Show and Tell Friday...

Today's a rainy day here in East Tennessee. But that doesn't stop us from being excited over the wonderful projects that folks have been bringing into the shop to share with us.


Kelora made this beautiful shawl out of Cascade Alpaca Lace. The addition of the beads really made it pop.



Kristina brought in two shawls that she has recently completed. The first one is the Icelandic Poppies Shawl by Evelyn Clark.






The second one is the Sand Dollar Shawl out of Knitting Lace Triangles. Both were made with lace weight alpaca.



Jan shared with us her shrug made out of Feza Cyprus Mohair. Lots of people have made this very popular shrug pattern.



And finally, Aggie made skull and crossbone hats for her grandkids.


Good job, everyone. Don't forget to bring in your finished projects so that we can share them with everyone.

Stay safe today if you're driving around town. Blessings!

Show & Tell Friday...

Can you believe that it's a Friday and I remembered to post on the blog!! We've been so busy this past month that I haven't caught up yet from the Christmas rush. But today I have lots to share with you.


Leslie has made a lot of fingerless mitts recently. She used Brown Sheep Wildfoote to make this first pair.

And then she used Crystal Palace Panda Wool. The pattern for these mitts is in the One Skein book.

And finally she made a pair for a Christmas gift...and this pattern was in the December 09 issue of Knit 'N Style. She's been a busy woman!

Jan made a hat for her granddaughter out of Cabin Fever Cotton Tweed.

Daniel made a lacy scarf for Amanda's birthday out of Malabrigo Silky Merino. It was his 1st attempt at adding beads. He's come a long way from a year ago when he learned to knit.

We've gotten in lots of new yarns this past week. I've kept both Melissa and Paula busy labeling and putting this wonderful yarn on the shelves. I can't wait to start working on models for you to see. We got in:

• Noro Kureyon – 100% wool that is self-striping. A great felting yarn.


• Noro Cash Iroha – a wonderful solid yarn that complements Noro Silk Garden (a silk/wool/cashmere blend)


• Knit One, Crochet Too Crock-o-Dye – a sock weight blend of superwash wool/silk/nylon that would make gorgeous scarves as well


• Knit One, Crochet Too Camelino – a worsted weight merino/camel blend in solid colors


• Knit One, Crochet Too Ty Dy Dots – 100% cotton that knits up like a summer tweed…coordinates with the Ty Dy yarn


• Berroco Origami – a summer yarn of acrylic/linen that knits up into a very light fabric


• Berroco Weekend – an aran weight yarn of acrylic/cotton that is washable and great for lots of different projects


• Lang Jawoll Magic – new sock yarn that gives a tye-dye effect…great for shawls as well


• Plus lots of restocks of your favorite yarns

Did you all see the gorgeous sunset we had last evening? It caused me to stop for a minute and pause to thank God for the beautiful world He has given us to live in. Thought I'd share the photo with you...although it doesn't really portray how beautiful it really was. It was another reminder to stop occasionally and take time to be thankful. Blessings to you all!

Show and Tell Friday...

I guess you've been wondering where I've been since it's been a month since I have written on the blog. We've been very busy as the Christmas season has approached.

I have lots to share with you today. First of all, I wanted to show you a picture I took from our first snowfall of the season. The red berries from my holly tree looked so beautiful with the freshly fallen snow on them. I love waking up to see snow on the branches of all the trees. My granddaughter immediately got outside and starting playing in it. Unfortunately, it left about as quickly as it came. Perhaps we'll get more snow this winter that will stay a little longer.

We had a special Christmas treat for all the gals taking one of the Weekly Classes. They each got to make a Scrap Yarn Scarf. They seem to enjoy this week of cookies, presents, and yarn. Here are a couple of photos from our week.

Now for some show and tell...

Barbara made this cute baby sweater. I'm sure it will look darling on some little baby soon.

Kori did her very first pair of socks. She used Swedish Yarns Raggi yarn and Lisa's "I don't give a darn" sock pattern. Nice job. I see many more pairs of socks in your future, Kori!

Sam brought in a pair of socks she made for a Christmas gift. She used the Aslan Trends sock yarn. It was very soft and yummy. You might want to check out this yarn for your next pair of socks.

And I had to show you this cute reindeer that Mary Beth made. It's an Alan Dart pattern. Very cute!

And her beaded neckwarmer will be making someone a wonderful Christmas present this year. Very nice!

I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful Christmas together with your family.

Giving Thanks...

As Thanksgiving time nears, I am mindful of all the things for which I am thankful. First and foremost, I'm thankful for a loving family. And I'm thankful to have 3 of the greatest grandchildren around. They bring me much joy.

I'm also thankful for my health. For years I've taken good health for granted. And then when two car accidents injured my back in June, my health took a turn for the worse. I've had to really struggle to regain my health. I'm thankful to have two of the greatest physical therapists in the world. Both Mark and Joy have been there every step of the way helping...and sometimes pushing...me to work hard and get my strength back. It's amazing how a simple hug or a big smile can motivate me to keep trying. And even though I've still got some healing to do...both physically and emotionally...I'm making progress. For that, I am truly thankful.

Thankfulness doesn't even begin to express my gratitude to the wonderful gals that both work for me as staff and teach my classes. They encourage me...they watch out for me...they inspire me to keep learning new knitting and crocheting skills. I consider each of them a dear friend. I'm thankful to have them to work alongside me.

And speaking of friends, I've had so many new friends come into my life simply by walking in the door of my yarn shop. I get so excited to see them learn new skills...and I love to see them truly excited about the crafts I love. I'm thankful for each person that has helped me to build my business.

This next week as you celebrate Thanksgiving, why not spend some time thinking about the things for which you are thankful. You'll be amazed at how your spirit will be lifted up as you focus on the many blessings God has given you. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Show and Tell Friday...

If you missed our Holiday Cookie Exchange and Book Signing last weekend, then you really missed out. The gals brought some delicious cookies and we enjoy seeing all of Andra Knight-Bowman's beautiful garments. We still have a few of her books left that are signed if you'd like a copy.

For Show and Tell today we have Daniel's felted hat and socks.


He also made one of Kristina's bookmarks out of the Presencia perle cotton.

Mary Beth brought by her Colonnade Shawl...which is a free pattern on Ravelry. She used Malabrigo yarn.

And she also brought the witch she made using one of Alan Dart's patterns. Too cute.

And finally, Sarah brought by her UT scarf she made out of Cascade 220 superwash yarn.

Great job on your finished projects, everyone!

Sometimes you just need a break...

Have you ever felt that you were pushing and pushing to get everything done...and yet still were so far behind? I've felt like that a lot the past few months. Last week Melissa gave me the day off. She said I was not to come to work...I was to go have some fun. I must admit it was hard for me. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. I did have 2 doctor appts. that day, but between them I picked up some lunch and went to Cove Park. After eating a leisurely lunch, I sat there on the park bench and just enjoyed the beautiful day. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my back...I could hear the birds singing...I could see the beautiful leaves and the water move as the wind blew across it. For just a short time, I felt relaxed and at peace. My life has been such a whirlwind the past few months since my car accidents. I'm better, but still in therapy. Many days I just feel too tired to continue going on. But then I get to have a day of rest and I'm rejuvenated...at least for a little while. I think we all need breaks every once in a while. Have you had a break lately? Try and find some time to just go and sit and enjoy the beautiful world that God has given us. I know I'm going to try to take breaks more often.



The Yarn Bowl Challenge is over. We had an independent judge come in to pick our winners. She said to tell you that many of you did wonderful jobs on your caps. It was very hard for her to choose, but here are the winners...

Most productive knitters and crocheters: Sandy Privets, Linda Cepeda, Kori Tisdale & Aggie Wallace (each of these ladies made over 250 caps each!!)

Most UT Spirit: Mary Beth Cox for her UT helmet hat


Most Unique: Kristina Plaas for her many cute original designs

We had a good time making all of these little caps. I'm glad we had the opportunity to help out our community hospitals.

Now go enjoy this beautiful day!!

Yarn Bowl Challenge ends...and we won!!!

Well, the results from the Yarn Bowl Challenge are in and the UT team won the challenge by knitting & crocheting 3,171 preemie caps! The Alabama team made 1,738 preemie caps for their area hospitals. Needless to say, we are excited and pleased to have so many folks join us in this challenge.

I wasn't able to put up on the internet a picture of our "Wall of Caps" before because I didn't want to give away how many caps we had made to the Bama Team. But now that the challenge is over, here's our famous "Wall of Caps". As you can see the caps overflowed even the portacrib we set up.

And we were very excited this week to have been both in the newspaper and on television! We were in the Shoppers News on Monday with an article. Then today, the Live at Five cameraman showed up to take some pictures of our "Wall of Caps". If you missed the newscast this afternoon, here's the video.

Thank you to everyone who made one of our preemie caps. I tell everyone all the time that I have the best customers in the world. You all are a giving group of people. Blessings to you all!