Another big weekend!!!

Hello all! First off I want you all to make sure to check out mom's new Clapotis out of Rhythm Superwash by Jojoland and my sweater out of Wool Bam Boo from the CEY booklet Sunday Brunch. My sweater will come in with me on Tuesday, but mom's scarf is already there! Ok, now onto what has all of us at SWS very excited...The "Stitches" Event on October 24 &25!

If you get our e-mail then you already have a pretty good idea of who's going to be there, but there will also be a lot of fun things to do and great prizes to win! There will also be demos, which will be posted on the website on Tuesday if all goes well, but be patient with me because I'm still figuring all this website editing stuff out! I can tell you that these demos will include; two color knitting, reading charts, needlefelting, mitered squares and a few others that are currently evading me! Also, you may find it beneficial to attend these demos, you just may gain more than knowledge...WINK WINK. I will be trying to sneak in little hints and suggestions for those of you who read my blog because I really appreciate it! See you all on Tuesday!

P.S. I think this goes without saying but just so no one gets any unpleasant surprises, we will be VERY busy this weekend so if you need help with a project or problem we may not be able to get to you until the following week, but we'll certainly do our best! Thank you so much for understanding how hectic things can get!

Recap of the weekend

I'm going to need some help with this post because I had off on Saturday! So if anyone was in Franklin's class or came to the breakfast please feel free to share opinions or stories! Remember, you guys help us out a lot and your feedback is very valuable to us! However I can say that Franklin should have a new book out sometime in September of next year so hopefully we can get him to come back! 

I was however there for Sharon Silverman's Tunisian Crochet class! I am certainly going to have to start playing around with this type of crocheting! Anyone who was in the class got to see all the cool models that Sharon Silverman brought and how much some looked like they had been knit! However, be warned that because of the class we are running low on some of the afghan hooks needed for the patterns in her great book! I could also use some feedback on the actual class because I was fighting with my Green Mountain Shawl ( can you believe the customers sitting and knitting let me knit the wrong row??) I've actually ended up ripping out the whole thing and am starting over, this time using markers to show where the lace repeats need to happen. Hope none of you had a similar knitting weekend! It wasn't all bad though because I have finished the body on my Wool Bamboo sweater out of CEY's Sunday brunch! Great sweater if you want some instant gratification! Look for it hanging up in the store very soon! Hope to see you all soon and thanks for helping make this weekend a HUGE success!

P.S. Don't forget that Halloween is extra special this year because it happens to fall on the fifth Saturday of the month! So if you don't have a string bag already get crackin! The freebie pattern can be found here! 

Busy Weekend

As many of you already know, we have two guest teachers this weekend! The first is Franklin Habit, the author of  It itches: A stash of knitting cartoons. This little book is hilarious! Every knitter can identify with at least one of these cartoons! We have it for sale at the store and it really is a fun read for knitters and the people who love us! He will be teaching a class on Saturday on the history of lace, learn more about it at our website!

Then on Sunday we will be joined by Sharon Silverman who will be teaching a class on Tunisian Crochet. This is a great class for crocheters or curious knitters who may be interested in branching out! I know I'm curious to see what everyone learns! I'm even getting inspired to  try crocheting! Any one have any suggestions on what I should start with? Nothing too hard, which you would already know if you've seen me handle a crochet hook on any occasion!

All of us at Stitches With Style are extremely excited for these two events! We hope that you will all understand that the big table and surrounding chairs will be dedicated to the classes so the normal sit and knit will be taking place around the small pattern table! We can't wait to meet these two guests and appreciate your understanding on this very busy weekend! See you then!

Hey I  just remembered, for the Stitches event coming up on October 24 and 25 Rebekah will not be there giving hand massages! She had a conflict of interest so you'll just have to get your fill at the potlucks!

Staff projects as of 10/6/09

Alright this is quite the list! My mom is working on the hat featured on the cover of Made in Brooklyn. She's using Sundae, a gorgeous bulky that is perfect for the simplicity of the design.

She is also currently making a sweater out of Colinette's Art. It is a gorgeous new addition to our worsted weight yarn! The sweater is a bit of a mystery because the free pattern from Colinette has no picture, but so far it looks to be a stockinette sweater with purl ridges interspersed. The colors are gorgeous, just see for yourself!

If you love sock yarn but are tired of knitting socks, you can get inspired by mom's half pi shawl out of Schaefer's Anne. It's turning out really well and would be the perfect thing to wrap around your neck as the weather gets colder! You can buy the pattern at ravelry and get started now!

Ok, let's admit it, we all have a huge stash that needs to be shrunk every now and then. Mom is shrinking her sock yarn stash by knitting a star shaped blanket out of Knitter's at Home:Cottage, Condo, Cave or Castle. Now this pattern isn't posted on ravelry yet, so you'll have to come in to check out both the book and the beginnings of her blanket. 

The holidays are getting closer and closer and no matter how much we all plan, there always seems to be at least one person we find ourselves scrounging to knit a gift for. Artful Yarn's Vineyard is your solution! There is a pattern on the back of this bulky yarn for a pair of fingerless mitts that need only one skein of yarn! Maureen worked these up for us and they are perfect to give, even if it's just to yourself!

Maureen is also working on a scarf kit with a zig-zag lace pattern! Simple but elegant, this scarf would be great with a warm winter coat or to dress up any outfit! It would  be the perfect first step into lace!

Ok, I know that was a lot of stuff and I'm sure I still managed to forget some projects but that's it for now. If you're interested in what I may have forgotten, you'll just have to stop in! We set up the electric woodstove and are ready for some chilly days spent knitting around the faux flames!

First Entry

Hello all! A lot of you have mentioned how much you enjoy our newsletters, so I have decided to start a blog to keep you all up to date on the goings on at the store! This way you can keep up with what we're working on and all the other good stuff we can't fit into the e-mail! I am completely open to suggestions because I'm very new at this so feel free to let me know how I can make this more useful or fun! 

Well let's start off with my projects because I can't keep track of all the projects that my mom (Linda) and all the others have going! I am really excited to be working on something out of the first issue of the St-Denis Magazine! It's the Green Mountain Shawl and I'm making it out of Whiskey, a great 100% wool dk weight yarn. I chose the red because it's been so dreary out and I wanted something nice and bright! I've linked both the magazine and the shawl to ravelry.com so you can check it out even if you can't get to the store! 

Another fun project I have going for the store is a backpack out of Pastaza and Peruvia Colors. It's a freebie pattern which is always nice! We have kits at the store or you can pick out your own colors! It's a lot of fun to work on because it's pretty basic but the varigated yarn adds a lot of interest without you having to do a thing! Gotta love it when the yarn makes it look like you did something a lot harder than you actually did! 

I was really excited when my mom asked me to work up a model for the knitting Dice Game that we got in recently. It's a lot of fun because the pattern is completely random based on what you roll (it can be everything from a simple knit stitch to a cable!) I'm using Royal Llama Silk Splash which is great in itself because I love near solids! Okay, I'm going to stop boring you all with my projects for now, but hopefully I've given you some cool ideas and maybe even reminded you of some yarns you may have forgotten we had! I'll be back with more projects and happenings later, but now I'm going to relax and work on my shawl!