby alpaca yarn still gets the best of me sometimes, but then again, who doesn’t need a ton of super soft yarn? I will be updating the website, sending emails, and working on Ravelry and Facebook posts in addition to being in-store to help with the transition of ownership, so keep checking www.woolwinders.com for new updates on what is happening at the shop! Well, that’s a little about me, but I hope you’ll say hello when you stop by Woolwinders. I’ll be there almost every day, and I’d love to hear funny knitting stories and see all the progress everyone makes on their projects! Check back early next week for an exclusive interview with our new owner Amy Murphy who reveals some fun sneak peaks for the transition into July!

  My favorite Woolwinders photo ever! Recently, much to everyone's dismay, our winder died and is out for repairs. Until its return, however, we are all making the best of it, like our own FLO MEIT, aka "The Flonator." In this photo we caught Flo in the act of helping Kim wind a skein of yarn. As you can see, she is dancing away while acting as a ball winder and has earned herself a new nickname: "THE FLOWINDER," LOL! Who knew winding yarn could be so much fun? Only at Woolwinders, your neighborhood yarn shop!

Look as gorgeous as model Kim Schneibook in your very own SAMPLER CABLE COWL! Ever wanted to unravel the mystery of CABLES? Learn basic cabling techniques while knitting up this stunning cowl Saturdays 9:30-11:30 AM, June 14th & 21st with instructor TERRY CAMMACK. Learn to create FOUR beautiful cable motifs to knit up this lovely cowl for any season. Cabling is easier than you think and can look classic and elegant or fun and funky! Choose from wools, alpacas, cottons, and cashmeres to knit up the perfect year-round wardrobe accessory. It makes a GREAT GIFT too for anyone wanting to get a head start on their holiday gift knitting! Just two spots left! Call us at 240-632-9276 and reserve your spot today!

  WOW! Two great "firsts" in one Safari group knitting class this week! Tuesday afternoon Safari knitting group class members, LIZ WARSAW and SHELLY BOMAN both completed GORGEOUS projects! This elegant white cotton sweater knitted with CASCADE ULTRA PIMA COTTON is Liz's first sweater attempt--a seriously GREAT first sweater and a perfect fit! And the stunning two-toned lace-centered afghan knitted with CASCADE 220 SUPERWASH yarn is Shelly's first attempt at an afghan--and it's a gift (!), although her class mates are trying to convince her to keep it. One class member commented that she won't recognize Shelly without her big purple afghan on her lap each week, it's become a class "mascot", LOL! Wonderful job and hats off to both of you, ladies!