New Items Abound

I think all of the fall and winter yarns have arrived.  I am seeing reps for spring yarns now and it seems they have new winter yarns too so some of them have been ordered and are in stock.  Below are photos of some of the newest.

This is called Ronda, a ruffle yarn.  The difference is that is has a contrasting color on the edge.  Isn't is adorable?  The skein costs $15.00 and knits up quickly.

Noro has come out with a new book that is filled with great items.  It contains hats, mitts, capelets, sweaters and more.  It is a book that can actually be used by the average person.  It is worth a look.  $24.95.

Our new Dreamz needles have arrived, shown here in a Hiyahiya case.  It is an interchangeable set containing needle sizes 4-11.  It also comes with cables, end caps and needle size identifiers.  We have extra pieces coming this week (extra cables, extra tips and more).  I have tried them and they are great.  These would make a wonderful holiday gift for your knitting friends.





And here is Margie's curlicue shawl (one of our knitalong projects) that she just finished.  It is absolutely gorgeous, flowing, drapey, oversized.  She knit it out of Royal Alpaca and what a great choice.  I wish I had one!

Needle Nook is fully stocked with all your holiday needs.  We have wonderful gifts for knitters including mugs, towels, umbrellas, totes, yarn saks, scissors and so much more.  Come by to visit soon.

Fall Is In The Air

It's rather nippy this morning in my house but never fear, I have slipped on my Featherweight Cardigan our knit group made last year.  I never realized how much I would like this project but I really do.  It's available free on Ravelry.

We are gearing up for fall classes at Needle Nook.  We have added Famous Steve Tracewell to our list of fabulous teachers.  Please see http://www.needlenookatlanta.com/ for photos and information on our classes.  You can also sign up there. 

We will hold a free workshop on this quick and easy Aloha Scarf on Saturday, Oct. 15th from 2-4PM.  No reservations are necessary, just come on in.  Only charge is for the Aloha yarn.  You can knit this scarf in under an hour or finger knit it in about 10 minutes.  How's that for fast?

We are expecting our first order of the new Dreamz needles very soon.  These are color coded to size, have great points and smooth joins.  We will start off with circulars, a few straights, double points and interchangeable sets.  Be on the lookout for these.

We are full of great yarn for fall and winter and now is the time to get going on those holiday gifts.  Come see what is new for you.

AT LAST - THE WINNERS!

Another shop hop is in the books.  The 2011 hop was the biggest and best so far.  The shopowners met today and our newest participant, Pat Capistrant of Lovin' Knits, drew the winning passport.  And the winner of $900.00 in shop gift certificates is:

DEBBIE KANZELMEYER

Debbie will enjoy many months of knitting with the supplies she can choose as the winner.  Or she can choose classes or anything else she desires.  I hope you participated this year and will again next year.  Here are the other winners and the retail value of their prizes.

CAST ON COTTAGE WINNERS

Maritza Ray - Shawl pin & Jawoll yarn  -  $50.00

Donna Paul - Lantern Moon notions bag   -  $75.00

Laura Williams - Stacey Shawl Kit  -  $12500

LOVIN' KNITS WINNERS

Nancy Gaddy - Bambool yarn & book  -  $100.00

Stephanie Johnson - Gift Certificate  -  $75.00

Tori Berube - Della Q. project bag  -  $50.00

NEEDLE NOOK WINNERS

Katrine Pate - Atenti Satchel bag  -  $132.00

Susan Hurd - 11 skeins Rhythm yarn  -  $71.00

Geri Patterson - Trendsetter Orbit  -  $49.00

ONLY EWE & COTTON TOO WINNERS

Pina Rambo - Hiyahiya Interchangeable needles  -  $150.00

Elina Ivon - Kudo yarn, pattern, shawl pin  -  $68.35

Lawrence Banner - Knitters blocking kit  -  $60.00

RARE PURLS WINNERS

Kumara scarf kit & pewter button  -  $65.00

Susan Amador - 2 hanks Epiphany yarn  -  $55.00

Michelle Stauffenberg - Sock Kit  -  $50.00

SHEEPISH WINNERS

Linda Fitzsimmon - Mt. Colors Weavers Wool  -  $76.00

Cynthia Thorn - Beginners spinning supplies  -  $75.00

Ethel Smith - Sock Package  -  $64.00

STRINGS & STRANDS WINNERS

Shannon Parris - Multi Fiber shawl kit  -  $88.50

Robin David - D. Macomber knitting accessories  -  $59.00

Marie Shuart - Sassy Skeins sweater kit  -  $54.00

THE WHOLE NINE YARNS WINNERS

Carolyn Penniman - Little Red book and yarn  -  $85.00

Wendy Langley - Origami yarn and pattern book  -  $55.00

Tracy Herring - Class gift certificate  -  $50.00

YARN GARDEN WINNERS

Becky Sorrells - Sock Package  -  $107.50

Margaret Bowers - Afghan Package  -  $78.25

Anna Shmukler - Notions Package  -  $52.00

There you have them, the lucky 28 who were chosen for prizes worth over $2900.00 donated by the 9 shops.  We thank you for visiting all of our shops and hope you will continue to do so.

Shop Hop 2011 Approaches - New Knitalong Beginning

Hi Folks:

It's been too long since I have updated here.  The 5th annual Atlanta Shop Hop will begin on Sept. 17th and go through Sept. 25th.  Passports ($1.00) go on sale this Saturday, August 27th.  Purchase a passport, visit as many shops as possible, and maybe win a fantastic prize.  See http://www.shophopatlanta.blogspot.com/ for more information and a list of participating shops and their hours.

Here is a photo of our next knitalong.  It's called A-HA by Holly Chayes.  It is knit in sock weight on size 5 needles and requires about 1400 yards of yarn.  Recommended yarn is Mini Mochi.  I have started mine in Jojoland Rhythm.  It needs a yarn that has long color floats, not one that changes frequently.  The pattern costs $6.00 and you can download it from http://www.tangledness.com/.  Wednesday is the day we will meet.  One group meets in the afternoon on the first Wednesday of the month from 1-2PM.  We will also work on this at our regular knit nite every Wednesday from 5-8PM, so you can join us for either time or both.  Everyone who has seen this pattern oohs and aahs over it so maybe you would like it too.  Here is a photo of the one I started last night.

See what I mean by the long floats of color?  It needs this to form an eye-pleasing color formation.  Pattern is super easy, all written out, no charts.

So get yourself a copy and come by next Wednesday to select your yarn.  We will be working on this for several months as it is a rather large piece.  We don't put any time limit on our knitalongs, everyone works at their own speed.  I haven't even started the last design we chose.  Come have some fun.

New Yarns For You

Come check out the two newest yarns we have received. The top photo is called "Delicato" and contains 640 yards of gorgeousness. The fiber is tencel and it accepts dye like silk, giving that beautiful sheen. It would be a stunning shawl. The skein sells for $29.99.

The next two photos are Lucatape. This is a three strand novelty with sequins. I have already knit a shoulder shawl using only one skein ($24.00). There would be many uses for this lovely.

Knit in Public day is coming up, June 11th from 11AM to 2PM at Artuzzi's in our shopping center. Join us for a day of showing our stuff.

Free Workshop - Ruffled Scarves

Join us on Saturday, May 21st, from 2-4PM to learn to knit one of these great scarves and get a jump on your holiday knitting. This is a fast project and can be completed quickly. Bring needles size 8-13 to be prepared. The cost of these yarns is only $12.00 a hank and you can choose your favorite when you arrive.

MALABRIGO TO VISIT NEEDLE NOOK

If you are a Malabrigo fan (and who isn't), you will want to save this date for a visit with a VIP. It's Tobias Feder, owner of Malabrigo Yarns, and he will visit with us on Wednesday, April 13th, from 4-7PM. Come and show him your finest Malabrigo finished objects, bring your camera and have your photo taken with him, see his trunk show and all his beautiful models. He might even bring along some of the new yarn, under construction now. You will need to reserve a time slot beginning at 4PM and ending at 7PM, every 30 minutes. Call (404) 325-0068 for more information and a reservation. There will be special pricing on all Malabrigo products for this evening. Don't miss this fun event.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO NEEDLE NOOK

I can't believe it, but the Needle Nook has been in business for 35 years, come this weekend. To celebrate, we are having a blowout sale, door prizes, giveaway, refreshments and more. Join us on Saturday and Sunday, March 19 & 20 for this event.

I finished my Malabrigo shawl in sock weight and am about three fourths of the way through a second one in Silky Merino. It is beautiful and in my favorite Malabrigo color, Amoroso. I made it a little bigger and therefore am holding my breath to see if I have enough to finish. I know better than this but couldn't help myself. Chock it up to old age! Here is the finished shawl.

Malabrigo March Roars In

If you are a Ravelry member and a Malabrigo fan you probably know about this. Each year they sponsor Malabrigo March where you knit as many Malabrigo projects as possible. Since we just received a shipment of their new Book 3, I decided to participate. I cast on the Scalloped Shawl in two colors of sock yarn and began to knit. I was soon hooked on this project and the yarn. It is a dream to knit with, so soft and supple. The pattern is beautiful yet surprisingly easy to knit. I am about half way done already. This new book is gorgeous. It contains patterns for shawls, cowls, sweaters, an ostrich and more. It is their finest effort to date. Be sure to take a look at it soon.

Moving Right Along/Malabrigo Shipment

My knee is healing, I can feel the difference in it from 2 weeks ago. I'm sleeping better (mostly) and even doing a bunch of knitting. As promised, I am putting the Malabrigo squares together. I have 5 more to do, out of 30. Then I have to figure out some kind of border for it. It feels dreamy in my hands and I am really glad I did (am doing) it. We just got in a new shipment of Malabrigo, including 10 colors of Rasta for their beautiful cowl. We also got in 6 new spring yarns from Knitting Fever, Sirdar and Katia. So come see all that is new.



Arlene

Confined to Home-This Is a Good Thing!

So the Dr. came up with a space and I had my knee replacement surgery last Monday, Jan. 24th, and came home Thursday. I am improving each day but getting around is difficult. Can't stay up too long and then have to rest, nap, do exercise, get on the CPM machine (it moves your knee for you), etc. There is not much time to knit but I have been doing some because I hate to waste the time and we have a knitalong going on at the shop and I don't want to fall behind. I promised myself that I would stitch together the squares from our Malabrigo afghan knitalong (2 years ago) but haven't done it yet. I need some encouragement. At least I'm not the only one who hasn't done this. I think Iwill take it out now. Wish me luck.

Arlene

Just Rocking Along

By this date I had expected to have already been to the hospital, had knee replacement surgery, and been home. But Mother Nature had other ideas. My surgery was scheduled for Monday, January 10th and I knew I was in trouble when it started snowing the evening of the 9th. I live on a hill, my street is slightly up a hill and then to turn off it there are hills both ways. There was no way I could get there. So now I am waiting for a cancellation or other miracle to happen so that I can get on with it. The bad part is that I have had to stop taking my anti-inflammatory medications which I didn't think helped that much but since stopping them have found out that they do help. The worst part is that my hands ache but I keep on knitting. Won't stop this for any reason that I can think of. I'm afraid to give in. I am working on several projects at once, the main one being the Curlicue Shawl Knitalong. This is coming along nicely, 5 of 13 sections done so far. I also finished a hat and a Rasta cowl. This is the one they have been advertising in the knitting magazines. I managed to get a copy of the pattern in advance and worked up the cowl. It was very easy. The pattern books should arrive soon along with another order of the bulky Rasta. If you haven't seen this yarn you really should take a look at it. Talk about instant gratification!



New spring yarns have started to arrive. First to come in is Baby Milk, a sport weight that knits at 5.5 stitches per inch. It's composed of 70% merino and 30% milk. There are free patterns on the Knitting Fever website. I haven't used it yet but it feels very nice.

Additional new yarns should trickle in over the next month or so. Be sure to check it out.

Arlene

January is ME Month

After rushing to finish projects for holiday gifts, it's time to sit back and enjoy some ME time. We have officially declared this month to be knitting for yourself month. You can start that project you have been putting off because you had other obligations. It's time to celebrate yourself. So pull out that pattern, yarn and needles. Get going on ME time.

We have a new knitalong starting on Wed, Jan. 5th. It's called the Curlicue Coverlet, although most of us will make it into a shawl instead. You can join in (Wed. day from 1-2PM, or Wed. night from 5-8PM) and get going with us. There is no charge, only yarn and pattern to be purchased from us. Call us for more information and see photo above.

The other item that is big this year is cowls. They are easy to knit, quick and stylish. We have several models in the shop that you can check out. I have recently finished cowls in Malabrigo Rasta (super quick) and Colinette Art. This would be a great ME project.

Happy New Year to all of our fans.

Arlene