All the yarn that's fit to knit!


Come on in, the yarn's fine!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Updated: Fall Classes at Great Yarns

UPDATED 8-8-2011

Great Yarns Fall Quarter Classes 
August 22 through October 14, 2011
 Call us at 832-3599 to sign up or for more information.
Beginning Crochet:  6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  August 23 & 30 or September 7 & 14. $55.00.  Supplies included.  Learn the fundamentals of crochet! In this 2-part class, we will learn how to make a beginning chain, slip stitch, single crochet, and double crochet, and we will put these stitches to use in making very lovely dishcloths. No previous experience necessary. 
Beginning Knitting:  9:30 to 11:30 a.m.  September 12 & 19. Or 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.   September 15 & 22.   $55.00. You need a new hobby! Beginning Knitting is a newbie friendly class with lots of fun included and a great chance to meet new people.  You will learn (or be refreshed on) the basics of knitting plus tips and support to get you started on TONS of new projects. After this class, scarves, hats, blankets, washcloths, even simple sweaters will be at your fingertips!
Sweater Class- 6:30 to 8:30p.m. -  August 22, 29, September 12, 19, 26 & October 3.  $65.00. Are you willing to go to the next step?  Take your skills to another level and learn to put a sweater together.  Seaming, increasing/decreasing, shaping, selecting what patterns are best for you are all part of this 6 week session. This class is in high demand and a traditional favorite at Great Yarns, don’t hesitate to sign up now.
Fingerless Mitts with Cables:  6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  August 24, 31 & September 9. $50.00. In this class we will learn to cable while knitting a pair of beautiful fingerless mitts! 
Intro to Lace – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. September 1 & 8.  $50.00.  Lacy scarves and shawls look good on anyone and are incredibly fun to knit, but the patterns can sometimes seem intimidating or daunting. Fear no more! In this class, we’ll learn the basic lace stitches, which all the other lace stitches are based on, and we’ll also learn how to read lace patterns, including how to read charts. In this 2-week course, we’ll get you started on a simple, customizable lace scarf – depending on what yarn you choose, it can be a light-weight accent scarf perfect for a spring or summer evening, or a heavier woolly scarf to keep you warm on a chilly winter night! Supplies not included. 
Intro to Socks ( w/ DPNs) – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. -  September 6, 13 & 20.  $50.00. A great introduction to making socks and knitting in the round on double-pointed needles! In this basic intro-to-socks class, we’ll work step-by-step through the process of knitting a sock (cuff down) in a simple ribbed pattern, and when we’re done, you can take your new skills home to knit its mate on your own. Supplies not included. 
Cabled Purse: 9:30 to 11:30a.m. September 14 & 21. $45.00. Learn a new technique and take home a beautiful clutch purse with cables, a perfect addition to your wardrobe.  
Magic Loop: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. September 21. $35.00.  Come and learn this exciting method of knitting in the round and free yourself from dpn’s! 
Knit 201: 6:30pm to 8:30 p.m.  September 27 & October 4. $45.00.  Keep making mistakes? Dropped a stitch? Afraid to fix an error?  Come learn how to correct those pesky errors and take your skills to the next level.  
Knitted Toy Doll:  9:30 to 11:30 a. m. September 28, October 5 & 12.  $50.00. Many knitted toys have been the most favored and treasured toys ever created.  You can learn to create these adored items in this class and truly enjoy making knitted dolls for your children and grandchildren.
Fair Isle Goodie Bag with Halloween Design – 6:30 to 8:30pm -September 28, October 5 & 12.   $50.00. Join us in our intro to the Fair Isle/Stranded knitting technique while we knit this adorable Halloween goodie bag! 
Crochet Market Bag: 6:30 to 8:30 pm - September 29 & October 6.  $45.00.  Create a useful crocheted market bag for grocery shopping. This bag is simple yet fun to make. Also great to give as gifts! 
Cast – On Methods (knit): 6:30 to 8:30 pm - October 10. $35.00.  Did you think that there were only one or two ways to cast-on? There are actually many different ways. Come join us for a fun evening as we explore a few of them and learn what situations they are best suited for. 
Learn to Knit Continental: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  October 11.  $35.00. Most Americans learn to knit English style – that is, holding the working yarn in your right hand and “throwing” the yarn to create the stitch. However, some people find that Continental style – holding the working yarn steady in your left hand and “picking” the stitches with the right needle – is more efficient and can reduce pain caused by carpal tunnel or tendonitis. In this two-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to knit and purl Continental style. Supplies not included. 
Crochet Granny Squares: 6:30 -8:30 p.m.  October 13.  $35.00. The granny square offers endless possibilities in crochet. Learn how to create the basic granny square, how to create a giant granny square blanket, and how to join smaller squares into an afghan.                        

An Introduction


How did I get here? Well. My name is Erin, and I used to be a regular, non-knitting individual. But all that changed about four years ago. Before then, I thought yarn was vaguely interesting…sort of. Somehow, mysteriously, I got sucked in.

I started knitting when my son was eight months old. I learned from a book, and while I wanted to throw the yarn across the room and use the book as kindling for a fire (I was a leedle frustrated at first), I kept at it. When I had a strip of something that looked like knitting, I felt almost as I did when I first became a mother. “See that? I made that! Isn’t it cute?”

At first I could take it or leave it. I didn’t need to knit all the time, and I didn’t miss it when I had a few minutes’ time and nothing to do. It took me seven attempts to knit a purse. Seven agonizing cast-ons, hours and hours of grinding concentration to make the simple in-wrap-out-off motions of knitting, and seven fraught bind-offs, including my personal favorite, when I figured I could cut the yarn an inch in length after I’d finished, and I watched the entire thing frog itself in .087 seconds. That was attempt #6, by the way. Weirdly enough, I kept at it.

Sometime after that, I don’t know when, I morphed into a knitter. I started visiting the local yarn store, Yarns Etc, more often. I started planning ahead, buying yarn for those “future projects” I had planned (the slippery slope of yarn addiction is very subtle), and sometimes I just bought yarn because it felt too good to go home without it. I started new and daring things like…hats, socks, sweaters. Things meant to fit a human body, and sometimes the results were tragically comic. What better way to underscore the importance of gauge than to spend two months knitting a nightgown that would work better as a cozy for a tractor tire? That little label on the yarn is trying to tell you something, chica!

My son is four now, and I have an almost four-month old daughter, too. My knitting time is scarce, but now I would say I am a Knitter. It is a rare day that I don’t knit for at least a few minutes (I knit while I waited in the hospital to have my daughter—the nurses were very amused, and I think some of them wanted me to get a psych consult). I buy knitting magazines, I’m on a knitting and crocheting social network (Ravelry holla! If you haven’t been there, you must go), and one of my most favorite moments in life right now is the second I walk in the door at Yarns Etc, and just look from wall to wall at all the cubbies full of fuzzy skeins that scream, “take me home!”



When did you become a knitter, Knitter, or knit enthusiast? Or even...a crocheter???

I don’t get to come to Yarns etc as much as I’d like to lately, but I am always greeted like an old friend when I show up with my wee people. My son loves Mary’s thoughtful assortment of toys (and I appreciate them, too), and has even knit a little bit. My daughter is becoming alert enough to see all those beautiful colors on the shelves…perhaps she will become addicted to the art of knitting and crochet, too?

A few days ago, Mary had asked me if I would be interested in writing for the store’s blog, and I leapt at the chance. Hmmm, let me think…talking about yarn, knitting, my favorite store, and do it weekly. Gee…um…YEAH!

So that's how I got here. I want to talk about yarn, fiber, cool stitches, beautiful projects, and all the fun things that are arriving at Great Yarns and Yarns etc. I want to make your mouths water and your fingers twitch with lots of beautiful pictures of projects and yarns.



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