February 2007

January was a very exciting month for us. I attended the annual TNNA (The National NeedleArts Association) winter market in San Diego, along with my sister-in-law Jill. We saw and ordered (see below) lots of fabulous new yarns for spring. I took a great class with Iris Schreier (author of Modular Knits and owner of ArtYarns) and Jill delved into the cable world with Melissa Leapman, whose latest book, Cables Untangled, is one of the hottest books around. We met Kate Jackson and got autographed copies of her new hit novel, The Friday Night Knitting Club, which will be released in movie form next year, starring Julia Roberts (a very prolific knitter herself).

New Yarns:
New Spring Yarns are arriving daily, and each one is more delicious than the next.

From Farmhouse Yarns, we have two new hand-dyed yarns. One is called (no joke) I Am Allergic To Wool and while it does look like wool, right down to its bumpy texture and the way it shows the hand-dyed colors, it is made from cotton and rayon and feels much softer than wool. There are 150 yards in each skein and it knits up at a very bulky 2 stitches per inch. The other yarn is called Silk Blend and it is a soft blend of silk, cotton and lamb’s wool, and has a great tweedy look in rich colorways. At 350 yards per skein, this DK weight yarn goes a long way.
From Wool in the Woods, we have a new hand-dyed variegated chenille yarn called SugarBee. It comes in soft, subtle spring shades and is so reasonably-priced for a hand-dyed yarn, you’ll have to look twice. I know I did!
From Muench Yarns, we have Tara, a heavy worsted weight cotton/nylon blend that is so soft, it feels like cashmere. Other new cottons and cotton blends include: Felicia Cotton and Island Cotton from Ironstone; Love It, Touche and Nostalgia from Berroco; new colors of Blue Sky Hand-Dyed Cotton and Organic Cotton; and Ty-Dy from Knit One Crochet Too.
Also from Berroco, we have Bonsai, a bamboo/nylon blend with a beautiful sheen and texture. This has been a hot seller so don’t wait to come try out—it might not be here! From Trendsetter, we have Parfait—it’s as delectable as its name implies.
New hand-dyed yarns from Colinette are Taos, a DK weight silk in gorgeous colors (in stock now) and Banyan, a DK weight variegated cotton (arriving soon).

February Special:
15% off all Colinette Yarn and Pattern Books, including the Absolutely Fabulous Afghan Kits (we have a lot great colors in stock).

Purses:
According to what we saw at TNNA, purses are still the hot item to knit or crochet. We have everything you need to make the bag that will turn heads as you walk by—beautiful new yarns, a wide variety of handles, stunning purse closures and more. We also have new soft mesh purse forms to which you can attach pieces of freeform knitting and crochet, or that can be crocheted onto directly. All of our bags are lined by Anita, who does an incredible job at a reasonable price.

Class Notes:
Our first sock class (taught by Renee) was a big success and we look forward to our next one on February 25th. It’s not too late to join our baby sweater class this month—it meets on Thursdays from 2 to 4pm. The adult sweater class will start on February 14th, so there is still time to sign up. Please see the attached schedule for details.

Frequent Knitter Discounts:
We would like to thank our best customers for their business so we have created a customer loyalty program. When your annual purchases of regular-priced merchandise at The Yarn Shoppe reach a total of $500, you will receive a 10% discount on all purchases for the rest of the calendar year. When your purchases reach $1000, you will receive a 15% discount on all purchases for the rest of the calendar year. One thing to note, however, items bought on sale do not count towards your annual total purchases for this program and the discounts will not apply to sale merchandise. Make sure you save your receipts until we can integrate this program into our point-of-sale system.

Classes:
We have 2 new class offerings: Socks and Short Rows, in addition to many of our regular classes. Please see the attached schedule for class times, descriptions and prices. They will fill up quickly, so call to make your reservations now!

Hours:
Monday through Thursday: 11am-6pm; Friday: 11am-2pm; Sunday: 12pm-5pm; Closed Saturday. Evening hours are available by appointment.