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News from Double Ewe
May 10, 2012
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Good day! It feels like a long time since I've written, but it's just been a month. We have a few fun things to share with you today, so read on.
First, effective today, we are changing to our summer hours. It's not a big change, but here's the scoop:
Tuesday: 10 - 9
Wednesday & Thursday: 10 - 6
Friday: 10 - 5
Saturday: 10 - 3
Sunday & Monday: closed
Next, in April we participated in the Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop, and what a fun weekend it was. A big component of the weekend was to raise funds and food for our local yarn shop. At Double Ewe, we collected 445 pounds of food, as well as $353. Wow! Thanks to everyone who participated! And finally, I just want to point out a couple of class opportunities. We have a shorter, four-week session with Nancy Lindberg starting next week, as well as a fun crochet class. Check out the details below.
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Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival

This is short notice, but if you're looking for something super-fun & fiber-full this weekend, you're in luck. This Saturday & Sunday is the annual Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival. It's a fun, family-friendly event, with lots of opportunity for shopping, eating, and, visiting some cool animals (that's my favorite part!). Visit their website for the full scoop. I'm going to try to get there on Sunday...can't wait!
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New Stuff

Pima Cotton Silk from Frog Tree
This is a blend of super soft pima cotton and silk in a sport weight. Great for your spring/summer knitting projects! If you look at it closely, it's what I call "plied plies" - tiny strands of 3-ply yarn twisted into a sport weight 4-ply yarn. If you're a spinner, forgive my amateurish description...clearly I am not a spinner. :) This construction makes the yarn split a bit more easily than some others, but knit with a blunter needle and perhaps a bit more attention, the resulting fabric is well worth it.
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Fresh Off The Needles
With the arrival of the warm weather, many knitters and crocheters pack away their projects and opt for other activities. I can understand this...sort of...piles of wool sitting in my lap doesn't sound very appealing even to me. However, there are many, many smaller, warm-weather-friendly fibers and projects. My goal this spring and summer is to inspire you to knit a bit in the summer...maybe not as much as you usually do, but at least a bit. Here are a few suggestions. Pattern: Shaelyn by Lila Raabe Yarn: Pima Cotton Silk from Frog Tree, 3 skeins Comments: This is a small-ish shawl that can be worn either point forward as above, or with the point in the back, in a more traditional manner. The pattern for Shaelyn is available for purchase on Ravelry. If you're not a Ravelry user, or if you're just uncomfortable making purchases online, you can also buy it from Double Ewe. Knit out of cotton, as I did, it turns out a bit smaller than if you were to knit it out of wool (which can be stretched to a larger size with blocking), but I think the smaller size is perfect for summer. This was a fun, quick project. -------------------- Pattern: Lightening Lace Market Bag Yarn: Luna Paints from Cascade Yarn, 2 skeins Comments: Knit in a textured cotton with gorgeous summery colors, this would be a fun beach bag, or handy for your trips to the farmer's market. This is one of many free patterns Cascade offers for Luna.
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Pattern: Boku Chevron Cowl from Plymouth Yarns
Yarn: Kudo from Plymouth, one skein
Comments: Kudo is a lovely warm-weather yarn. It's a blend of cotton, rayon, with a touch of silk. The pattern was actually written for Boku, also from Plymouth. Both these yarns strip in a similar fashion, but Boku is primarily wool, so I decided that Kudo would be an excellent, season-appropriate substitute, and it was. This is one of Plymouth's many free online patterns on Ravelry, but you can get a copy at the shop for free when you pick up your yarn.
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Save the Date: June 9th, World Wide Knit in Public Day
It's hard to believe, but WWKIP Day is coming up again! What is WWKIP Day, you ask? It's World Wide Knit in Public Day, of course! It's a day when knitters get together and knit right out in public, right in front of non-knitters. If you want to read about the origins of WWKIP Day, you can visit the website that started it all.
This is going to be our 6th annual WWKIP Day celebration at Double Ewe. Mark your calendars: We're going to be holding it on June 9th, from 1:00 - 5:00. Details will follow, but it always is a day full of food, knitting, fun, drawings, great people, and if we're lucky, sunshine. So put it on your calendars now!
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Classes
For our current classes, please visit our website.
Knitting with Nancy Lindberg
Well known designer and teacher Nancy Lindberg is now available three times a week at Double Ewe! Nancy has been teaching knitting for 35 years, and her popular, classic patterns have been sold in yarn shops throughout the country for over 15 years. Take advantage of this great resource at Double Ewe; challenge yourself and choose any project - Nancy's expert advice will help you through it.
Cost: $45 per four-week class
Tuesdays: afternoons, 1:00 - 3:00, May 15 - June 5
Wednesdays: evenings, 6:00 - 8:00, May 16 - June 6
Thursdays: lunchtime, 11:30 - 1:30, May 17 - June 7
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Crochet: Socks!
Socks are so popular with the knitting crowd, sometimes the crocheters feel a little bit left out. But no more! Come learn to crochet socks and you'll be hooked. Crochet socks are less stretchy and a bit thicker than knitted socks, but that also makes them more durable. Give it a try - but be warned: socks are addictive.
Skills needed: single crochet
When: Wednesdays, June 6 - 27 (3 weeks)
Time: 6:00 - 8:00
Instructor: Michelle
Cost: $34
Materials: 100 - 150 grams (or 440 - 660 yards) of fingering weight yarn; hook sze B or C, split ring markers. (yarn quantity and hook size depends on the size you choose to make: ladies medium or large).
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Workshop Style Classes
We have three ongoing workshop-style classes at Double Ewe. In these classes, each student works at their own level on any project they like, and we're there to help if you get stuck or to teach you a new technique. These are all "pay as you go" type classes, meaning you only pay for the sessions you attend - perfect for the a busy schedule! Also, they are ongoing classes, with no start or end date - jump in whenever you like. The times are:
The Workshop
Day/time: Wednesday mornings, 10:30 - 12:30
Instructor: Kelly
Cost: $10 per session, or $48/six-week punch card
Knit Along with Ann
Day/time: Wednesday afternoons, 1:30 - 3:30 Instructor: Ann
Cost: $5 per session
Knitter's Choice
Day/time: Thursday afternoons, 4:00 - 6:00 Instructor: Kelly
Cost: $10 per session, or $48/six-week punch card
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Knittervention!
This month's Knittervention! will be May 18th. Knittervention is our once-a-month, Friday-night-potluck-get-together. We do this the third Friday of every month, from 6:30 - 10:00. For the whole scoop, please click here.
Oh, and even though we call it Knittervention, of course crocheters are welcome, too. "Crochetervention" just sounded funny, and "Friday Night hookers"...well...that doesn't sound right either. ;)
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Open Knitting & Crochet
Join us for a fun social time while working on whatever you want. No registration required - just show up. We have three times a week you can join us:
- Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 9:00
- Friday afternoons, 1:30 - 4:30
- Saturdays, 9:00 - noon
Please note: Open Knitting is not a class. Although I'm always happy to answer questions as time permits, sometimes it gets a bit hectic. For more dedicated help, consider coming to one of our Knitter's Choice, Knit Along with Ann or The Workshop classes. Details one these classes can be found here.
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That's all for now, folks! Once again, I'd like to thank you all for supporting your local yarn shop.
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