Hello, fiber friends!

 

  Sasha at Good Harbor Beach on Sunday

Midsummer in Northern Michigan--this is the life. It is so, so hot right now (93 as I'm typing this!) but we're crossing every one of our digits in the hope that we really will get that thunderstorm tomorrow. (Is it just me or is there something so romantic about cozying up in the cottage with board games, a cup of tea, a simple knitting pattern and watching the rain cascade down the windows?) 

We feel incredibly lucky that, while most yarn shops around the country are experiencing their slow time of the year, things at Wool & Honey are anything but quiet. The store is buzzing with activity; every day brings a familiar face through the door....and a brand new one, too. We've met more new customers this year than ever and we'll tell you what we tell all of them--this is an absolutely magical time to be a knitter. 

We're moving full steam ahead, too, on things you can't see in the store--at least not right now. Behind the scenes, we're wildly planning for fall, Christmas, the long winter ahead...even next summer! We've got a new electronic inventory system we're still navigating, a snazzy new website underway (we can't WAIT for the big reveal) and we've just been accepted as a vendor at Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago October 3 & 4th. (And of course that very next weekend is our HUGE event at the store, the YOTH yarns trunk show with Veronika on October 10th....stay tuned for more details!)

 

time.) 

What a gift should be, however, is heart felt. Which is why we're starting now with our celebrated 12 Knits of Christmas (in its eighth year, if you can believe it!) We've written 12 patterns for the hands, home and heart that, if you start now, will give you plenty of time to create meaningful gifts while rejoicing in the everyday.

Without question, our 12 Knits of Christmas is the best it's ever been. 

We know that it's hard to imagine that just a few months from now, the temperatures will dip, the nights will be longer and we'll be reaching for our handknits on a daily basis. Every year, I resolve to make something extra snuggly for myself--a hand knit cover for my hot water bottle. And what better pattern for Wool & Honey than the traditional Aran honeycomb motif? The ubiquitous hot water bottle, antiquated as it might seem, is the perfect solution for (almost) whatever ails you. Got the flu? Put this on your car seat or your office chair to help alleviate your body aches. Cold toes? Slip this sweater-covered cozy between the sheets. Severe cramps this month? Curl up on the couch with some chocolate--and the Bee Cozy pressed to your abdomen. It's also perfect for kids; hot water bottles are a safe solution to the very dangerous heating pads and polyester electric blankets of the past. Tuck one in with your little one at night, sending them off to dreamland in the coziest way imaginable.

Each kit will make one hot water bottle cozy and includes an easy-to-read pattern and one skein of Quince & Co. Osprey in Carrie's Yellow.

Order the Bee Cozy Kit  HERE.  

Summertime might be what Northern Michigan is known for, but us knitters know better--Fall is the Real Deal. With its crunchy leaves and spicy cider, the excitement of pulling out those wool sweaters from the back of the closet is nothing short of electric. We're aware that for the past several years at Wool & Honey, we've been focusing much of our knitting energies on smaller projects, and while one-skein projects will always rule our heart, we're ready to tackle larger pieces, too. We also know that sweaters are hard--the fit, the cost, the time....we get it. Which is why we're introducing our first Wool & Honey Knit-a-Long (KAL): the Lucinda Sweater from Carrie Bostick Hoge, in Acadia from the Fibre Company. If this KAL doesn't get you in the mood for sweater knitting, we're not sure what will.

Because everything you need to knit this sweater will be 15% off. 

And there are MAJOR prizes to those who finish.

We'll start on Saturday, August 8th with a party from 5-8 pm. At the party, we'll have a sample Lucinda sweater on display (and available for you to try on, of course!), as well as a skein of every colorway of the Fibre Company's Acadia yarn...and treats, of course! You'll order the yarn (and needles, if you need them), pick up a copy of the book and the yarn will arrive in the store with plenty of time for you to cast on on September 1st.

The Knit-A-Long will run for exactly one month--from September 1st through September 30th. We'll be devoting our Thursday evening Open Knitting to the Lucinda KAL throughout the month of September--we'll be here to help you if you get in a rut or need help navigating the pattern, but primarily it'll be a chance for us to motivate each other.

And. 

Every single participant who completes their sweater will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to Wool & Honey, to use in-house or online.

The Lucinda pattern is from Madder Anthology 2 by Carrie Bostick Hoge and it's the first of four sweaters we'll be knitting from this book over the next twelve months. You're welcome to join us for any number of these sweaters--or all of them. Our goals are many: to help you build a collection of sweaters you'll wear for years to come, in an affordable way, while introducing you to the everyday luxury of the Fibre Company yarns. We know it's going to be a wonderful year.