News from Knitting Addiction

Happy New Year! Happy Knitting!

2012-01-12T18:03:00.002-05:00

Ahh... the crush of the holidays is over. Whether you knitted for family and friends or if you just weathered the hectic pace of the holidays with a little knitting on the side for sanity, that is behind and now it is finally time to knit something fabulous for yourself!

The New Year brings all kinds of resolutions: eat less, move more, quit smoking, go on a diet, the list goes on and on. I'm not sure what your resolutions include, but here are a couple that are good for all of us.

1. Make time for yourself: In the constant contact, constant crush world we live in it is hard to turn off the ringer and just be unavailable for a while. It seems impossible to remember the days when people called the house phone and left a message and we returned it when we had a chance. Why not make a plan to give yourself a few minutes a day with something you love and just not be at the beck and call of the phone or text or computer. Turn off the ringer, settle in with a knitting project you are excited about and just "be" where you are at the moment. Enjoy every stitch and the rhythm of your knitting, enjoy the sound of the needles and the feel of the yarn. The person who can't figure out what to eat for dinner will be ok if they have to decide that on their own.

2. Get organized: As we zoom from place to place dragging all of our worldly possessions around with us we get scattered and collect clutter. Take a few minutes in the following weeks and pick a place in your life that needs a little organization. Your knitting bag might be a good place to start. Go through your bag and really look at what has been riding around in it. If you have bits and pieces of projects from last year's Christmas giving, clear them out. Collect yarn labels (with a small piece of yarn attached) and put them in a safe spot. If you find that you need more Spud and Chloe Sweater for your project you can call the shop and ask for the correct color and dye lot with out saying, "I bought this yarn, and it was blue...." The shop owner will love you.

Take a minute and find a system that works for your needles and notions. I love the Knitting Addiction Stash Pouches, the clear sides and handy zipper keep everything contained and easy to find. I keep all of my notions in one spot, a small KA zipper pouch: scissors, stitch markers in a little tin, yarn needle, tape measure, hand cream. I know that if I have my stash pouch I have just about everything I need for knitting. I move the stash pouch from project bag to project bag and don't have to worry about needing a tape measure when I am on the road.

3. Get inspired: Find a yarn or a project that makes you swoon and put your heart and soul into bringing it into fruition. If you are inspired by cables and haven't mastered the skill, come in to Knitting Addiction and let us show you how easy cables are. Has a particular yarn been calling your name all year? Now is the time to come in and find out what that yarn is yearning to be. A clever cowl or fingerless mitts for yourself in a really lovely yarn are the perfect way to start the year with some inspired style. The staff at Knitting Addiction is ready to help you with this final resolution.

Other news of note. Knitting Addiction will be open M. L. King Monday from 10-4. Please stop by while you are on the beach, we'd love to see you. Other shop hour notes: We will be closed January 24-28. Please plan your yarn needs and emergencies accordingly. We'd love to see you before or after those days to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions.

Holiday Ideas....

2011-12-07T10:18:00.004-05:00

I know, I know... It doesn't seem like there could be time for anything else in our hectic lives, but if you still have gifts to knit I have a couple of great ideas. A nice warm hat or fingerless mitts done in Malabrigo Chunky or Baby Alpaca Grande would knit up in almost no time. A clever felted wine bottle cozy is a great holiday gift with a bottle of something bubbly tucked inside. Another great gift is the Sturdy String Bag recently updated cheery red and white stripes.

I also have some great gift ideas for your favorite knitter. Yarn bowls are flying off the shelves. Carolyn from Studio 12 is bringing another batch up Wednesday, December 7th. If you haven't tried knitting with a yarn bowl, I highly recommend it. Just after Irene I snagged one of Gary's bowls. The glaze made me swoon and I was knitting some really fine alpaca, so I thought I'd give it a try. Boy do I love it! It sits on the floor by my favorite chair, the yarn pulls out happily without snagging or getting tangled, and the bowl keeps the Abbie and Orville fur off my yarn. My new favorite knitting trick is to take my knitting, in the yarn bowl and knit on the porch. No worries about the ball of yarn rolling around or jumping off the deck. If your sweetie is asking for gift ideas this is a great one to consider.

Other great gift ideas for yourself or your favorite knitter could include a set of Harmony Interchangable Knitting Needles. The set includes size 4-11 needles, two sets of cables that make 24 inch needles and two sets of cables that make 32 inch needles. The Harmony Needles are beautiful to work with and the set solves the problem of "Dang, I thought I had those needles!"

We just got in a great selection of beautiful Shawl Pins. There are fun tape measures, cute bags and other great treats for your knitter. Come take a look!

Trunk Show!! and another Trunk Show!!

2011-11-14T10:48:00.003-05:00

The Ellyn Cooper Trunk Show is off and running. Box after box after box has arrived and we have most of everything out and available. Ellyn's samples include a beautiful jacket knitted out of kid mohair and a dk weight organic merino. A shop favorite of the samples in Ellyn's magic boxes is a simple vest knitted out of Peru cotton. It is a cute asymetrical design that only needs 3 or 4 skeins of Peru. Great colors and a great project. We also have several amazing fingering and lace weight yarns in this trunk show. All those who have asked for lace weight should come and find a treasure or two. Ellyn sent "Daybreak" a beautiful Stephen West shawl knitted in a skein of kid mohair and a skein of sock yarn. It is a feast for the eyes!

We have also had a good time knitting a couple of new samples out of the treasures in the trunk show boxes. One skein of "Tinkerbell" makes and amazing "infinity" type cowl. Kristy (the other new face at KA) had a great time knitting the Ann Norling multi-gauge cowl. It can be worn a bunch of ways and is a great addition to any fall wardrobe.

What is that about another new face? I'd like to welcome Kristy Lucas. She joins us with a pretty impressive knitting history (she knits samples for people like Nicky Epstein) and a great knack for people and yarn. Kristy is not "local" but is driving to the OBX for 2 days of work at KA from way up in Hampton, VA! Please welcome her smiling face when you are in the shop next.

And another Trunk Show?? What the ... We are really excited that Carolyn from Studio 12 in Hatteras is going to join us at Knitting Addiction again December 3rd for the day. Carolyn came up in October to show and sell her beautiful works. We had so much fun with all of her amazing jewelry and ceramics and Gary's beautiful pottery that I had to invite them back for another day. If you missed the Trunk Show in October (or if you fell head over heels in love with their work!!), please make plans to join us on Saturday, December 3rd.

Carolyn and Gary will be returning from Washington D.C. where one of their Christmas ornaments was chosen for the National Christmas Tree. Pretty big stuff! I anticipate the same amazing welcome that Carolyn enjoyed in October. Save some holiday shopping for the Studio 12 Trunk Show and know that you have done your part to think globally and shop locally. Local art may be one of the best possible gift ideas... right after a hand-knitted gift:)

Hope to see you soon!

Ellyn Cooper TRUNK SHOW & other news

2011-10-26T11:45:00.003-04:00

Yeah! Hurray! The annual Ellyn Cooper Trunk Show is almost here. November 8-30 we will have a great array of Ellyn's beautiful hand-dyed yarns. The Trunk Show has become a much anticipated event at Knitting Addiction and I think this year is going to be new levels of wonderful.

I've talked with Ellyn several times about the show and she has new colors and a host of neat new fibers to add some real fun to this year's event. If you are an Ellyn junkie as so many of us are this is the time to road trip to the beach and spend some time finding a new project in Ellyn's beautiful yarns.

We hope to see you here!

Other news around ths shop of note is a new but familiar face. Karen Arbaugh who many of you know has joined me at Knitting Addiction as a great part-time person. If you have not met Karen she has wonderful skills and is an awesome addition to the KA staff. In her "real" job she's a paramedic for Dare County, so she thinks that KA is the "fun" job. Karen will be around a couple of days a week. Stay tuned for another new face in tne near future.

Saturday, October 22

2011-10-17T20:30:00.002-04:00

Just a little advanced notice for those who do read the blog. Knitting Addiction will be uncharacteristically closed on Saturday, October 22. A dear friend, Susan Kowalski, passed away from the evils of cancer last week and the memorial service is on Saturday. Dave and I will be attending the service and the events following. Please keep the Kowalski Family in your thoughts and prayers. Susan and her husband George have been huge assets to the Southern Shores VFD and she will be greatly missed. God bless and Godspeed Susan, please keep watching over all your folks from a higher vantage point.

Wow!! What a great day!

2011-10-09T17:26:00.002-04:00

What a great day!! Saturday, October 8 was a loads of fun at Knitting Addiction. We were lucky to have Carolyn Schena from Studio 12, Avon join us for the day for an Art Show. Studio 12 had some damage from Irene and we hoped to have a good day for some great art and shopping.

Carolyn brought tons of beautiful art for the fine folks at KA to admire and purchase. She creates beautiful ceramic buttons and tiles, amazing fused glass jewelry, and lovely original paintings. Gary, her sweet guy, is an amazing potter and Carolyn brought a wonderful array of his pottery, platters and YARN BOWLS!!

It was a feast for the eyes. Blue, green and earthy glazes on neat pottery. Sparkly fused glass pendants and earrings, sterling silver clay molded into fanciful jewelry. There was something neat for nearly everyone. Loads of shoppers found treasures on the Studion12 tables and it was fun day all the way around. There is also a fresh supply of yarn bowls at the shop if you having been waiting for the next delivery!

Thanks to all who came out to support Studio 12 and the Schenas. They are great people and longtime Knitting Addiction friends. If you missed the fun this weekend, we are hoping to have Carolyn back up for another show in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

Studio 12 is coming!!

2011-10-03T12:21:00.003-04:00

Yeah me! FINALLY something to blog about! Carolyn Schena from Studio 12 in Avon is going to be a the shop on Saturday, October 8 all day. She's packing the truck with all sorts of Studio 12 art, pottery and jewelry and heading north on the ferry to bring a slice of Hatteras to the northern beaches. We are really excited to see the beautiful things she will have for sale. Please come in and shop 'til you drop! Christmas is right around the corner, so this is a great opportunity to support local artists and find the perfect gift for a friend or even yourself!

Check out the Studio 12 website at Studio 12

Happy fall!!

2011-09-25T19:14:00.002-04:00

Greetings at the end of a really crazy summer! We survived Hurricane Irene with no damage at the shop. We survived the summer with smiles intact most days and we met some new and wonderful people.

I am still, as previously reported a really bad bloggers, but I figured it was time for an update. The new yarns we brought in at the beginning of the summer have been excellent additions to the inventory. We are thrilled so many people are enjoying the same great yarns we love. If you haven't checked out Merino 5 or Cotton Twirl now might be the time.

August 15 marked Lisa's one year anniversary at Knitting Addiction. I am no longer allowed to call her the "new girl" now she's family.

Fall brings about thoughts of new projects and some cool weather knitting. It might be time to start some holiday knitting too. As a reminder November will be another wonderful Ellyn Cooper Trunk Show. I talked to Ellyn recently and we are planning to have yarn ready for shopping the first weekend of the month. She has several new colors and fibers and we are very excited to see what she will send this year.

Brief and to the point- come see us and get your fall knit on!!

Summer has arrived!!

2011-05-29T19:58:00.002-04:00

It's official that summer has arrived on the Outer Banks! Monday is Memorial Day, so that might sound like a Captain ObviousMan statement, but other things have made me notice. It's gotten hot, a little hazy, the traffic and grocery stores are both a little crazy and life at Knitting Addiction is just a starting to heat up!

Current happenings include a great sale on Mission Falls 1824. Both the worsted weight cotton and wool are on sale 25% off, and we will include a Mission Falls pattern book for free with the yarn to do a project. Quantities are limited, so don't delay.Knitting bags are also on sale this week, all bags are 25% off.

Knit Picks interchangeable needle sets are another hot summer item. We should have more in by the middle of the week. The sets have been flying out the door since we first started carrying them about a month ago. If you have ever lusted after either the Harmony or Options sets, now is the time to pick one up. The needles are lovely, cords are flexible and easy to change and a delight to knit with. We really think these needles are a great choice for knitters of all skill levels.

The other sure sign of summer is the change in shop hours. For the summer we will be open Monday through Friday, 10-6 and Saturday 10-4. We hope to see you and your knitting at the beach soon!

Good Grief I'm a bad blogger!!

2011-05-06T12:33:00.002-04:00

Hi guys,

It's official that I am the world's worst blogger! I'm cringing from embarassment that the last post was in February! Oh my, forgive me!

So what's new??? Well, we've hit a couple of really cool milestones in the past couple months. March 16 marked one incredibly fabulous year in the new location at 400 S. Croatan Highway. Thanks to all who come and find us here. We are really in love with the new location. It is great space that has grown to be exactly what I wanted. What I thought was going to be extra space is now holding more yarn than I ever thought was possible and I am really thrilled. The flowers in the beds have even burst forth in lovely blooms this spring! Great stuff!

Another cool milestone is Knitting Addiction's SEVEN year anniversary as of May 1! Thanks to all who have made the past 7 years the fantastic journey it has been. I hope we are all together for many, many more years! I had no idea at the beginning what this would all become. I laughed this week at the early pictures of the old space 2 months open. Wide open spaces and not a ton of yarn... my how we've grown!

Some new cool yarn has arrived at the shop and we are thrilled about it. Feza "Alp" yarns are in. They are much like Prism, but a little more cost effective. "Alp Premier" is a bulky weight yarn that changes fibers every 4 or 5 yards. 200 yards are $38. "Alp Light" is a worsted weight yarn that also changes fibers every several yards and it is $28 for about 300 yards. We have some cool scarves knitted up and on display. A skein or two of either would be a great jumping off point for a Mix and Match Stole or a great Dancing Crayons wrap. We will be ordering more next week, our first shipment of 40 skeins is flying out the door as fast as we can wind! Come in and check out the colors and be on the lookout for more colors to arrive in the coming weeks.

Other yarn news to note: All Mission Falls yarns have been discontinued. We have sweater quantities left of some of the 1824 Wool colors, most of the 1824 Cotton and most of the 136 Wool yarns. May 10th will start the Mission Falls Sale! You heard it here first (knowing we don't do a ton of sales...). All Mission Falls yarns and pattern books will be on sale, 20% off for the next two weeks. I'm not sure how quickly the yarn will move, so don't let this great stuff get away if you need some.

So what comes next? We hope to have another great summer. We are looking at a variety of yarns to fill the gap that will be left when the Mission Falls is gone and we are looking forward to seeing you!

Happy Knitting,
jeanne

Happy February!

2011-02-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

A slightly belated Valentine's hug to all of our faithful customers. Thanks for your support throughout the year. You guys rock!

I keep figuring that with winter being here, things will settle down and we will have time to get to all the stuff that needs to be done (like catching up on the blog... organizing my office....) Somehow, it is just not working! January was a great month. The shop is looking great, Lisa and I had a couple of inspired days and re-arranged a ton of yarn in the front room. Spud and Chloe yarns found a new home and we added in the spring colors. We've re-arranged Ellyn Cooper yarns and found some wonderful ways to better highlight her beautiful colors.

A portion of the yarn store shuffle was inspired by a great expansion of new novelty yarns from Crystal Palace. If you are familiar with Crystal Palace they have been creating great texture fibers for a lot of years. We are super excited about the new yarns. Popcorn is a cool carry along with little popcorns of fluff. Fizz is Crystal Palace's short frizzy lash yarn. Little Flowers is a beautiful fiber with tiny flecks of metallic yarns mixed in with tiny tufts. Blippity is a neat yarn that looks like little tiles connected on a skinny runner. Squiggle is my personal favorite, it has long wiggly strands attached about every 3 inches on a thin carry-along yarn. Great colors, great texture and really great prices. Come check them out.

January also brought a chance for me to take a week off and go hang out on someone else's island for a little while. If you missed me while I was in Cedar Key, I hope you know that I'm sure I would have loved to see you. Lisa and Karen were the rock stars I expected. Thanks to all who helped out and wound yarn or answered phones or made sure the girls had lunch while I had a chance to kayak with my man and my mom and hang out on the deck of Black Dog Bar and Tables with my knuckleheads and have a much needed break.

Some sad news arrived in January- Mission Falls Yarns (1824 Wool, 136 Wool and 1824 Cotton) have all been discontinued. My understanding is the license rights for the mill have run out and what they have available is the end of it. I have ordered a good amount of favorites to keep us going a little longer, but know that if you love these yarns like I love these yarns, it is time to get them before they are gone. We still have sweater quantities of most at this time. Give us a call at the shop if you know you can't live with out something.

We are actively researching other yarn lines to find something that will be a good replacement. I'll keep you posted on what we find (but... you know it won't be tomorrow.....)

Happy Knitting,
jeanne

Holly Holidays, Batman.....

2010-12-07T19:02:00.002-05:00

Well, it seems like just yesterday I was filling you guys in on all the pretties from Ellyn and now there are only 17 knitting days until Christmas!!! How the heck did that happen? To those who follow the blog and are not completely ill with me for such slack posting, I appreciate your loyalty!

So, big changes around the shop. Britt is safely in Bowling Green (read really cold) Ohio. Long drive, plenty of new to settle into and new job starts shortly. Thanks to all who were able to join us for the going away/ birthday party on the 21st. Britt had a blast and felt quite loved at the end of all the festivities. Thanksgiving week was busy and kept us all hopping and Britt and family headed north on the Sunday following.

Lisa is now officially here "full-time"...the translation there is she is now my new right hand man. We are getting along famously and lots of new people are learning her lovely qualities. I am a lucky and blessed business owner! If you have not yet been introduced to Lisa, she'll be the dark haired gal with the big smile. If animal intuition counts for anything she's a keeper- Purrl simply adores her, and that counts for a lot in my book.

December will likely be filled with your last minute knitting projects and hopefully some time to knit a bit for yourself. If you are still looking for a couple of quick projects, stop in and see us - Lisa's first Kniting Addiction design for a "Cabled Cup Cozy" has been a super hit.... We have one person who has knitted over a dozen!! It's a great gift idea and knits up in no time out of Mission Falls 1824 Wool. There is still time for "Fingereless Mitts" or even a quick hat. Lisa and I will be happy to help you get knitting.

And, on a final note, we have a great display of great gifts for knitters. If your sweetie is trying to come up with something fun, send him in and we'll do our best to help pick out the perfect project bag or that awesome circular needle case from Offhand Designs. We also offer gift certificates in any amount so you can pick just what thrills you.

Happy Knitting, and Happy Holidays-
Jeanne

Ellyn Cooper Trunk Show!!

2010-11-16T17:24:00.003-05:00

Greeting from a slightly rainy, double rainbow day on the Outer Banks!!

The boxes started arriving the first of November for the Ellyn Cooper Trunk Show. We have everything unpacked and skeins are flying out the door. The yarns are just to die for! There are tons of new colors, tons of new fibers and lots of great samples. Some of the new colors include "Tomato Queen" and "Cool Rooster" both have been very popular.

If you are a fan of Ellyn's sock yarn we have Tinkerbell in several colors, Zohar's Socks (the one with the bit of bamboo... yummmmmy.....) in about 10 colors and even some Fine Merino. Ellyn sent a bunch of lace weight yarns for the lace knitters and some of her superfine kid mohair. If you have a chance to get here I think you will be hooked on some of the neat new stuff.

There are sweater quantities of lots of colors and fibers we don't usually carry. If you can't get in and think you might need an Ellyn Fix give us a call at the shop and we will do our best to increase your collection long distance.

We will be open Thanksgiving week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday regular hours 10-6. Closed on Turkey Day and then open Friday and Saturday 10-6 both days.

The time is nearing for us to say good-bye and good luck to a favorite friend and my right hand-man for the past 5 years. Britt will be here at Knitting Addiction through Saturday, November 27. We are hosting a "Good Luck- Happy Birthday- We'll Miss You Party" here at the shop on Sunday, November 21 (Britt's actual birthday) from 2-4. If you can join us we'd love to have you. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Come give Britt a big hug and wish her well in the next phase of her life.

*** Look!!! I even managed to add photos!!!!***

Off on New Adventures....

2010-09-25T10:13:00.005-04:00

Greetings on a lovely Saturday Morning. Fall is in the air, the evenings are finally getting cool and it might be time to start the holiday knitting.

Here at Knitting Addiction we are busy knitting new samples from Malabrigo WORSTED... the shipment arrived on Wednesday and skeins are running out the door! We ordered a lovely assortment of 20 colors, it is soft and delightful. Come check it out.

While you are at the shop take a minute to say hi to the "new girl" Lisa. You'll know her by the big smile and the cheery greetings. So on to the reason for a "new girl"- Britt has, after great thought and much, Much, MUCH deliberating, decided she is going to take a job at Willard and Kelsey, a solar glass manufacturing plant, in Ohio. (Translation: she's leaving us!) The job is a great opportunity and a chance to be there as a new and upcoming business starts to grow. Short term will have Britt here at the shop through November, and then she's off to Ohio. The new job will eventually take Britt to sunny Florida- we know she loves sunshine best, so we are wishing her all the very best.

I'd like to invite all who want to attend to a "Best of New Beginnings" party to send Britt off with flair. It will be here at Knitting Addiction, Sunday, November 21 from 2-4 (it's also Britt's birthday). Please come drop in, give Britt a big hug and wish her well on her new adventure. We will miss her like crazy, but most of us knew she was a gypsy at heart. We were lucky to have her here at Knitting Addiction for 5 great years.

Goodbye Earl!

2010-09-05T10:52:00.002-04:00

Greetings from the slightly soggy Outer Banks!

Thanks to all who called and emailed to check in on us at Knitting Addiction. Most now know that the storm was a media circus brought to you by the Weather Channel and all the wind associated with the storm was from Jim Cantore's incessant yammering. Good grief- just hush already!

The storm brought lots of wind, lots of rain, some flooding in the usual places. I worked several hours with the fire department during the storm, which lead to KA being closed on Friday. If we missed you Friday, or late Thursday, we hope you came back to see us on Saturday or are planning to see us some time on Monday.

Best of a quiet Sunday to all.

Malabrigo Heaven!!

2010-08-12T16:45:00.004-04:00

Greetings from my kitchen:) This post was supposed to happen every day since Tuesday, but things are pretty busy at the shop, so it had to wait for Saturday night at home.

GREAT NEWS!!!! The much anticipated Malabrigo order arrived and there is really great yarn here! We were lucky enough to get 6 different colors of Malabrigo sock and about 20 colors of Malabrigo Chunky. We are thrilled that so much of what we wanted was available.

If you love Malabrigo yarns like we do, come in and check them out or give us a call at the shop so we can get some of this beautiful yarn set aside for your "collection."

A word about "collections" - some of the fun of the summer is talking to lots of people from lots of different places and hearing their stories. A favorite from a recent visitor was the change in classifications for the large amount of yarn that many of us have accumulated over a period of knitting. The shop she frequents calls this large array of yarn a "collection" not a "stash." Logic being a "stash" of yarn would be naughty or wrong and "collections" of anything are treasured and and meant to be adored and enjoyed. We say "Amen" and come add to your collection!!

Summer Sale in progress!

2010-07-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

Greetings from the beach! Summer clear out is in progress- Britt and I have been busy selling yarn and in the slow moments (ok- we stayed late... it really isn't slow at all).... rearranging the shop (you know that has to happen every couple of months...)

In the rearrange we decided a few well loved yarns needed to make space for some new stuff. If you loved Soleil Cotton, Balance, or SeaSong they are on sale. 20% off for skeins 1-9 and 10 skeins or more are 25% off on all. The bins are emptying quickly, so don't miss out if you loved any of those yarns.

On the new front! Silky Alpaca Lace from Classic Elite (70% baby alpaca 30% silk-460yards for $11.00) has been very popular. We are thrilled with the put-up and thrilled with the price. Several new colors arrived and have the lace knitters smiling. We also added colors in Princess, Classic Silk and Pebbles.

Blue Sky has added two new Dyed Cottons in multicolors. "Camo" and "Gunflint" (guess what the colors are????) are both very popular. We also added in Spud and Chloe Sweater in the newest color "Grape Jelly" and Fine in Shitake and Red Hot. Good additions to a line of yarn we really love.

Come catch the sale:)

Summer is here!

2010-07-12T19:57:00.013-04:00

It may seem to the casual reader that I am completely clueless about the passage of time. However, if you know me at all you know I'm pretty meticulous about time. It doesn't typically escape me. I'm rarely late, I almost always know what day it is and can usually tell you within about 30 minutes what time it is. So the fact that another entire month has zipped past has me a little stunned. How the heck did we get to July 12 - just yesterday was only May!

Of course my only excuse for the clueless passage of time, is that we are keeping mighty busy around Knitting Addiction. It has been wonderful to meet all the new people who have found us in our new location. We are working hard to learn new faces and new project preferences. It has all been a really crazy roller coaster ride. I think Britt and I are finally getting closer to keeping the inventory cushion we like. This was the first week that I went to the store room to look for a particular yarn that needed to be restocked- and amazing- there it was on the shelf- just waiting to be tagged and put out for sale. I can't tell you how many times since the move that I looked in the back room and then grilled Britt about what happened to all the yarn. I'm sure we will still manage to run out of some of the fast movers, and I won't likely ever be able to keep in all the stock I'd like to have, but we are learning the new normal and that is really cool.

As promised a few pictures will grace this post!

New samples are still flying off needles. I finished a really cute little girl's shrug in Pebbles by Classic Elite. Pebbles is new to us this spring. It is a cotton/ acrylic blend- knits about 5 stitches to the inch (110 yards is $5.75), washes beautifully and has been super popular since it arrived. I had to knit the Knitting Pure and Simple "Little Girl's Shrug" out of it, because I was itching to get a chance to play with it myself! The shrug is adorable- only 2 balls for the size 4 and one really cute button. The pattern is written for up to a girl's size 10.

Also new and noteworthy is a cool line of acrylic buttons that we just went crazy on today. I'd checked out this person's buttons in Asheville and thought they were seriously cool- and low and behold- Gail Hughes walked in the door yesterday with a trunk full of samples and we were hooked. As you can see, they are really going to be the perfect accent for a whole bunch of cool projects.

Speaking of cool projects- I have to mention a really neat young lady who brought in her "portfolio" of knitting that has been completed in the past year. Alex was a new knitter last year, came to KA with grandma Sylvia and has really found her groove. We were thrilled to see the amazing fair isle work done in the clever hands of someone who has only been knitting a year. Even more impressive is how clever the knitter is- since she is only 12! Pictures to follow. I wish all my knitters were brave enough to tackle the kind of projects Alex has skillfully completed. Knit on girl!

And a final note for today, I've been thinking on it for a week, so time to write it down. The family at KA has had a sad loss in the past week. Judy Link, one of our first and favorite customers passed away last week at her home. We are all greatly saddened by Judy's passing. She has been a weekly fixture at Knitting Addiction for 6 years and many of us are feeling the empty space on the sofas. Judy was the kind of witty friend that kept us all on our toes. She was quick with a joke or clever side bar, equally quick to tell someone how pretty their knitting was and if you listened closely you could really hear the good stuff. Judy's passing has us all thinking about how important it is to let the ones you love know that you love them every day. I hope she has a little knitting on the other side to keep her hands busy. There will likely be plenty of cats to take care of and people to keep in order. Our thoughts and prayer are with Helen and Marc and Doc and the rest of the family as they try to figure out how to keep on going without such a force of nature in their lives. God bless-and godspeed.

Holey Moley its June!!!

2010-06-18T22:06:00.002-04:00

Greetings from my new ipad- technology might actually find me some day!! It's been a while since I wrote, but most of you will understand knowing how busy the shop has been. We have a couple of really cool things in for a limited time, so I had to get to the keyboard and let you guys know.

FIrst and foremost is the arrival of the summer Blue Sky Alpaca Trunk Show! We are really thrilled with the selection of samples that arrived this week. If you have lusted over Dyed Cotton or Worsted Hand-Dyed yarns you are in for a treat. The Everyday Hoodie in Dyed Cotton is even better in real life than it is on the pattern picture. We love it! The Eyelet Cardigan is also sampled as are the Baby Kimono, Ribbed Tank and Hooded Baby Blanket. I am fascinated with the Hooded Baby Blanket. It looks like it is a really difficult pattern - tons of color work and all kinds of trouble to knit... and then I looked a little closer- TOO COOL. Each row is just a series of slipped stitches and knit stitches. The wrong side rows are simple purls in one color. I'm tempted to knit it just to play with the colors, and we all know I don't have any baby plans in my future. On other projects that have caught my eye in this group of samples are the Knit Chicken, and Girl's Sundress. I'm not sure I need a knit chicken- but it is incredibly cute.

In Worsted Hand-Dyed the Aran Pullover, Striped Hats and Two Button Hat and Mittens arrived. The are really wonderful. I just ordered more Dyed Cotton and a good selection of Worsted Hand-Dyed, so there is lots to pick from when you come in.

I'm off tomorrow morning for a quick family visit in western North Carolina. All the siblings, and families and mom will be there. It should be fun to see everyone. I am learning how to load pictures from my camera to the ipad- and then hopefully to the blog. There may just be hope for me yet. If you stop by the shop say "Hi" to Kathryn Dabbs who offered to come and help out while I'm out of town. She agreed to slave at the yarn store in exchange for a couple days at the beach. Very cool. I'm lucky to have such good friends.

Be good, happy knitting:)
me

Marvelous May

2010-05-16T09:36:00.003-04:00

Greetings from my kitchen counter! It's been a while since I've blogged- time really flies when you are having fun running a great yarn store!

May has been a great month so far. We had a super visit with my mom over Mother's Day. It was wonderful to have her on the Outer Banks and wonderful to have a week with her at Knitting Addiction's new location. I think she was a little amazed at how much we have grown and how busy the shop is. The visit wasn't near long enough, but we did manage to sneak in some fun around all the work days. Fish tacos from Mama's and a great day at Coquina Beach with Britt and all the dogs made the weekend fun. Mom helped a ton around the shop, inside and out. She tagged yarn, stickered shopping bags and pulled the last of the evil weeds from the front flower beds. There is a little more mulch to put out and a couple more plants to settle in, but the flower beds are really looking great. (Thanks again, Mom!)

We are working hard and really getting excited about what the summer will bring. There has been a definite change of pace at the new location, so there are some challenges that come with the change in pace. We are analyzing the inventory, investigating what new things to add, including a couple really helpful people, and in general gearing up for a busy summer season.

Lots of cool stuff getting knitted and shown off around the shop. I am remiss in not having pictures of all of the following to show off on the blog, but I have to mention a couple really neat finished projects customers brought in to let us see. Dee started the recent stuffed critter craze, knitting the giraffe out of Itty Bitty Toys, by Susan Anderson. Then came the monkey. Then Kathryn saw the giraffe and had to get in on the fun. Another giraffe out of "Spud and Chloe", an amazingly cute lamb with "Heaven" fluff, the long puppy that can wrap up in an itty bitty blanket and plans for a fantastic purple sock yarn hippo. Britt and I are contemplating the projects we should knit out of "Itty Bitty Toys". The book rocks if you have small people to knit for and are bored with sweaters.

Newport Cotton by Ellyn Cooper has been a popular yarn for the spring. It has been knitted into several cute summer sweaters and I just finished the "Waves and Sunsets" wrap out of it. Newport is a really beautiful mercerized cotton, dyed in Ellyn's signature colors and wonderful to knit. The "Waves" wrap is a simple rectangle worked in version of feather and fan to really show off the amazing colors. It has been a huge hit since I finished it. The pattern is written and the sample is out and available to swish around your shoulders to try on. The drape and weight are amazing. It should be a great wardrobe addition to a sundress or simple summer outfit.

Several new and fun "not yarn" additions have been added to the inventory at Knitting Addiction. We have a fresh shipment of Circular Needle Clutches by "Offhand Designs". They are simply the best storage option I have ever used for circular knitting needles. I have the sleeves of mine labeled by size of needle and I typically have multiple sets of a size in a sleeve. Mine easily contains size 2- 13 needles with some sleeves to spare. It has been in use for nearly 5 years and still looks like new, even after a minor event with a certain black dog when she was a puppy. A bit of an investment at first, but well worth it to have your stock of circular needles in one easy location.

We also have a new double point needle storage option. Karen from "Karen's Kreations" has created a great double point roll that can easily keep a dozen sets of double point needles contained and organized. Great fabrics, accented with clever buttons and velcro to keep it folded and tidy make for a really nice addition to a well organized knitting bag. Karen has also created a great "Bucket Bag" that has tons of space for projects, clever pockets and a sturdy drawstring handle. Yippee for the grommet set!

We just added "Knitknotes" this week. If you have ever struggled with how to let the lucky recipient of a knitted gift know that you knitted it, Knitknotes might be for you. Cute cards with clever sayings like, "I made this. You better love it." come packaged 4 to a pack with matching envelopes for $4.50. There are several sayings to pick from and a great card with care instructions to let folks know to be gentle with your labor of love.

On cards and notes we also added in Gayle Adoline's clever hand-crafted cards. (If the name is not ringing a bell, that's Britt's mom, creator of all sorts of clever things- yarn ball wreathes anyone?) Gayle is sending us selections of cards created with knitters in mind. Cute birthday and greeting wishes, all handmade and all really cute. The selection will change with the week, so check them out when you come in.

The rain has taken a break and I'm ready to get out and get a short run in, so I'm going to end this one for now.

Happy Knitting!

Wow! April!

2010-04-24T13:47:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it just seems like we fell off the planet...(being this close to the edge of the continent it certainly seems like it COULD happen). But, really, we are here and doing well. April has been an incredibly wonderful month.

The high spots: Blue Heron and Spud and Chloe trunk shows were a great success. If you scored some of the Blue Heron while it was here and love it, let us know and we will make sure there are other Blue Heron Trunk Shows in the future. It was wonderful to have a variety of different fibers and colors in the shop for a visit.

Spud and Chloe yarns will continue to be in stock in full force. The samples we had have gone back to Blue Sky, but we still have the patterns and yarns available. The blog on SpudandChloe.com is seriously fab. Worth a look there for more inspiration and cool free patterns from Susan Anderson. We think "Tuck" is fab- he's a knitted turtle that can tuck his little turtle parts into his shell. Very cool, very cute and very quick to knit.

New shop sample are flying off the needles. Britt finished the Scoop Neck Tee (Knitting Pure and Simple Pattern #283) out of Classic Elite "Summer Set" (she started before the move, so it's been in progress for a while...) Simply wonderful! The yarn is a beautiful, it's a blend of cotton, alpaca, polyester and lyocel. Easy pattern with some simple shaping to make it femine if desired.

Other recent items off needles include a host of baby hats in Jeannee DK. Jeannee is a new yarn for us. It is the replacement to Wildflower DK that we loved for ages, but has been discontinued. The upside of the Jeannee is it has a cool name (even if there is an extra "e") and it is a great cotton/ acrylic blend. Machine wash, tumble dry, easy care and great colors. Several people have started summer tees out of it and it is really wonderful. Great yardage and a great price 135 yards for $3.99.

We have had a great time with some new and revisited Mango Moon yarns. Bali Sky, a shop favorite recycled rayon, has been knitted into a new Summer Cotton Bag carried with a strand of Cotton Fleece to add some color and structure. We received a fab sample from Mango Moon in the last shipment and had to investigate the "Silk Ribbon". It is a silk blend, really lovely varigated colors with good yardage and price (75 yards for $12.50). I knitted a skein into a great little wristlet with an i-cord handle and it is super cute. Another great evening project that looks fab and is fun to knit.

We have finally found a spot for all the new Classic Elite to rest. If you haven't seen "Classic Silk" come in and take a look. It is really wonderful. Classic Silk is a beautiful blend of 50% cotton, 30% silk, and 20% nylon. The blend highlights what we love about silk yarns, hand and drape, and solves the problem of knitted items keeping their shape after wearing. I'm not sure what we are going to sample out of it, but there should be something fun in the works shortly.

The other new Classic Elite yarn is "Pebbles" a wonderful cotton/ acrylic blend. Great fiber! It has a really cool texture and washes beautifully, knits at about 5 to 5.5 stitches to the inch. It could be baby or kid yarn or grown up yarn for a really wonderful summer sweater. We have about a dozen great colors and at $5.75 for 110 yards it is not going to break the bank.

The space is settling in wonderfully. I've even had enough time to dig in the front flower beds and get some pretty stuff planted. The hawthorne is blooming a lovely pink, the Knockout Roses are setting buds, the bush daisies are settling into some good dirt and I'm nearly done digging out the end of the weeds. It's starting to look like somebody loves this place!

Inside has settled and we are busy getting the last of piddly chores finished. The basket of mystery items under the counter was finally purged this morning. Where do you put the odd electronic cables that have no purpose. I gave myself permission to toss them. Hopefully they are not important! Dave put handles on the kitchen drawers- such a deal- and hung the newly recharged fire extinguishers. Purrl is happy, Britt and I feel like we can finally breathe and every day brings new and wonderful people through the door. Life is truly good.

Yeah, but what about the YARN???

2010-04-05T14:00:00.002-04:00

After much ado about the move, and the cat, and slatwall- FINALLY some news about the cool stuff at the shop!

Blue Heron! Wow- cool stuff. We are thrilled with the assortment of fibers Demien at Blue Heron put together for a trunk show. The yarns in this shipment are here for a limited time only, so if something sounds fab it might not last! New fibers for us include Beaded Wool, Beaded Wool Metallic, Egyptian Cotton, and Silky Rayon Twist (this is some really fab stuff- wonderful for a shawl or wrap in a simple feather and fan pattern). There is also a great additional assortment of Rayon Metallic in a host of new colors. Britt is drooling over "Soft Green"- who says you can only own one really great Rayon Metallic tee shirt. We also have a nice variety of Bulky Rayon Chenille, a fiber many love, so worth a look.

A new Blue Heron yarn that we are really excited about is Sock Plus. 420 yards of dk weight superwash, perfect for socks or lightweight garments ($27). I love it already and have stashed the first of what is likely to be many skeins. The color that I had to have is "jellyfish"- a mix of raspberry, greens, periwinkle and light pink. "Manta" could be the new theme color for Knitting Addiction, perfect in purples and teals.

There is a table brimming with Blue Heron, but it is here for a limited time. We have several colors in each fiber and enough to do something fun, so if you love these fibers, now is the time to get in and get your fill.

Another good reason to hop in is the Spud and Chloe trunk show. This one is really an extra bump of great samples. We have the "Tea Party Cardi", "Camp Hoodie" and "Wave" sweaters, along with some great leggings and sock patterns. We will continue to carry Spud and Chloe, but the extra samples are a fun temporary addition to what Britt and I have knitted. We went nuts over some of the new free patterns on
www.spudandchloe.com. If you love the yarn, the blog and freebies are a bonus.

Britt is thrilled, the best part of her day is new flooring in her office. Thanks again to Dave E. and Louie. They make it look so easy. A little more paint and we can officially call it "home".

Hope to see you here soon.

A word about slatwall

2010-03-31T06:21:00.002-04:00

Forty more minutes until it is light enough outside to go ride, so a word about "slatwall."

Slatwall is a retail industry term for the display wall that has channels cut in it that hold a variety of hooks and shelves. We had it at the old location and it really fits our way of selling yarn, so we knew we needed it for the new location.

I researched all the online options, "get it cheaper, no skid fees, blah, blah, blah" and decided to stick with a company that I use for a lot of our fixture needs. Short conversation with said company and I have 20 pieces of 2 foot by 8 foot slatwall on order. We pick a date for "freight" delivery at the new location and Amex to the rescue, the deal is set.

On the designated delivery date, Britt and I decide I'll go paint at 400 S. Croatan and wait for the delivery truck and she'll keep things running at the old location. I get a call about 11:00 from Britt. The freight company has called and they will be in KDH in 30 minutes, oh and by the way the delivery weighs 800 pounds. Yep- gonna say that again, EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS. Ok, no worries, we'll figure it out.

Moments later an 18 wheeler backs into the front parking lot and the little man hops out. I trot out in my typical painting garb, shorts and a ratty tee shirt (because I am officially the sloppiest painter ever according to many). A quick note that my painting ensemble, though well suited for much of the day's task, is not exactly appropriate clothing for the weather outside. This particular Wednesday was in the middle of the nasty Nor'easter we had in February. 40 degrees and blowing at 30 knots, ok, grab the ratty sweatshirt too.

The delivery guy eyes me and says, "Well, what are you going to do with it, it's 800 pounds." I optimistically offer, "Let's take a look." He opens the back of the truck and there it is, a 2.5 x 3 x 8.5 foot "package". Slatwall wrapped in cardboard, crated to wooden pallets, wrapped in plastic, and marked "FRAGILE". Short conversation about how fragile it really is, like if he drops the crate off the back of the semi will it really hurt the contents? I veto the drop it off the back option, further vetoed since when he tries to move the pallet with the pallet mover it won't even budge. Oh, and no lift gate option on this particular vehicle.

In the back of my head I hear Tim Gunn from Project Runway, "Make it work!" So my next idea is to cut open the packaging and move each piece of slatwall individually. Delivery guy eyes me again, cuts open the cardboard and looks at the contents. Yep, 2 x 8 sheets of slatwall, 40 pounds each, think plywood on steriods. Put on the work gloves, and ask the nice delivery guy to slid a piece of slatwall out of back of the truck (which is at chest height to me) and onto my shoulder. I then half walk, half sail the monster (did I mention the wind...) in to the shop and start a stack on the floor. One down, 19 more to go- and so it went, delivery guy slides huge slab of wood onto my shoulder, I wrestle it into the shop... and on and on and on. Midway through the stack I'm questioning my sanity and quietly praising myself for hours at the gym and on the road. 20 sheets and 40 minutes later and we are done, he offers me the cardboard and plastic from the shipment, gee, thanks. Oh and offers to help move it into the monster dumpster at the side of the building.

A few new bruises to show for the effort and quiet thanks that I didn't order the 4 x 8 size.

Daylight, and a date with my bike.- cheers

So what goes into moving a yarn store?????

2010-03-29T11:00:00.002-04:00

Folks have asked what went into the move- here is a slightly abridged list:

* 58 "man hours" from my fabulous contractor and his crews
* another 15 hours from the painter we hired to deal with the ceilings (yikes!!)
* a 20 cubic foot dumpster filled to the brim, even after the dumpster divers helped themselves
* 13 gallons of white paint
* 8 gallons of purple paint - in three different colors
* 3 packages of plastic tarps
* 6 paint rollers, half a dozen paint brushes and the same number of trays
* 21 cases of laminate flooring
* 54 new lightbulbs
* 800 pounds of display wall (that's 20 sheets of 2 x8- unloaded piece by piece in the rain... my what a day!)
* a very well negotiated trade of sofas and chairs
* one new fab rug
* 2 gigantic rolls of movers plastic wrap
* countless hours painting by Britt, Karen, Kathryn, and me
* more trips to Home Depot than I've ever made in the rest of my life combined
* a 32 foot U-Haul truck for 2 days
* countless hours volunteered by really wonderful friends who just pitched in to move or pack or paint or clean
* 19 pizzas
* a lot of beer (the only real bonus of helping out....)
* many, many sleepless nights
* 2 giant bottles of ibuprofen
* a host of other little bits and pieces to many to list here
* 1 incredibly wonderful friend and employee who was willing to work untold hours to make this all happen
* 1 incredibly understanding spouse and best friend who encouraged me to make this big move and stood by my side with everything I needed from lifting labor to negotiating contracts, Dave was right there believing in the whole dream.

I am well and truly blessed that I am surrounded by wonderful people who gave their time and talents to help make this dream a reality. If you painted a wall, hauled out sheetrock, mopped a floor, lifted and toted stuff, bundled needles, wrapped a display of yarn, hung up samples, fluffed yarn back into place, brought food or drink, picked and pulled weeds, or smiled and offered encouragement I am deeply thankful. You are the kind of friends that people dream about having and I am a very, very lucky person.

Purrl gives 400 S. Croatan 4 paws up

2010-03-26T22:52:00.002-04:00

It's official that Purrl, the spoiled grey cat, is happy in her new home. Before the move she took a short "holiday" at my house. If you have not recently attempted to stuff a normally docile, 10 pound cat into a travel crate it is on par with sumo wrestling. She didn't mind the moving car, lucky for me... have you heard about any of the previous cat travel stories??? And was fine hanging out in the guest bedroom here for a couple days, despite the best efforts of the rotten cat at my house to tease her through the bedroom door. Good grief that cat!

Wednesday of last week we revisited the sumo wrestling event and Purrl arrived safely at the new shop. She spent half a day hanging out in the store room but soon got bored with those 4 walls. Off to adventure about in 2600 square feet of new yarn store. Loves the new office, thinks she looks fab in the guest bathroom- the color compliments her eyes. And the best part of it all is the abundance of windows. She has a lookout spot at several and is quite impressed with the coming and going of folks at the KDH Post Office. Also incredibly thankful for all who brought her flowers and plants to snack on in the middle of the night.

She's been at the new location a little more than a week and today was proof that she loves it. Out and about early, wrestling the legs of the coffee table and having a romp with a couple of bouncy balls. Snoring under the afghan on her favorite chair and lounging on the work table. Not sure how long her new chatty, meet and greet personality will hold, but we are enjoying it!

Knitting Addiction's Big Move

2010-03-26T07:34:00.000-04:00

We made it! With the help of a host of really incredible people we managed to move the entire shop in 3 days with no extra days closed. A bunch of people have asked how we managed, so here's the short form.

Purrl came home with me to my house on Thursday night (no sense having her be in the middle of the chaos to follow). She settled into my guest room and aside from some minor teasing from the rotten cat that lives at my house, she was really pretty happy.

Saturday, March 13 was business as usual until about 3:30 when a host of really fab folks showed up and started requesting assignments. We pulled all the samples from the walls, bundled knitting needles with rubberbands, wrapped all the yarn displays with mover's wrap and hit the ground running. Dave and another wonderful helper showed up at 4:30 with the moving truck (the biggest you can rent at U-Haul) and we started loading. The guys, my Dave, Dave Evans and Trey - both great fire guys- did the majority of the heavy lifting and loading. The rest of us hustled and packed smaller stuff. The truck was completely full by 6:30 and we had it unloaded into the new location by 7:30 Saturday night.

Some of the crew returned to the Southern Shores location to pack the rest of the shop into the truck (another completely full truck) and some of us stayed to start settling things into place.

Sunday morning everyone joined up at the new shop, 400 S. Croatan Highway, and unloaded. We were done with the truck by noon. The rest of Sunday and all day Monday were a pretty focused effort to get displays on the walls, yarn fluffed and straightened, computers up and running, phone lines transferred. I can't say thanks enough to all the wonderful people who gave up a Sunday or Monday to come and help us move. I was amazed by the outpouring of friendship.

Tuesday, March 16 we opened the doors at the new beautiful space at 10 o'clock and it was a really wonderful day. Tons of customers came in to see the new space and wish us well with flowers, champagne, cupcakes and beautiful plants.

The rest of the week was a whirlwind of selling yarn and late nights getting some of the details taken care of. Knitting Addiction was a field trip for the Corolla Purls on Wednesday, we had the first S & B on Thursday and really had a great week.

Finally joining this century

2010-03-26T07:29:00.000-04:00

OK- 7 in the morning on a rainy day, can't go run, or bike, too lazy to go to the gym and I have to survive the dentist in a couple hours. So I decided I'd drag Knitting Addiction into the 21 Century and start a blog at the suggestion of a number of great customers. I'm hoping it will be a way for folks to keep up with what is going on at Knitting Addiction. Let me know if I stink at it. In a different lifetime I was actually a published writer...