Black Friday Sale!

Needles in the Haymarket will be hosting our first ever Black Friday Sale!

Sale starts at 8:00a.m. and ends at 6:00p.m on Friday, November 29, 2013.  Please use the parking lot door to enter.

The Specials are:

   8:00a.m. – 9:59a.m. 

          Yarns, Notions, & Accessories*  30 %off      Cross Stitch Fabrics 25% off

    10:00a.m. – 11:59a.m.

          Yarns, Notions & Accessories*  25% off       Cross Stitch Fabrics 20% off

   12:00p.m. – 6:00p.m.

          Yarns, Notions & Accessories *  20% off      Cross Stitch Fabrics 15% off

All patterns and Books (Knit, Crochet and Cross Stitch)  20% off All Day

All DMC, Anchor and Prescencia Threads 4 for $1.00 All Day

All other Threads 20% off All Day

Needlepoint canvases 75% off all day!

We will also be raffling a Namaste Bag, a Namaste Notions Box, two sets of Clover Straight Needles, one starter set of Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Interchangeables,  one set of Knitter’s Pride Sock Double Points, Plymouth DeAire Glow Infinity Scarf Kit, Frabjous Fibers Needle Case

The only cost to enter the raffle drawing is a donation of a canned good for the Haymarket Food Pantry.  Additional tickets may be purchased for $1.00 ea.

Sale prices are on in stock merchandise only.  No special orders.  All Sales are Final.

May not be combined with any other discounts.

*No discounts on Needles, Debra’s Bags or purchase of a gift card.

Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you on the 29th!

Shhh! It's A Secret!

As you can see, I've been cross stitching with a vengeance!  This is a secret though, and I have to make three for graduation gifts (2 college, 1 high school)!  I'll post a picture of the finished versions before graduation, as all 3 dear sons have to open this gift at the same time for maximum effect!

(And with 2 graduations down and one to go, I better get a move on....)

Catching Up

I've been quiet on the blog for awhile, spending my time trying to finish projects and trying very hard not to start any new ones. Much harder than I thought it would be.

I finished the alpaca capelet I started back in October.  It was an easy knit, and it should have been done in about 4 evenings of watching tv.   I used one skein of Plymouth's Baby Alpaca Grande Hand Dye in Variegated Neutrals and one skein of Plymouth's Baby Alpaca Ultimo in Brown.  Very nice yarns to work with.

I've also finished one slipper that was supposed to be a Christmas gift and have cast on the second one. This is a great pattern called Nola's Slippers (pictures when completed).  It uses two strands of worsted weight, is knit flat and then seamed.  Of course, I had to start making them using a chunky weight.  It's a lot harder on my hands this way, but the men in the family love the end result.  (Guess oldest DS will get these for graduation.)

I attended the Nashville Needlework Market in early March.  This is where shop owners go to meet designers and vendors and see what's new in the Needlepoint and Cross Stitch world.  While I am capable of performing both these crafts, it's been a while since I did any serious stitching, I was totally enthralled with the beauty of the creations at Market.

I was inspired to make a model for the shop though.  Unfortunately, it will be better for next Easter, but here it is:  Alleluia! from Handblessings.  Stitched on 14ct Navy Aida, using DMC Floss #462..

Now, for the newly started projects....since I have to attend three graduations this spring/summer, I decided I wanted to make some lightweight tops.  I've been really anxious to try two patterns from Cabin Fever, "Lace Checks" and "Checkmate Cardigan".  The great thing about both of these patterns is that they are knit in one piece with no sewing when finished! (Okay, I still had to weave in the ends and sew a little tiny join under each arm.)  The Lace Checks shell is knit in the round and you finish the armholes as you go!  I've been know to get very bored knitting a top in the round, but the choice of yarn has made this project a delight to knit.  I used Lang "Moina" a viscose/polyamide/silk blend and it has a wonderful drape and feel. This pattern would work well in any number of yarns, and I'm really considering making it again in a linen blend or pima cotton.  Now, if can I finish the cardigan by next week, I'll be ready for the first ceremony.

Fun With Felting, Part I

Felting is an interesting form of crafting.  One way is to buy an already felted item, and using bits of colored fiber and a  really fun needle, one can create a pattern or design.  The other way is to knit or crochet an item  using 100% wool in a size much larger than what the finished product will be, and then shrink it.  Actually, it's the agitation of the fiber that causes it to shrink and become a firm fabric.

Shrinking the project is the fun part.  If you are still the owner of a top-loading washing machine, you have the best method.  Front loaders will work, but the problem is I felted my last bag this way about 3 years ago and have no idea how I did it.

I started a new bag awhile ago.  Instead of knitting though, this one is crocheted.  The pattern is "The Nomad Bag" from Noni Designs.  I really wanted to try felted crochet.  Making the bag itself wasn't too difficult.  Before the felting process started, this is how it looked:

Hopefully, the detail of the zipper flap is visible.

Since I wasn't sure about the front loader I tried the "dryer method".  This involves soaking the project in boiling water for 10 minutes, then putting it in the dryer with something to help agitate the wool.  I prefer my middle son's old, full of holes jeans, but I hear tennis balls work well.  It took one large stock pot and two tea kettles of water in the kitchen sink to cover the bag. (Use tongs to manipulate, the bag got very hot.)
I then put the bag in a towel and threw it in the dryer with the jeans for 10 minutes at time.

After about 40 minutes of felting, I concluded it wasn't reducing in size enough, so back to the sink for another ten minute soak.

Back to dryer and more ten minute increments (at least three).  It's very important to check the project because it is possible to felt it too small.  Since I was seeing progress, I let it go for a straight 20 minutes in the dryer and voila! it was finally the correct size.

The saga will continue as soon as it dries.........

Bright Colors for a Winter's Day

One thing I've noticed about owning a yarn shop is that I am surrounded by lots of beautiful yarns everyday. I see yarns and sometimes think this would make a great_______!  And other times I think this is great but what would I do with it or what would this pattern really look like? I also sell lots of yarn but don't always know what becomes of it, so I'm always thrilled when customers bring a finished project for me to see.

Yesterday, a very lovely lady brought in her finished Lucy Neatby Ikat Garter Scarf.  The best part is that she tried a new yarn in the shop called Gina, from Plymouth Yarns.  To say the least, it is a beautiful and amazing scarf.  The colors striped a very pleasing pattern and she enjoyed it so much, she's making another one and has several friends who decided to try it in other colorways.

Another customer recently finished these mittens and allowed me to show them to you....

Bunny Mittens from the book 60 Quick Knits.  ( I may have to make these for my niece, even if she is turning 17 this year....)

I have several projects going right now (of course) and I promise to update with a finished one soon (or at least a sneak peek at one in progress!)

How Cold Is It?

We're experiencing a cold snap here in Virginia right now.  So how do I determine it's really cold?


You know it's cold and you're obsessed with knitting when:

Off now to feed the horses (what color fair isle matches a buckskin pony?)

St. Distaff Day or Why I Have Time to Knit

*Distaff Day, also called Roc Day, is 7 January, the day after the feast of the Epiphany. It is also known as Saint Distaff's Day, since it was not really a holiday at all. It is, in fact, one of the many unofficial holidays. In many European cultural traditions, women resumed their household work after the twelve days of Christmas. The distaff, or rock, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women's work.

      *Source-Wikipedia

If you are a spinner, or have ever been interested in spinning, January 7th is officially St. Distaff's Day. After reading the description, I zeroed in on the line about "women resumed their household work"... Seriously, which household work were they talking about?  I don't believe for a minute that the women didn't continue to cook and clean up (or red up from where I come from) after their families for 12 days after Christmas.  

I discovered while wrapping Christmas presents on Christmas Eve (yes, I am that much of a procrastinator) that I had purchased Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's latest book All Wound Up while on vacation (along with two t-shirts that I'm not sure who was supposed to get them for Xmas). If you are unfamiliar with this author, she goes by the self-proclaimed name, "Yarn Harlot", has written a series of wonderful knitting themed books and has a fantastic blog at http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/. (Yes, she is my idol and if you read nothing else, her book Knitting Rules! is great for reference and humor.)   I finally got to start reading several days after Christmas, and in the first chapter, she broached the subject of sitting and knitting while waiting for an appointment, and a non-knitter making the comment of "I wish I had time to knit."  If you knit/crochet/spin in public, you are bound to hear this type of comment.

Going back to St. Distaff's Day, knitting was once considered part of the chores and if Mom didn't knit, there were no warm pieces of attire to wear. Clothing items were also mended, handed down, if fabric, re-hemmed, cut and redesigned.  These crafts were considered to be a part of daily life.  When did the ability to take time and craft become a luxury?  Everyone has the same 24 hours every day. I guess it's how you personally choose to use it.  To me a luxury of time is being an adult and playing video games on the computer or x-box.   I admit, when I started working in a yarn shop and ultimately became the owner, I didn't seem to have as much time to do personal knitting, but have since learned to reach a reasonable balance (unfortuately, the yarn gnomes that live in the shop don't knit samples, they just throw yarn off the shelves when I'm not looking...)

I used to knit during sports practices, and music lessons, but lost that time when sons' could drive themselves.  I still knit while waiting for appointments and during wrestling tournaments (which, alas, ends this year).  I truly don't see the time I spend knitting as a luxury, I see it as time well spent in a productive endeavor. To me it's not a waste of time.  I see the fruits of my labor every winter when husband and sons go to do outdoor chores in very cold weather and thank me for the very warm hats and socks I have knit for them.  I see the appreciation in the smile of a recipient of handmade gift, and that makes it worth while.  If nothing else, I won't wish I had the time to knit, but I will make the time to knit.

Happy New Year everyone, and now I shall go try to figure out who was to get those two t-shirts.......