January Classes and the Skacel KAL

Our list is up here and the sign-ups have begun. I'm happy to say we've already had our first sold-out class (the Beginning Knitting class on 1/13), so Yay beginners!

Don't forget that we will be happy to create a class for you--just gather a couple of friends and pick a project. (We have lots of ideas if you need a suggestion.) For $60 per two-hour session we will teach up to seven students on YOUR schedule. We are so excited to offer this alternative for classes.

You might have noticed we don't have any sock classes on the schedule. There's still lots of opportunity to learn socks this winter. Knit Purl Hunter, together with our lovely distributor Skacel, is offering six FREE knit-a-longs to make socks and fingerless gloves. Michelle will offer videos and lots of skill-building with one project a month. Even better, Skacel is offering very generous prizes every month, including several sets of Addi Clicks, with the final grand prize of a trip to Seattle and a shopping spree in their warehouse!

There's no real sign-up in the shop--to enter the contest you'll just send a photo of your completed sock to Skacel. They ask that you use the designated Trekking yarn which we carry in the shop, with extra credit given for using their chosen color. We HAD the chosen color in the shop for about two hours last week, but sold out faster than we've ever sold out of anything. More is on the way and should arrive in the shop Tuesday afternoon. This is a fun, low-stress way to learn some new skills at your own pace and on your own schedule. Let us know how it's going!

Please note that you can actually follow along the KAL using any yarn you like. However, only projects knit with Trekking yarn will be eligible for the prizes. Happy Knitting!

Classes and Christmas Hours

First, classes for January, February and March are available!  Check our our Class link over there to see them.  We anticipate adding a few more classes as we get closer to March and then into April.  Please let us know what you'd like to see.

Second, here are our hours for this week:

Tuesday-Wednesday:  10-6 as usual.
Thursday, 12/23:  2-6 p.m.
Friday, Christmas Eve:  10-1 p.m.
Saturday, Christmas Day:  Closed.

And then for next week, we are open as usual Tuesday through Friday, including open late on Thursday for Purl Jam!  We will be CLOSED on Saturday, January 1, for New Year's Day.

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We have a new Facebook Page!

More timely updates are available here. And this blog will be moving very soon--working on that all day today!

New Mystery Knit-A-Long!!

Wow! Sorry the blog has been quiet for so long. Tons has happened in the shop--have you been in lately? We have the latest from Rowan, Malabrigo, Manos, along with old favorites from Cascade and Plymouth. We've even got great new tools like knitter's graph paper and looms, too.

But...this post is about the newest Mystery Knit-a-long. Available today for $5, this quick knit will get you totally warmed up for knitting in the round.

Some clues: Nope, we won't tell you what it is, but...there are NO seams. There IS shaping and knitting in the round with DPNs or Magic Loop. Gauge is not important, but the project does need to be knitted to a tight gauge. And, when you're done, if you can stand to part with your cute project we guarantee you'll know someone who would love to receive it as a gift.

Some stop by soon...the first clue is here, second one will be ready next week. See you soon!

Shop Knit-a-long

I've been eying the Misti Pima Silk Handpaint lately, thinking it would make a gorgeous shawl. We're getting a knit-a-long together to start the first full week in July, but we're just now getting it organized. Join us over at the "Sugarfoot Friends" group at Ravelry to discuss and get started.

Trendspotting

Part of TNNA is about seeing the general direction of things: color trends, shapes, techniques, even fibers. I got to attend a couple of sessions about the fashion trends, and their feelings were:

• SHOULDERS are back! Remember the 80's? Not quite so much, but lots of puffed sleeves, exaggerated shoulders, tucks and emphasis. This means more set-in sleeves in the latest designs.
• COLORWORK was everywhere, too. Fair-Isle (don't you mystery knitters feel smart?!), mosaic, and intarsia went down the runway at the Friday fashion show. It had a beautiful folk feel, worked in a variety of colors.
• CABLES were also prominent, but I'd say a little less than last year. But the reversible cable trend is in full force.
• RED and BLACK are rumored to be hot hot hot this year, but frankly I'm not convinced. Now that so many of us have discovered the beauty of chocolate brown, are we that easily swayed?
• ENTRELAC is absolutely everywhere. This is the one must-learn technique for the fall. Every single vendor had something going on in entrelac. It's great felted, it shows off self-striping yarns beautifully, and it's fun. What more could you want?!

As the summer continues, we'll be getting plenty of patterns, new yarns and classes to get you ready. And look for a slide show at the shop where I'll share some of the things I got to see.

What I saw at TNNA

Just returned from a long weekend in Columbus, Ohio, for the annual TNNA market. I saw tons and tons of bags, patterns, tools and, of course, yarn. I also got to take some great classes and now I can knit Continental!

I'm looking forward to sharing what I saw, both here at the blog and in the shop. I'm planning a couple of lunch-and-learn sessions in the near future, so I can share my new-found skills and talk about what trends and new things you can expect to see at the shop. It was very fun, and very productive, and I know everyone in the shop will be excited to see what's in store soon.