Monthly Discussion
This month we're talking about the 2009 Afghan; we're working on a Frequently Asked Questions page and would love your questions!
You can weigh in with your thoughts here.
Finished Objects
Here's a selection of objects finished with yarn from our shop.
Laura (who works at
Wild Birds Unlimited just down the walkway from us) made absolutely the cutest sweater for her mom's dog--
Little Sammy Joe hikes the Appalachian Trail. He’s hiked the entire portion of Georgia and will be starting on the Carolina portions soon. Sammy is a Professional Chihuahua Dog “AT” (Appalachian Trail) Hiker.
So, since Sam is so little, I figured he needed a nice, cozy Malabrigo sweater to keep his little self warm during long hikes. My mom always keeps his “spanky pants” and a jacket on… but what this little dude needed is a REAL wool sweater.
This pattern rocked. I added my own little quirks to it. Including adding the AT symbol. And not closing the hood on both sides, leaving room for his little pointy ears to stick out… he’s gotta keep those ears open, cause you know times on the AT, gotta listen for bears!
Lynn made these fabulous socks using the December 2008 Sock Club colorway, "Apple Harvest". She used the Leyburn pattern, which is a free pattern (
Ravelry link;
pattern link for those not on Ravelry).
Another view of Nikki's adorable Spartan and Trojan (from the book
Creepy Cute Crochet, and made using Dark Horse Fantasy) has already been on our blog... but since I am just enchanted with the cuteness, I have to show them off from their other side!
And last - but not least - are these cute longies knitting by Ingrid (also from
Wild Birds Unlimited) knitted in Malabrigo worsted for a friend of hers! My hand is included for scale, so you can see just how tiny these are.
Could we feature your finished object? Drop us a line if we can use your photos!
Upcoming Shop Events & News
2009: The Year of the Afghan
The April square! As you know already, while we will be using yarn from our shop to make each square, the patterns will be written for any worsted weight yarn that gets approximately 4.5 stitches/inch on a US 8. So feel free to substitute anything you have in your stash! At the end of the year you will have twelve squares (more, if you do some of them twice) and while the squares will be interesting enough to keep even advanced knitters interested, it would also be a good project for the new or intermediate knitter who is interested in learning some new skills throughout the year.
The April pattern is available
here, and you can check it out on Ravelry
here.
Do you think you might need help with some of the squares? While the patterns will always be free, we will be offering some workshops that for a fee will give you three hours of class time and instruction, a set of needles, and appropriate yarn for the project. April's workshop is Saturday, April 4th, from 2-5 PM. You can sign up in advance at the shop or by calling us at 352-338-7222; the price of the workshop is $30 and includes materials, or $15 if you provide your own yarn and needles.
The next Uptown Art Hop
The next Uptown Art Hop will be on Friday, May 1st, from 6-9. We will have spinning and knitting demonstrations all night, and of course wine, cheese, and general Good Times. And it's not just us -- the district of Uptown at 43rd Street includes art galleries, businesses and restaurants in Millhopper Square, Thornebrook Village, and The Market Place. We've done it twice now and both times have been a lot of fun and we'd love to have you join us! See a sampling of some of the best art in Gainesville, ranging from one-of-a-kind locally made art, to gifts from the far corners of the earth. A rickshaw shuttle will allow event goers to easily travel the short distance between stops. More information will be available at
The Uptown Art Hop website.
New! Shiny!
New things we've gotten in the shop in the last month include a ton of new colors of
Dark Horse Fantasy; a new cotton from Aslan Trends, called
Pima Clasico; and the Cookie A sock patterns (which you can find under the sidebar on the left of this page, under patterns). And if you're local, or want to give us a call since we don't sell this on the website, we have
some new Rocket Yarn colors in solids!
Oh - and the October 2008 sock club colorway, Purple Raven, will be up for sale in
Superwash Merino by about the 10th of April! We'll post
on our blog the day it becomes available.
Upcoming Classes
2009 Afghan: The April Square
April 4 (Saturday) | 2:00-5:00
$15 (materials not included)/$30 (materials included)
Introduction to Knitting
April 6, 13, 20, and 27 (Mondays) | 6:00-8:00 | $100 | Materials Included
Knitting vs. Crochet: An Introduction to Both
April 9 and 16 (Thursdays) | 6:00-8:00 | $55 | Materials Included
Introduction to Knitting Hats
April 17, 24 and May 1 (Fridays) | 6:00-8:00 | $75 | Materials Included
Introduction to Crock Pot Dyeing (Lace Weight Yarn)
April 18 (Saturday) | 10:30-1:30 | $55 | Materials Included
Intro to Fair Isle: Knit a Soap Sweater
April 18 (Saturday) | 2:00-5:00 | $30 | Materials Included
Tip of the Month
Do you have a tip or story that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it, just drop us an email!
Archived Newsletters:
March 2009 |
February 2009 |
January 2009 |
December 2008 |
November 2008