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 OUR VERY BEST WISHES TO EACH OF YOU FOR A PEACEFUL AND JOYOUS HOLIDAY 2007. You will find that this December edition of the WOOL-TYME Kingston Newsletter is full of great gift ideas for your knitting friends and of course, as suggestions to your loved ones of knitting gifts that you might like to receive.
And if you're stuck on what to ask for, here's a way to make a Christmas gift certificate doubly valuable:
We will contribute 10% of all gift certificates purchased at our store throughout the month of December to The Andy Fund of Kingston, raising funds for local cancer-related projects .
It's our way of saying THANKS to you and to our local community for supporting us during the year. |
 WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD KNITTERS...
I was so glad when I saw this book as it really feeds into my basic philosophy of teaching people to be confident and ultimately independant knitters.
"The truth in knitting is that the vast majority of emergencies can be avoided if you develop good knitting habits..."
And with the New Year and resolutions just around the corner, it's a great time of the year to look at bringing a different focus to your knitting.
To help you do that, there are a miriad of great "How To" books out there, to appeal to every type and skill level of knitter.
We all learn differently and hence the need for the many different approaches that are available. Some work well as "bathroom reading" to accumulate knowledge that you will incorporate in your knitting life. Some are reference books to help you out of a jam. Some are actual workshops that see you through to the next level of expertise.
Here are some of our favourites:
For technique enhancement:
-The Vogue Knitting - The Ultimate Knitting Book.
-A to Z of Knitting -
-The Big Book of Knitting -  -Knit Fix-
-Knitting Tips and Trade Secrets -
-The Knitter's Handbook -
- Knitter's Companion -
For beginners who want guidance through projects in order to become good knitters right off the bat:
- Sally Melville's collection of 3 books
The Knit Stitch, The Purl Stitch, and Color
-Debbie Bliss, How To Knit -
-Stitch 'N Bitch -
-Passion for Knitting -
For Kids and those who want some easy patterns for projects that will appeal to kids:
- Knitting from Kids Can Do It Press -
- Start to Knit -
- Chic Knits for Cool Chicks - |
GIFTS FOR ALL
One of the most popular gifts that our customers look for are knitting bags and stands and we are pleased to be able to offer a nice selection of woven rice baskets, hand crafted and commercially quilted bags and wooden framed stands. Also, we have a selection of needle cases, with and without needles.
For the young and not so young who want to learn a new skill, we have a variety Learn-To-Knit kits for beginners, which include everything that you need for a great introduction to the world of knitting. There are also the Drop Spindle starter kits for those with a certain dexterity who would like to learn to spin - and the Needle Felting starter kits for those who aren't so confident in their manual abilities. (Anyone who sees colour can needle felt, it's that easy.)
 To send to friends and family who live away, why not choose local products to represent our area: Topsy wool blankets, wraps and knitting yarns from TOPSY FARMS of Amherst Island. Or our newest product from Stephanie Earp's ONE AND ONLY line of hand painted yarns -- a glorious skein of soft merino fingering weight yarn (before or after it has been made into an exquisite project).
Stocking stuffers for everyone, especially lovers of sheep: we have a lovely family of soft cuddly stuffed  sheep, measuring tapes with sheep shapes, key chains of tiny crocheted sweaters from Lantern Moon of Vietnam, Eucalan washing liquid - for all fine washables in 3 natural scents and now in unscented too.
For the knitters on your list (and suggestions for your wish list too): Felt slippers proclaiming the wearer to be  "YARN GODESS", silk needle holders, to keep your favourite set of needles (shown here), glorious beaded stitch markers, knitters' jewelry from JABOLI.
When you've run out of time, don't forget that we have a good selection of hand made fashion scarves on for a special price. These are lovely scarves that have served us well as samples and whose yarns we no longer carry. A great way to offer a hand made gift without the craziness of last minute rushing. |
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NEW IN YARNS  THIS IS CASCADE 220
One of the most beautiful worsted weight wools on the market today and we're proud to be able to offer it to you. This picture gives you an idea of the tone on tone colours that we carry but click on the image to link to the full range (not that we could carry the full range but we hope to be bringing more in as  the season moves on.) Right now we have all of these Dip Dyed/tone on tone colours pictured here and they are stunning. Warmth, beauty, popular for it's ability to felt and consequently: hand washable CASCADE 220 is likely to become a classic on our shelves.
 We are very excited to be able to feature Stephanie Earp's "ONE AND ONLY" yarns. Stephanie has moved to Kingston and is creating a line of hand painted yarn of fingering weight merino in colourways that are inspired by the French countryside, where Stephanie spent some time recently. The knitted swatches that she has provided for us at the store show how  her short colour repeats add a shimmer to the overall texture of any piece. To compliment this yarn, we have some great patterns for gloves in this weight. It would also be perfect (by virtue of the softness of merino wool) for scarves and shawls. |
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Classes and Coming Events
This picture has actually nothing to do with our classes and coming events but I just thought that he was just too cute not to share with you.
 As the deadline for all those gift projects hovers, don't forget our Saturday afternoon knitting retreats at the store, where you can bring your work and find a quiet place to get them finished with a bit of friendly help and advice if needed. Join us on Saturday, Dec. 8th, 15th and 22nd from 1-4:30.
Click here to link to the WOOL-TYME Kingston list of coming classes and Demos for Winter 2007 Alright all you fiber freaks who long through the frenzy of your Holiday preparations for the pleasures of country life. Visit Countryside Artisans Fiber Farm Tours in Maryland for a virtual tour, or you can take the plunge and actually visit such places as Kiparoo Farm where you will find "Lustrous wool from happy sheep" in Adamstown MD, during the first 2 weekends of December for a real rural fibre fix. |
WOOL-TYME
IN THE COMMUNITY
At this time of the year, we are busy trying to get as many blankets out as possible through PROJECT LINUS. Thanks to our new volunteers for answering our call for help last month.
So many worthy organizations are looking for support at this time of the year, but please keep PROJECT LINUS in mind. We have many crafters who are more than willing to make blankets for us but who can't provide all the yarn that they require. We need your donations of yarn, books and of course, cash to help meet the on-going work of providing blankets of comfort to children going through a stressful time in their lives. All donations will be gratefully accepted at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store.
The Andy Fund of Kingston has their yearly sale of Christmas  cards and we are proud to be able to offer them to you, our customers. They are $10/pack and are beautiful reproductions of art from children in our local schools. | |
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A GIFT THAT MEANT SO MUCH MORE...
I heard a wonderful story from a mother who was in buying her knitting supplies a few days ago. She said: "I never would have thought that I would enjoy knitting this much."
I asked her how/why she started knitting and she told me that her 15 year old son had bought her the Stitch "N Bitch book a couple of Christmases ago and was horrified to hear her say to a friend on Christmas Eve that she didn't know how to knit.
He gave her the book anyway and she's been knitting up a storm ever since.
I asked her why he would have bought her the book if he didn't know if she could knit.
"He thought that I'd get a kick out of the title," was her reply.
Now, how wonderful is that. A son who instinctively knew his mom and gave her such a gift that opened up a whole new world of enjoyment for her.
May all of the gifts that you give and receive this season hold a grain of such power for enjoyment. |
Let WOOL-TYME Kingston make your knitting /crocheting life easier...
FOR FREE!
One of my favourite tools of knitting is the pencil and note pad. It's the single tool (along with "post-it" notes) that makes my own knitting life easier, and it's proper use is probably the most important gift that I can give to students who come to take lessons with us.
Yes, the lowly note pad is our special gift to you. Please ask for your own FREE customized WOOL-TYME Kingston Note Pad (available now at the cash).
"We may not be high-tech, but we're accurate!"
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BUTTONS ARE A WINNER at WOOL-TYME Kingston!
In the past couple of months, we have been selling buttons from Incomparable Buttons like crazy. These handmade and handpainted clay buttons from South Africa are created by "...ladies from the local community who were hired and trained in the art of button making... Most of the Incomparable team had never held a paintbrush before they joined the company and are now absolute masters of their brushes and justifiably proud of their work. The ladies sense of belonging within the company and skills as crafters not only gives them tremendous pleasure but also provides them with economic empowerment and has uplifted all their families."
from the Button Mad Web site. Click here to read more about these ladies and their story. |
 KNITTING
HEALS
"Studies have shown that doing something repetitive (like knitting) while undergoing a trauma helps you recover from the event much more quickly and easily. The problem is that you won't know when trauma is going to strike, so my advice is to knit at all times, just in case."
from "Not Tonight, Darling, I'm Knitting." by Betsy Hosegood. |
JOIN THE KINGSTON KNITTING CIRCLE FOR OUR ANNUAL NIBBLE FEST
On Tues. Dec. 11th from 7-9 pm we will be gathering at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store for an evening of shared knitting, fun and treats. Please feel free to join us.
Bring your craft, a sense of holiday cheer and a treat to share.
ALL ARE WELCOME. | |
WOOL-TYME Kingston Newsletter
