Granny Squares and Circles Set to Bloom this Monday

For those of you who have always wanted to learn how to crochet or already know how to crochet but have always wanted to learn how to make a granny square, we're having a mini crochet retreat this coming Monday, April 16 from 9:30 - 2:30.  Check out here for more information!  

And remember, a granny square can be as simple

or as ornate

or as floral as you want it to be.

Hope you can join us!

Craft Activism

Gale Zucker brought that green granny bag with her today when she came to teach her photography workshop and sign copies of her book.

By using outtakes of shots from the book as samples, she was able to share many ways to ensure that the photos you take and use for yourself or your on line presence are as strong and effective as they can be.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of the book either at the shop or by clicking on the link to the right.  The book has great knitting and crochet patterns, great photographs, and great resources for using your love of crafts to start a business or raise money for a cause or charity.

It's Not Just About The Yarn - Part 2

Well, it might have taken a little longer than we thought to get the word, but it was definitely worth waiting to hear that Little Joe's took the Grand Prize for the Extra Yarn contest.

It's very exciting news for all of us and we once again thank you for contributing to this community effort.

I've talked about how a yarn store is not just about selling yarn here before, and this contest is one great big example of that.

While knitting and Katonah Yarn is how the particular community was formed, the many people who contributed from our shop did so in the spirit of helping out.  They may have loved the idea or simply knew the people asking, but they wanted the effort to succeed.

And it did.

(You can read what Little Joe's has to say about their win here.  If you haven't seen the slide show Amy Drucker made as part of their winning submission, I highly recommend that you check it out.)

Mother's Day Wish List

It's time to come in and fill out your Mother's Day Wish List.

Help your family figure out what to get you.  They really do appreciate you and want to get you something you want.

Put down your favorite color (including the shade), something you've always wanted, something you absolutely do NOT want.  Little details help.

Wish lists are fun.  And our staff will do their best to guide your family and friends to make sure they pick out the items most likely to fill your needs.

Jennifer and Jen Cook from Little Joe's Bookstore

Over 1000 balls of yarn were donated and 200 knitted items loaned towards Little Joe's effort to win the Extra Yarn book contest. Once the contest is over and the knitted items returned, the yarn balls will be donated to the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women.

This project was great for so many reasons. It was light hearted and fun. It was community building. And it allowed us to do something for others. We all know how restorative knitting and crocheting can be.

Check out this fantastic slide show with photographs from soulshineimagery.com. It describes and documents the entire project. See how great Little Joe's Books looks all yarned up.

We're Doing The Granny Square

Bag in Progress/Rowan Hand Knit Cotton/Craft Activism

Sometimes it's fun to complete what you're working on quickly, and when you're crocheting granny squares you get to finish quickly over and over.  There's a feeling of satisfaction that comes over you every time you come to the end of a row and have to slip stitch into the third chain of original chain and fasten off.  And the often large selection of colors involved keeps things interesting and delightful to the eye.

Bag In Progress/Rowan Cotton Glace/Rowan Holiday Knits

I'm currently working on two bags for the store and Lisa W. just started a throw for her family room.

Blanket In Progress/Lisa W.

If you've got granny squares to show us, please post them on the our Facebook page.  We would love to see them.  And if you've always wanted to learn how to crochet but never got around to it we're doing a workshop on Monday April 16 9:30 - 2:30 when you will learn how to crochet AND make a granny square.  

Little Joe's Waits To Celebrate Extra Yarn

Wanting to include as many of the generous contributors as possible for its effort to win the Extra Yarn bookstore decoration contest, Little Joe's is postponing it's Thank YOU party until March 5.

Meanwhile, here's a photograph Amy Drucker took of the store all yarned up.  Doesn't it look great?

Last Minute Donations To Little Joes

If you've got knitted items to lend to Little Joes Bookstore to help them win the Extra Yarn Contest, Please bring them into the shop today!  Jennifer and the Little Joes gang will be decorating tomorrow.
Thanks SOOOoooo much.

All The World's A Cowl

We're continuing to knit cowls at my house and if you've been following Kay Gardiner of Mason-Dixon you know that she too has been doing her share of cowl knitting.  Cowls are versatile knitting projects allowing for whatever level you aspire to.

Annie knit this cowl for me.  While she's tried her hand at lace before, this is her first time at seeing it past the frustrating stage of dropped stitches and incorrect row counts.  Needless to say I'm very proud of her.

If you would rather not concentrate so hard on your cowl, here's a link to a collection someone else was nice enough to put together of over 40 free patterns.

Wool N' Creatures

As we prepare to help decorate Little Joe's, the fabulous children's bookstore here in Katonah, with all things hand knit, it seems fitting to think about the animals that provide the yarn and the fun ones you can knit with it.

These birds from Meg Beckwell speak of spring.  But if you prefer working with larger yarn and needles you can try out a knitting sheep.

Sharing The Love Sale

Won't you be our valentine?

Today all red, red yarn is 15% off.

We are nothing without you!

x.o.

Jennifer

Barbara

Felicia

Rae

Peggy

Margaret

Dani

Debbie

Liz

Calling All Knitters

We're really excited to have an opportunity to work with Little Joe's Books on a really fun and slightly goofy event.  We've always thought that the perfect vacation is one that includes the opportunity to read and knit and now here's an opportunity to celebrate a book by knitting.  

Little Joe’s Books needs to completely decorate their store in original ways with knit items and yarn.  The contest celebrates the new children’s book The Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen.  This book is about a girl who finds an extraordinary box of yarn and begins to knit sweaters for things that do not typically wear sweaters.  

I'm thinking book jackets! Jacket Pattern. Jacket Pattern. Jacket Pattern.

Here are ways you can help.  You choose how many you would like to do.

1)     LEND Little Joe's anything you’ve knit or that you know was hand-knit by others.  You can drop them off at Little Joe’s Books or Katonah Yarn before February 25^th.  They will be returned in the first week of March.  (They are hoping for hundreds of items—no item is too small!)  These items will be used to decorate Little Joe’s Books (imagine books dressed in children’s sweaters and balls of yarn hanging from the rafters.)  

2)     GIVE us your extra (left over) balls of yarn.  We will donate them to the women’s prison afterwards.

3)     COME TO A PARTY!   As our THANK YOU, Katonah Yarn and Little Joe’s Books invites all participants to a Knitting & Wine Party upstairs in Little Joe’s Books on Wednesday, February 29^th from 6 – 8pm.   

If you plan to participate, please shoot us an email!  And please call with any questions.  You can drop off your knitted items at either Little Joe’s Books or Katonah Yarn.       THANKS!

Little Joe’s Books
25 Katonah Avenue
(Across from the Train Station)
Katonah
info@littlejoesbooks.com
914-232-7278            

Super YARN sale for Super Bowl Sunday

We thought we would add to the festive feeling of Super Bowl Sunday by having a sale.  After all, isn't a YARN sale to us what the Super Bowl is to fans of football? ALL Madelinetosh in the store and ALL Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in the store will be  25% off for TOMORROW ONLY!  There will be LOTS of other yarn on sale too!  Sunday, February 5 from 11:00 - 4:00.  Please note that yarn purchased prior to, or after the sale cannot be included in the sale.

Kid Silk Haze Many Ways

The Kid Silk Haze Stripe snuck onto the shelves one week when I wasn't looking.  It only takes up one shelf and because it's already wound up in those adorable poufs, it is pretty inconspicuous.  In fact, with the ball band on it, it's hard to see that there's a whole lot of color going on in there.

But it stopped me in my tracks, and as you can see from the sample at the top, it knits up nicely.

I've always been a fan of Kid Silk Haze.  I crocheted this log cabin scarf as a result of having to have all these colors of the stuff.

Dani suggested a Sky themed shawl using Kid Silk Haze and here's what we pulled from the drawers.

And then of course there is this wonderful scarf and example of double knitting that Peggy will be teaching on Saturday, February 11.  Details here.

Guest Post From Across the Pond

Click on this link to read about a woman who crochets everything.  Everything.  There are pictures.

Knitting with Floss: Olek is back!: As if she ever went away! If you're an avid reader of knittingwithfloss (which none of you are), then you may remember the last time I ref...

Malibrigo Sock

The new workshops just went up for the months of February and March.

I'm thinking that learning how to knit socks from the toe up makes an awful lot of sense given that I've got a pair of socks with a toe undone for more than two years.

And in a shade of this new Malibrigo sock yarn......

Jennifer's First Japanese Sweater

Jennifer took Gayle Roehm's Understanding Japanese Knitting Patterns at Stitches East in the Fall and got started on this sweater as soon as she got back from the weekend.

Because she's Jennifer she finished it very shortly thereafter.

I'm very excited that Jennifer now shares my great admiration for Japanese patterns because ever since Lucy introduced me to crochet patterns for flowers and other ornamental projects,  I've been determined to master them.

I've done lots of experimenting on my own, followed lots of leads on the internet and enlisted the help of a Japanese neighbor whose dog plays with mine.

Have you knit or crocheted something using a Japanese pattern?  We would love to see it and hear about your experience with the pattern.  Please join us on Facebook and share what you're made.

Freia Fine Handpaints - Ombré Worsted

I love being in the shop after the shelves have been restocked and the yarn's neatly arranged.  This ombre looks specially luscious with waves of color within each skein placed in piles which in turn create waves of color.

Here's the Triangle Entrelac Shawl illustrating the compilation of colors within each skein.

Jennifer's Babette Blanket

Kathy Merrick's Babette Blanket pattern is one of those projects on most of our To Do lists.  

As soon as your eyes settle on one, you begin to feel that all is right and warm and balanced.  

Somehow the combination of 17 colors and several different sized squares results in a whole that feels anything but chaotic.

Artyarns Supermerino in Stonewashed Colors

The same soft beauty of Supermerino in even more intense and saturated colors.  

Come in and see them for yourself.

I've already got quite a bit on my needles but I'm definitely going to make a hat out of one of these right away.  

What color should I use?