Madelinetosh Scok Yarn arrived...

If you haven't tried Madelinetosh sock yarn, you are missing out. Amy's eye for color and her dyeing is exquisite. The yarn has a nice tight twist and one skein makes a pair of socks - kind of like going to Rhinebeck without the drive.

Harry Potter Sock Yarn has Arrived!

Well, the movie is delayed but the sock yarn is here. Each color represents one of the following characters:
Harry
Ron
Dumbledore
Hedwig
Draco
Tonks
Harry & Ron
Lupin
(one skein makes a pair of socks)

Addi Turbo Interchageable Circular Set

I just got word that Addi Turbo will have their own circular set available in late October (I ordered several). The set includes tips in sizes 4-15, three cords (24,32,40?) and some connectors in a case. It was hard to tell by the photo but it appears to be a hard case. It retails at $149.95.

This would make an awesome holiday gift so if you are interested, just ask us to put it on your own personal wish list. Then place some hints with that special someone.

Maggie's Rags Workshop - Helix Knitting

Maggie of Maggie's Rags will be here Saturday, September 13th to teach the Helix Knitting Workshop.
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If you aren't able to go on the Windjammer Cruise off the coast of Maine with her and attend workshops, try this one on land.
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Learn to knit circular stripes with absolutely no jogs. No one will ever find your beginning or end of round. Use as few as two colors or as many as you like. Class will cover casting on, shaping, intro to circular needles and dp needles.
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The workshop is from 1-4pm and costs $65.

PS Maggie is also the author of the Knitting Answer Book. Bring yours along (or purchase one here) and have her sign it for you.

For more info http://www.maggiesrags.com/

Thoughtful Customer..

I just had to tell you all that during our recent sale, one of our customers came in with blueberries that she had “just” picked at a local farm. She wanted to share some with us.
Her timing was just so perfect. We had been running all weekend and this was almost an out of body experience. Talk about stopping to smell the roses. Of course that aha didn’t actually occur until I was driving home later that day.
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She is just one example of how all of you touch each other somehow in this crazy world. In fact, I didn’t know most of you before I opened the shop and look where we are 3 years later.
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As another customer (and fellow Raveler) told me early into the shop, you will love ALL your customers; some when they come in and some when they leave. Truthfully, we only have had one or two (ok, well maybe three) that fall into the latter category.
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“You” are what makes coming to work each day so enjoyable. (and that’s the reason we don’t have a shopping cart on our web site) - thanks

Good News/Bad News

Ok, let's get the bad news over with quickly. Since summer is normally a slow time at a certain local yarn shop and given all the craziness with gas prices, well, recent sales have been slow. That makes it really hard for me to order a wide variety of new exciting products.

So the good news is a more "narrow" variety of exciting products have arrived this week.

~ Indie Dyer Hand dyed sock yarn; 80% superwash merino wool, 20% nylon. 450 yds $25/skein
~ Misti Alpaca Chunky - several new hand painted colors and favorite oldies\
~ Misti Alpaca Lace - eggplant (gorgeous)
~ NORO - Daria cord - several fun colors
~ Jojoland - Melody yarn for the Swirl, Travelling Leaves and Beartracks shawls http://www.jojoland.com/do/page/Select?TopIndex=1&curSubIndex=1&curPageIndex=2&startPageIndex=1&totalPages=6&pageIndex=3
~ Just One More Row patterns - multidirectional knitting designs http://www.justonemorerow.com/
~ Brittany - 14in Single Point needles
~ Moving Mud - hand blown closures (circles & sticks)
~ Crippenworks needle cases ("straights" holds up to 40 pairs, DP holds up to 14 pair and "circulars" holds up to 20 circular needles)

Coming Monday:
~ Berroco - fall books and yarn

We hope to see you soon, Laura (and staff)

Fall B&B Knitting Weekend

We recently announced the dates for the fall B&B Weekend (Nov 14-16th) and we already have half the rooms spoken for. It's a wonderful time away. Be social or not, knit or read, or walk (or just catch up on sleep?) The food is just perfect. Like Goldilocks would say, not too little, not too much, just....right! And delicious.

I guarantee you will make new friends. We have a couple new faces joining us and several repeat weekenders. (In fact, Myrna gave up a week long Mah Jong cruise just to be with us. This will be her 4th knitting weekend!)

So if you are thinking about joining us, please let me know soon so we can guarantee you a room and a most enjoyable weekend away from all the pressures of your daily routine.

Our home away from home is the Chesterfield Inn in Chesterfield, NH. It is just about 1 hour 10 minutes from the shop right up I91 to Brattleboro and turn right. The inn is just over the VT/NH border.

http://www.chesterfieldinn.com/

Koigu - Part 2 Has Arrived!

Need I say more? Eighteen more colors, including that taupey greens I used in the beaded shawl are now ready to find good homes.

Have a great knitting weekend....

Goodies for You - from the Sunday Trade Show

Today I attended the annual trade show for shop owners in Sturbridge, Ma. Not only do I get to preview the fall yarns, there are a few yarns that I can actually purchase. So, here goes....
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Schaefer Anne and Helene - replenished stock. Great colors as always from this fabulous hand dyer.
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Undulating Waves scarf with beads - uses the Helene noted above. GORGEOUS! If you search on this pattern in Ravelry I'm sure it has loads of attention.
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ArtYarns - Ultramerino4 - 100% merino wool (191 yds) - a great little sock yarn. I picked up 10 colors, just two skeins each. A pair of skeins makes a pair of socks so you have 10 chances (the 10 colors) to purchase this lovely yarn.
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J. Knits - Lace-A-Licious (100% ultrafine alpaca) and the Artemis Stole pattern. Oh, I am a sucker for this lace stole. One skeins makes the stole and I picked up several skeins.
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Manos Kids #1 booklet. Cute designs is sizes 1-8 years.
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Beadles knitting needles in sizes 8 and 9 have sterling silver and bead toppers. Very special - makes a nice gift!

I'll be looking through the literature from Classic Elite, Rowan, Berroco and Reynolds tonight to see what looks good for fall. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and I was interviewed by Purl-Man for a possible pod-cast. Keep your fingers crossed that he airs it.

Koigu has Arrived!

Twenty two delicious colors arrived today.
(about 22 more are due to arrive in a few weeks)


They are on the shelf and ready for you.

Patterns too! Socks, log cabin vest, several shawls and more.



(finally.....)

Ski Vacation

It came and went so quickly; do you remember the relentless rain we had 2 Saturdays ago? It stayed with us all the way to SugarBush valley in Vermont. We met our daughter and son-in-law and enjoyed a lovely dinner. Then the 50 mph winds started, blew open the B&B front door and we were welcomed Sunday morning with snow in the foyer and no electricity.

When it became apparent that no ski lifts would start up on Sunday (they were encased in several inches of ice), we opted to go sledding on the golf course that is adjacent to the B&B.

By the way, I recommend the Beaver Pond B&B to those of you that enjoy a small (4 bedrooms) and intimate setting. The living room and dining room are lovely and comfy; the breakfasts (and afternoon treats) are most enjoyable. There's even an outdoor hot tub (no, I won't show you those photos). http://www.beaverpondfarminn.com/

I took several knitting projects to work on in the afternoons (between ski time and dinner time) however, after a full day of skiing, and then slipping into the hot tub (heavenly) to loosen up muscles that hadn't been used..... I actually napped before dinner. Imagine! I couldn't even muster enough energy to knit a few rows. The only knitting I did was in the car up and back.

This is me and my son-in-law Matt. Can you see the ice on the trees? We skied down one trail where the branches were completely bent into the center of the trail; we had to push our arms through the iced branches (poor birch trees....) Another time, our chairlift was encased in ice. It was like sitting on an ice cube all the way up the mountain.

Here's a peek of the sun on Tuesday in the background.

It was great fun to see our children, relax and take a break. And if any of you are skiers, there is so much snow in the valley - heck! They'll be skiing in June.

Now, back to work.....Louet linen just arrived and needs stickers.

Spring Newsletter, Class Schedule & Closed on Monday March 10th

The Spring 2008 Newsletter and class schedule have been sent! We're very inspired by the return to more traditional designs though they come with a hint of fashion consciousness, not to mention eco friendliness.

Check out the classes and sign up early to guarantee your place in class. I'm just now knitting up the Classic Elite Premiere Tank Top (for class) that is featured in the new Summer book. You can see photos of all the class samples on our website.

Also, a reminder that the shop will be closed this coming Monday, March 10th. No, it is not a national holiday, just a quiet day for me.

Lastly, we still have rooms left for the upcoming Bed & Breakfast weekend, April 4-6th. Just call the shop if you are interested. One of us can fill you in on the details (or check out our website).

Happy Spring! (my heart and shoulders feel so lifted now that the newsletter is out to you....)

EXTENDED 1 WEEK - Berroco Try-it-On Trunk Show

Wow! What fun we had today trying on all the garments from Norah Gaughn's newest book (and more). Even better is that Berroco is leaving the trunk show with us for one week.

You really DO NEED to try on these fun garments; it will put you in an instant "spring" mood. (We have all garments in small and large sizes) There are fun and funky, traditional and comfy and more.

And receive a 10% discount on your Berroco purchases during the trunk show.

Eucalan - new "flavors" and packaging

Eucalan arrived today in all four "flavors" and sizes (16.9 oz. and the new 3.3oz that replaces the old 2.2 oz. bottle).

Flavors: original (eucalyptus)
lavender
grapefruit (new)
unscented (new)

This fiber wash is meant to be used as a wash; no need to rinse. And it is not just for your knitted garments. You can use it on virtually all your laundry.

Socks - New Sock Yarn!

Socks are hot! There are Sock Wars , Hot Sox design contests, articles in the New York Times and magazines. If you aren't already knitting socks, now is the time to learn.

In recent days we've received the following sock yarns:

Opal 's Newest line: Rendezvous. We have 2 skeins in each of 8 colors AND a sample sock so you can see exactly how it will knit up.

SouthWest Trade's Tofutise exclusive color for February is here in addition to the newest colorpak of 20 colors. We've seen some fun toddler sweaters made from doubled Tofutsie yarn (and why not double it for socks and knit on size 3-4 needles?)

Preemie Hats! 300 and more coming

Thank you all who knitted (and keep knitting). We have just about 300 hats.
I say keep knitting because this is a year round activity; think how many you can knit during the ball game tomorrow..... We're starting to fill the basket for the next delivery.

On Thursday evening Mary Rose and I divided them up for the 5 hospitals. We added a few extra, some blankets too. Thank you to whoever knit the matching booties - nice touch!

I am still looking for a volunteer to deliver hats to Manchester and Hartford NICU's. If you can help out, I'd appreciate it as I am here seven days a week. I'd like to deliver prior to Valentine's Day.

Thanks again, this is truly "one" the best parts of having a yarn shop.

Addi Lace Needles Sizes 7-9 are in!

I think the title says it all. Oh, but I also ordered the size 40in lace needles in size 1 & 2 for you sock lovers.

So we now carry the lace needles in: 24, 32, 47 inch lengths; sizes 1-9
and 40 in size 1& 2

Preemie Hats for Valentine's Day

Just after New Year's we sponsored a "preemie hat" weekend.

Our goal? 250 preemie hats so all preemies in five local hospitals would all have a Valentine's Day hat. Yesterday we counted 225 hats! Wow!

That means we only have 25 hats to go and we'll make our goal.

It's been a constant delight to have you come into the shop with more hats (some with matching booties) and beautiful blankets. It's quite a mountain of preemie items.

Berroco was generous and donated 40 skeins of Comfort Dk yarn in pink, red, blue and white and we distributed that yarn on the "preemie hat" weekend to our hat knitters. Thank you Berroco!

Please remember that we collect hats (blankets, sweaters, etc) all year round and it is a great way to use up leftover skeins of fingering or dk weight yarn.

What a generous use of your time and talent. Thank you to all who participated.