YARN AMNESTY..BEFORE & AFTER

It seemed like such a good idea at the time..and even better now!  People would bring us their unwanted yarn and we'd give them store credit at $1/pound, then use it for charity knitting projects.  We had 2 at the old shop (fall of '08) and one last September for a grand total of (um) 890 pounds of re-purposed yarn.  To put that into perspective, most skeins are about 4 ounces (about 3560 skeins) or, from another view, it's within spittin' distance of a half-ton!  We're still happy to have your excess yarn and hotel samples (shampoo, etc.).

   The first 525 pounds went to law students in Grundy who learned to knit and crochet, making blankets, hats and more for CASA children.  Last fall we began a charity knitting group at the Abingdon Senior Center on Tuesday mornings.  Big ol' Southern breakfast (FREE!) at 9am, then knitting from 10-12.  Fast forward to earlier this month when several knitters and I turned over hats for all ages, scarves, afghans, and baby blankets to agency heads for distribution.
 For details, see this story and plan to join us soon.  http://www.gotricities.com/article.php?id=7008  Thanks for all your help....we can't do it without you!

Desperately Seeking Samples

  Well, not desperately exactly, but we'd sure like to have those little hotel samples of soap, shampoo, shower gel, etc. we all seem to bring home from trips.  We gather a supply and send them on to the local Women's Shelter.  Please bring them by the shop anytime and we'll get them to the shelter.

EYE-POPPER SOCKS

Think you’ve seen it all in the world of sock yarns? Not quite yet!, ‘til you’ve caught a glimpse of our new Footprints Yarn from Blue Ridge. 100% superwash merino…300 yards of gorgeous hand-dyed yarn and a separate skein of 100 contrasting yards for toe and heel. And for virtually endless possibilities of patterns using 2 circular needles, take a look at our “Socks a la Carte”. 22 cuffs, 32 bodies and 44 feet..How many possible combinations? I’ll leave the math to you!!

Not sock knitter? Use it for contrast on other sock/fingering weight ideas and let us see your projects. Beautiful colors...great idea!

Crochet Unanimous this Saturday

  That's right...it's the last Saturday already and time for our free crochet afternoon.
1-3pm we'll gather for Chain Gang, a sometimes boisterous, always fun group of hooked crafters.  Bring whatever you're working on for an afternoon of seeing what others are working on, tips and inspiration.  No charge, no reservations, just come and join us!

Sleepy in Seattle

  Here's what not to do.....fly clear across the country on the same day as Daylight Savings Time begins.  Kristine and I went to Seattle last week for a marketing seminar put on by Yarn Market News - and I don't know quite the word for it.
  Was it fun/interesting/intense being with 100 yarnshop owners from all over the country?  Absolutely!
  Was it restful? Nope, not a bit but the speakers were excellent, the new merchandise (books, patterns, yarns and equipment) coming out for spring is exciting and we had a great time! And it didn't even rain!!
  We walked all over the bottom end of Seattle (about the only wrong turn we didn't take would have marched us right into the water!!), took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island to see a grand little shop called Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, met our new Skacel rep (he of the much-anticipated ADDI LACE CLICKS), "Yarn crawled" through 5 totally dissimilar shops and generally kept our little red eyes open for new ideas!
  It was fun going but we're glad to be back and ready for spring!!

Coming soon...Addi LACE clicks

Hold onto your seats!  Your socks!  Your shawls!  There's great news coming just ahead of the daffodils!
  Addi's just put out a set of "clicks" interchangeable needles and cables for you people who love their little pointy heads and their non-slip finish.  The set has 8 sets of needles (sizes 4-11), 5 cables of various lengths and a connector to hook them together.  (I've personally never needed a 72" cable, but I guess you never know.)
  We've pre-ordered 6 sets and I'll post the news as soon as they're in.  You could knit an elephant cozy!!

Make Mine Gas

  I don't know how many of you might have seen this but it's super cute.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUFnH7KYMFE  Nothing earth-shaking, just a cute new take on how cozy and cuddly yarn can be.  See what you think and let me know if you have other ideas.  Check out the look on the cat's face!!!

A-Tisket, A-Tasket..Holy Stitches! What a Basket!!

A-Tisket, A-Tasket…..Holy Stitches..WHAT A BASKET!

March 27th, do something good for yourself and for the Washington Public Library. Call the library for tickets and details and watch for A Likely Yarn’s exciting “basket”. It’s really a great reversible knitting bag from Offhand Designs, stuffed with bottles of wine and Pellegrino, Weekend Knitting designs book, tea bags and a lavender wand. And, oh, yeah, YARN……beaded silk, Peruvian wool, pima cotton, chunky mohair, corn ribbon, a llama/wool blend and hand-dyed sock yarn.

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Easter ALREADY???!!

That wascally wabbit! Sneaking in here while it still feels like February but he knows it's almost Easter! Fortunately, Jane is at least twice as smart as most rabbits and will be teaching the cutest little knitted Easter eggs you ever saw! Thursday night, March 18th from 5-7....bring your own dibs and dabs of sock weight yarn (or use some of ours) and needles in sizes 1, 2 or 3. $15 for the workshop. (White puffy tails are optional.)

A Promise or A Threat??

When John Buckland of Blue Windmill Galleries promotes a show called Twenty Two Women, you can consider it either way. Twenty-two local female artists join together in a lively and varied show, with a portion of proceeds going to breast cancer research.
Located on East Main Street, next door to Zazzy's Bookstore and Coffeeshop, Blue Windmill is one of our favorite galleries....showcasing art from all ages, for all ages. For more information, visit http://www.bluewindmillgalleries.com/. Don't miss it!!

CLASSES..PLAIN & FANCY

CLASSES….BASIC AND NOT-SO-MUCH
By now you know our “base activities” every month….Block of the Month, Chix with Stix, UFOs, Drop-in-and-Spin, Knit for the Troops, Chain Gang (open crochet), Beginning Knitting or Crochet. (Check the schedule for days and times.)
Here’s the New News…Fair Isle Beret (starts March 18th), Beaded Necklace (March 27th), or Feather and Fan scarf (March 13th).for beginning lace knitters. Fees and schedule are included in “Classes” section.

KALs Galore

KALs GALORE
First it was the Net of Justice and Villainess Gloves (from the series Hand-Knit Heroes), now 2 groups are finishing up Sally Melville's beautiful Camelot Coat.
Our next KAL will be Carol James' elegant Gypsy Shawl. 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings, 5-7pm, beginning March 11 for a total of 5 meetings. The gathering is free but requires pre-registration and purchase of materials and pattern from A Likely Yarn.
Knit-A-Longs are, by definition, not so much an instructor-led "class" as a group of similarly skilled knitters who meet for fun, inspiration, possibly a new skill.....and a gorgeous garment!
Call soon to sign up (276-628-2143) and purchase your materials and pattern before the first meeting.

CAROL JAMES MEETS HARRY POTTER

And our money’s on Carol to teach you her fanciful Block of the Month…..”Mr. Tweed Visits Diagon Alley”. (I didn’t get it but you probably did!) Our Blocks of the Month this year are a rich combination of tweeds in 12 different patterns/stitches and there’s still plenty of time for you to catch up. Classes are (tomorrow!) Saturday, March 6th or the 9th at 10am. No charge for the class but knitters must have basic skills and purchase yarn here at A Likely Yarn.