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December 2007

Happy December to all you fiber enthusiasts!

Hope all your shopping is going well and your projects are well underway. For this month, I won't have any special workshops because I know how busy we all are. We will continue with the fingerless glove patterns as our Friday afternoon Accessory Club project because they are quick, usually only use 1 skein of yarn and, well, they are just cute! I am seeing them everywhere on TV and in magazines and they are useful as well. We will offer the usual lessons and we will hold Kidlet and Sock Clubs as well as Project Linus, but otherwise we will be available to help you with last minute gift ideas.

Now, for the new Arrivals; first, we have gotten smaller Addi Turbos in 16" lengths and we have also received the #7,8 and 9 in the Addi Lace. Very nice to work with, even if you don't need the extra fine point.

We have received black and off white Fortissima sock yarn, as approved for Socks For Soldiers. If you haven't heard about them, check them out. Anyone who is interested in knitting for this marvelous effort, let me know. I'll return 50% of your sock yarn purchase price upon completion of your socks with certain stipulations. Just talk with me. I wished I knitted socks quicker! By the way, has anyone tried the Comfort Zone needles? If you have, let me know what you think.

We received 2 colors of a new Drop Spindle sock yarn and should have the new Chasing Rainbows sock yarns in next week. We should also be receiving some new colors in Jitterbug and Baywood sock yarns.

We have 3 fibers from Jade Sapphir, 2 weights of pure cashmire and their cashmire/silk blend. Talk about making awesome fingerless gloves or hats! Yum...

And we have 6 new yarns from Skacel- Murano, a bulky long color change wool blend; Soffio, a woven wool blend tape; Taiga, a curly loop; Prisma, a mohair blend; Alpaca Seta, an alpaca silk twist; and Cello, a multi textured bulky. We also got some lovely new colors in Loft which is great to knit with and even better to felt with.

Hopefully everyone is taking the time to enjoy the season and will have all their presents ready in good time.

To that end, here are a few suggestions for some quick, handmade Christmas gifts:

Remember all those dishcloth/facecloths we made during the summer? Paired up with a nice artisan soap or body scrub in a cute basket, they will make a great hostess or housewarming gift. Or make a bath set to pair with some body products for the person who has everything.

How about a mug cozy? There are a number of them, both in magazines and on the web, but this one is especially cute. Pair it with a nice mug and the beverage of choice and it would make a lovely office gift.

What about a 3 hour hat? The Scalloped Edged Hat by Jill Vosburg in Aslan Del Sur is a no worry, very quick knit that is flattering on everyone.

Fingerless gloves are all the rage and we have some darling samples for you to look at. These could take anywhere from 4-20 hours, depending on the yarn and needle size and are a great way to use up that extra skein of luxury yarn. They are so portable, you can work on them anywhere. And there is no sizing to worry about!

What about slippers? This pattern from Garnstudio is very cute and at 3 sts to the inch would be very quick to make. Or these felted ones are also cute and practical.

Purses are always welcome and fun to make. They are another great way to use up left over novelties and can be felted, or not.

And scarves, wraps, shawls, mobius and shrugs continue to be all over the fashion scene. Besides being useful, they can be a good way to use odds and ends, they can be worked quickly and you don't have to worry about sizing.

Knitting Pattern Central or Crochet Pattern Central are great places for many patterns for these items, so check them out.
Hope this gives you some useful ideas for last minute handmade gifts.

We hope your holiday season is being filled with visions of joy while you work on your gifts and we hope to see everyone soon!

Karen, Bonnie, Tierney, Charlene & Natalie