2010 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Please join Lillie's Yarns for our 3rd Annual bus trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Saturday, May 1, 2010.

We'll start the day with a Continental Breakfast at the shop beginning at 7:00 AM with bagels, muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, or cocoa, etc.

The fee is $63.50 per person. Due by April 28th, 2010. Cash/Checks/VISA/Mastercard/Discover are accepted. No Monopoly money, please.

Transportation provided by Hagey Coach, Inc.
Our bus is scheduled to depart Lillie's Yarns 8:00 AM and is expected to arrive at the festival by 10:30 AM.

We are scheduled to leave Maryland 4:00 PM and expected to arrive at Lillie's Yarns by 6:30 PM.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be a pick up at Plymouth Meeting Mall, near Luk Oil. Make sure you notify us of your desire to be picked up at the mall.

We will have access to the bus during the day. Think about packing your lunch in a small cooler and leaving it on the bus. There will be plenty of bottled water available. Also, our bus is equipped with a restroom.

To reserve your seat please call Lillie's Yarns 215-258-1259 or email: Lilliesyarns@Gmail.com.

Everyone had a wonderful time last year with lots of yarns purchases!!!!! Remember, when you shop at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival you are investing in the American economy. Most vendors are "fiber" farmers from all over the United States. Their wool/fiber are processed in American mills. We appreciate all their hard work and they appreciate our investment in them. We hope to see you there.

Oh Goodie, It's Still Winter!

Now that 2010 is in full swing, what plans have you made for knitting? I hate to admit this, but I'm still working on my Mom's Christmas gift. She might disown me if she hears me say, "I'm almost finished," one more time.

By the time you get this it will be mid-February, that famous Pensylvania groundhog named Phil will have seen his shadow and crawled back into his hole for another 6 more weeks of winter. Ha, like we needed a groundhog to tell us that. Valentines Day and President's Day will be a memory and all that snow will still be on the lawn, in the driveway, along the curb and every open space imaginable. This could be a good sign, more winter means more knitting. Knit, knit, knit it's what I love to do.


Lillie's Yarns will be hosting our annual bus trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Saturday, May 1, 2010. If you haven't had an opportunity to visit the Sheep and Wool Festival you owe it to your creative-self to make the journey.

You can book your reservation now. Send an email: Lilliesyarns@Gmail.com, call the shop 215-258-1259, or visit the shop see what's new and add your name to the list.

Here is all the information:

Cost: $63.50 (same as last year)
Deposit: $25.00 due by March 25, 2010
Balance due: April 25, 2010

The bus is scheduled to depart Lillie's Yarns 8:00 AM, Saturday, May 1, 2010 and arrive at the fairgrounds by 10:30 AM.

The trip home: the bus will leave Maryland 4:00 PM and is expected to arrive at Lillie's by 6:15 PM.

There will be a pick up/drop off at Plymouth Meeting Mall. I don't have the exact location yet.

We'll have a light breakfast of bagels/muffins, coffee/tea at the shop beginning at7:15 AM.
If you have any questions please call or email me.

Interweave Press published a new special issue magazine Knitting Traditions. It arrived last week in between snow storms. This is a wonderful magazine. This is a fabulous 148 page journey through the history of knitting around the globe. Packed with more than 40 projects that incorporate the art and techniques of the past into contemporary art of today that will take us well into the future. The projects will tempt, tease, and probably confound you for a moment or two, but it will be worth it. I can't wait to try one of the baby caps from Amana Museum. Take a peek at www.Knittingtraditions.com

I think I heard Accuweather predicting SNOW AGAIN!!! So let's get knitting, knitting. You could cast on a few 2010 holiday gifts and get an early start. Think of the peace you will feel all nice and toasty in your house while someone else shovels the snow and you knit!

See you soon.

Mags

There's a Chill in the Air

Life always feels topsy turvy this time of the year. Days are shorter, nights colder and it's time to weed the yarn garden. Maintaining a tidy appearance in our yarn garden is always a colorful task. An enormous shipment of yarn arrived this week, which means we're weeding the garden and deadheading our out-of-date, nobody wants 'em, obsolete yarns and making room for something fresh.

At Lillie's Yarns we're planting our Fall/Winter fields with lovely new colors to warm your heart and inspire you to pick up your needles and cast on a new project. Come see the new colors in our wonderful basic collection: Encore and Galway.

A free pattern is available when you purchase 2 balls of Boku, 95% wool, 5% silk, multicolored yarn. If you don't know how to short row then this is a good project for the task. You'll have a lovely ruffled scarf that looks great with casual dress or office apparrel. Upon completing the scarf you'll feel like a pro at short rowing. A sample is on display at the shop.

We added Berroco's Ultra Alpaca worsted to our collection of alpaca yarns. Some of it is in stock now. Be sure to check Berroco's website for free patterns http://www.berroco.com/


If you're having difficulty selecting yarn for your next project visit our Sampling Wall. It's at the back of the shop. Almost every yarn is represented so that customers have an opportunity to take a yard or two, pick up a pair of our spare needles, cast on, and test a yarn.

New colors in the Happy Feet line are here and selling out quickly. You can use Happy Feet for many things: socks, holiday ornaments, scarves, mittens, gloves, etc. If you like Happy Feet, but don't want to work on small needles you can use the yarn with a lace pattern and move up to US #4, 5, or 6 needles. Another option is Happy Feet DK. I love this yarn. My hands feel like they've been to the spa for a good massage when I'm knitting with Happy Feet DK. Both yarns are available on our Sampling Wall.

There is a new yarn in town that is fabulous to knit. Its name is simple and understated, Select. A 100% superwash merino, worsted weight that is available in 32 colors. We have 26 colors in stock. The recommended gauge is 20 sts = 4" on US #7 needles. There are 215 yds per skein and retails for $12.95 each.

A new shipment from Jojoland is scheduled to arrive Tuesday, November 24, 2009. New colors in Melody Superwash varigated fingering wool will be on display. Two balls of Melody produces a beutiful scarf. Melody and a Jojoland pattern will cost less than $22.00. What a great project for a small investment during an economically difficult time. We're also expecting Consonnance, a lovely lace weight 50% cashmere, 50% silk. Jojoland has great pattern support for lace scarves. Both yarns are suitable for all you lace projects. Lillie's Yarns encourages new knitters to try lace knitting. There are plenty of beautiful yet easy patterns to introduce you to lace.

The gifting season is upon us again. Don't panic, relieve the anxiety, arm yourself with a copy of one of the special issue magazines from Interweave Press. The 2009 Holiday issue is loaded with 57 wonderful projects to wow everyone on your gift list. Along with the Holiday issue Interweave released two other special issue magazines this season: Weekend and Accessories. The pages of all three magazines are loaded with more than 140 patterns for all levels of knitting experience. Take a peek and be inspired. All three issues are on sale at Lillie's Yarns.

www.interweaveknits.com/knits-weekend-2009.asp

www.interweaveknits.com/holiday/holidaygifts2009/

www.interweaveknits.com/accessories/2009

Are you looking for a free pattern then take a look at this feather and fan cowl. It is not difficult to work. www.ecocrafter.com/2009/11/09/feather-and-fan-cowl/

Knitty has a great pattern for a "hood gizmo". I can't wait to try this one with one of our new yarns. www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/PATTriverbanks.php

The end of November is upon us. Thanksgiving is next week. I am grateful for the blessings I received this year. Even though the economy is still hopping along on a pair of splintered crutches I am hopeful better things are on the horizon for everyone. I understand there is a need for small afghans/lap robes for our military personnel who are hospitalized throughout the world. If you are interested in meeting at Lillie's for a KAL (knit-along) to use up your odd balls, swap yarns, and knit one or two lap robes for our recovering heros please let me know. I have a copy of the helmet liner pattern that meets the uniform standard for the US military. Nights are cold in the desert. I believe the liners will add a bit of warmth for our military personnel. Hopefully, it will give comfort knowing that Americans at home are thinking of them. One ball of Galway will complete one liner. Again, please let me know if you are interested.

You can email me at Info@Lillieyarns.com or call the shop 215-258-1259.

Please visit Lillie's Yarns soon. We'll be closed on Thanksgiving, but will open 10:00 am Black Friday!

Happy Knitting,
Mags

PS Don't forget to visit our website for a listing of classes, etc http://www.lilliesyarns.com/

Autumn

Dear friends,


Welcome to the premiere issue of Lillie's Yarns Newsletter. Our newsletter is so new it doesn't have a name. A blog seems an appropriate place to park a newsletter. Hopefully, we'll be able to have a free pattern and some photos with each edition, which should appear every 6 to 8 weeks. Hopefully.


Please join us as we welcome the arrival of autumn and yarns of the season. To help you prepare for all your wintertime knitting projects Lillie's Yarns is having a Fall Fiesta Sale Thursday 10/01/2009 through Saturday 10/03/2009. Yarns will be discounted 10% to 50%. Some yarns are clearance and reduced 65%. Special order yarns are excluded from the sale.


Plymouth, Fiber Trends, Knitting Pure and Simple, and Noni patterns will be reduced 15%.

We're planning Saturday Workshops throughout October and November. Please send an email or call the shop to reserve you seat. Lilliesyarns@Gmail.com or 215-258-1259.

Here are two of the workshops:

Workshop #1 - Knitting with Beads - This workshop provides you an opportunity to knit with beads. We're knitting a necklace that will go well with casual clothing, business clothes or something more formal. Once you master the techniques you'll be able to knit a necklace in an evening. Bring a pair of straight US# 3 knitting needles and your imagination. We'll provide the know-how, beads, and yarn. Fee $10.00

Saturday October 17, 2009 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM or 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM.

Workshop #2 - Needle Felting - Learn to decorate your felted purses, totes, and holiday stockings with needle felted designs. We'll provide the roving you'll supply the imagination. You'll need a felting tool, which you can purchase at Lillie's Yarns at 10% discount. Fee $15.00

Saturday October 24, 2009 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Workshop #3 - Clapotis - Learn to knit this fabulously popular shawl/scarf by knitwear designer Kate Gilbert. You'll need a ball of worsted weight yarn and a pair of US#7 knitting needles. A date for this workshop hasn't been set yet. It will be held on a Saturday in late October or a Saturday in November. Let us know if you are interested.

Shop Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Thursday 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Closed Sunday and Monday

Knitting in August

I'd like to believe that it's never too hot to knit. Hmmmm, I'm not so certain that's true. For those of us who like to keep both sides of our brain operational then it's fair to say that knitting in August is a good thing. It's never too hot to create something you love.....the feel of fiber slipping through your fingers, over the tips of fabulously crafted knitting needles, stitch by stitch until something grand finally takes shape.
Color, color, color...there's never enough color, blended, tone on tone, soft and harsh like a blazing sunset, or the soft, cool colors of dawn. As knitters we see something wonderful in everything around us. Ask yourself how can I duplicate the image and bring it to life through yarn and two sticks?
So this is how we envision Lillie's Yarns, a shop full of patterns, needles, accessories, and yarn from all over the world waiting to be worked into a thousand beautiful garments.
We hope to develop patterns we can post on our blog. Generate discussion about knitting and what it does for you. Does knitting reflect your personality? Does it provide an outlet for creativity or simply eliminate the nasty effects of a stressful life?