3 Kittens Mews

In-Store Discount with Twitter

2009-04-10T11:37:00.002-05:00

If you follow us on Twitter, you can get a special deal at the store today (4/10) and tomorrow (4/11). You must show proof of our latest Twitter tweet in order to receive this deal. Restrictions:

In store merchandise only
Cannot be combined with other discounts
Cannot be used for classes, finishing, custom painting or other services.

To follow us on Twitter, just go to www.twitter.com, sign up and start following 3KittensNeedle.

TWEET, TWEET, TWEET

Customer Appreciation #1

2009-03-24T12:56:00.004-05:00

When you bring your finished items into 3 Kittens to show us, remind us to take a photo of you so we can put you on our blog. I want to make this a regular feature of our blog - so take note.

Here's our first customer photo of Diane Berg with her wonderful sock monkey that she knit, stuffed and embellished.

The sock monkey is almost as big as Diane, whom we affectionately call Big D. Diane is not only a knitter; she also crochets and needlepoints. Thanks Diane for sharing your sock monkey with us!

The Power of Knitting (And Other Needle Crafts)

2009-03-17T12:33:00.003-05:00

My mother-in-law recently sent me an article that she had torn out from a magazine. I can't tell what magazine it is, but it's from a column called Mindwise. The article said:

According to research at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, the repetitive motion and focus of needlework can elicit what's known as the relaxation response - a calming meditation-like state that slows heart rate and causes blood pressure to drop. In addition, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that knitting is associated with a lower risk of dementia for those 65 and older.

Food for thought, eh? It reminds me of a talk I heard at The National Needlearts Association market last year given by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of Yarn Harlot fame. She talked about the science behind repetitive motions like knitting and crocheting, and how people are smarter and more creative when they do things like this. I wish I could remember all the details - but instead of taking notes, I was knitting (what a surprise, eh?).

Finally, I received a postcard in the mail a couple of days ago advertising a Contemplative Knitting Workshop on Friday, May 15, 2009 from 9am-5pm at the Shambhala Meditation Center of Minneapolis. For more information check out the Shambhala Center's website.

More Yarn for Your Buck

2009-03-11T11:15:00.003-05:00

We've moved several yarns into our clearance area:

Mirasol Cotanani $3.90 (originally $6.50)
Berroco Glace $4.80 (originally $8.00)
Berroco Softwist $3.60 (originally $6.00)
Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush $4.80 (originally $8.00)
Classic Elite Four Seasons $3.15 (originally $5.25)
Berroco Chinchilla Bulky $4.35 (originally $7.25)
Sandnesgarn Mandarin Fiesta Solids/Prints $3.90/$4.50 (originally $6.50/$7.50)

Plus we have all of our Serendipity knitting needles at 40% off while supplies last, and we have a few patterns and books available in the clearance area as well.

Skacel Spring Arrivals

2009-03-10T20:41:00.003-05:00

We received two new yarns today from Skacel! The first is a wonderful blend of merino and cotton from Schulana aptly named Merino Cotton 90.

The next one is Urban Silk by Skacel.

This is a beautiful blend of silk and cotton, but we only received 4 skeins of 6 different colors, so it's sure to go quickly.

Knit & Crochet Out 2009

2009-02-16T13:52:00.003-06:00

Cis, Janine and Laura spent a busy weekend at the Mall of America entertaining scores of knitters and crocheters who stopped by our booth. While we weren't the biggest draw - that would have to be Steven of the Yarn Garage who organized the fashion shows and show and tell events - we did take a couple of new products that seemed to intrigue everyone who stopped by. Here's one of them:

Cotton Kisses from Plymouth

This baby yarn gives you a whole project in a very compact package - one skein of yarn, two buttons and two patterns (one is the henley pictured above and the other is a v-neck cardigan) - all for just $14.50. We're carrying all available colors of this product at 3 Kittens.

A Knitting Comic Book

2009-01-28T12:04:00.005-06:00

We received a shipment of ten copies of a new comic book, Handknit Hereos, earlier this week. It's about three superheroes with bullet-proof knitted fabric. The issue we have is Issue 1, and it introduces all the characters in prep for more super-heroics in the quarterly issues to follow. Each issue also contains a knitting pattern. This issue's pattern is pictured above.

As of this morning, there were only 2 copies left in the store. We may have to order more!

Eucalan Gallons

2009-01-21T10:53:00.003-06:00

We recently purchased just a few gallon bottles of Eucalan at a reduced rate, and we're passing that special rate onto you! They're just $38.50. If you bought the same bottle from Eucalan directly, the price would be $60. It's a great deal, but there are only 7 bottles left.

Vineyard Silk Search

2009-01-05T13:12:00.002-06:00

Help! I've run out of an old dye-lot of Vineyard Silk that I'm hoping one of you dear customers might have on hand. The color is Cumulus (C-154) which is a light blue and the dye lot is 30. The newer dye lots of this color are very different. I only need a small amount - maybe 1/4 skein.

Thanks for your help!

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

2008-12-15T16:37:00.005-06:00

O.K., so I haven't been very good about giving everyone more gift ideas to make before the holidays... I am sorry... No excuses, just busy.

However, I do have a couple of pretty quick little projects that you can still do. The first is one of Mary Mayhew's fun winter/holiday knitted and felted items. I am currently making her Woolly Gnome: Or how about her Woolly Gingerbread Man:

Another well-loved gift (at least among my relatives) are cozy knitted and felted Clog Slippers by Fiber Trends:

Fiber Trends also has patterns for crocheted and felted slippers.

And, finally, if you just don't have time to make something by Christmas, we have lots of fun stocking stuffers and gifts for all of the crafters in your life. Come into the store and check out our Stockings for Sock Knitters, Stitchers, Crocheters and Beginning Knitters.

Ask about our 12 Days of Christmas specials going on between now and Christmas Eve. 25% off the following:

1st Day - Patterns, books, booklets

2nd Day - Totes and other 'vessels'

3rd Day - Lopi

For info on what's happening on the remaining Days of Christmas, sign up for our newsletter on our website!

Update on Iowa Flood Relief

2008-12-03T14:23:00.004-06:00

We received a very nice note from Carol Anderson at Cottage Creations about the donations of handmade items that were sent to her for Flood & Tornado Relief in Iowa. Carol wrote:

What a response! I write this the afternoon before Thanksgiving, and I'm so thankful that I, on behalf of many Iowans, can thank each and every knitter who gave so generously of their time and talent, plus dollars for shipping. Over 300 parcels from 260 individuals or shops arrived at our doorstep... The Salvation Army in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Mason City and Emergency Services in Butler County have received everything, just in time for winter. Butler County has a population of 15,000 and 3/4 of the people were affected by either the devastating tornado or flooding. The other cities suffered severe flooding, resulting in so many left homeless.

Carol reports that the following items were donated:

58 Shawls/Prayer Shawls
137 Afghans
869 Scarves
509 Mittens
1827 Caps
985 Infant Items
1161 Dishcloths
85 Slippers
185 Socks
121 Adult Sweaters
133 Kids Sweaters
61 Other Items

That's a total of 6,131 items! Thank you to all who brought items to 3 Kittens to send to Iowa. And, a special thanks to Carol and her husband, Paul, who organized this drive!

3K Club Perk for December

2008-12-02T11:23:00.003-06:00

The 3K Club Perk for December is the "Would You Like Wine With That?" Cozy pattern. The store's sample cozy was knit out of 2 skeins of Reynold's Lopi, then felted and embellished with needle-felting. This is a quick and easy pattern on size 13 needles, and would make a great hostess gift with a bottle of wine this holiday season!

Remember, to receive this free pattern, you must be a member of the 3K Club. For more information on this loyalty program, please see our website.

Looking for Gifts for a Hunter?

2008-11-29T16:02:00.006-06:00

As we head towards the Holidays, we're going to try to come up with some great, quick ideas for you for gifts. Here's our first one.

Julie had a brilliant idea in the store for a knitted item for the hunters in your life. A bright orange PolarKnit hat. Picture this hat in orange and you get the idea:

This pattern is a free download pattern from http://www.polarknit.com/. It calls for 3 skeins of PolarKnit ($8.50 per skein).

And, while you're at it, how about a pair of "pop-up paws"?

These are basically fingerless gloves with a section that pulls over the top of the fingers to form a mitten. These are great for hunters (and others) who need their fingers free occasionally, but want their fingers warm for the rest of the time. This is a Nancy Lindberg Pattern called "Fits Like ... a Glove" and uses a DK weight yarn. The pattern is available in the store for $4.50.

Style Hounds Sweaters

2008-11-24T13:45:00.005-06:00

I thought you all might like to see a cute little dog sweater I knit up using a Style Hounds kit:

This is the Country Checks kit from Style Hounds. It took less than four days to work up completely (which was probably about 5 hours of actual time - maybe less). It's a little big for this toy dog, but at least you get the idea! Here are some other sweaters by Style Hounds:The kits come with yarn, pattern, and buttons (including an extra button, just in case...). In addition, there are owner's scarf kits so you and your canine friend can match! How cute is that?

Malabrigo Sock Yarn has Arrived

2008-11-21T13:26:00.003-06:00

We received a beautiful shipment of the new Malabrigo Sock Yarn last week from Uruguay. If you're not familiar with Malabrigo, all of their yarns are made in Uruguay and they are known for their rich, kettle-dyed colors. Felters have been fans of their 100% wool yarn for years, and now sock knitters have the chance to dive into the colors as well. Here are just a few of the colors we have:

An interesting tidbit about this yarn: Malabrigo has purposely put a knot in each skein at the half-way point. That way, you can wind two separate balls of yarn and know that you can only use one ball per sock. Then you won't run out of yarn at the end of the 2nd sock! Ingenious!

12 Days of Christmas Class

2008-11-12T10:33:00.006-06:00

The needlepoint department is in the planning stages for a monthly class that will begin in January to complete the 12 Days of Christmas ornaments from Shelly Tribbey. We have EXCLUSIVE stitch guides for this class, so it should be a fun and informative group of lessons. If you are interested in the class, please call us to get your name on our list. In the meantime, if you would like to pre-order your canvases during the Shelly Tribbey trunk show, you will receive 20% off your canvas purchase. The trunk show is only in the store through November 25, so make sure to let us know before then if you would like to pre-order them.

Shelly Tribbey Trunk Show Arrives

2008-11-07T16:11:00.000-06:00

The Shelly Tribbey needlepoint canvas trunk show arrived in the store today. In addition to lots of canvases, there are some fun finished pieces to help you envision what you want to do. Come in and check it out! Don't forget, all trunk show canvases are 15% off retail price -- and if you're a 3K Club member you get an additional 5% off!

PolarKnit

2008-10-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

Our order of PolarKnit yarn, 100% polar fleece, is finally in the store. This is a bulky weight yarn that knits up very quickly on US 10 1/2 needles or crochets on a D hook. Price per ball is $8.50. I made this devil hat in about 4 hours.

This pattern and many other patterns are available for free at www.polarknit.com. Check them out!

3 K Classic Elite Cruise Update

2008-10-06T15:07:00.000-05:00

This blog posting is especially for all of those who cruised

with us this past Saturday on the grand 'ol Mississippi!!.....

First, thank you to each of you for the great feedback.

The overwhelming feedback is 'great event, looking forward to next year'!

This year's goodie bags included the yarn to knit the fingerless mitts.

Today I learned that the number of 'butterflies' is not adequate to complete the pair of mitts. Please come by the store for additional 'butterflies' if you want to complete the project.

It would be great if you called ahead of time and gave us your color info so we could strive to have the 'butterflies' ready for you to pick up at your convenience.

Second, approximately $200 was raised for the Lymphoma Leukemia Society

~ Thank you ~

Harry Potter Sock Yarn is Here!

2008-10-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

We've been waiting and waiting, but finally our shipment of Harry Potter sock yarn has arrived! If you haven't heard, the Opal facility where the yarn was processed/held had a flood earlier in the year, and much of the Harry Potter yarns were damaged. That not only delayed shipment of all orders of the yarn, but it also meant that each store which had ordered the full line was only able to get 4 skeins of each colorway.

We received our order on Monday. I would have let you know earlier that the yarn was here - but I was communing with Mickey Mouse and my son at Disney World. So, now that I'm back, here's what we have left:

3 skeins of Lupin

3 skeins of Ron

1 skein of Harry

1 skein of Hedwig

3 skeins of Draco

2 skeins of Tonks

3 skeins of Harry & Ron

Unfortunately we are completely sold out of the Dumbledore colorway. To view a slide show of all the Harry Potter sock yarn colorways, go to this Opal link. The cost per skeins is $25.00. We will not be getting another shipment of any of these colors, so if you're a Harry Potter fan like me, you'd better call soon!

Deadline for 3 K Kruise Extended & Announcing Candace Eisner Strick at 3 K!

2008-09-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce that we can still sell Boarding Passes for the Kruise through next Tuesday, September 30th. You don't want to miss out on this fun-filled afternoon. The colors on the River should be beautiful! Come to the store to purchase your Boarding Pass, get your yarn & homework directions (cost of yarn is included in the fee).

And on Friday, October 17th, from 10a-4p, we have another national instructor coming to 3 K! Candace Eisner Strick will be teaching '25 Slick Tricks of the Trade'.
Some things in knitting can seem like a drudgery, but if you know some basic techniques and tips, it's a breeze. Learn a slick trick every few minutes and you will be well on your way to making your knitting more enjoyable and professional looking. There's something for everyone, including knitting backwards, cabling without a needle, working short rows, a few cool cast-ons, and 20 others.

The following 25 techniques will be learned: knitting backwards, purling backwards, fixing a dropped stitch, 1 row buttonhole, spacing buttonholes evenly, increasing, decreasing, working short rows, cabling without a needle, binding off over cables, 2 needle bindoff, cutting your work, working twists, 2 color cast-on and bind-off, Latvian braids, knitting in ends, invisible cast-on crochet chain method, invisible cast-on for K1, P1 ribbing, grafting a knit stitch, crochet hook cast-on, chained edging, mattress stitch, I-Cord, and making twisted cords.

Cost of class(includes box lunch): $45 for 3 K Club members and $55 for non-members

Proficiency level: Intermediate

Supplies to bring to class: 4 swatches (from homework), yarn and appropriately sized needles, cable needle, yarn needle, crochet hook

Homework: Knit 4 swatches in stockinette stitch at least 4 inches by 4 inches, 2 of them should be bound off, the other 2 left on stitch holders.

Visit Candace's web site to learn more about her: www.strickwear.com

Classic Elite Knits

2008-09-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

I was so thrilled to open one of the multitude of boxes we've been getting since we moved into our new location and find the new book, Classic Elite Knits!!

It has 100 patterns for everything from accessories to adult sweaters to kids clothing and more. There are lots of "old" classics that are no longer available in Classic Elite pattern booklets as well as some newbies.

Every day, I'm opening more new boxes of yarn and books (such as Mission Falls new 136 Merino Superwash and the new Berroco yarns), plus we have two needlepoint trunk shows in the store right now - HP Designs (some gorgeous florals among other things) and Maggie Co's Cats and Dogs. Come in and look around - you're bound to see something new and exciting!

NEW YARN!!! (and other news)

2008-08-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

Thats right ladies and gentlemen, the new Mountain Colors has arrived!
Their new lace weight is fantastic! 50% Wool 50% Silk and dyed in true Mountain Colors fashion in colors to die for! There is 1200 yards per skein so you have plenty to make just about any shawl you could possibly imagine.
We also received 4 new fall colors in their mohair, twizzle and moguls. All of which are stunning!

Don't forget this month at 3 Kittens we are having a food drive for 2nd Harvest. We often think of donating during the holiday season but most of us tend to forget about it for the rest of the year. But Food shelves need our donations during the summer months just as much, if not more, than they do during the holiday season. We tend to forget that some families are used to having their children receive subsidized breakfasts and lunches at school and are now scrambling to provide the extra meals at home. So Bring in a non perishable food item or a monetary donation the next time you visit us here in the shop. (Speaking of here in the shop... we will be here at the old address until the end of the month.)

Once In a Blue Moon Trunk Show!

2008-08-01T16:20:00.000-05:00

Thats right Ladies (and gentlemen) the Once in a Blue Moon trunk show has arrived! If you are not familiar with these designs now is perfect time to come check them out! During the show all trunk show canvases are 15% off and if you are a club member take an extra 5% off!

These canvasses are all stitch-painted which makes working them truly a joy! Sandra Gilmore's designs are stunning, her use of color is phenomenal and they come in a variety of themes. We have plenty of Halloween canvasses to get you ready for fall as well as lovely Christmas designs and some stunning canvasses that are suitable for year round as well.

Hurry in, we will be mailing these off at the end of the month before the big move!

August at 3 Kittens !!

2008-07-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is the first day of August and that our move is just 4 weeks away!!

Here's what we have planned for August, our last month at this very old address!!

We kicked off our food drive for 2nd Harvest last night at our 3K Club event. Please bring non-perishable food items to the store during the month of August. We will be collecting food items thru August 31st.

We are also kicking off our new drive for charitable knitting & crochet. Our new project is to support Cottage Creations (pattern designers in Iowa) in their effort to collect items for the Iowa flood victims.

We will be collecting the donations starting now up though October 26th. The drive is for the following hand knit or crocheted washable items: afghans, dishclothes, mittens, scarves, hats, and sweaters for adults & children. After the overwhelming interest in Project Little Lambs, we are excited to see how many items we receive for this project! We exceeded our goal of 50 blankets - you donated 61 blankets to the project - Thank You!!!

The deals on yarns & canvasses continues throughout the month of August. Buy 3 bags of yarn or canvasses & receive the 4th bag or canvas free (The discount will be taken on the product of lesser value). We also have some Louet & ArtFelt kits at 50% off, while supplies last. Hope to see you in the store this month. Have a fabulous August!!