KNews at Knitting Today

Lorna Miser, knitwear designer and author and former owner of Lorna’s Laces, is in Indiana right now and is available to teach a special class at Knitting Today this Saturday, November 1, from 1-4. It is going to be a class I had to leave out of the retreat offerings: Design for Baby, Knit for Baby. But don’t let the title fool you as the project can server as a sampler for a larger sweater too. Lorna will be talking about using inspiration and ideas for the design from “found” items such as scrapbook paper. Working from a generic cardigan shape sweater for baby through toddler, and your choice of yarn, you can start knitting right in class as well as have many ideas for future projects. Cost is $30 for the 3 hours session, a bargain considering that the same class goes for $80 at Stitches which is where she’s headed. Lorna also has designs and inspiration for the Stitches classes and if time allows, we’ll have show/tell. Please reply or call immediately if you are able to attend as class size is limited to 8.

As announced in the Knitting Today E-news (sign up at http://knittingtoday.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/ktnews/ if you don’t receive it!), to celebrate our new yarn, we’re having a contest!  Tell us why you love knitting with wool and be entered in our Shepherd’s Wool giveaway for one of the Andean-Style Caps shown below!  Contest ends September 30, so don’t delay.

Don’t worry, if you don’t win the contest, the kits will be available for purchase shortly. 

Olympic Knitting:  Are you knitting during the Olympics?   Friday night, August 8, 2008, is the start and we are gathering at Knitting Today starting at 6:30 to enjoy. RSVP please, bring your UFO or new Olympic project and we’ll get going.  

TofuTee:  We also have the TofuTee Trunk Show in the store and that will be the last time to come and see it before it is shipped on to the next venue.  The TofuTee is a great pattern, knit sideways, uses 5 balls of the Tofutsies yarn and we have 15 new colors as well as several from the old collections in stock . . . .

http://www.knittingtoday.com/go.mvc?ID=tofutsies 

Looking forward to seeing you!  Lea-Ann

You are all invited to join me at Knitting Today, Friday, April 11, 6:30-? for a UFO party and Yarn Tasting.  Bring your unfinished projects and some extra needles and be ready for some fun.  I always have some giveaways for various reasons and you’ll get a chance to sample some of the new spring yarns and give me your feedback.  I hope to share that feedback with everyone here on the blog, maybe even have some contests!!  Please RSVP so I know we have enough seating set up . . thanks!  Lea-Ann P.S.  Retreat is coming up . . . June 13-15 . . . list of classes is at http://www.knittingtoday.com/go.mvc?ID=retreat08 with more details and online registration coming soon.   

What in the world is Sock Wars?  Southwest Trading Company, the manufacturer of Tofutsies told me they are the corporate sponsor this year.  I’ve found a website, for it:  http://www.sock-wars.com that explains it, but really . . . . have you done this before?  Are you going to do it this year?  Is it worth the time?  What do you think about it?  Lea-Ann

Hi everyone: Yes, we’ll be here on Good Friday, 10-4 … come and knit! This weekend will also end the Amaiz-ing Baby Trunk show and we’ve just received more new sock yarn as well as Organic Cotton, Ulmo Multy, Snuggly DK, Chacabuco, Linen Isle, new colors of Silkience, new color of Amaizing, new colors of hempathy as well as matching patterns and book.  And, like I said, more new sock yarn. The store is entirely rearranged to freshen up for Spring. Come and enjoy! Lea-Ann
P.S. Only two more openings in the toe-up two at a time sock class that starts this Saturday a.m.

Hi everyone . . . just a reminder that UFO Night is still on, tonight, 6:30 . . . the weather is partly sunny right now and I hope it stays that way!  I’m going to work on my Smoking Hot Socks.  I have one row of the mitered square top done and ready to start the second row.  I’m anxious to move out of the green part of the colorway and onward to the pinks!  [Noro Kureyon Sock] . . . need to get these done so I can start another pair on some of the new yarn here!  Lea-Ann

P.S.  Have you gotten your mammogram this year?  Check out the limited edition Booby Sock — Skacel is donating the net proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation!  http://www.knittingtoday.com/go.mvc?ID=82163

• Retreat is scheduled for June 13, 14, and 15 — so far one hand knitting instructor, Lorna Miser, and some machine knitting instructors, Michelle Teasley and Ann Yotter for the beginners and I’m still working on the advanced.
• Sox Hot Spot - we have *hundreds* of skeins of sock yarn on its way from Skacel (Trekking, Disco, Teddy, Step, Fortissima) and Mountain Colors.  We’re already stocking Tofutsies from Southwest Trading Company and Pace from Universal Yarns, two other companies sponsoring the “Think Outside The Sox” competition with XRX Publishing — here’s the link to read more about it: http://thinkoutsidethesox.com/SOX/About_the_Think_Outside_the_SOX_Contest.html – its overwhelming to think of all the sock yarn coming in and and the emphasis being put on socks after all these years.  I really hope some exciting designs come out of it.
• Our fifteenth — yes 15th! — anniversary is this year.  Tara reminded me, its her birthday - March 30 - that we took delivery of our first box of yarn from Plymouth Yarns and the first shipment of Bond machines — yep, while I was in the hospital.
• All the new spring/summer yarns are arriving — Susan’s desk is absolutely full and she’s been on vacation for the week so I have a lot of clean-up to do before she arrives to work on Monday.
• Speaking of cleaning — the store is undergoing a transformation, moving extra copies of patterns to the file cabinet and cleaning out the binders (look for discontinued products to come), moving machines around so I can concentrate on just one, making room for the new yarns, highlighting new projects, etc.
• And, cats and dogs — keep your knitting away from them!  They like patterns, yarn, AND needles!  Not one report this week, but at least three people have had problems. 
• FO to report — the girls clogs are done.  They love how warm their feet feel.  I wish I’d made more of an effort to get them done at the beginning of the year.
• Socks!  I’m almost done with my Smoking Hot Socks.  She used the JoJo heel and I’m anxious to get them on my feet and try it out. I’ve done a test fit right after knitting the first heel and I *really* like it.  I have two other pairs at the heel point (some stash yarn, Fortissima Mexiko and Regia Jubilee) and really need to get them done before its time to switch to sandals.
• Tom’s working for me today — uploading ebay.  It would be nice to eliminate several piles of stash/magazines/books that I no longer need.  Bid, bid, bid!  Our ebay username is: bondknitter.
• Trunk Shows coming up:  Get Started Knitting Socks March 3-8; SWTC Baby March 10-21 (I think). 
• UFO Night: Friday, March 7

I thought putting these rambling thoughts out there might help clear my mind to focus on other things . . . onward!

Plans on attending UFO Night tomorrow night.  Weather permitting, the Knitting Today UFO contingent will gather with their unfinished objects, snacks, and show and tell for a night of knitting, door prizes, food, fun and movies.  There will be some yarn tasting as well since we have some new spring yarns in.   The movie is a technique I’m not all that familiar with — double knitting, from Lucy Neatby — so am anxious to spend some time with some yarn/needles/friends and learn something new . . . if anyone would like to come, you need to preregister by calling the store at 260-351-2260.  If the roads are slick — its an automatic cancellation, I don’t want anyone on the roads if its bad out.  We start at 6:00 pm and run until ????  But, we can’t stay out too late because we have the mitered knitting class bright and early Saturday morning.  Oh, cost is $10 for the night.   Lea-Ann

And the challenge is on:  http://journals.aol.com/thersatlb/theresa-knits/entries/2008/01/26/update-and-pictures/2296

With Theresa’s help last year, we donated over 300 hats to our local elementary school and charities.  Thank you!! 

 Join us Sunday, February 3, from noon to 6 to Kick Off our Caps for Kids program.  We have a great time visiting and catching up with our out-of-town friends as well as seeing what percent off they get on their football . . .  by the time kick-off rolls around, we have a great start on our hat (and other) projects.   

And, there are also great savings in the line-up:  Download the postcard [in case it isn’t obvious, click the word postcard and the download should start, its a .pdf] and bring it in to exchange when you checkout for a football.  The football has a % off written on it and can be anywhere from 10-50%.  Its great fun seeing who gets what [no peeking either!]. 

Keep on knitting!  Lea-Ann