Lagniappe - December 5, 2012

• It's chilly outside again which is reminding us about Keeping Kids Warm! You still have time to come buy some yarn and make hats and/or mittens for kids in the Waupaca and Weyauwega school systems. Check out this post for the details.
• It's the Christmas season – and we're celebrating with “Comfort and Joy”! Yarn brings us comfort with warm wool sweaters and scarves. And the sparkly yarn made into scarves with bling certainly gives joy!! Stop in to see what we have!
• Are you a Lord of the Rings fan? We have a great sock pattern called “The Fellowship” from Unique Sheep along with their gradient sock yarn designed specifically for this pattern. Come check it out – and be ready to take a trip to Middle Earth!
• Class lists will be going up soon – keep an eye out. Or, better yet, sign up for the newsletter and find out immediately when Patrick puts them online!
• Need a Christmas gift for a friend? Check out our shawl pins and shawl sticks. The wooden sticks are hand-turned by Patrick and the glass squares by Mary Beisner of Blessings Glasswork. We also have hand-turned knitting needles by Patrick and ceramic yarn bowls by Terry Achten of Waupaca and Richard Milheiser of Eau Claire.
• Don't forget Stitch Night! On Thursday evenings from 7-9pm, we get together to knit or crochet while enjoying each other's company and chatting. It's a great way to spend an evening!

We hope to see you soon!

Lagniappe–June 17, 2012

I am originally from the South. My extended family is from Mississippi and Louisiana, but I grew up in Florida, which explains why I don’t have a Southern accent. Nonetheless, I have a few Southernisms – I refuse to give up the word “ya’ll” (it’s incredibly useful) and I love the word “lagniappe” which I picked up during my years in Baton Rouge at LSU and New Orleans at Tulane Med School. Lagniappe means “a little extra” or “a bonus”. That’s what today’s post is – some lagniappe, little extras for you.

• Patrick and I met with the rep from Interlacement Yarns yesterday morning. Oh. My. Goodness. So many beautiful yarns!! Right now, we’re going to start with the Lotus, a 100% silk lace weight yarn that comes in a 500 yard skein, which is perfect for that warm weather shawl project. That yarn should be in the shop in a week or so!

• I have become a hat fiend! I agreed to make a couple of hats for a couple of friends of a friend who are both undergoing chemotherapy and I loved them so much that I’m working on another by the same designer. The first two were Inishmore by Cheryl Andrews (see earlier blog post) and my current work in progress is Picadilly, also by Cheryl Andrews. She has several other hat patterns that I love, so I may end up making even more hats! In any case, you can purchase the patterns at The Knitting Nest through Ravelry In-Store pattern sales and we can help you find the perfect yarn.

• Yarn bowls! Check out our Facebook page for pictures of some of our yarn bowls. We have two potters currently making yarn bowls for our shop. I have one at home that I’m using and I LOVE it!

• Knitting needles and shawl pins! Patrick is getting really good at turning these on the lathe. Again, pictures are on the Facebook page and Patrick updates these pretty regularly. Some needles have glass beads that are made by a local glass artist at Blessings Glassworks!

• On a personal note, I’m getting Botox tomorrow for my migraines. So, for the next three months, I won’t be able to raise my eyebrows or wiggle my ears. Actually, I can’t wiggle my ears right now, so that’s a moot point. But, when I had Botox 6 or 7 years ago, my kids had a blast with the fact that I couldn’t raise my eyebrows. Stop in the shop sometime and say something outrageous and get a laugh out of the fact that I can’t raise my eyebrows at you! Or not. You can just stop by and check out the new merchandise and sit and knit a spell (there’s those Southern roots coming out!)!