More News On The Website

Well things are moving along. I am not a pro yet but I am learning how to navigate and add items to the website. It is very involved and technical to me. Since the last post I have added the list of Needle Nook's current classes, some web specials and now you can click on a yarn to see all the colors available. Hopefully I will continue to grow in this endeavour. Please be patient. Happy Easter to all of our friends and customers. Since we are closed on Easter Sunday the Amigurumi group will meet next Sunday, March 30th, at the regular time. We just got in a new book on this subject. Hope to see you soon.

Arlene

ANNOUNCEMENT-NEW WEBSITE

The Needle Nook is proud to announce it has joined the rest of the world and started a website, complete with a shopping cart to order yarn and accessories. To start we have listed Malabrigo, Toasty for Needle Nook and our stitch markers. Hopefully I will be adding items as I can figure it out. But for now, please check out our new site and let me know what I need to do next. Happy knitting and crocheting. Speaking of crocheting, did you know we have started a crochet group which meets the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 4:00-6:00PM, after our regular shop hours. Right now we are concentrating on the new amigurumi crochet animals that have become so popular. All skill levels are welcome to join this group. Hope to see you there.

Toasty for Needle Nook Sock Contest

We are proud to announce our Toasty for Needle Nook sock contest which is being sponsored by numma numma yarns and Needle Nook. All you need to do is purchase a hank of Toasty for NN (since 1-1-08), design and knit an original pair of adult socks, and wait for the prizes. All entrants receive a copy of the patterns of all contestants socks and a goody bag. Rules are available at the shop. The contest began on Feb. 1st and ends on July 4, 2008. You will be required to sign a waiver giving numma numma yarns and Needle Nook the right to publish or sell your pattern. Designs must be original and not previously published.

Check out the photo of the mitered square sampler of all 24 Toasty for NN colors. You can choose your favorite. As an added bonus, anyone who needs help designing your socks can attend one of our sock clinics. The first will be held on Sunday, March 9th at 1:00PM and the second on Sunday, April 13th, also at 1:00PM. Attendance is limited to those who have purchased their yarn and plan to enter the contest. You will need to bring supplies (needles, practice yarn, etc) for your help. You can cast on and knit some ribbing in advance. Registration for any of the clinics is required as seating is limited to eight. Call (404) 325-0068 for more information or to register.

Malabrigo Silky Merino, Part 2

Guess what? Malabrigo double shipped our order and added in the 12 back orders so we now have a full 25 colors in this incredible yarn. Good thing too because we were out of several colors anyway. Here are two photos I took today of the bounty. Come check it out.

SILKY MERINO-A DREAM YARN

The long wait is finally over, well at least half over. We received only half of the order we placed in November. This is the Malabrigo Silky Merino that is 50% silk and 50% merino and 100% heavenly. The colors are very vibrant because of the silk and the feel is very soft because of the merino. It says dk but you can knit this yarn easily to worsted weight. I knit a swatch on 6 needles and got almost 5 to an inch. The hank is 150 yards and it takes about 2 to make a scarf. Price is $12.00 each.
This lovely piece is knit in Arlene's Purples on a size 8 needle. I am doing the fishtail lace pattern from "365 Knit Stitch Calendar". I have finished one half and knitting the second half separately, then will kitchener the two pieces together. This is so the pattern is facing the same direction on both ends. Very interesting.

The yarn is a delight to knit with, no splitting or other problems. Haven't found any knots in it so far. The brilliance of the colors is due to the silk content. It is just as wonderful as the original worsted weight Malabrigo. Our afghan knit along is progressing and the members are having fun selecting new patterns and stitches to try out. The photos I have seen on our yahoo group are wonderfully inventive. Combinations not seen before. We are having a good time posting to each other and admiring others squares.

Please come by to see this elegant and sensual addition to our yarn mix.

Teddy Bears Need Clothes!

The Needle Nook has always been committed to charity projects. Some of our past projects include chemo hats for Egleston and ovarian cancer scarves, the Red Scarf Project and currently we are knitting chemo hats for the Chemoflage Program. But we see a need in Atlanta for additional help for the Atlanta Knitting Guild's trauma bear project. The guild has been dressing bears for years and donating them to various organizations. They currently support the Georgia Center for Children which services children who have been abused in any number of ways. The counselors give a bear to the child while they are questioning them about unpleasant events that have occurred. The children find it soothing and relax more and will open up to the counselor. We have decided to support this project and are asking you to help us by knitting a sweater, hat, pants, dress or other items for a 12" - 18" bear. You do not need to provide the bear, only the clothing. You can find many free patterns on the web (http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/) or http://www.atlantaknittingguild.org/. A search will bring you many, many sites to check out. You can drop off your finished items at Needle Nook or mail them to us. This is a great way to use up scraps of yarn, half balls, etc. and reduce your stash. You will receive a warm glow from knowing the person you helped is an innocent child. If you are on Ravelry there is a brand new group you can join called "Charity Bear Knitters" and don't forget "Needle Nook Knitters". Thanks for your help.

New Arrival - Berroco Linen Jeans

Our first spring yarn has made an appearance. It's a 70% linen, 30% rayon tape called Linen Jeans. The 7 colors are very muted with the appearance of stone washed jeans. Berroco has designed 12 patterns for this yarn. It knits to a gauge of 4.75 stitches per inch on a 9 needle and is hand wash, lay flat to dry. I usually purchase yarns that have clear colors but this was so appealing to me because of the muted palette. I think it is destined to become one of your favorite sweaters, the one you turn to most often. Come by and check out the 7 new pattern books from Berroco. This is one of the most "wearable" collections they have put out in a long time. I think you will like it too.