A "Flood" of New Information

Hello, Knitters, Crocheters, and Needlepointers!

Welcome back to school, everyone! In your house, maybe it's just the kids actually going back, or maybe you have no kids and are just watching the big yellow buses pass by. So, for all of us wistfully longing for the days when we, too, were heading back to a classroom, I have a pretty good alternative for you. Why not take some classes at A Stitch In Time? I mean, come on, how much fun is that? No pop quizzes, no getting called to the principal's office, and no fingernails on the chalkboard. I just forwarded a draft of the early fall schedule (Sept-Oct) to Eva for final approval, and I am sure it will be out in a day or two, so keep your eyes on your emails or this blog for complete information. New this time: several one-night classes! Yay! Budget-friendly and less of a time commitment. Take one or all of them, we promise a good time. We are also welcoming some new instructors, so you can enjoy learning from a variety of experienced knitters and crocheters. By the way, I know I promised a dog sweater, and that will be coming in November. Dates and details on that particular class as soon as I get the "knitty gritty" ironed out!

Don't forget to keep October 15th open for our book signing with Jared Flood! He will be joining us around 6:30 in the evening, but you MUST reserve your spot ahead of time to ensure there will be enough books and refreshments for all. To reserve, just stop by the store and prepay for your book, it's that easy! List price is $15.95 plus tax. The Classic Elite trunk show, featuring all the yarns used in the book "Made in Brooklyn" will be arriving on October 10th, so come on by! I clicked on Jared's blog (link below in our prior entry) and HAVE to make those mittens first. But you probably already guessed that. My Ravelry name isn't "mittengirl" for nothing!

A big "Thank You" to all the ladies who attended our First Annual Golf outing. I hear you had a blast, and it will definitely happen again. But I also heard the advice from Eva is to avoid the liquid lunch thing next time, based on her second nine... Watch out, my husband and I are talking about golf lessons in the spring, so I might be there to keep an eye on our favorite shop owner. Or to join in, after all, I am Irish, remember!

It is getting chilly, or at least it might be soon, so how about those Einsteins? Or a nice Afghan to wrap up in? We would love to see you at a Monday Night Social Knit in October, 6-8 pm. Please sign up in the store. There will be no cost to attend, but we do need to make sure we have a minimum number of knitters, as we will be opening the store up especially for this time. A great opportunity to work on a wintery knit in the company of others, and always fun!

New stuff in the store (you know I live for new stuff in the store):

* Amy Butler bags! Hooray! I love these and not only are the fabrics great, but the design details are terrific! Hurry up before I buy the one you have your eye on, it wouldn't be the first time I fall under Amy's spell!

* Amanda Lawford trunk show will be in store October 24-November 8. Needlepointers, you know you love her canvasses, so put this on your calendar now!

* Lantern Moon has just sent a bunch of great things our way. Shawl pins, the cutest baskets you've ever seen, flower tape measures (I NEVER have enough tape measures), and beautiful woven scarves which make great gifts for you or someone special. And you don't even have to knit them yourself! Also, take a look at the precious little pouches by the register... they are tiny crochet hooks for catching pulls in your knitwear and convenient little cable needle sets. I love these things, and whomever is behind all this has a very creative imagination.

* Plymouth is fully stocked and we have their new fall line. I just have to say, I am a little in love with Hillside Linen. Just take a look, it's in my favorite spot, to the right of the door as you walk in. Always the first place I check to see what's new in fiber.

* More Fiesta and Isis. We always sell a ton of this at this time of the year, because it makes the best gift scarves, so come in to get the best color selection.

* New from SWTC are two super-great super wash yarns (gotta love it, who has time for hand washing?). "Dream Big" does my favorite gift thing, it knits big. 2 sts/in on size 15's, and includes a free pattern on the label. Can't get any easier than that, right? Also, "Saphira" which comes in the BEST colors, all blended together to make a gorgeous knitting yarn. This knits at 3.5 sts/in on size 10's which is also terrific for starting and finishing a project in very little time.

* On the way, Vintage from Berroco, a wool blend that is washable (you already know I love that) and knits on a 7 or 8 needle. I am thinking winter accessories here!

On my needles:

Not as much as I'd like! The transition to High School has taken me completely by surprise. Not that I didn't know it was coming, but why didn't anyone warn me? School doesn't start until tomorrow, officially, for Allie (even though the others have a good week and a half under their belts), but already I have made as many as FIVE (count 'em) round trips a day, every day, including weekends, between my house and her school. Apparently sports practices happen twice a day before school even begins. I did not play sports in high school, I was too busy knitting. Our little guy, who is just seven, asked me this afternoon, "Why did you send Allie to boarder school for high school? I thought people didn't have to sleep at school until they were in college?" OK, so I had to explain a few things, like boardING school, not boardER. And that school didn't even begin yet. And that she was not sleeping there. He left the conversation more confused, and so did I.

Actually, I have taken the opportunity to replace the usual ribbed socks in my glove box with a wonderful pair from Cookie A.'s new book "Sock Innovation." If I have to wait in the car for Allie to be done, I might as well have something really fun at hand. For anyone who wants to improve their technical knitting skills and get something really beautiful at the same time, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. There is a whole section on inverse stitches, i.e. if it is a ssk on one side, what you would do on the other side to preserve the integrity of the look. Beautifully charted patterns make this a really fun and well-written book. I hope everyone picks up a copy, along with some solid-colored sock yarn, so the patterns really show. Did you notice that Eva is stocking some beautiful solid colors of Trekking XXL and Austermann Step? These are really terrific yarns for this type of knitting, as well as your basic sock. Give it a try!

Big Yarn Hugs,

Cathy