Advanced Lace Class

This is not an April Fool's joke. You can learn how to make this beautiful lace shawl.

Seriously.

The Advanced Lace class starts Wednesday, April 14. Check out the website for details.

You know what else isn't a joke? All of the fabulous new lace weight we just got in.

Six Week Sweater Class

Flattering ribbing, interesting construction--Ysolda Teague does it again.

The Snow White class starts Tuesday, April 13 6-8 pm. Ask us for details.

Other classes that are starting soon. Check out the website.

February

It's all coming sooner than we realize. For instance: the Super Bowl Sunday Sale is just a little more than two weeks away. Sunday, February 7, 10 am - 6 pm. Everything in the shop (and I'm talking books, hooks, needles, yarn, bags) will be 15- 75% off. And when I say everything, I do mean everything. That means if you've got yarn stashed in back, you better buy it or kiss it good bye, because it's all going out!

So there's the sale, and then we're right into the Spring classes. Starting Monday, February 8, a new set of classes will begin. Here's what's starting in February (with the starting dates in parentheses):

Basic Socks (Monday, February 8)
Cables (Tuesday, February 9)
Six Week Sweater Class: Choose Your Own Adventure (Wednesday, February 10)
Entrelac (Friday, February 12)
Baby Hat (Sunday, February 14)
Felted Bag (Tuesday, February 23)
Baby Booties (Sunday, February 28)

And don't forget about the Beginning Classes every Saturday. Knitting starts at noon, Crochet at four. Check out the website for more information.

Spring Class Schedule

Look at this! Blogging twice in one week! I'm so glad I set that New Year's Resolution bar so incredibly low that I could practically walk across it without tripping.

Anyway, I'm about to get on a plane to go back to Massachusetts. Jonathan's grandmother passed away a few days ago and so we're going to her funeral. So even though I won't be around this weekend, I've left you all a little gift. The Spring and Summer 2010 class schedule is up on the website!

As the weather breaks and tricks us all into thinking that spring might be coming, we can day dream about all the spring knitting projects on the horizon and all the classes you can take!

Have a great weekend and see you all next week!

Happy New Year!

Another holiday season has come and gone, and another year is here! I don't know about you, but after all that Christmas knitting, I seem to have more knitting to do for others, what with birthdays and babies (Oh, Tonya's baby shower has been postponed for Saturday, January 16 at 3 pm, so you've got more time to get knitting. But I can't push it back any more. The girl's about to pop!)

One of the best projects I saw all December was this amazing hat by Heather. Yep, that's R2D2 and light sabers and the May the Force Be With You stamped across the brim in crystal clear fair isle. Oh, and did I mention that it was reversible?

With Storm Troopers and the Star Wars logo on the other side! It was made out of Dale of Norway Baby Ull and the pattern was of her own design. (But here's hoping she decides to put it all down on paper!) I have shown pictures of this hat to everyone and knitters and muggles alike were thoroughly impressed. Great job, Heather! This is knitting that is sure to crack that boyfriend curse wide open!

The last class of the Fall 2009 season is starting this Friday: Fair Isle knitting. So if you want to learn to be a great knitter like Heather, call and sign up!

The Spring and Summer 2010 schedule will be posted by the end of the month. You know...by THE SUPERBOWL SUNDAY SALE!

Hat and Mitten Class

We've got our first Hat and Mitten Class of the season starting tomorrow night (that's Tuesday, December 1 for those of you still confused from Thanksgiving about what day it is). What surprises me is that only one person has signed up. Now, people, I know it hasn't been very cold outside and that you haven't needed a hat or mittens when venturing out of doors, but you will! In a few short weeks (or even days, according to some) the weather around here will get very chilly and you will wonder if your basic knitting skills could somehow convert a few skeins of yarn into precious items of winter warm clothing. And then you'll be sorry that you didn't take advantage of this special opportunity!

So, to review: Tuesday, December 1, 6 pm. The Knit Nook. Hat and Mittens Class. Sign up.

Upcoming Classes

Now that your garden is dead (or if it isn't, don't you think it's time to give it up already?), and the weather is awful, it's time to pick up your knitting. Never mind that it's still eighty degrees with a thousand percent humidity. Things will get cold soon enough!

We've got some great classes starting soon!

Knitted Beret

$45 + materials

Sunday, September 27, October 4, and 11, 6-8 pm.

This isn't just a floppy hat. Cables, lace, buttons, or color work: choose from one of the gorgeous Ysolda Teague designs. You will also learn shaping techniques. And won't you look adorable just in time for the cold weather!

Here's Whitney modeling her Estella. And we've got an Ishbel in the shop.

Fair Isle

$45 + materials

Tuesday, September 29, October 6, and 13, 6-8 pm.

Put a little color in your knitting. Learn how to knit using two colors, hold the yarn with two hands, and read a color chart. Make the Blue Steel (a Whitney Boswell original) or the Endpaper Mitts, designed by Interweave Editor Eunny Jang [rav link].

Here's a close up of Blue Steel.

Six Week Sweater Class: Design Your Own Pattern

Wednesday, October 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11, and 18, 6-8 pm.

$75 + materials

If your perfect sweater doesn't exist, learn how to make it! You will learn all about gauge, shaping, pattern writing, and finishing techniques. Or, if you have a sweater pattern in mind and just want to learn how to alter it, this class is for you!

There's no picture. Just close your eyes and imagine your perfect sweater. Okay. That's the picture I'd put here.

Entrelac

$45 + materials

Entrelac is a knitting technique used to create a textured diamond pattern. Make a hat, a scarf, or a felted bag.

Here is Heather's Lady Eleanor. Thanks for letting me swipe the picture!

Baby Surprise Jacket

Last spring, Sally took our Baby Surprise Jacket class. And even though she sent me these pictures ages ago, I'm only now putting them up on the blog. But it was well worth the wait!

Sally says, "My granddaughter, Luci, is modeling the sweater. It was fun to make and I can't believe that blob turned into a sweater! What an interesting pattern!"

Thanks for sharing, Sally! Your granddaughter is adorable and that sweater ain't too shabby, either!

If you would like to make this sweater, we have a class coming up this November. And this time, it's not just for children! We've got the pattern sized for adults, too!

Our new schedule is not up on our website because we are in the process of redesigning it. If you would like a copy of our new class schedule, please email us (knitnook@knitnook.com) or stop by and pick up a hard copy.

The Bear turns into a Dog

First, Tonya made Otto. (Read her blog post about it here.) Then, we decided to schedule a class (Sunday, June 7, 14, and 21--read the description here.)

A friend of mine who moved away last year just had a baby. I decided to make an Otto.

But the more I knitted, the more I kept declaring that its cute little face "looked just like my dog, Harper."

So the bear became a dog.

For those of you unfamiliar with my dog, he only has three legs.

There he is, lifting his stump to pee on a fire hydrant--just like the real Harper. I always tell him that he's such a cliche when he does that.

Can I just say that when I was taking these pictures, there was a man picking his daughter up from the school across the street, and he started talking to me about the stuffed animal and I couldn't understand a single word he said. And that's when I realized he was speaking in German. What the...?

Yosemite Class

The Yosemite Sweater Class has already started, so posting about it now seems a little bit of too little, too late.

But it's a beautiful sweater! It comes in a lot of sizes! It's flattering on many body types! It's a great year round addition to your wardrobe! And now, this class is on sale!


That's right. Sign up for the Yosemite Sweater Class by next Wednesday, April 1 and you only have to pay $55.

What the heck? Sign up for the Yosemite Sweater Class by Wednesday, April 8, and you only have to pay $44.

So if you want to take a sweater class, but feel like a whole 6 weeks is a serious commitment, we are ready to offer you a more casual relationship. 4 weeks of a 6 week sweater class offered at a discount? Let's just call that friends with benefits.

For more information about the Yosemite Sweater Class (or all of the other classes we offer), check out our website.

March classes

Tonya is teaching two great classes in the next couple of weeks. Her Baby Shrug class starts March 29 (and that's this month!). The Baby Shrug is a perfect introduction to sweater construction. Top down and on relatively large needles, this is a quick knit perfect for our unpredictable Easter weather. (Seriously, one of our customers said she knit one up the Saturday before Easter so her daughter would have something to wear to keep her warm that wouldn't cover up her Easter dress.) For an adorable picture, look at Tonya's blog. For more information about this and all classes, look at the Knit Nook website.

The other class Tonya is teaching is the Argyle sweater vest. This class started Sunday, March 1. (Yes, I'm a little late advertising for it.) But there are still three weeks left if you want to jump in. This is a more advanced sweater, but is a great introduction to intarsia (that's how you make the colors go). It is made out of Mission Falls 136 superwash merino.

I did have a bunch of photos of the sweater vest, but then Tonya reminded me that she can't post photos of it BECAUSE THE PATTERN IS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED IN YARN FORWARD MAGAZINE! So boo about the photos (they were of Leo, being cute and holding a knitted cob of corn), but congratulations, Tonya!

Felted Bag Class

Felted bags are magical. They are very impressive looking. People will exclaim when you tell them that you made your bag: "You made that! How?"

If they don't knit, just shrug. Really build up the suspense of your own talents.

If they do, then they shouldn't be asking you how because they should already know how to make one since felted bags are seriously that easy. Tell them about the Felted Bag class at the Knit Nook, starting Tuesday, February 10, 6-8 pm.

A felted bag is so easy, you don't even have to purl. And the washing machine does all the felting for you.

Do you want to make the flower, too? Well, that's another class that isn't starting until April. So you will have plenty of time to knit all sorts of felted bags and then you make flowers out of the scraps.

We are Open!

I tried my hardest to be open on Tuesday. I was here at 10:30 and I shoveled the sidewalk in front of the store. I waited patiently behind the computer, phone beside me. But nobody came in. Nobody even called to check if we were open. When the mailman came to deliver the mail, he said, "Wow, I didn't think you'd be here! Everybody else is closed."



I stared out at the snow covered ground, and the sleet that was starting to fall (ah, the much talked about "wintry mix") and at a little after one in the afternoon, I went home.



If I was unsure if Tuesday was a snow day or not, Wednesday could not be denied. So we remained closed.



But now it's Thursday. The side roads are still pretty bad, everything is covered in ice, and between this and the hurricane last fall, I don't think we'll have any trees left come spring. But two days closed was enough. The novelty has worn off. We officially have cabin fever. So, here we are. Business as usual. Stitch and Bitch until 9 pm.



In other news, our Intro to Intarsia class begins Sunday, February 8, 6-8 pm. Tonya will show you how to read a colorwork chart (or design your own), use bobbins, and embellish your colorwork with duplicate stitch. Here is a picture of her tote bag still in process (it's a bird). The finished object should be displayed in the store by the SUPER BOWL SUNDAY SALE!!!

Did I mention that THE SUPER BOWL SUNDAY SALE IS THIS SUNDAY AND EVERYTHING IN THE STORE WILL BE 15% TO 75% OFF?!!

Sorry for yelling, I don't seem capable of talking about the sale in a normal voice.

Hat & Mittens: Crochet Edition

Nothing quite puts you in the mood for knitting like a snow day.

(Even though, here I am, at the shop. Nobody's here. I'm wondering if I shouldn't just close up and go sledding like the rest of you all. If you show up today and I'm not here, then check the big hill at Cherokee park.)

So knitting and snow days. But what about crochet? Crocheters aren't only about doilies and granny squares. They need to keep warm on snow days too.

Suzanne will be teaching Hat and Mittens: Crochet Edition Wednesday, February 11, 18, and 25, 6-8 pm. Here are some examples of her handy work (and they are also free patterns on her website) even though your hat and mittens are allowed to be grown up sized and all one color. Check out the class schedule for more information.




And those are her adorable children modeling the handmades. (What's the crochet version of handknits? Handcrots? Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?)

February Lady Class

Based on the Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern, the February Baby Sweater, from The Knitter's Almanac, Flint Knits has adapted this sweater for "a grown ass woman." (Wow, could I get any more links in that sentence? I was tempted to link "grown ass woman" to something hilarious, but I couldn't think of anything.)

The February Sweater Class is a six week class that will meet Friday, 6-8 pm, starting on February 13. Check The Knit Nook class schedule for more information.

While you can see almost 4,000 February Ladies on Ravelry and read over six hundred blog posts about it (this sweater is a phenomenon, people!), Becca was good enough to model the example we've got in the store.

Top down and a swing jacket construction makes this a very versatile sweater. Look, you can even be pregnant and wear it!

Becca enjoyed wearing this sweater so much, she kept it on well after I put the camera away. She even finished sewing up her first baby sweater, from The Knitter's Book of Yarn and knit out of Blue Sky Cotton while wearing the February Lady.

She did a superb job in her seaming, and it took almost no time. I suspect that while wearing a February Lady sweater, knitters of all skill levels suddenly become excellent finishers. I have heard that while wearing a February Lady Sweater, knitters are known to knit so perfectly that they never need to knit gauge swatches and they never drop stitches or make any mistakes. True, the magical properties of the February Lady are still unproven.

But if I were, I'd make one just in case.

Let it Snow!

We will be open today, in spite of the snow and Martin Luther King Day. Also, the spring class schedule is posted on the website, and it will be emailed out today or tomorrow.

In unrelated news, here is a hat and scarf I made for a friend who moved to upstate New York a while back. The natural colors are Perdues in Paraidse Alpaca (so some Kentucky fibers could keep her warm in her new home) and the red is Misti Alpaca Worsted (because red is an awesome color). The hat is knit and the scarf is crocheted, but the zig zag patterns match each other perfectly.

January Events

Hey y'all!

You thought I was fooling when I said that my new year's resolution was to be a better blogger, but here I am!

Tomorrow, I'll have a post about some new yarn and patterns, but today I thought that I would give everybody a heads up about upcoming classes and events.

This week:
We've got three classes starting this week. These are the only classes happening this month (besides our Beginning Knitting and Crochet classes on Saturdays) so now's your chance!

Hat and Mittens starts tonight at 6 pm.
Top Down Sweater starts on Wednesday at 6 pm.
And Basic Socks starts this Friday at 6 pm.

This month:
We might be on TV again this year! Nothing is final yet, but I'll post about it when it becomes official.

And our SUPER BOWL SUNDAY SALE will be on Sunday, February 1 (I know February is not technically this month, but the sale is less than a month away!) Everything in the store will be 15%- 75% off! We'll be opening at 10 am, so come early for deals!

Also, expect our new class schedule to be emailed and posted by the last week of January. We have a lot of new classes in the works, including Needle Felting, Crochet Socks, and the February Lady Sweater. Stay tuned!