My yarn philosophy and musings about life

I thought I might "wax" poetic here for a second....

I have been knitting Christmas presents for my fam lately and even though I have been using yarn from the shop (hoping they will not destroy it before I can put on display for a while,lol) it occurred to me that I have yarn I would love to use in certain things I have made. I mean yarn from my stash. Even though people act like yarn has a "sell by" date, that it goes bad, or rotten or spoils....not true. I have some yarn that I have been keeping for just the right thing....for more years than I care to disclose here (wink, wink). If you are like me, and I know you know who you are, no, no, Peggy, don't raise your hand! LOL If you have yarn that you have been keeping for just the right thing, I urge you to use Ravelry, find a pattern for just that yarn. Come in and see if we have a yarn that might compliment it around the collar or cuffs, or whatever. We would love to help you pick a pattern for just that purpose!!!


I am a pretty practical person and I know I have stash yarn, (and this is not it, ROTFL) so I want to let you know I have no problem whatsoever with anyone bringing in ANY YARN or ANY PATTERN. I want to help you with your knitting needs, so don't worry about any "rules" we may have in place for that.....there are none. Please feel free to come in and sit and knit on anything you want!!! It does not have to be purchased here, and I, or Ashley will try to help you with any knitting questions you have about any thing you bring in. Please remember though, that it takes a little time for us to delve right in to a pattern that we have not knit....so be patient with us...;)

Have a wonderfully magical holiday season!!!!

Close to Christmas-pattern sites

I know that it is getting down to the wire on Christmas knitting, but just in case you all need some inspiration, here are a few sites that have really neat free patterns.

First of all, if you want to make the darling Christmas wreath above, go here.

Here are some great sites for you that have a ton of patterns for free.
http://www.berroco.com/pattern_library.html and http://www.ozarkhandspun.com/blog/labels/patterns.html. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did finding them!!

I have made a few Christmas knits this year. I am going to do something next year that I think will be a great new addition to the Enchanted line-up. We were starting a sock/scarf of the month club, but instead, I have decided to do a Christmas club. Every month, starting in January and ending in November, we are going to offer a pattern and yarn in kit form that would be great for gifting. The pattern for January is going to be announced in our December newsletter. The cost for this club will be announced at that time also. This way, by November of next year, we will all (crossing fingers here...lol) have 11 really great, awesome, unique handmade gifts. I think we can also start a thread on our Ravelry forum to keep each other accountable...what do you think? This will allow not only our closer patrons, but also the long distance ones, to participate in a shop activity. I love the idea and hope you do too! This also disperses your Christmas budget by the month. Let me know whether you make more of one kind of gender specific creation, this will keep us current on what you want to make, ie. more baby items, or a couple of mens things, more girlfriend things, etc. Of course, you are not held accountable as to whether or not you decide to gift these creations. Part of creating, is being able to keep not only the idea, but also the project. wink, wink.

So, keep an eye on your email. Our newsletter will be out within the week!!!

And Merry, Merry Christmas from our Enchanted home to yours!!

Store suggestions and Nuno pictures

We are going to be reformatting the store over the Thanksgiving break and would like your help!!

If there is anything we could do better, anything you would like to see different in the store, etc....Would you please leave a comment and let us know? Thank you for all you have done to make Enchanted the store that it is now!! We appreciate you all!

As promised, here are the pictures from the Nuno felting class given by Judy Anderson. Who is an absolutely fantastic teacher, by the way! We had a blast. Everyone's scarf was as individual as they are and they were all extraordinary. Thank you Tracy, for the awesome pictures!!

Finally! It is the week of the Nuno felting class!!

Well, it has finally arrived! This is the week of our Nuno felting workshop. It is full and lots of people are anticipating great fun. I will post pics of the finished scarves.

In the meantime, I wanted to show you a new kit we will have available at Enchanted. This is the Gelfling hat and mitts. The kit is 65.00 and includes pattern and yarn. The will be made by request, so that you can choose your colorway, so it will take a day or two after you make your order for us to kit it up. It is a fast knit though, and I bet you could whip it out in 2 days, no problem!!!

The most darling hat!

One of my very thoughtful customers told me about this pattern. It is called Caroline and it is done out of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool. It turned out just darling and the instructions include very detailed pictures.Great pattern. I knit it in one day. Go and explore Popknits.com I think you will love it!

OK, now back to blogging!!

What a bad, bad blogger I have been! My life seems really hectic, but I am going to do better...LOL, yeah right! At least, I am going to try to do better!

The big news is that my second daughter, Aubrey, is engaged to a really sweet guy, William Edwards and I am a very happy marmee! I have one very precious daughter-in-law and now I get to add a just right son-in-law. I guess I will have to add to my tattoo now William! (I have a tattoo of 9 stars in my left ear, one for each child and Marie, my d-i-l)

I have a new addiction, tri-loom weaving. I have made two shawls and am working on my third. Since I have decided I can't stop this new habit, I have decided to put them up for sale.

So, come into the shop and see what is new....or buy it off the blog...either way, I am going to continue this REALLY awesome fiber addiction and start teaching classes soon. My shawls are 125.00, unless they include handspun, then they are 175.00.

I just finished the ruffled edge wrap from Vogueknitting.com. I cast on 100 instead of 40 and made it a shawl instead of a scarf. I love, love, love it!

I am so excited about opening up the inspiring world of creativity to so many people. We have decided to take certain items on consignment that represent what we strive to promote here at Enchanted. We now carry handmade drawstring bags by Barb Somerville,



lovely shetland spinning batts and little "glitz kits" for your fiber, and soon will be adding pottery made by Amanda Pauley of Russellville. We are also proud to carry hand turned bottle stoppers by Carl Hall of Bowling Green.

We are having a Halloween Open House on October 31st. Wear your costume and receive 20% off your purchase (except spinning wheels and looms)

On November 6th and 7th we are having Yarn Amnesty Day. For every pound of unwanted yarn you bring in, you will recieve $1 store credit. The yarn is to be donated to a local prayer shawl ministry.

Nuno Felting workshop - November 18th This is going to be tons of fun!! From 10:30 to 3? we will be creating a silk scarf with wool embellishments in a wet felting technique. The cost of the workshop will be 45.00, which includes your supplies and lunch. You will come away with a finished scarf worth 75.00 or more. If you have a special fiber or glitz you wish to use, bring it along! Please let us know if you want to attend this workshop by November 11th, as space is limited and we need to have supplies enough for everyone.

I want you to see the most adorable little thing!! This is my Fairy Goddaughter.

Until next time, I want to leave you with an awesome quote I found today.

"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do." - Freya Madeline Stark

Fast and Fun Christmas gift ideas

• Ruffle Fluff Scarf
• Lamb Scarf
• Felted Can Cozy
• Star Crossed Slouchy Beret
• A favorite project from One Skein Wonders
• EYF Gift Card
• Knit or Crocheted dishcloths tied with a ribbon (include a fav recipe)
• Pair of Mittens
• Pair of FiberTrends slippers
• Quick scarf in the recipients favorite color
• Kit a pattern and yarn for the recipient
• Washcloths (combined with some wonderful handmade soaps)
• Felted purses
• Coasters
• Hats
• Scarves
• Stashbusting Scarf
• Daria Bracelet
• Luna Bella Wrap
• Dog Sweater (Size XS)
• LaLa’s Simple Shawl
• Anything Animals
• Old Skool Skirts
• Generic Fingerless Mitts
• Baby’s Floral Bootees
• Alpharetta Hoodie Vest
• Danish Mittens
• Blanche-Neige
• Knecklace
• Ruffle Scarf
• Hello Kitty-cat Hat
• Carrick Bend Cap
• Riverbanks
• Orseis
• The Mad Trapper Toque
• Bumpy Jacket and Hat
• Baby Bear Hat
• Simple Newborn Hat with touch of lace
• Jesse Fitzgerald Hat
• Indian Summer

Thresher Festival

Just wanted to share that our spinning guild went to do a demonstration yesterday at the Thresher Festival in Adams, TN. We had so much fun, I wanted to give you a chance to see pics from the day's events! Click here to see pics!

What's New

We've gotten in an order of baskets from Africa...these get more fabulous with every batch! We've only had them for a few days and have already sold about half of them, so come in and see! Here's a couple of them-



We've also gotten an order of fabulously adorably buttons that we bought at TNNA- It's so hard to pick a favorite!


My mom has been so busy creating a masterpiece, I just had to show it off :) She is writing the pattern and it will be available for free here at Enchanted. What do you think about this wonderful wrap? She's calling it the Enchanted Wrap!

Join us!

Second Annual Independence Day (on the 5th) Party

Don't forget to come and celebrate Independence Day with us! We are having a pot luck and are providing the grilled hot dogs. There will be fireworks after dark so bring anything you want to share! This is a family event so make sure to bring everyone along! Sunday July 5th starting at 4:30 pm. Please RSVP by calling 270.772.1675 or emailing at enchantedyarnandfiber@gmail.com. Last year we all had so much fun, we can't wait to see what this year has in store!

Here's what's been happening!

Thanks to all who made our WWKIP Day event such a success! We had so much fun and even have t-shirts to prove it! We spent the afternoon at the mall in Bowling Green and it was perfect! We gave away door prizes and goody bags, if you weren't able to make it, you can't miss it next year :)





We are starting to get shipments in of our orders from TNNA and its so exciting! We just got a fun box today of Kraemer's sock yarn called Sterling. It's in 10 gorgeous colors with 3 of them being variegated. It has 63% superwash merino/20%silk/15% nylon/2% silver. Pure luxury! It is spun in Nazareth, PA so proudly made in the USA!

I've just started a shop account on Twitter, so click here, or on the link to the left to start following me! It will be like mini newsletter updates, so lots of fun and info!

Our Kumihimo class is this Saturday (the 27th) or next Thursday (the 2nd) at 10:00 am. If you haven't already reserved your space for it, you are going to want to! We still have a few spaces available so join us in the fun! This is a one session, beginning level class. No prior knowledge of knitting or crocheting required. You will leave with a braided, beaded bracelet! This is a really awesome technique which can be later be used with felting or as an embellishment on a knitted or crocheted project. $25, includes all supplies, instructor Angela Hammer.

Pictures of what has been happening around here

Just thought you might want to see a few pics of one of the Yarn Tastings, we forgot to take pictures for the Saturday event...LOL. We had a really busy day that day!!


Here is Rich with his new wheel:

Time flies!!

As I am writing this, we only have 5 more days until our one year anniversary. I can hardly believe it......
We have done so many things, learned so much and met some really awesome new friends.

Just wanted to let you all in on our new water features. We have one in the garden, just behind the shop to enjoy while you are on the deck and another to greet you from the parking lot.

Spring Yarn Tasting!!

You absolutely can't miss our upcoming spring yarn tasting! We have gotten in over 1300 new balls/skeins of yarn in the past two weeks, so if you haven't been in lately you won't recognize the place! We will be featuring some of the following yarns at the event:

Hemp
Linen
Organic Cotton
Silk
Bamboo and silk
Kapok and cotton
Hemp and cotton
Corn and cotton
100% corn fiber yarn
Cotton and viscose
Cotton stretch sock yarn
Sugar cane yarn
And more!!!

With all these new and beautiful yarns, you also won't want to miss out on the storewide* 15% discount that accompanies registration in our yarn tasting event. We will be offering finger foods and drinks so bring your needles and join us! Awesome door prizes and freebies are planned too! Spaces are filling up fast, and pre-registration is required, so call (270-772-1675) or email (enchantedyarnandfiber@gmail.com) us today!
Dates are- Thursday April 30th from 9:30-11:30 (We are almost full in this event)
or Saturday May 2nd from 5-7 pm (Plenty of spaces available)
Cost for the event is $20. This includes a sample pack with mini balls from each of the new yarns, and other goodies! We can't wait to share all the exciting new products with you :)

*Excludes spinning equipment/accessories/looms and class fees

Unpacking all the new yarn with a little help

Knitting.....new miracle drug? LOL

CBS news has done a story on knitting as a miraculous new health remedy!
If you missed it this morning, it really is worth a look!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4917058n

Latest class/event list

Here's what happening this month here at Enchanted!

As always, please mention if you are buying materials for a class and we will give you 10% off!

April 3rd 10:30 to 11:30- Anything on 2 circulars class, Free!

If you want to learn an alternative to working with double-pointed needles, now is the time! Some of our classes this month require knitting with 2 circs and this will get you there! We will be working on a sample tube using 2 circular needles. After this class, you will be able to knit anything on 2 circulars! 1 session class.

April 7th 10:30 to 11:30 or 10th 5:30 to 6:30- Navigating Ravelry I, $15

Learn the basics of navigating Ravelry. We will be working on seperate laptops and walk through logging on, searching for and adding friends to your profile, joining and posting on forums, searching and browsing for patterns effectively, finding yarn details and more! There will be a time for questions so bring your laptop and let's explore this awesome online resource! Requires a laptop or buddy with one to share, as well as an existing ravelry account. Class limited to 3 laptops so reserve your space in advance. 1 session class

April 14th 4:00 to 5:30- Cables 101, $20

We will be using a child's size hat to learn the basics of cabling. Requires knowledge of knitting in the round (preferably on 2 circulars), and decreasing. Homework is required before class, so please register in advance. $20 includes pattern, this is a 1 session class

April 21st, 28th, and May 5th from 4:00 to 5:30 Toe-up Socks, $15

Learn how to create your own custom fitted socks from the toe up. We will be learning the turkish cast on method, doing a short row heel, and learning the sewn cast off. Requires basic working knowledge of knitting and purling, knitting in the round on 2 circulars, and increasing. 3 session class includes pattern.

April 22nd, 29th, and May 6th from 1:00 to 2:30- Cuff Down Socks, $20

Always wanted to start a pair of socks but never have? We will be walking through a cuff down pattern for socks either on DPN's or 2 circs, whichever you have working knowledge of. Requires knowledge of knitting in the round, knitting/purling, and decreasing. 3 session class includes pattern.

April 23rd 11-12:30, 30th 12:30-2,and May 7th 11-12:30, Top Down Sweater

Anyone can be a sweater designer when you start from the top down! Learn to make and personalize a small sweater, learn to bind off the EZ way, learn to use 2 circs for sleeves, and pick up stitches. Must know basic knitting fundamentals, knitting in the front and back of a stitch, using stitch markers and decreasing. 3 session class, pattern included- Class size is limited to 8, so register early to guarantee a space!

Spring Yarn Tasting

Due to the overwhelming response to our fall yarn tasting, and to share all of our new yarns with you, we have scheduled our spring/summer yarn tasting event! Each participant will receive a sample of all our new yarns as well as some oldies-but-goodies to experience and take home. Finger foods will be served, and you will also receive 15% off any purchases made that day (excluding spinning wheels and sale items). Space is limited, so please register now! Cost is $20 per participant. April 30th from 9:30-11:30 am and May 2nd from 3:00-5:00 pm.

So, here we go again!!

Alright, we have inventory and taxes out of the way and now, we can go on with life!!
The trees outside are totally gorgeous and we are thinking about landscaping the new part of our building. There have already been a few days of lovely weather that allowed us to take advantage of our knitting deck again. I just love to knit outside, it is so wonderful.

So, spring is in the air. Lots of things coming up and budding out. New life.

We have lots of new things coming in here at the shop too! We have been asked to have a spring yarn tasting and so we will keep some of the new stuff off the blog until we have had a chance to put it in the hands of the yarn tasters. One thing I can't keep to myself though, is the new cotton sock yarn we got in called Summer cotton stretch by Online. It is so cool. Come in and see the sample socks we got with our shipment.

We are going to be doing a new thing on our blog. Finished Object Fridays. Every Friday (knock on wood! lol) we are going to be posting pictures of the really cool things you all have finished. Feel free to email us your pictures and we will be happy to put them up here. Here is a picture of Sharon with her first plied yarn and her new wheel! She is a natural. Congratulations Sharon!

Life is so fast, it seems like you get caught up in the little things and the big things just pass you by. I am going to start taking care of little things a little faster, so keep you posted....in the meantime, go out and look at the awesomeness of Spring!!

You're invited!

Please don’t forget that you are all invited to the shop on Sunday, February 1st for a celebration! We are going to have the foosball table set up, seating will be available around the fire for those who want to sit and knit/crochet and there will be food! Any purchases made that day will receive 10 % off as well. The festivities will begin at 3 so bring a snack and enjoy the day with us! This is a family event, so bring everyone! We will be providing drinks, so please RSVP so we can get an approximate headcount on how much to buy. Either call 270-772-1675 or email enchantedyarnandfiber@gmail.com. Thanks! Hope to see you then!

Turkish cast on tutorial

This is a great video to demonstrate the Turkish cast-on. It's my favorite cast on for any kind of closed knitting such as a pouch, fingers on a glove, or socks from the toe up. This is the method I teach in my toe-up sock class, so I thought it would be beneficial to show you here just how it's done. Or if you've taken the class and want a refresher, here you go!



There is also a great tutorial with pictures of every step here.

Pictures from the Traveling Shawl