A customer came in last week to make some baby things from some patterns that she found on the "Nitty Gritty" site from the DIY Network. These are called "Suede Booties" and they asked for a chenille type yarn. But when we looked at them in the picture, they just seemed to scream for our Ecoknit organic cotton. The customer brought the finished booties in on Monday and I couldn't get over how cute they were...I want some too. (Unfortunately they don't feature the pattern in ladies' size 9 1/2.) She used Paton's Allure for the "shearling" trim and they're just perfect. Link to the pattern site below for a quick baby gift. (Is it just me or do there seem to be a lot of babies coming in the next few months?)

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_3148516,00.html

You'll be seeing a new face at the store...Maureen has joined our team and is a fine knitter/crocheter and is a real "people person". We're so pleased to welcome her. Drop in on Monday mornings or Tuesday afternoons to say hi.

In showing Maureen around the store and in dealing with customer requests while training her, I was reminded how much of our activity and product involves sock knitting. It truly is amazing how many people cherish their time with socks and use it as a break from all other types of crafting. How many of us make socks for ourselves, I wonder? I only have one or 2 pairs that I wear of the ones that I've made (I'm a bit of an "odd sock knitter" though, as I often only get to make a single sock ... you only need one sock to show off how great the yarn is, and I'm usually seduced on to the next new colour group before I have the discipline to make the second one of any set.) Somehow our shelves seem empty if we don't have 4 laundry type baskets full as well as all the display cubicles designated for sock yarn.

The Arequipa sock yarn, of wool/alpaca/nylon, continues to be an amazing seller. Just before the Holidays, we had backup stock of about 80 skeins in our back room. Three weeks later, we're down to just 20 skeins of extras. I finished my single AREQUIPA sock during our "24" fiesta over New Years (see the previous post) and it truly is as lovely as the yarn on the skein would lead you to believe.

One last bit of housekeeping...I'm working at getting the spring lineup of classes and workshops organized and would ask you to let me know if there is anything that you would like to have offered in the near future to increase your knitting/crafting pleasure? It's nice to arrange classes in things that I think may be of interest to our customers, but it makes a lot more sense to offer what you actually do want. Please email me with any suggestions: wooltymekingston@gmail.com or just post a comment and I'll get it that way too.

Back to Normal...So what is normal anyway?

One of the reasons that I love the holiday season is that after all of the hullabaloo and special times and special treats, I enjoy being reminded of how much I like my mundane life too. It's good to have a few minutes to get back to thinking about knitting and what it means in my life.

I love this picture which appeared in Interweave Press's Knitting Daily feature, which is sent 3 times/week to anyone who wishes to sign up. It's a nice way to stay in touch with knitters all over America. This picture was taken at a Colorado Avalanche hockey game where a group of knitters gathered to cheer on their team and knit and share too. I love this "shadow knitting" technique. By combining strategically placed knits and purls in 2 colours you can build in a secret picture that is only visible from a certain angle. (Kind of reminds me of Mme Lafarge and her secret knitting...) Anyone who would like to sign up for this great feature can link here http://www.knittingdaily.com/cgi-bin/udt/um.register.account?ET=knittingdaily_blog:e944:27727a:&st=email

Any Jack Bauer fans out there? No, I'm not going to tell you that Keiffer Sutherland is a closet crafter, (although it would perhaps do him some good considering his recent escapades).

It has been a New Years tradition in our house to watch last year's entire season of "24" (a hit TV show where each of the 24 episodes represents an action packed hour in a single BAD day in the life of terrorist fighter: Jack Bauer.)

We don't watch them in 24 consecutive hours as we used to try to do, but it is done over 3 or 4 days, which is a lot of television by anyone's standards and consequently a lot of knitting time.

I was going great guns on a sweater that hubby keeps insisting that I had promised for Christmas but I say that it was intended for his August '08 birthday. Then between episodes, I took the ribs out of the oven (unlike in the TV show, we DO eat at regular intervals in a 24 hour period) and sloshed hot juice over my hand. Not a serious burn, but as you know, any fresh burn hurts like the dickens and interferes with one's ability to knit. So after supper, I spent the next couple of hours laying my hand on an ice pack for a few minutes until the pain subsided, then picking up my knitting to do a few more rows until the sting was so bad that I would need to return to the ice pack.

What struck me as odd when I look at this episode in hindsight, is that it never once occured to me to put the knitting away. How can I watch TV and not knit? It's unthinkable.

I recently had a new student come to learn to knit. She is a high energy, "DO IT" kind of person who had heard that knitting is a good right brain activity. When I saw her for a second class, she was telling me that for the first time in years, she actually sat down and watched television with her husband and she was able to do this because she had something to DO: she was knitting. Truly, what did knitters do before their was television?

WOOL-TYME Kingston's "Never Ending Knitting Class" for all skill levels.

Are you a complete newby to the world of knitting or just looking for some guidance into the next level of your knitting journey? Or are you somewhere in between?
The on-going Never Ending Knitting Classes at WOOL-TYME Kingston are designed to meet all your needs.

You can choose to drop in to any single class for just $15 for a 2 hour session, or you can join with a $45 membership which gives you access to our professional knitting support for a full 6 months.

These classes take place on Tuesdays from 1-3pm and on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30. All are welcome. At any given class, we may have a complete beginner, someone who has been knitting for about a month (but looks like a pro to the beginner), someone who is learning the finer points of finishing and sewing their sweater together, someone who is learning how to lay out a complicated cable pattern, a new crocheter learning to work an edge around afghan squares, and former participants who just enjoy sitting around and knitting with nice people.

The point is that for $45, you are free to join in the fun for a full 6 months.

Some classes have 2 people, sometimes 6 or 7 will show up. All are eager yet patient and willing to learn. As a teacher, it really doesn't get any better than this. I have the opportunity to introduce newcomers to the fun of knitting, and sometimes I get to challenge myself by learning new skills that I can then pass on to my students. Sometimes we have to go a bit beyond the 2 hours so that everyone leaves with a sense of satisfaction and with enough knowledge to get them through the next stage of their project. No one worries -- we're all here to learn and to enjoy the experience (as much as one can enjoy ripping back an entire sleeve that has been improperly shaped.)

So please feel free to join us, either as a class participant or just to sit and knit and chat. If the store is open, the class is on.

One of the greatest things about my life, owning a yarn store, is that I get so many wonderful people from the community showing up at my door. One of these is Alison who upon arriving in Kingston a couple of years ago, immediately got to work contributing to our local community. Her latest venture is in organizing and placing baskets of yarn at Quinte Lodge. The Lodge is a hostel-type accommodation operated by the Cancer Centre. Patients and any medically required escorts can stay in small private bedrooms free of charge. Her idea is that the baskets of yarn (and needles and crochet hooks) may provide a much needed distraction for guests/patients and will give them the opportunity to work on 8" squares that can then be assembled into blankets that will be of comfort to someone else.

I'm so glad that Alison thought to get in touch with us to ask for our help. It's another way that we get to be a hub that unites so many of our generous customers with those in need. Of course, as always, anyone who is doing some stash busting and would like to donate yarn to those who can put it to good use are welcome to drop it off at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store.

SUPER BIG NEWS: I usually like to wait for the monthly newsletter (which should be coming to your email next weekend) to introduce you to new products in the store but this is just too fun and exciting to wait. The Kingston area is very lucky to welcome Stephanie Earp, musician and fibre artist, who is making her home here now and is also making her wares available at WOOL-TYME Kingston. Stephanie specializes in hand painted - short repeat - dying of fingering weight merino wool in glorious colours inspired by a recent trip to France. She has also provided us with small swatches so you can see the luscious texture that her colourways create. These yarns would be perfect for gloves, scarves, shawls. Locally hand crafted products of exquisite quality; what more can a knitter ask for?

It's always nice to know that there are people out there who read the blogs and newsletters. It's fun to create them but even better to know that they are shared by people who enjoy them.

Just wanted to let you all know that we are now carrying packs of Christmas cards from the Andy Fund of Kingston, which raises funds for local cancer-related projects. They are $10/pack and feature the art work of local child artists. They're delightful.

Yesterday, we had a demonstration of knitting with "thrums" and one lady came to see if she could learn something new about the technique, as she believed that it couldn't possibly be as fiddly and tedious as it appeared to her. Well, what she learned is that it is tedious and fiddly, and the thrums are never perfectly even, and it is a pain to have the fluff flying around, but when it comes right down to it, thrum accessories are worth it for their warmth and beauty.

Yesterday, I also got a chance to go shopping for children's snowsuits, which is an activity that I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing for a good few years. When we go to the Kingston Knitting Circle meetings at Chapter's on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, we each throw a toonie into a can and about this time of the year, someone usually thinks of something nice to do with the accumulated money. This year we decided to knit hats, mitts and scarves and purchase some outer clothing for the Clothes for Kids fund. For $150, I got a snowsuit for a little boy, and one for a little girl and a beautiful ski jacket for an older girl (complete with cool zip out sleeves, turning it into a vest). It was fun.

Speaking of the Kingston Knitting Circle, don't forget the notice in the "coming events" section above, about our 2nd annual Holiday Nibblefest, which will take place at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store on Tues. Dec 11th from 7-9pm. I used to be a member of a women's group about 7 or 8 years ago and due to commitments, I had to bow out after just one year. However, they call me every year to go to their Christmas party and I'm thrilled to take part, despite the fact that I'm not a regular. So to should any of you feel welcome to join us for treats, a few laughs and an evening of knitting, whether you're a regular or not.

A quick little piece of knitting trivia: "In Victorian times, it was fashionable for ladies to hold their needles between thumb, forefinger and second finger, rather like a pencil. It was much slower than the traditional method of holding the needles under the hands, but then, when one was a lady, speed was not as important as one's appearance." from - Not Tonight Darling, I'm Knitting." by Betsy Hosegood.

I frequently have people who tell me shyly that they hold their needles "wrong" because they don't hold them like their mother or grandmother did. Well now we know that the way that we typically hold our needles today, from above, is a much more practical and ergonomically friendly way of doing it. As for the advisability of standing through the knitting of an entire scarf, well that's still open for debate. (Besides, wouldn't he get a little bored and cold waiting for her to finish?)

Before I forget...(which has become a hazard of my age) I want to remind everyone of the FREE demo at the store next Saturday, Nov. 24th, where we will have all the materials available for you to try your hand and knitting with "Thrums" and get copies of Free patterns for 2 and 4 needle mitts, slippers, socks and a toque using this great technique of adding bits of unspun yarn to create a cozy layer of warmth inside your knitting.

It's interesting to think that when the store opened 11 years ago, we had only small bags of natural wool -- uncarded, barely more than washed -- with which to make these cozy insertions into mitts.

Now your thrums can come pre-stranded in an array of natural and dyed colours from Briggs & Little, or you can use some of our beautiful hand dyed fleece from Cornerstore Fibres. Worsted weight knitting wools have come a long way too, as the knitted part can be made of self striping Noro KUREYON, hand dyed Manos del Uruguay, our new tone on tone CASCADE 220, classic tweeds in Tussock 10 ply and NATURA Tweed, as well as all the fabulous citrus colours of Ella Rae's and Paton's Classic wools.

At this time of the year, we get a lot of people in looking to make gifts for friends and family that won't take an eternity yet will have a certain pizazz about them. Thrummed accessories make awe-inspiring gifts that will wow them on Christmas morning! And here are a few of my other favourties.

This hat is from our Free Felted Brimmed Hat pattern that is incredibly easy to knit and looks wonderful on most heads. This version has been made using the new CASCADE 220 tone on tone yarn that adds such depth to the colour. It can also be made with any of our worsted weight pure wools mentioned above or with Lopi for a nice "halo of wool" effect.

It seems a bit funny to suggest afghans with just 36 knitting days left before Christmas, but both of these that we have displayed in the store are so easy and quick to whip up that they may be just the thing you need to get your loved ones their coziness quotient over the Holidays. At right is the EweCanKnit "Team Afghan" that whips up in no time, due to it's simplicity, yet lets you encourage your own sports fans. (Thanks, by the way to Sharon at EweCanKnit, for the many sample projects such as this one that she has allowed us to borrow and display over the years.)

This next afghan pictured below is a bit hard to visualize from the picture but many of you will have seen it in the store in different colour combinations, as it is my standard afghan to make whenever I only have a few weeks before it has to be ready. It's a free pattern and uses size 15mm circular needles and 3 strands of chunky yarn and I've been known to have one done in just a couple of weeks (and don't kid yourselves, I don't have any more knitting time than any of you do.)

Other quick gift ideas are any felting project (purses, mitts, slippers, etc) and they too have a great wow factor, as do many hats and bulky sweaters.

And guess what? 38 days from now, when you're eating left over turkey, you can plan your own project -- just for you.

I've been having such a fun time preparing for the demo that we have for this weekend "SOCKS ON CIRCS" showing our customers the basics of knitting socks on circular needles.
What I enjoy about this type of work is that
a. I get to knit and work at the same time.
b. I get to knit and plan/think at the same time.
c. I get to write about knitting (while preparing the instruction sheet.)
Now for a person who enjoys knitting, planning and writing, I'd say that this is the perfect occupation for me.

The other reason that I enjoy these prep times is that I get a chance to learn new things. Well actually, I learn new things every day that I'm in the store. People think that we're so smart because we can answer their knitting questions, but it's only because we are the recipients of all of the discoveries and great ideas that our customers share with us that we are so "smart".

If you are a sock knitter, or just curious, please join us on Saturday, the 10th of November anytime between 1 and 4pm to have a chance to play with the "SOCKS ON CIRCS" and to bring home a copy of the step by step instructions for adapting your favourite sock pattern to working on circular needles.

Also a reminder that based on the results of our recent Customer Survey, and based on the level of anxiety that customers have shown at the prospect of being out of touch with our knitting 911 service, we will be open on Sundays from noon until 4pm at least until the end of January. We'll see if the demand is there to continue the practice in the spring.
(I thought that the picture at the right was kind of appropriate, being a former teacher and all...but unlike what it says on the blackboard, we aren't looking for help.)

You may want to make a point of dropping in to visit Jane on Sundays as I suspect that it won't be too busy for the first couple of weeks and therefore I'm leaving her lots of "tidy up" work to do, so she'll probably be thrilled if someone comes in to disturb her work to buy a ball of yarn or ask her for some knitting advice.