SEPTEMBER 9TH,

2015

NEWS FROM THE HIVE

THE WEBSITE THE BLOG FACEBOOK NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES RAVELRY

GREATER TRAVERSE YARN SHOP HOP:

SEPTEMBER 18,19 & 20

Join Northern Michigan knitters in a special weekend event: the fourth annual Greater Traverse Yarn Shop Hop 2015 next weekend--Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 18-20th.

Take an entire weekend to enjoy the experience of shopping eight different yarn shops around the Grand Traverse Area, where each shop will highlight unique yarns and patterns, offer refreshments and ideas for handmade holiday gifts. Purchase a $5.00 passport and get an exclusive logo tote bag, available Friday, September 11th while supplies last. Stamp your passport at all six shops and you'll be eligible to win one of three Grand Prize Baskets, which each include a $20 gift certificate to all six shops and several other exclusive prizes.

(one of the three Grand Prize baskets)

Each store will be offering special discounts, which are as follows:

Thistledown Shoppe--25% off all Classic Elite yarns
Wool & Honey--15% off Quince & Co.'s NEW Willet yarn
The Yarn Shop--20% off storewide, plus 25% off blanket/throw kits
Warm Fuzzy--20% off storewide
Yarn Quest--10-30% off select yarns
Lost Art--$20 special on Indulgence cashmere sock yarn

The participating shops are Thistledown Shoppe of Suttons Bay, Wool & Honey of Cedar, The Yarn Shop of Glen Arbor, The Warm Fuzzy of Alden and Yarn Quest and Lost Art, both of Traverse City. Each shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, September 18th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 19th and 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 20th. Join in the spirit of community by visiting all of these specialty shops. Who knows what you'll find....or win!

For directions and more information, please contact (231) 228-2800.

THE 12 KNITS OF CHRISTMAS:

LAZY DAISY MITTS

Year in, year out, one of my favorite gifts to knit is a pair of fingerless mitts. And one of my favorite fibers to knit with is buttery soft Merino wool. This pair of mitts is smaller than most, just grazing the wrist and falling a bit shy of the first knuckle, but they're absolutely perfect for this transitional time of year. And they're so small and lightweight, they can be worn inside on chilly mornings while reading, enjoying your first cuppa or even knitting. These mitts are quick, simple, warm and if you're feeling up to it, embellished with a bit of basic, traditional embroidery--the whimsical Lazy Daisy stitch. Omit the embroidery altogether for a plain vanilla pair of mitts and extend the length in either direction if you'd rather have a more standard size--there's plenty of yarn left over in the skein to make them larger.

Each kit will make one delicate pair of fingerless mitts and includes an easy-to-read pattern, one skein of Malabrigo Finito and four colors of embroidery floss to stitch the wee flowers.

Order the Lazy Daisy Mitts Kit HERE.

Interested in just the PDF pattern? Find it HERE.

While it's not free, click HERE for a gorgeous PDF pattern and tutorial for a crewelwork sampler with every type of embroidery stitch imaginable. I made this from a kit several years ago, and while it might have been the most challenging piece of handwork I've ever done (I knew NOTHING about embroidery beforehand), it includes the most comprehensive tutorial on embroidery from Alicia Paulson I've ever seen. Her blog is absolutely darling and worth reading every single post.

We know that Life--is about taking time to enjoy the everyday, as well as all the other obligations we have, day in, day out. It's not hard at all to get caught up in the shuffling and the planning and the just plain busyness of it all... and to gloss over the daily joys, forgetting about why it is that we do what we do and just like that, the moment is gone. While we we were planning for the next season.

One of the greatest gifts we have as knitters is to spend a little time every day with our tools, our minds, our hands, some quiet and make. Making a tiny sweater for the first grandchild that's growing inside your daughter's belly. Making a pair of mittens to keep your best friend's hands warm out on the cross-country ski trail. Making a sweater for the guy who finally gave you that ring.

It doesn't have to be big. Or complicated. Or expensive. (We've found that a simple garter stitch dish cloth and a handmade soap tied with a ribbon makes a wonderful wedding/housewarming/thank-you-for-being-my-postmaster gift, time after time after

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.

The focus is on gifts that you'll be ecstatic to give, whether it's because they're knit with yarn you've never seen before (they are), they all require less than two weeks to complete (they do) or because they're fresh takes on classic knitted gifts (they will be).

There's more. (Of course.) We'll be giving away six outrageous prizes to six very lucky knitters.

1.) For each ambitious customer who purchases ALL 12 kits, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a $250 gift certificate to Wool & Honey, either in-house or online.

2.) For each kit ordered, you'll be entered into a separate drawing for

three (3) $25 gift certificates, two (2) $50 gift certificates and one (1) $100 gift certificate to Wool & Honey, either in-house or online. (Ordering 3 of the same kit? That counts as 3 entries!)

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Knit One: Bee Cozy