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| Thursday, November 20, 2008 - November love-note |
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November love-note
Hi All,
Where did November go? Are you feeling like I am... feeling that this month has flown by? We have been busy at yarn-love helping you select the perfect fixings for your projects, finding new goodies to bring to you, replenishing our shelves with your favorites, creating a robust winter class schedule (which will be published by the end of the month), getting ready for our December birthday month, and meeting new folks. We have seen many new faces over the past few weeks, and we want to thank you for spreading the word about yarn•love and helping to grow our community of knitters and crocheters. This November love-note highlights events and happenings, new stuff, and sale items.
But, before we get into the yarn-y things, I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. It sure feels like Thanksgiving to me as the weather is getting colder and we’re seeing snow flurries. I hope you enjoy your holiday and are able to connect with family and friends – and find time to knit and crochet. I hope to see you on Black Friday, when you’re well rested and fed, and ready to dig into yarn-love sales.
~ pam
Events and Happenings
Here is just a sampling of things going on at yarn-love now through December. And, did you know that you’ll receive a birthday gift from us in December? Just stop in so we can thank you for making our first year such a fabulous one. See Events for more December happenings.
 Hi Ho Cherry Oh! workshop - Join us on First Friday, December 5th at 6 pm for a cherry making workshop. Ruth Thome, Cherry Expert Extraordinaire, will lead us through a workshop to make the cutest cherries. You can then knit up stems and leaves and attach your cherries to a very special item or attach a pin to the back and move your cherries about as desired. Workshop fee is $10 (which lets you splash around in water, make cherries, and leave the mess here!) and the kit is $10, which includes the goodies to make two sets of cherries with stems and leaves and the pattern to knit the stems and leaves.
 Winter Wonder-Garland - The naked garland arrives at yarn-love next week. Please help decorate it and keep it warm this winter with your mini-knitted or crocheted items – and possibly win cool prizes. See Events for details.
Winter classes will be finalized by the end of the month. The robust schedule will include: top down sweater, children’s vest – with or without cables, Montana checkered cardigan, magic loop socks, fair isle hat, inside out scarf, Mobius cowl, beginner knitting, and a beaded handbag. See full class schedule.
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New Stuff
Berroco Plush yarn has arrived this week! My super-cute niece Abby encouraged me to have this soft, fleecy, child-friendly yarn on the shelves, because she has a favorite Plush blanket I knit for her. (It knits up at 3 stitches to an inch on US10 needles.) Abby says her blanket is soft and cuddly and "keeps me warm when I'm cold and helps me have good dreams." Plus, she loves it because it’s purple, her favorite color, and “matches her purple nail polish.” Just 4 skeins will make a sweet blanket for your little someone special.
Kollage square knitting needles - It is cool to be square! Two types of square needles have arrived: circulars in 24" length and DPNs in 5" length (perfect for holiday sock projects!). A recent review on Knitter's Review reports, "Their square shape gives you more to hold onto, which—depending on how you hold your needles and whether or not your hands tend to cramp or ache after too much knitting—may make your knitting much more comfortable." Read the full review.
Sale Items
We've selected some special goodies to share with you at special prices. The sale begins Black Friday, November 28 and continues through our birthday month in December (or, as long as our supply lasts!).
Yarns - The following yarns are 20% off their retail price:
Be Sweet Magic Ball
Be Sweet Bamboo
Berroco Memoirs
Fibra Natura Birch
Katia Trilogy
Plus we will have a special on:
Filatura di Crosa's Zarina
Zara
Zara Plus
Purchase four skeins and you'll receive half off your fifth skein! Think of colorful projects in these fabulous machine washable merinos – chevron striped scarves, fair isle hats, classic sweaters and vests, and so much more. Feel free to mix and match colors within the three different yarn weights. (Zarina is a fingering weight, Zara is a sport weight, and Zara Plus is a worsted weight.)
Kits - We know that kits make it easy for us since all the yarn and patterns we need are already gathered together for us. Now, kits are even more attractive since they will be 10% off! Select from Dream in Color Tulip and Rocketry kits, Pick Up Sticks! Felted Ripple Tote kits, and Fall Shawl kits.
Sale merchandise details - All sales are final. No returns on sale items. Sale good on in-stock merchandise only. No holds allowed during the sale for any reason. Sale prices not available over the phone or in email orders.
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Yarn-Love - 290 Quarry Road, Hummelstown, PA 17036 - 717-566-3066
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| | Friday, October 31, 2008 - Happy Halloween from yarn-love! |
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Happy Halloween from yarn-love!
Even though it is Halloween, this love note brings only treats to share with you.
Enjoy!
~ pam
A few announcements and a reminder
The Lust List has landed at yarn-love! Stop in soon to create your customized gift registry.
Namaste Bags – Now taking special orders. If you’ve decided it’s time to put one of these fashionable and functional bags on your shoulder (or maybe you decided you need another one in a different color or style), we will be placing an order for Namaste bags in mid-November. Please call and tell us which style and color you would like us to order for you. Namaste has just released a new bag, Zuma, which joins Laguna, Newport, and Malibu in their Cali collection.
No First Friday evening hours on November 4th. First Friday will return December 5th for the Hi Ho Cherry Oh workshop with the fabulous Ruth Thome. See Events for more information – and, additional details will be added within the week.
Two new books have arrived!
It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons by Franklin Habit is on the shelves. Lois and I met the very funny and talented Franklin at this summer’s trade show, where he made quite a splash.
Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders, the third volume from Judith Durant is packed with small project patterns that would be great holiday gifts. Stop in to pick up your copy and a skein or two of luxury yarn.
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A couple of just-finished projects
Urban Silk Cowl(boy) – Don't you just love this lovely, silky, shiny cowl? This sweet cowl took just two skeins of Skacel's Urban Silk (80% silk, 20% cotton) and three (non-obsessive) nights of TV knitting. This silky, breathable yarn blend is a terrific alternative to a turtleneck, looks fabulous under a jean jacket or worn with a crew neck sweater, and can easily be slipped off if you find yourself suddenly too warm.
The Wrap and Drop Wrap – Doesn't super-fun Patty look super-good in this vibrant wrap? This colorful wrap is knit using seven skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Fingering Merino yarn – one skein each of seven different colorways. (Plus, you'll have enough yarn to make a matching Purl beret or fingerless mitts.) A special thanks to the Color Kittens at yarn-love for selecting this punchy combination. If you also want a wrap that bursts with color, we will have a fresh supply of this yarn in early-November.
PS -- Interweave Knits magazines are here!
Stop in to pick up your copy of these three Interweave Knits issues -- Fall 2008, Interweave Felt (Special Issue 2008), and Holiday Gifts (Holiday 2008).
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| | Thursday, October 16, 2008 - Fall into yarn-love |
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Fall into yarn-love
Hi All,
Fall has arrived and brings with it cooler weather, orange pumpkins, bursting mums, and beautiful warm-colored leaves. I hope you're enjoying the season change and are finding time to knit and crochet. So many projects are on my needles right now including several great TV knitting projects. (I really am glad that all my TV friends and families are back with me after our summer break!). Why not pop on over to yarn-love's blog and share your favorite fall TV shows?
What's on your needles? I am juggling a warm and cozy sweater (Amherst – and, yes, this has been on my needles for awhile!), a bright and cheery wrap using seven fabulous colors of Claudia Fingering (a house pattern soon to be revealed), a scrumptious capelet (Bobble Capelet in Tahki's Montana), and several fun scarves that make perfect simple, quick-to-knit gifts.
Claudia Fingering
Stop in to see two of my favorites: Luminous Lavender and Wendy's Winter Wonderland.
Wendy's Winter Wonderland / Luminous Lavender
And, before I close the opening of this newsletter, I must tell you about how thrilled I am with one of my latest projects. Well, it actually wasn't just ‘my' project, but is one that I knit with love with my sister-in-law Bridget Wiedeman (who is the mom of my super-cute nieces Abby and Tessa) and Bridget's mom, Linda Shannon. Together, we knit a baby blanket in Mission Falls Cotton for Bridget's sister Chrissy's soon-to-arrive baby. (I also must give a shout out to Bridget, who mastered knitting effortlessly!) I share this story with you since it illustrates how a project can easily become a shared project to include both new and experienced knitters. What a great way to share the time investment and create something special together!
Baby Blanket
I hope to see you soon!
~ pam
yarn-love celebrates its first birthday in December
Get ready for a fun-filled month! We have lots of stuff planned to keep the birthday party going all month long. There will be a birthday present for YOU, a Winter Wonder-gar-Land contest, a Hi Ho Cherry Oh workshop, weekly gifts, a birthday cake blowout, and an Unwind with a Punch get-together. See Events for more dates and details.
store hours – a few updates
You can always find the most up-to-date store hour schedule on the website. Here are a few highlights for upcoming schedule changes.
Nov 7 - No First Friday evening hours
Dec 24 - 31 - See website for a few holiday schedule adjustments
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project ideas for yourself or for gifts
- Tulip and Rocketry sweaters in Dream in Color Classy – We made it easy for you because all the yarn you need for these colorful sweaters is included in a kit. These sweaters are both precious and practical since the yarn is a hand-dyed superwash merino wool. (Yes, that's right, a hand-dyed superwash.)
Tulip and Rocketry
- Sheepfeet lacy rib socks – One skein of the super-soft superwash merino knits up a beautiful pair of lacy rib socks. The yarn is luxuriously soft, and the pattern is free!
- Mittens – Knit them up in a yarn weight of your choice…from worsted to bulky. And, you also get to choose whether you knit them using DPNs or straight needles.
- Love your little wrap – This delightful little wrap is knitted with Lancaster County Hand-dyed Mohair Boucle and will be a delight to wear at holiday parties. I knit mine in two nights of TV watching!
Love your little wrap
- Belgium Bolero – Oh, this was a big hit at the open house! The Bolero is also a great TV project and looks great on so many different body types. We definitely know that to be true, from the number of times the shop's Bolero was tried on during the open house weekend. If you already completed a Bolero or have it on your needles, why not make another one for you or a gift?
- Annie Adams pewter buttons, shawl sticks and pins – These fashion-forward buttons, shawl sticks and circle pins are a perfect accent to your projects! Did you see that Annie Adams items are buttons highlighted in the 'Vogue Knitting Holiday' issue's What's new, what's now, what's next in knitting section?
create your lust list at yarn-love
We want to make it easy for you and gift givers! Beginning in November, you can create your own gift registry – your lust list – at yarn•love to help holiday gift givers select the best gifts for you. Simply stop in, make your list (and, yes, check it twice!). Your lust list will remain at yarn•love to help folks navigate their way through yarns, books, needles and more to find the special things you want. And, of course gift certificates are always available!
classes
First, thank you for making the fall class schedule a busy and popular one! We’ve seen many learners begin to knit and purl, and we’ve also seen lots of terrific projects including magic loop socks, swirl scarves, mobius capelets (including Pam’s!), entrelac bags, and top-down sweaters (with many first-time sweater knitters – yay!) . We also send a ‘thank you’ to all the fabulous instructors who are so generous with their time and talents. The winter schedule is well underway with several classes already added to the website – Beginner Knitting, Top-Down Sweater (for newborns, toddlers or adults), and a Continental Workshop.
We also plan to add these classes, so stay tuned: Felted Clogs (very popular and back again!), Moebius Cowl (learn the moebius cast on technique), Flower Basket Lace Shawl or Scarf (dig into deciphering a lace pattern and make a gorgeous scarf or shawl in fingering or sport-weight yarn) , and a super fun and colorful Short Row Felted Bag (learn to master short rows, which are often used for shaping sweaters and more). Please let us know if you have any class requests.
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| | Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - A yarn love affair to remember - STITCHED UP |
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A yarn-love affair to remember
Hi All,
I hope you marked your calendar for this weekend’s open house! If you haven’t, this note presents the top ten reasons why you should fall into yarn-love this weekend. We have lots of goodies for you – yarn and otherwise. Before we get into the top ten, let me remind you of the open house hours. Also, Saturday is the Hummelstown Arts Festival, so why not plan to spend the day in Hummelstown?
I'm looking forward to seeing you this weekend! And a special thanks to all the yarn-love girls who have been such a tremendous help in getting the party started.
~ pam
Open house dates and times:
Friday, September 12: 10-8
Saturday, September 13, 10-8
Sunday, September 14: 1-4
The top ten reasons why you should fall into yarn-love this weekend
The list is in no particular order since we think they’re all tops!
Annie Adams shawl pins and sticks and buttons
Annie Adams fabulous pewter pins and sticks are perfect for your handmade wraps and shawls; the buttons will jazz up your items and make them even more special. (Lois and I had to be peeled away from this booth at the trade show this summer!) Caraline Engle graciously agreed to model a shawl pin on her shawl (Fish Scales pattern in Ocean Breezes book) in exchange for getting to snag a pin before the open house.
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