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Steve is live at the Tent Sale!

Steve fills us in on all of the great stuff that we have at the Tent Sale. We have 20% of spinning wheels, fiber, and accessories this weekend in the store only.

Sara tells us about the vendors we have here at the Fleece Market. If you couldn’t make it this year, there’s always next year!

• Sojourner Design (and Bud!)
• Stitched by JessaLu
• Kristin Nicholas from Leyden Glen Farm
• From Fiber to Fashion
• Artemesia Ink
• Celadon Studio
• Whispering Winds Alpacas
• Galloping Jester
• Red Barn Alpacas
• Rag Hill Farm
• Wild June Berry Farm
• Winterberry Farm
• Barberic Farm
• Moonshine Designs

Tina hops in on our live show to share information about upcoming classes and events. Make sure you visit the Classes and Events page on website.

Ann Budd will be here teaching Sweater Basics and Finishing Basics July 13th and 14th. You’ll also want to check out the Knitter’s Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements.

Amy Herzog, author of the new book, Knit to Flatter, will be here for a book signing June 6th. Please register here.

Stephen West will be teaching two classes (sign up for the waiting list) and he’ll be doing a free event June 13th. Register here, so we know how many people are coming.

Jason Collingwood is coming to do an Introduction to Rug Weaving class June 15th-17th.

Fiber Camp is happening again for kids ages 8-12. They’ll take place the 3rd and 4th weeks of July.

Check out the selection of Rigid Heddle classes where we go beyond the basics. Rigid Heddle is a great way to use up your yarn stash in a beautiful, useful way.

Broomstick Lace Crochet

Math for Knitters – you don’t need to be intimidated!

NEWS – New England Weavers Seminar in July at Smith College. Beginning weaving is offered as a class at NEWS.

Steve’s Yarn Picks – only at the Tent Sale!

• Overstock Madelinetosh Vintage and Merino Light
• Random Grab Bags ($5-$25)
• Jojoland Baritone
• SMC Northern Worsted with Wool
• Valley Yarns Greenwich
• Valley Yarns Cold Spring
• Noro Hitsuji
• Cascade 220 Quatro
• Atenti Bags

Steve’s Picks for Everyone

• New Madelinetosh Colors
• Filatura di Crosa Superior Discontinued Colors
• Elsebeth Lavold ViSilk
• Laines du Nord Baby Milk
• Sublime Tussah Silk DK
• Viking of Norway Baby Ull
• Louisa Harding Grace Wool Silk Hand Dyed Discontinued Colors

Best of luck to Karen, our Store Manager who is moving on to open her own store in Freeport, ME.

Our Anniversary Sale continues until May 31st.

This week, the staff at WEBS is buzzing about…

I have been frantically knitting another supply of these Ruffle Washcloths for thank you gifts, Mother’s day and end of the year Teacher gifts. I knit a bunch every year and every year they are out the door as quickly as I can knit them!  They pair nicely with a fun bar of soap and pretty ribbon. I have found that they knit up nicely in almost any cotton but I think they would be beautiful in Bristol Yarn Bradford, Classic Elite Seedling, or Rowan Handknit Cotton. Back to washcloth knitting! > Amy S.

The Spinner’s Book of Yarn Designs by Sarah Anderson – This fantastic compendium of spinning delights began to excite and inspire me as soon as I cracked it open. I sat down with it recently, began poring over its well organized chapters, and then immediately dove into my stash of handspinning scraps and started to combine them in new ways. The book is beautifully photographed and thoughtfully designed for easy reference. It includes a set of handy cards that can be used right at the spinning wheel to check your work during spinning, like the angle of twist or the structure of a multi-stranded yarn. This is a must have smorgasbord of inspiration and juicy tidbits of information that will bring new textures and dimensions to your handspun yarns! > Ashley F.

The inviting aroma of lavender drew me in to the Milk and Honey Lotion Bars as I walked by them in the warehouse one day. I had to buy one! Molded into decorative cakes, these all natural lotion bars are a compact alternative to liquid lotion bottles. Made from beeswax and infused almond oil, they not only moisturize your skin, but leave a heavenly lasting fragrance. I love the calming scent of lavender, and use this lotion at my desk whenever I need a little pick-me-up. The lotion bars are great to toss in your project bag, as some fibers will dry out your hands when you work with them. Snagging yarn on dry cuticles is the worst! A little does go a long way, your body heat will melt the oils and absorb into your skin. This lotion bar doesn’t leave my side! > Deb S.

We’re in for a crazy weekend here at WEBS! Our annual Tent Sale is this Saturday and Sunday, May 18th and 19th, and our Fleece Market takes place Saturday in the parking lot. If you’re within driving distance, you don’t wan to miss it (and if you’re not, make travel plans for next year)!

The craziness is totally worth it. We set up a huge tent in our parking lot and Steve fills it with yarn at incredible prices. Plus, there are special discounts on yarn, accessories, and patterns in the store in addition to the Anniversary Sale yarns. Need another reason? All in-stock spinning wheels, fiber, and accessories are 20% off in the store all weekend!

Need yet another reason? On Saturday, we hold our Fleece Market in the parking lot. Local vendors come sell fiber, yarn, and more. Great fiber-y goodies from Sojourner Design, Kama Suutra Fiber Arts, and many other great vendors will tempt you. What’s this “more”? Well, we have Stitched by JessaLu and her amazing project bags (I always need new project bags!), Kristin Nicholas will be here with lamb, and that barely scratches the surface. Check out the list of vendors here.

So, will you be coming this weekend? Have you been before? What’s your favorite part?

This week’s tip comes from Amy G, one of our store staff team members. She finds you can take the 2-at-a-Time skill generally used for socks, and apply it to other projects too, like the sleeves of a sweater.

“I often find the sleeves to be the most boring part of knitting a sweater, so I do them at the same time on a circular needle using two balls of yarn. Of course it only works for set-in sleeves, not sleeves picked up and knit from the shoulders, but it helps me finish my project instead of getting distracted and starting something new!”

Dena, our Ecommerce Marketing Manager, loves this technique. It can definitely get a little confusing though, so she adds a locking stitch marker to join the two pieces together. She finds this helps keep her from turning her work too soon.

Do you have any tricks to keep yourself from leaving a project half finished?

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Guest: Kathy talks with Brandy about her new book, Just Like Me Knits.

Brandy was living in north, rural Georgia and began to fill some of her time by learning to knit and crochet. She co-founded the online knitting magazine Petite Purls based on her interest in designing for her children.  The new book expands that to include matching designs for that special doll.

Katie Garter Jacket knit in Blue Sky Alpacas Multi Cotton

Steve’s Yarn Picks

Cascade 220, Cascade 220 Superwash, and Plymouth Encore remain on sale through May 31st!

• Classic Elite Firefly
• Debbie Bliss Bella
• Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dy
• Valley Yarns Southwick
• Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk

• Louisa Harding Colline
• Malabrigo Mecha
• On Line Tasco

• Zealana Willow DK
• Zealana Eco Possum DK

Amy Herzog will be here June 6th to celebrate the release of her new book, Knit to Flatter.

The Third Annual I-91 Shop Hop is happening June 27-30th.

The New England Weavers Seminar (NEWS) is happening July 11-14, on the Smith College campus.

 

When Amy Herzog was here to teach her Fit to Flatter class back in January 2011 (was it really that long ago?), I had the pleasure of taking the class. If you get the change, I urge you to take it, and check out her online class on Craftsy. Both are amazing! Amy’s new book Knit to Flatter is an amazing resource that’s full of information and patterns to make you look your best. We’re all shaped differently and Amy shows you how you can flatter your shape.

The first section has you use a picture of yourself to figure out your body shape – top-heavy, bottom-heavy, or proportional. You’ll find great pictures illustrating the different body shapes and clear directions on how you can determine yours. You may even be surprised where you fall. (I know I was!) In this section, as well as throughout the book, you’ll find tips on the best ways to flatter your shape.

The patterns are divided by body shape, but each pattern has modification tips for the other shapes, so you’re not limited to just what’s in your section. Patterns are merely a jumping off point to creating a garment that fits and flatters YOU perfectly. The modifications section is chockfull of helpful information on darts, bust shaping, short rows, and more to make the most out of your project. This book deserves a prominent place in your library.

I also love that the book uses women of all different sizes to show off the gorgeous patterns. I don’t think there’s one pattern in here that I wouldn’t want to knit and wear! The projects all have very generous size options as well. Many start at a 28″ chest measurement and go up to a 53″ or higher.

Are you in the area? Amy will be here for a book-signing to celebrate this new release on Thursday, June 6th from 6:00pm to 7:30 pm. Please join us, stop by, say hi, and have your book signed.

When Kristin knit Flow by Norah Gaughan, she was presented with a problem. The yarn, Berroco Seduce, is absolutely lovely but the slippery fibers made it hard to get the yarn ends to stay put.

To deal with unruly ends, Kristin uses crazy glue or super glue to tack then down after she’s woven them in for an inch or two. She also likes to use a patch of one sided fusible interfacing and iron it on to of the wiggly end.

Yarn made of slippery fibers like rayon and silk can be tough to keep in place. This tip will help keep your finished project looking clean and polished!

We get a lot of questions about our discount, so we thought it might be handy to share some details about it.

What is WEBS’ discount?
If you spend $60 or more on yarn and books that are marked “discountable,” you receive 20% off of your order. If you spend $120 or more on yarn and books that have the “discountable” tag, you receive 25% off of your order.

Items that are marked “no further discount,” have a sale price, or not marked with the “discountable” tag are not discountable and do not count toward your discountable total. So, if you have $50 worth of yarn in your cart and you find a closeout that would bring your total up to $62, you would not receive the discount because that extra $12 is “no further discount.”

Often times, it is worth it to throw an extra skein in you cart because you’ll get some big savings. Let’s take a customer favorite – Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light. This yarn sells for $20.99 per skein. If you buy two skeins, the total is $41.98. If you throw another skein into your cart, your total would be $62.97, so you would receive 20% off bringing your total down to $50.38. Not only are you saving over $12, that third skein only costs $8.40.

The discount is also a great thing to think about when buying yarn to create gifts. I get a little giddy thinking about giving the people I love gifts made out of Jade Sapphire Cashmere 2-Ply, especially since one is enough to make a lovely gift. Two skeins would cost $94, so you would get the 20% discount, which is a great deal, but if you throw that third skein in there, your total would be $141, but after the 25% discount, it would only be $105.75, so you save $35.25 and can create three gifts!

Free Shipping vs. Our Discount
A lot of people ask about free shipping, but in most cases, our discount will save you more than free shipping does! Let’s use the examples above and say that you live in UPS zone 8, since it’s the farthest from us. The shipping, at most, would cost $6.50. So, without the discount and with free shipping, those three skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light would cost you $62.97. With the discount, however, your total is $56.88, so you’re still saving $6.09 on the three skeins!

We hope that this helps you understand our discount a little better!

Play Now:

Guest: Kathy talks with Heather Ordover about her new book: What (Else) would Madame Defarge Knit?, the sequel to What Would Madame Defarge Knit?

Heather runs the Craftlit podcast and site, and while reading A Tale of Two Cities, she was inspired to wonder what Madame Defarge WOULD knit? As the book idea began to take shape she wanted to make sure the designers not only got paid, but were able to actually recoup the costs of their time spent creating those designs, and to have the book printed in the US, so she worked with Cooperative Press to make it happen.

Iseult’s Dress from What (Else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?, knit in Harrisville Deigns Highland.

The books are divided into thematic sections related to classic literature and each pattern is accompanied by a wonderful essay. WWMDfK- the Shakespeare edition and a Mme Defarge goes Medieval edition are in the works.

Steve’s Yarn Picks

Cascade 220, Cascade 220 Superwash, and Plymouth Encore remain on sale through May 31st!

• Plymouth Kudo
• Debbie Bliss Rialto DK

• Anzula Milky Way
• Lorna’s Laces Haymarket

• St Denis Boreale
• St Denis Nordique
• St. Denis Sommet
• Berroco Nanuk
• Berroco Souffle
• Berroco Circus

Amy Herzog will be here June 6th to celebrate the release of her new book, Knit to Flatter.

The Third Annual I-91 Shop Hop is happening June 27-30th.

The New England Weavers Seminar (NEWS) is happening July 11-14, on the Smith College campus.

 

This week, the staff at WEBS is buzzing about…

One of my favorite yarn and pattern combos is the Plymouth Yarn Select DK Merino Superwash and Rebecca Danger’s Monster Chunks pattern. The yarn is super soft and comes in a lot of great colors. The Monster Chunks pattern is quick and easy, and it’s the first time I knit something so many times in a row without getting sick of the pattern.  And the Monster Chunks look great with button eyes or safety eyes! > Jackie V.

I designed this cowl, The Bramble Cowl, for my older daughter who lives in England. Even though it’s spring, it’s still cool and blustery there. She loves chunky cowls but not the weight. I couldn’t resist all the beautiful colors of Madelinetosh Vintage that we have in the store. I just kept picking up skeins and putting them together. After I knit one for my oldest daughter, my younger daughter wanted one too, then I wanted one.  I can’t quite stop knitting these.  I have yarn for at least three more in beautiful color pairings. > Amy S.

I have been on a serious cowl kick recently. This one is The Wave Cowl, made with Noro Ayatori. I have been wanting to work with this yarn for a very long time but couldn’t figure out what to make with it. Right before a long car trip I decided to buy two skeins and make something. When all else fails, knit a cowl! That seems to be my current motto. Before the trip even started I knit up a cowl that turned out to be the perfect weight for a chilly spring or summer evening. This yarn is so soft and light. Of course I had to pick up another two skeins so I had something to knit on the trip. I have another one on the needles right now! > Amy S.

Amy has some great stories to tell. You can read more about her Bramble Cowl, her Wave Cowl and more on her blog, http://ms-ellaneous.typepad.com/ms_ellaneous/