yarns etc...

SEWING, DONE!

2009-07-10T15:10:00.008-04:00

I am so happy to have sewn this beautiful blankie together...

I can hardly wait to see an adorable baby right in the middle!

too bad I have 84 MORE ends to weave in!

We'll see how I feel after weaving in all of those ends, but I'm fairly certain that every single step of this lovely blankie has been worth it.

See you next Friday when I'm sure to be finished, and on to the next adventure!

Knit Summer Bags

2009-07-08T20:04:00.006-04:00

Here is a great idea for a Summer knitting project- handbags!

They are simple and quick to knit. They don't require a lot of yarn. You can actually use up odds and ends of yarns from your stash and create some fun and colorful summer bags.

This cute bag with bamboo handles is made from fabric strips. If you sew you can sew yourself an outfit AND knit a bag to match!

Here are some more fun bags. I love the big buttons!

This is a cute knit bag- notice the knitting needles holding it together!

IT FITS!

2009-07-03T13:26:00.008-04:00

Now I just need to choose a button.

I have so many wonderful choices!

I think I'm going with the silver one, second down- just odd enough to suit me.

However, I cannot actually finish this because I haven't even got a scrap of this yarn with me to sew on the button. Believe that?

I guess I will finally have to start weaving in those ends on my baby blankie.

OR, I could start something new...

What great things have you been loving to knit on lately?

We'll be closed this weekend for the Independence holiday, so we'll see you next week for more knitting fun!

Hope you all have a super holiday weekend and enjoy your projects!

SO BUSY!

2009-06-26T16:09:00.007-04:00

It's been a blur at the shop today, so I'm sneaking in a quick post until... off I go.

What a great day, so many wonderful people coming in to the shop and a great many boxes full of goodies arriving!

Oh, it's so exciting! This is just the beginning of all of the fun things that Mary ordered for the shop at market!

On a personal knitting note, Seduce IS seductive. I fell for it too and I am trying to make a little shrug as a coverup to go with a strapless dress for a wedding next month. So close! I am actually a little further along than this picture, but I hate to spoil the surprise.

Just sleeves and bands to go. I guess I can promise a modeled picture... but I'm not promising that I'll do my hair!

See you at the shop, we'll be here to show you all of the great new arrivals.

SAD DAY AT THE KNIT-POINT

2009-06-19T15:15:00.005-04:00

We just got word that Mrs. Alice Kimball passed away on Thursday, June 18th. Alice was the proud owner of Knit-a-Bit in Chapel Hill for over 40 years. She was a legend in the Needlecraft industry for decades. We should all be thankful that Alice was there to help so many pick a new project, get started with knitting and that she was so supportive of Needle Arts in our community.

At this time details about a memorial service have not been made.

So, our fellow needle artists... knit-on for a knitter lost.

See you next Friday.

NO BLANKIE YET.

2009-06-12T12:27:00.013-04:00

Alas, I STILL have 49 ends to weave!

But I have been a busy bee. As you may know Rowan's Wool Cotton happens to be my favorite yarn for babies, great feel, super colors and washability that doesn't require a deal with the devil down at the crossroads.

With all of that said, it is certainly my preferred yarn for baby hats, and with a new crop of kids coming soon I have been preparing. I have so much fun combining the colors too!

Sometimes, I think that putting a spot of a different color on the crown decreases makes it even more tempting to kiss em' on the top of the head! I even have a few different sizes, so I'm ready for anything! I'm thinking about some striped hats with the leftovers.

By the way, when you come by to see us, make sure to check the new buttons that Mary got for us! Great Yarns has always had a wonderful button selection and now we have some awesome buttons too!

yarns etc... Great Yarns

That's just the beginning!

I'm "hooked" already!

Make sure to check out both collections the next time you need great buttons for your favorite handknits!

So, I promised I'd write more often and here I am in the shop; filling you up on pictures, wishing I typed faster, and hoping you all have a wonderful weekend!

WORLD WIDE KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY

2009-06-08T23:41:00.006-04:00

This Month brings us the annual World Wide Knit In Public Day!

Be sure to do your part and get knitting out there to be talked about and seen by all!

You can get together your own group and go to your favorite hangout, or join an organized group for a bigger event, but most importantly- get out there and have fun spreading fiber-arts!

The Ol' North State Knitting Guild Is hosting a big get together to celebrate.

Here's the details:

Location: Lake Crabtree Park, Morrisville.

Time: 11am - 4pm

Date: June 13, 2009

How to get there:

1400 Aviation Parkway, I-40, exit 285, ‘Beech’ shelter

Please bring: Yarn, of course! There are picnic tables, a kids playground and grills available on site. We are right at the lake if you want to swim. There will be vendors, door prizes, charity displays, and the opportunity to work on the World’s Longest Scarf in support of Keep the Fleece, a celebration of the International Year of Natural Fibres. Mostly - come knit and have fun with people who understand stash! Contact robin, rmringo@gmail.com. As this is an all inclusive event, please feel free to bring your crochet, nalbinding, spindle or wheel.

The backup plan is: The Beech shelter is completely covered.

This KIP is not knitting exclusive

There are free bathrooms available nearby

Drop us a comment here on the blog if you wish to share some of your favorite places to Knit In Public.

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

2009-06-05T11:33:00.009-04:00

I've had so many things in the works, and of course, so many projects tempting me to take them on next! Remember this:

... I have finally finished all of the knitting, and all I have left are the 49 ends to weave and seven strips to sew! I promise that I will post again when it is completely finished. It is a Wool Cotton dream, and I love it!

So you all know that I've missed you and I am reaffirming my commitment to writing more often... look for me here every Friday posting LIVE from the shop!

Now, what's next? A striped baby sweater?

OR, should I give in to the tempting colors in the Malabrigo basket...

a scarf for me?

I'll have to get back to you.

Cool Socks

2009-05-29T23:29:00.005-04:00

This looks like a lovely handpainted scarf... but no.... It is actually a Sock Blank that you unravel and knit into a sock. This is from Plymouth Yarn and comes in a variety of colorways.

You unravel one end and start knitting. It is really fun to knit because you don't know how the pattern is going to come out and you just want to keep knitting to see how it will look.

Here is the finished sock. I was really happy with how it turned out and like the way the finished sock feels. Now I just have to knit the 2nd one....

Stitch n Pitch with the Durham Bulls

2009-05-17T14:49:00.012-04:00

Fun was had by all at the 2nd annual Stitch n Pitch with the Durham Bulls. The weather cooperated and we watched the Bulls win over Rochester. This is Leslie- Leslie is the tireless coordinator of the Stitch n Pitch. She organized with the Bulls to block off the section of seats, coordinated donations for goodie bags and door prizes, promoted the event and more that I don't even know. Thank you so much for putting on a great event! I am glad you had a chance to sit and knit and enjoy the game after all your hard work!

This was the youngest fan- 11 weeks old- in her hot pink knit mini skirt!

The purl girls were having fun giving away the well stocked goodie bags.

There was lots of great knitting going on! Also good eating and drinking and talking !

Oh, and we enjoyed watching the game!

Knitters are a persuasive bunch- we convinced this young man to give knitting a try.

Stitch n Pitch was a huge success! I am already looking forward to the next event!

New Sweaters

2009-05-11T14:37:00.005-04:00

We have a few new store samples made out of yummy yarns for you to knit. Even though it was over 80 degrees on Saturday Debra still looked cute in her sundress and blue cardigan made out of Classic Silk from Classic Elite. The yarn is a silk/cotton blend which is perfect for our climate.

The openwork stitches on the fronts of this cardigan make it a good look for the Spring and Summer.

This pullover is made of Wool Bamboo- also from Classic Elite. The yarn makes a soft lightweight garment and the bamboo gives it a slight shine.

The ZigZag rib gives a slimming look to the bottom of the sweater.

Today it is 58 degrees in our area. This Organic Wool from Nashua makes a cozy cardigan for a cool May day. The organically dyed wool is soft and really show off this cable pattern. This yarn has a gauge of 3.5 sts to the inch which makes this pattern work up quickly.

Stitches South

2009-04-29T08:20:00.009-04:00

Hey y'all from Stitches South in Atlanta!!

Yarns etc... participated in the 1st Stitches South. We enjoyed seeing a lot of our customers from Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and other towns in North Carolina.

Rosemary and I took turns in the booth and enjoyed looking at all the goodies in the other booths.
These flowers were the talk of the show. The Atlanta Knitting Guild was responsible for these beautiful giant handknit flowers. They looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Many hours went into creating this multicolored garden. Each flower was more creative than the next with many types of yarn and embellishments used.

The Guild grew a bountiful flower garden! They were busy knitters before the event. They were busy during the event taking classes, shopping and being great hostesses to their great city.

See you next year Atlanta!!!

Random Cute Things

2009-04-13T21:12:00.009-04:00

Here are a few random cute things that our knitters have made and brought in to show us.

These handknit dolls are so cute and have so much detail. Some little girl will love these!

This is a darling Fair Isle hat that is finished off with i-cord tassels.

This fun knit Dinosaur is a puppet!

OH! This is a very random cute thing! Not knit but made by ME! This is 14 yr old Evan who comes by the store so I can show off my handiwork! Some days he is my proudest accomplishment and other I know he is still a work in progress!
This cute hat was made by a favorite customer. Her daughter looks cute in this flower hat!

Babies always look cute in pumpkin hats. They always make great baby gifts.

Barbie is 50 this year and she looks great in her handknits!

She is quite fetching in her cowl neck sweater dress.

Happy Spring!! Happy Knitting!!!

Fun in Chicago

2009-03-29T12:00:00.003-04:00

I recently attended the Yarn Market News conference in Chicago. There were yarn store owners from across the country learning more about their industry. We all came away with lots of great ideas for making our stores even better.

Linda Pratt- former owner of Great Yarns- was there representing Westminster Fibers. It was fun catching her up with Raleigh and store news. She says hello to all of her old customers. She is happy with her job as Marketing Director and she stays very busy traveling all over the country and Europe bringing all of us the best yarns and designs in the industry! Keep up the great work!

Sock Story

2009-03-26T19:46:00.002-04:00

These are some funny looking socks. These socks were made by my mother-Anne for her father- William in the late '40's. My Grandfather was a great big man with a size 13 shoe. I am sure these socks took a long time for my mother to complete. My mother used to tell me stories about how she would start dating a young man and decide to knit him a pair or socks. She wouldn't make it through a sock before she started dating someone else. She would then tell her new beau that the socks she was working on were for him. She got a lot of mileage out of those socks. She still knits socks( and finishes them!) for my father.

My Uncle Bill- whose initials are also WD- recently asked my mother to mend these socks. He loves them and wears them when he hunts in the Fall. They are not worn out and in need of darning- there are just a few loose edges and stitches. They are in remarkable shape for 50+ year old socks. I will carefully mend them as well as I can and send them back to Uncle Bill. They will keep his feet warm many more hunting seasons.

Maybe we can even keep them going for another generation or so- Uncle Bill has a son who has big feet and the same initials who like to hunt in the Fall.

THANK YOU FRANKLIN HABIT!

2009-03-05T10:11:00.006-05:00

And Thank You all for attending!

We had a wonderful time hosting Franklin Habit at yarns etc... and Great Yarns!

Franklin is a great speaker, knitter and teacher and we are so happy to have had him visit us here in North Carolina.

His lecture was insightful, hilarious, and he thrilled us all with his knitting tales.

It was quite fun to have the shop full to the brim with so many wonderful people! After the talk he signed our copies of "It Itches." A Stash of Knitting Cartoons by the way, his handwriting is as beautiful as his lacework!!

The next day Franklin taught a special "How to Photograph Your Fiber" class at Great Yarns.

Wow! He gave us all some terrific tips for getting the best photos with your knitting and your camera. He talked about how getting to know just a few simple things about your camera can really make a difference!

I learned a lot and was so pleased to see the beautiful work that our customers had brought along with them to practice their picture taking skills! Check out that purple sweater in the foreground... I am partial to purple! There was also a lovely gentleman who knows who he is and was joining us for his birthday, I swear he had a magic bag full of gorgeous spinning and knitting, I know it was really filled hard work and dedication, but it looked like the best kind of magic to me! So many beautiful things, I can't wait to see some of the new photography skills in our group on Ravelry... post there please, I love it when you share pretty things with us!

Thank you all again, and

Thank You Franklin, you are a true gentleman and a generous delight!

So stay in touch with Franklin at his blog and tell him how much we love him and that he is welcome at yarns etc... and Great Yarns anytime!

Charity Knitting- Pocket Shawls

2009-03-02T11:53:00.006-05:00

Here is a good idea from one of our generous and talented customers! Please let us know of any charity knitting you are involved in so we can let others know of volunteer opportunities.

Pocket Shawls

In April of 2008 the SECU Family House opened to provide accommodations for patients and family families of patients who are receiving treatment at UNC Hospitals. This facility was funded by the State Employees Credit Union, the State of North Carolina and many caring members of the Chapel Hill community who saw and responded to this tremendous need. Most of the guests at Family House are dealing with the worst imaginable medical crises and are many hours from their homes.

Staff members at Family House are attempting to establish programming to support the guests whose stays often last from weeks to months. This is a challenge because of the tremendous physical, emotional and psychological demands of their situations.

Many of you have probably heard of the powerful effects of the presentation of prayer shawls to those in crises. Prayer shawls are wonderful reminder reminders to receivers that they are not alone. While it is not feasible to gift each guest with a prayer shawl at Family House, the gift of a pocket shawl may be possible. A pocket shawl is a soft four inch square of knitted fabric with an attached message of hope and encouragement.

Most of our knitters have leftover yarn from many projects in many colors. It can be fun to see how creative we can be in just an hour or half hour. The key is to limit the size of the pocket shawl to 4 square inches and choose a yarn that is very soft to the touch. The simplest and softest is just a garter stitch, but it might be fun to try out a new stitch. Most knitters have yarn leftovers from past projects, but another possibility is to make a pocket shawl out of the gauge swatch for your next project. Worsted weight works well with 20 stitches cast on, but a lighter weight yarn will give more stitches to play with. A few garter stitches around the edge will prevent rolling. Add a small tassel and the pocket shawl is ready to be slipped into a pocket as a reminder that this community cares about the recipient.

Make as many or few as you like and drop them by the shop on your next visit. We will see that they reach the guests at Family House.

If you want to find out more about Family House and its mission, check out their website: www.secufamilyhouse.org or call 919.932.8000.

Finished Projects in time for more Cold Weather

2009-02-17T22:01:00.006-05:00

Spring is not yet here and some of our favorite knitters have created beautiful sweaters to keep themselves warm.

Frances shows off her perfect purple cardigan with big colorful buttons.

This is a beautiful white cardigan with an asymmetrical closure.

Elizabeth looks so stylish in her raglan Classic Silk sweater. Check out her cute felted handbag made from many colors of Manos.

Ann has the warmest, snuggliest bright red sweater that will keep her warm on long walks with her dogs.

Young Knitter

2009-02-01T15:19:00.008-05:00

This is Ainsley,one of our most creative and prolific knitters. Ainsley is skilled in many fiber arts at her young age. She is not afraid to try anything new! We love seeing what she will come up with next.

She is making Penguin items for her teacher's new baby. This is the start of a scarf that will have penguins on both ends. Ainsley learned many new skills at Fiber Camp last Summer and in the Kids Knitting class this Fall.

Here are some more knit Penguin pieces that she made. A very cute hat that will match the scarf and a delightful toy penguin for the baby to play with!

Great Presents

2009-01-25T19:34:00.005-05:00

Christmas was a month ago and I am just getting around to writing thank you notes. Here are a few of my favorite gifts.

My sweet niece found these fun knitting earrings for me. I am not sure where she found them but I am glad she was thinking of me!

A very good friend made me this beautiful scarf! I am so lucky! It is the most beautiful shade of blue with some shades of purple throughout. I am not sure what the yarn is- I think it is a handpainted merino bamboo blend. I love getting hand made presents! I especially love this scarf because my friend made it just for me! The color goes with lots of things that I wear. I don't carry the yarn and don't have the pattern so I can't use it for a store sample. I Love IT!!!

This is a close up of the lace pattern. The yarn was a perfect pick to show off this lace pattern.

I made 2 scarves for Christmas presents this year. One was a cashmere/silk blend for a friend who had a very tough year. He was surprised with the gift and very thankful. He said it was like a hug when he wore it.

The other scarf I made was for my stepson Adam. He has just graduated from college and is starting to appreciate nice fibers in his clothes. I made him a beautiful cashmere scarf in a shade of green that matches his eyes. He was very happy with his present when he wrapped it around his neck.

It is just as much fun to give hand made presents as it is to get them!

KNITTING LESSONS DOCUMENTARY

2009-01-07T13:59:00.003-05:00

We've made it to YouTube folks!

If you Haven't checked out Mary Dalton's Documentary about the love of knitting and our very own Yarn Queen, Mary Stowe, here it is...

What a wonderful talent to share!

The next generation of Knitters

2009-01-04T19:02:00.007-05:00

These are the members of the Monday Afternoon Young Ladies Knitting Class at Yarns etc... in Chapel Hill. Hannah is their dedicated teacher who makes it all so much fun!!!

The girls have all learned so much and are very creative with their knitting projects. I hear there is every bit as much talking and joking as when the grown- up knitting ladies come to class. I wonder which students listen better???

We are happy to be able to offer classes for children. We had a great Fiber Camp this Summer and now we have a regular knitting class scheduled for children. We are also pleased to offer Beginning Crochet and Beginning Knitting for children at Great Yarns in Raleigh.

It is so much fun to watch the next generation learn all about knitting and watching their skills and love for the activity grow!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2008-12-25T13:20:00.008-05:00

What an amazing year!

Since the beginning of winter last year, my life has grown in so many new dimensions.

I became a married lady, made wonderful new friends, improved my communication skills and became a better person for my human family and my planet.

Somewhere along this path I became a Knitter (uppercase) real and capable. I can knit most anything I want, teach, design and find my way out of many messes; my own and others, real and imagined!

I have been blessed worlds over with the best people to resource for any task I would like to take on, blessed with friends and family that appreciate, request and praise my knitted accomplishments and most of all BLESSED with the most supportive and phenomenal husband ever!

I will call on all of your help as I am expanding my skills again... my super husband is so many things to me and he is also an instigator, a troublemaker and an accomplished expander of my world!

So here I go, back to kindergarten again...

I am NOT good at this, but it sure is FUN!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Peaceful Solstice, Wonderful New Year and THANK YOU to you all!

Life is so rich and astonishing, I am grateful!

It's beginning to look a lot like .....

2008-12-20T18:52:00.008-05:00

It is looking like Christmas at my house! I have pulled all the Christmas decorations out of the boxes and am trying to remember where everything goes and how DO we hang all those lights?Among our most precious holiday decorations are our Christmas Stockings.

This is my Christmas stocking that was made by my mother in 1962. It is a little faded and has been repaired over the years but it is still a good stocking and holds many memories. All of my brothers and sisters had this same style stocking and we loved imagining what Santa would fill them with. We would hang them on our door knobs when we went to sleep and we would wake up throughout the night to check if they were filled. We all tried to stay awake to catch Santa filling our stockings but we never caught him.

In the morning we would all get up and open our stockings in bed. It was a delightful half hour or so to share what surprises we each received. We all had tangerines and bananas, chocolates, and for some reason we always had Kumquats. We never saw them at any other time of the year and I don't really remember eating them but it would not have been Christmas without them. We all had special surprises in our stocking that I realized later would occupy us for awhile before we woke our parents.

All of my extended family has Handknit Christmas Stockings. There are many traditions involved in who makes them and when someone who marries into the family gets one.

When I was first married and needed extra money someone asked me to make them a Christmas Stocking. I was excited that someone else's family had the same tradition. Over the years I have made dozens of stockings. Last year I think I made 12 for the holiday season.

It is part of my own holiday tradition- to make stockings for others in November and December.

Here are 2 for a new baby Richard and a new daughter-in-law Weezie.

We had 2 new grand baby boys in our family this year. My mother knit the stockings and I sewed all the sequins on them.
This is my fireplace with all the stockings hung by the chimney with care. It really feels like Christmas when the stockings go up!

I still get special surprises in my Christmas Stocking every year!

Sally Melville Workshop

2008-12-09T08:05:00.006-05:00

We were so fortunate to have Sally Melville here for a weekend full of workshops and learning opportunities. Sally is a great teacher who inspires all of us in our knitting projects.

Sally is the author of 4 knitting books and has another due out in March. We are eagerly awaiting new ideas and designs from this new book that Sally is writing with her daughter.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the workshops and a big Thank You to Sally who came from Canada for the weekend to inspire us all!