Show and Tell Friday...

Last month we had quite a few folks join us for our Mystery Crochet-a-long to celebrate National Crochet Month. Here are the doilles that folks made out of the Presencia Perle Cotton.

Pat did a beautiful job using a rust color thread.

Karissa chose a pale blue thread for her doillie. Very dainty looking.

Kristina's made a diferent edging on her doillie, but it still looks great! Love the color.

Annhara's brown doillie will look great anywhere in her home.

Laura chose a real pretty blue for her doillie.

And Sandra's fuchsia doillie really stands out. Very pretty.

It was amazing to see how the doillies came out different sizes according to everyone's gauge. Thank you to all these gals for joining our CAL. We'll do another mystery CAL next March. And who knows, we might even do one sometime else during the year. I've had several requests to do another one, and I think that's a great idea!

On a different note, I was driving back to the shop one day last week and saw the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile ahead of me. I was surprised to find them pulling into our shopping center. I just had to take a picture...because it's not every day that you see a giant hot dog going down the road. Some of the Lace KAL gals suggested that we go out and have our picture taken with it, but that idea got voted out rather quickly.

Well, have a wonderful weekend and enjoy this beautiful summer weather we're having so early. Hope this doesn't mean that this summer is going to be unbearably hot. Pray for some rain or we might be in for another drought soon.

Blessings!

Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival...and Easter with the Family

A couple of weeks ago Melissa and I went to the Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival in Townsend. It was fun seeing a lot of our wonderful customers there! I think this is going to be an annual event, so be sure to watch for it next year. It's really nice having a fiber arts festival in our neck of the woods. We got two new vendors from the festival...River's Edge Fiber Arts...and Handpainted Knitting Yarns. We already have the roving from River's Edge in stock. Come check out the wonderful merino yarn with nylon added. Would spin up some great socks! Smoky Mountain Memories Portraits came around taking pictures of all the vendors. Check out our photo here.

Yesterday we celebrated Easter...as well as our youngest daughter's birthday. Here's a photo of me, Sarah, and Ariel together. Can you see the family resemblance??

And here's a photo of Ariel wearing the twirly skirt that I had made for her birthday back in March. It was a beautiful day and just perfect to have an egg hunt. I had told my hubby to not mow the back yard so there would be lots of places to hid eggs. I'm sure the neighbors were not pleased, but the kids loved the challenge of finding the eggs. I hope you and your family had a great Easter together celebrating our risen Lord.

One last note...check out this article that was in the Wall Street Journal on how truckers have turned to knitting, quilting, etc. Thanks, Bernie, for sending this to me!

Show and Tell Friday...

This rainy day today makes me want to just curl up on the couch and knit. But unfortunately, the paperwork in the back office is keeping me here at the shop and working hard. You know, the first couple of years as a yarn shop owner I was able to be out on the sales floor and really get to interact with customers. That's how I made so many really good friends. But the last year or so, as we have grown, the business side of the shop has kept me going at a pretty fast clip. I constantly feel like I am behind in ordering supplies. I think the purchasing and processing part is becoming a full-time job. And I'm always on the outlook for new products and new ideas of fun events we can have at the shop. While I love my job, I do miss the leisurely hours I had at the beginning. Now they didn't seem so leisurely back then. But seeing how busy I've become in the past year...those years were a piece of cake. Hopefully, you all will enjoy the fun things I'm planning and not be too disappointed when I have to hid back in the office and do paperwork. That time is what keeps the shop up and running.

OK...I have to share another photo of my great-nephew, Jackson. He's really a cute little guy and is doing quite well for being a preemie. I'm hoping I'll get to see him up close and personal before too long. My brother is obviously smitten with being a grandpa for the first time. I hear through the grapevine that he's headed back up to Kentucky this weekend for a visit. That's so good to see him excited about his new grandson.

And I forgot to share last week about the fun time that we had at our Girls' Night Out Workshop on making clay buttons. They were really fun to make and not hard at all. We just might have to get Mimi to teach this class again. It was so neat to see the gals create such neat buttons to go on their garments.

Now for a few show and tell items...

Kori made her scarf out of Berroco Seduce yarn. A simple pattern created a great scarf!

Mary finished her 10 stitch blanket and did a wonderful job. She used the Noro Silk Garden and created this beautiful heirloom for her family to enjoy.

And Kelora made this shawl out of the Frabjous Fibers Blue Faced Leicester roving that she handspun. That's quite an accomplishment to first spin your yarn and then knit it up into a beautiful garment to wear. And speaking of spinning, don't forget to come to our 2nd Saturday Spin 'N Stitch tomorrow from 2-4 pm. You'll find folks spinning, knitting and crocheting to their heart's content.

If you're looking for something to do next weekend, don't forget the Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival up in Townsend. We'll be having a booth there and you'll get to see lots of fun fiber items. Hope to see you there!

The Yarn Haven Olympics 2010...

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics are over...and so we can now announce the winners of The Yarn Haven Olympics. Chosen by popular vote from our customers...here are the winners in each category.

Kelora won the Lace category with her beautiful shawl made out of Mountain Colors yarn. Her pattern was out of the Victorian Lace Today book.

Ginny won the Sweater category using Louisa Harding Hulda yarn. Her pattern was Lisa's Berrielicious sweater.

Jan won the Socks category using Swedish Yarn Raggi yarn. She also used one of Lisa's patterns called "I don't give a darn socks".

And the UFO category was won by Beth and her buttonhole scarf. She used Ironstone Sky yarn.

Congratulations to all of our winners! Please stop by the shop and pick up your Olympic prize. Our winners get the yarn to make one of the Olympic Reindeer hats like the USA team wore in the Opening Ceremonies. Everyone loved the hats when we saw them, and when I saw that someone on Ravelry had charted it out, I just knew this would be the perfect prize. Hope you enjoy making them!

The other people who turned in their projects for our Olympics should be congratulated as well since they were able to finish their projects.

Sweater category - Mimi did the Lisel pattern by Ysolda Teague out of Malabrigo yarn.

Socks category - Sue made her socks out of Luna Park yarn.

Lace category - Kristina made her shawl out of Cascade Lace yarn.

Lace category - Laura made her shawl out of Takhi Gioiello yarn.

Lace category - Kori made a lace doillie out of Presencia Perle Cotton yarn.

Lace category - Aggie made a lace scarf out of Filatura di Crosa Carioca yarn.

UFO category - Marilyn made a felted bag out of Cascade 200 yarn.

I hope you all enjoyed doing Olympic projects...and watching the 2010 Vancouver games.

I'm a Great-Aunt again!!

Yesterday at 2:41 pm I became a great-aunt once again. My nephew, Chris, and his wife, Kellie, brought little Jackson William Godwin into this world weighing 4# 10 oz. and 18" long. He was 5 weeks early, but considering Kellie has some health issues, it was a miracle he even made it. Welcoming a new baby into the family is always a wonderful thing, but this little guy is special for several reasons. One, he is named after my daddy, William Godwin. And also, he is the one to carry on the Godwin name as all of the Godwin boys have had girls. So we are very excited and I can't wait to actually hold him. Here is the only photo I have of him so far. Hopefully, Chris and Kellie will find time to post some other photos on Facebook. My brother, David, says he looks a little like Chris did when he was born. And I could tell my brother was just beaming when he called me with the news. This is his first grandchild by blood. Although he has several other grandchildren with his wife, Janice, that I know he loves as well. But there's just something about holding your first grandchild for the first time. I still remember holding Ariel when she was born. In fact, someone took a picture of that moment and it's one that I will cherish forever.

Want to see some finished projects that my customers have made? Well, here they are...

Kristina finally finished this enormous pi shawl. Isn't it just gorgeous! You can tell by her smile that she's proud of it. And she should be!


Jan made a scarf out of Malabrigo yarn. It was a free pattern on Ravelry by Two Left Needles called "Homespun Scarf".


Mary Beth's used Malabrigo's new Twist yarn to make this Shell Lace Stole. It's also a free pattern on Ravelry.

Three beautiful finished projects...and a gorgeous weekend to boot. Blessings to you all!

Show and Tell Friday...

This past weekend was a busy time. We started our Olympic projects at Melissa's home on Friday evening while watching the Opening Ceremonies and eating Melissa's wonderful food. Kelora brought a couple of desserts...one of which was called "Death by Chocolate". Since she shared the recipe with us, I thought you might like to have a copy.

Death by Chocolate

Serves up to 24 people (or 1 serious chocoholic!)

1 box (19.8 oz) fudge brownie mix

3 packages (4 servings each) instant chocolate mousse

8 chocolate-covered toffee candy bars (1.4 oz. each)...like SKOR or Heath bars)

1 large container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Bake the brownies according the the package directions; let cool. Prepare the chocolate mousse according to the package directions. Break the candy bars into small pieces in a food processor or by gently tapping the wrapped bars with a hammer. Break up half of the brownies into small pieces and place in the bottom of a large glass bowl. Cover with half of the mouse, then half of the candy, and then half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients.

***

Last weekend was also Valentine's weekend. I helped Ariel decorate a shoebox last week for her Valentines. It brought back many memories of making my own Valentine boxes with my mom. My sweet hubby sent me some beautiful miniature daylilies that I have been enjoying all week. I asked him not to get me chocolate this year as I'm trying to drop a few pounds. But that didn't stop me from getting him some yummy Ghirardelli dark chocolate. Since I'm not as much of a fan of dark chocolate as I am of milk chocolate, they won't be tempting for me. Hope you enjoyed getting and receiving some Valentine gifts as well.

For Show and Tell today I have the beautiful Colonnade Shawl that Debbie made from 2 skeins of Feza Cyprus Mohair and 1 skein of Tahki Bunny. I've already picked out my yarn to make this one. Great job, Debbie.

Kori finished her 10 Stitch Blanket. It's a free pattern on Ravelry, but if you take Mimi's class she will give you lots of great tips for making it...including how to knit backwards! Isn't it just simply gorgeous! I've been pondering which colors of Noro Silk Garden yarn I want to use to make one for the shop.

Melissa brought in her doll wearing the dress she knitted for her. She also made the coat and purse. Very creative!

And finally, Aggie finished her first sock using Berroco Comfort yarn and Lisa's I Don't Give a Darn pattern. Way to go, Aggie!

I think we're going to have a heat wave this weekend. Saturday looks to be a great day to wash the car and get rid of all the salt. Enjoy the sunshine!

Show and Tell Friday...

Did you try out any of the snow recipes? I really wanted to make snow cream with my granddaughter, but she went to spend the weekend with her mom, so she wasn't at home. Maybe the next time it snows, we'll get that made.

But I did try out the two winning recipes...and I have photos to share.

Beth's recipe for "Eggs in a Nest" called for a shape to be cut out of the bread. I didn't have a flower shape, but figured a shamrock would do. It was very yummy and something that I think my grandkids would love to help me make sometime.

Debbie's recipe for "Eggs Goldenrod" took me a little longer to make because I forgot that I had to have a hard boiled egg. So I boiled several eggs and also had an egg salad sandwich for lunch.

And then finally, I made the "Bread Pudding" recipe. I was surprised to find that I preferred it cold, rather than hot.

After the snow stopped, I saw these paw prints in the snow. The set on the right is from Mr. Cottontail, our friendly neighborhood rabbit. But I couldn't identify the other set of prints. Any idea what animal would have made these prints?

What project did you work on during last weekend's snowstorm? I made the Grrlfriend Market Bag out of Berroco Cotton Twist. It turned out really cute and what a great project for this yarn! I used 2 skeins of the variegated and 1 of the solid.

Now on to your finished projects...

Mary Beth got this cute vintage trunk at a garage sale and made a doll and some clothes for it. She even made her some shoes and socks. Very nice!

Pam made a sock using Misti Alpaca Sock yarn. She used a pattern from the Sock Innovation book by Cookie A. This yarn is so yummy for socks! I must add a colorway to my stash. :~)

And Kim made this darling little baby layette for a friend. She used Queensland Sugar Rush...a yarn made of 100% sugar cane! Very cute!

Don't forget to come to our Super Bowl of Knitting party on Sunday afternoon from 2-6 pm. Bring your knitting or crocheting project to work on. And come bid on some of our shop models in our Silent Auction and Raffle to raise money for the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders for their work in Haiti.

Have a great weekend! Blessings!