Pajama Party Sale! Pajama Party Sale!

Yarn Cravin’ First Annual Pajama Party Sale

Saturday January 2nd, 6:00AM-9:00AM

(yes, you read that right!)

First of all, there are a few rules! (oh, yeah, the fine print...)

• You MUST wear P. J.’s to get the discount. Not sweat suits, scrubs, etc. Pajamas are a must! NO pajamas, NO discount. (We will be in our jammies, too, don't worry!)
  



• Sale is on in stock items. Needles, special orders, yarns we are holding for you and classes are excluded. No other discounts apply.
  
  
  
• No yarns will be wound into pull skeins from 6-9, from 10-4 maybe. You may bring yarns purchased back at a later date to be wound.
  



• From 6-7 all yarns will be 40% off, everything else 25% off
  (you need to be in line by 7 to get 40% off)
  



• From 7-8 all yarns will be 35% off, everything else 25% off
  (you need to be in line by 8 to get 35% off)
  
  
  
• From 8-9 all yarns will be 30% off, everything else 25% off
  (you need to be in line by 9 to get 30% off)
  
  
  
• Bathroom Sale Yarn 75% off from 6-9 ONLY
  



• From 10-4 everything will be 25% off! (patterns, books, knitting bags!! notions, mugs)

You don't wanna sleep through this one!!! Get it on your calendar now!

NOTE: We will close from 9-10 to allow our helpers time to have breakfast and get ready for the rest of the day!!

Puppies, Ponchos and Fish

Puppies, ponchos and fish. Say what?!

You'll see!

Item number one: The Puppy.
Look at Misti! Isn't she adorable? She's growing quickly, so if you haven't stopped in to see her in her "little" stage, do it soon!

Item number two: Ponchos. Look at the adorable poncho Deb made! She took the Icelandic Sweater class with Wayne (former co-owner of Fiber Works, which we all dearly miss), and adapted what she learned to make a poncho for her granddaughter. Brilliant!!

Last, but not least, FISH! Fish hats! This is a free pattern at knitty.com and you can knit it yourself quite easily. Fishy hat can be made from Mission Falls superwash quite economically like the hat on the right. Just picture yourself at a Toledo Walleye hockey game sporting one of these hats! Too much fun, friends.

As always, Tuesday nights are open for fun and friendship, help and shopping. We would love to see you!

Remember this month there's so much to be thankful for, including our yarn, and our yarn shop and shop owners!!

Visitors and Giving Back

If you're a regular at Tuesday night Insanknitty, you may have noticed an unfamiliar face recently. Bobbie was teaching someone to knit. What you wouldn't have known is that the good sport, Bridget, was also doing research for an article she was writing for The Toledo Blade, which ran this past Wednesday. You can read the article HERE if you missed it. Ms. Tharp did her homework, visiting the three local independent yarn shops for her story. It was great to have more positive press for Yarn Cravin', for sure!

Bobbie teaching Bridget Tharp, from The Blade, how to knit.

We had the chance to check out some new yarns, like this gorgeous yarn from Mirasol.

Mary, Becky, and Annette were enjoying themselves. Great orange sweater, Becky!

These new Flat Feet arrived for October. Look at those desert southwest colors and motifs!

The Knit to Lose Group which met on Saturday mornings was such a great success that they have started another session. The last session ended with some very successful weight loss and a donation of over 75 pounds of food to the local food bank. Just "shopping" in our own pantries reminded us how fortunate we are! The food bank was so surprised to get the call to come and pick up food from our little group. Great job, girls.

Make sure you get outside to enjoy the fall colors, everyone. They will be gone in the blink of an eye.

How many days until Christmas, DaleAnn? Bobbie? I bet those ladies know how many days we have until the holidays are upon us! But no pressure. There's always a Yarn Cravin' Gift Certificate!

Celebrities

Were you watching TV at 12:30 PM today, Sunday, October 11? Our wonderful yarn shop owners were featured on "Coffee With The Fords"! Cynthia Ford found Yarn Cravin' during Harrison Rally Days and invited DaleAnn and Bobbie to be on the show. How exciting is that? I took photos of my television screen to show you all here!

Look! Here's our Jen! from Arizona, showing off Mary's completed baby blanket at the Fall Retreat. Hooray!

Julie joined Bobbie and Dale and they all showed off beautiful knitting!

The closed-captioning is referring to the running joke about tornadoes and how we all keep knitting instead of heading to the basement. hehehee Don't the ladies look gorgeous on TV?
As soon as the story is up on the CH 13 (13abc.com) website, I will post a link here.

In the meantime, are you looking for a quick and easy shawl to knit to keep you cozy this fall? I came across this free pattern recently. Multnomah is made with fingering weight yarn (or go to thicker yarn for a bigger shawl!) and is garter stich with a feather and fan edging. I know there's yarn at Yarn Cravin' with your name on it; maybe even on the porch in the sale yarn! Go check it out on Tuesday.

Editing to add the link to the show! Yarn Cravin' on Coffee With The Fords

Yarn Cravin' Has Gone To The Dogs

The current temps and humidity outside may say hot, hot, hot, but the leaves on the trees say otherwise. This photo was taken from the porch at Yarn Cravin' just last night at knitting. Yes, Fall is here. Your favorite football fan is going to need some warm mittens or a hat or scarf! Have you been in to see all the goodies?

Our resident Princess Pooch, Addi Purl, now has a playmate. DaleAnn has adopted a gremlin... er... Shi Tzu, and named her Misti (as in Misti Alpaca hehehehe). Remember I posted a while back that Yarn Cravin' is family friendly and kid friendly. I really meant it. It's a fun, playful, happy place.

The porch is overflowing with sale yarns that are just too good to pass up. Really. You won't forgive yourself if you miss out on these. And your friends won't forgive you if you don't bring them along! (We won't tell on you if you shop before bringing a friend to shop, though.) It's not all cottony, summer yarn. There are some wools and sock yarns, too. I promise!

Inside the shop, the shelves are packed to capacity with new yarns. I mean really new. Yarns you've never seen before have arrived and are filling every nook and cranny. New patterns are flying in and out as fast as they come in. Browse for sure, but ask "What's new?" when you come in the door!

Tuesday nights are still knitting nights at the shop. We would love to see you, even if it's just for a few minutes. Bring whatever you're working on. We've had spinning, crocheting and cross-stitching along with our knitters. It's all about community and looking out for each other. Come and show off what you've made. I would love to feature your project here.

Summertime, Summertime...

Even though the calendar says it is back-to-school time for most of us, there's plenty of summer left. Have you been to the beach? Maumee Bay State Park is just a short drive away, and some Yarn Cravin' regulars spent a Sunday there knitting and relaxing not too long ago.There is still time to go enjoy the sun and sand like Mary, Alana, April and Becky did! (Karen was there, too, but she took the photos.)What about summertime treats? Have you enjoyed some of those? These treats don't have calories, but they sure look yummy! I can reassure you that it is definitely nice and cool inside Yarn Cravin', though.

This is the perfect time of year to sit outside on the porch with friends and knit a bit. Have you made time to do that? The night I took this photo, Yarn Cravin's porch, (and their inside, too!) was full to overflowing. Poor Gina was sitting on the steps.

The Fall schedule of classes has just been sent out. (Fall? It's 90 degrees today!) New yarns are pouring into the shop. Bobbie and DaleAnn can probably tell you off the top of their heads how many days until Christmas, and you better get knitting!

The FALL RETREAT is OCTOBER 3 -4. Payment is due by September 1. Don't miss out on the fun!!!!

Eye Candy

Have you ever looked at the Flat Feet sock flats and wondered how they knit up? Here's one example of a pair, knitted in ribbing, from one of the Patriotic color schemes. DaleAnn did this pair, and you see there's plenty left over. There's no ball of yarn to tangle or chase around, so this is a good option for travel. Check them out!
Here are the entries for July for the Summer Knitting Contest. This month's category is "shawl or shrug." Be sure to stop in and drop your vote into the teapot. There's a crochet entry this month!

Look at this happy Princess! This is a reminder to all of you that Yarn Cravin' is family friendly. Just because it's summer, and kids are out of school, don't stay away! Your kids are welcome Yarn Cravin' while you shop! Besides, Addi Purl loves the company of people her age.

It's easier for them to get on the floor to play with her!

New patterns have just arrived and DaleAnn and Bobbie told me the other day how many days it is until Christmas. (eeeeeek!) It's never too early to get started on your holiday gifts. (Mittens? Snow Buddies? Dog sweaters?)

Hot Off The Press!

Get them while you can, friends. The super-deluxe, "I Love Yarn Cravin'" shirts are here! These shirts are sized up to 3x and come in several colors. They are unisex sized and will fit us all. (No puny girly cut t-shirts, knitters, but we can probably arrange for some of those if there's a need/desire.) Even better, they are made right here in Toledo, so we are supporting another local small business.

The July/August Sock Club Yarn has arrived and it's a deliciously soft cotton yarn in sky blue. You have to see it and touch it to believe how soft it really is. It's waiting for you!

Cherry Tree Hill semi-solid sock yarns have arrived, and no two colors are the same. These are going fast, knitters. It's been a long time since I have seen such deeply saturated colors that are so gorgeous. Buying two would make beautiful stranded colorwork... I'm thinking the gorgeous Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang.


Spinners! There's some gorgeous new roving in the shop also. If you're itching to spin and want something new without having to go online to order it, Yarn Cravin' is your place to find it.

I hope you've been using this little cool break in the weather to knit, knit, knit.

Remember, while Bobbie is on vacation, there's a SALE at Yarn Cravin'. It lasts until she returns on July 7th.

Sock Club, Monthly Contest, WWKIP Day... Oh My!

There sure a great deal going on at Yarn Cravin'! I can hardly keep up with it all. What I can tell you is that there will be great new yarns coming in the fall thanks to DaleAnn attending The National Needle Arts (TNNA) Convention in Columbus recently and ordering nearly everything. Really.

The Sock Club is moving along and participants are knitting gorgeous socks! Take a look:


This last photo is our newest sock club yarn. Remember, hand-dyed yarns can have great variation in them. See the difference in color intensity between the sock on the right and the sock on the left? Check out your skein before you buy.

If you haven't seen what the Monthly Contest is producing, you really do have to check it out. These are the entries for June; anything felted. Wow!

This past Saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day. I couldn't attend to take photos, but rest assured, our regulars were camped out on the porch and in the yard, knitting and having fun together! Knitters all over the planet participate in WWKIP Day.

Come by and knit in the shade of the porch sometime soon. Bring whatever you're working on. There's nearly always a breeze, and there's certainly always someone to knit with.

Just The Usual Clownin' Around

The porch was open and jam-packed Tuesday night. All of the chairs were out and the air was warm and pleasant. Like always, there was some clowning around going on. Was it more than usual? YOU be the judge!



I think I may have a new career with Ringling Bros. if my current job falls through.

Annette and Gina model their new hats...er...baskets.

But seriously, there was much knitting, crocheting and spinning going on Tuesday, amidst the socializing. Mary helped me with the photography, and we decided to focus on hands and works in progress, rather than the people. Well, except for Cher, who had a finished shawl to show off. So sit back and enjoy all the photos of all the beautiful hands making beautiful things.

Wait, wait, wait! That's definitely NOT knitting. It might count as fiber. Who is that?! ;-) (Don't worry, Barb, I'm not telling.)

Red, White and Blue

The latest shipment of FlatFeet has arrived! Aren't they gorgeous?
There are only 8 of them, so the opportunity to buy one will be decided by raffle. You will have to stop by the shop and put your name in the hat. If your name is drawn, you can choose one of these beautiful patriotic FlatFeet to buy! You could have some red, white and blue socks knitted up in time for the Fourth of July.

Only 50 shops across the United States were chosen to receive these special "birthday" FlatFeet, and Yarn Cravin' is one of them. We really do have a great place to knit and shop.

Here's a link to a free sock pattern written specifically for FlatFeet, from the creators, Conjoined Creations. Flat Feet Sock Pattern Enjoy your knitting!

Springtime Buzz

Have you heard about the latest contest the shop is having? The Spring Into Summer Contest has started with Socks in May. Right now the socks are on display for voting! Items for June must be completed and turned in 5 days before the start of June, and can be anything felted. Click on the link above to go to the the complete rules.

I have seen first-hand the gorgeous knitting you all can produce. C'mon, knitters! Get those kneedles moving and get into the contest!

Sock Club continues to meet with two groups meeting on alternate months. The May/June yarn comes from Perfect Day Yarns. The color is Turks Cap Lily. Sarah dyed yarn for us last year, too. Be sure to drop in and pick up your yarn. Feel free to get started on the pattern ahead of time! (The colors are way prettier than this photo show!!)

(photo stolen from Sarah's flickr)

Bobbie recently had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in her shoulder. Send a note to the shop and DaleAnn will make sure she gets it. I know she would love the good wishes.

Lastly, stop in to see what's new, sit on the porch for a bit, and tell us what's new with you.

Retreat Review

It has been said in the past, "What happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat." That just wouldn't be fair to everyone though, because there was just so much good knitting and hilarity going on. So, with some editing, I will share with you the Insankitty Spring Retreat of 2009.

The girls had their special knitting gear on and were ready to go. But, do you all know who forgot to bring knitting to the retreat?

Pretty cabled project.

Outside knitting was great. We special-ordered the 80 degree weather.

We had birthdays to celebrate!

The spinning demo was fun and interesting. Thanks Dawn, for sharing your knowledge.

Knitting with friends and sharing projects in progress... big ones and small ones.

There are far too many photos to share here, so at the end of this entry, you will find a link to a Flickr page with all the of photos!

Our Entertainment for the evening might give you a clue about why some of what happened MUST stay at the retreat! Luann and Barb were fabulous. "Hey Big Spender..."

Go here for more pictures, dear friends! Insanknitty Retreat Photos

A BIG Thank You goes to Annette, our Retreat Coordinator, for all her hard work and planning. She did a fabulous job making sure we all had a great time.