Friday, February 21, 2014

Stitches Alternative

For those of you who aren't going to Stitches, what could you be doing instead? Here are a few suggestion to have a little fiber fest of your own:

Organize Your Yarn

Before you roll your eyes and look over at your overflowing stash let me explain. It may seem like an overwhelming chore but if you can take over a large room for a day to spread out your stuff, you can get all of your fiber and tools organized and it feels fantastic and is surprisingly fun.

You get to see yarn you haven't seen in years and get that sweater set-up that has been scattered about all back together and organized by weight, so when you come to your cabinet or closet or bins when you're starting a new project you can go right to the section you need and look at your options. Trust me it's worth the "hassle." You use from your stash much more often because you actually know what you have and it's easy to get to, so give it a whirl.

Have A Yarn Swap

If you do go through your stash and organize it you're bound to come across some yarn you are no longer in love with and might want to give away or perhaps you could swap it. Get your friends or family members who also have some yarn they've grown out of and have a swap. Bake some cookie or grab some wine and lay out all those skeins and pick and choose from each others misfits and go home with some new loves that didn't cost you a thing.

Yarn Shop Crawl

Go and visit all of your local yarn shops. Take some friends, split the gas and see what all the shops have in stock for you. It's a great way to spend time with your friends, support local shops and get the exciting fiber experience you may feel you missed out on by not going to stitches.

Got Your Goat is open all weekend and would love to hang out with you on the couch and dish about the latest in the yarn industry.

When All Else Fails

Start a new project. You know the excitement of casting on and dreaming about how it's going to come out and how much the recipient is going to love it, whether that's you or someone else. Turn on your favorite movie, print out the pattern, gather all of your yarn and stitch away.

Hope these suggestions help you to have an enjoyable weekend in town.


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Last Minute Love

I don't know about you but my mom used to give me a little present on Valentine's Day and I would always look forward to it. It would be a little bit of candy or a small accessory or nick knack, whatever it was, it was always wrapped festively.

You may already have your gift for your special someone or for your daughter but if you haven't wrapped it here are some last minute knitting ideas to give it some flare.
Designer: Elizabeth Murphy


Whether you want to put it on a card, like they suggest, or string it around your wrapped gift (below) its a cute little something extra for your loved one.


Another suggestion that you can just use as general decoration around the house or if you are planning to give your "heart" to someone, this is a great pattern.

Pattern: Little Hearts
Designer: Teresa Fox

Either way you  choose to go, we hope you have a lovely Valentine's Day and that you and your loved ones enjoy some good fiber. :)

Friday, February 7, 2014

Enjoying Your Hard Work


A lot of us, beginners especially I've noticed, give our hand made stuff away like lottery tickets. You just get so excited about what you did and want someone else to enjoy it too. Well, every once in a while we keep some things for ourselves, as it should be. That gorgeous hand knit sweater, or fluffy cowl or crocheted blanket just makes you happy that you resisted the urge to hand it over to someone else.

This weather always seems to bring out the crafter in us and we dive into our stashes or go on a yarn crawl and put together our next project. Casting on becomes a sport and you end up with 13 new projects, but let's not forget our completed projects during this dreary/wonderful weather either. Take a stroll in your closet and admire your work. Wear it out and combat the chill in the air like a champ.

We would love to see your gorgeous work too, so come and parade it around the shop for everyone to enjoy. :)