Heating UP!

It's supposed to hit 90 degrees this weekend, and that's the break point for me....up until 90, I'm in the tomato patch, but once it hits 90, I'm in the door to the air-conditioning and the knitting.  So what do you knit when the idea of wool makes you itch all over???  Well, cotton, linen and silk, that's what. 

Big shipment of yarns from Universal has arrived and is  heavy on the silk at an easy-on-the-pocketbook price. There is also a new worsted wool in gorgeous self-striping colors, which will also felt!  Tre new Skacel things on the way as well, and new funky meshes have arrived that let you continue to have summer fun with very few stitches!

I'm beginning to think about gift items, and I'm afraid that leads me into my favorite diatribe.  I don't know about you, but to me there's something inherently wrong when a battery goes dead, and a new item is cheaper than getting a new battery for the item.  Or something breaks, and there is no one, and usually no way, to fix it.  (My car drives my family crazy...it's ten years old, I love it, and I see no point in getting a new one when The Silver Bullet performs just fine.  So it needs a repair every now and then....still cheaper than a new one, and this one is not crushed and in a landfill.) So when I think about gift giving, a new plastic something doesn't even make my list, and probably doesn't make yours, either.  Handmade soap, a gourd bowl, knitted slippers, crocheted lace, homemade jelly, and my grands' favorite, homemade bath salts....all rise up to say "I love you enough to make these myself, or find an artisan who did." 

So if you're interested in the 2012 Gift Assortment, stop by The Sheep and talk about what you would like to do.  We have patterns, yarns, and ideas that will make you feel like Suzy The Gift Guru!

The "Just for Tween-Teens" knitting circle begins on Thursday morning, May 31st, at 10:30 a.m.  If you have a child/grandchild who's crafty (or who wants to be), come to the Sheep for free knitting lessons!! Moms/Grands are certainly welcome to stay, but many find this is a great hour to run to the grocery or the bank or wherever.  Or, if you'd like to stay and learn to knit as well, we're very flexible~

Check out the class section...we are doing some really fun stuff!

CHANGE IS REALLY GOOD!

Come in quick and see the "new Sheep!"  We have fluffed up, with new colors and new displays and we are dying to share it with you!  You'll be amazed at the new look on the front of the shop as well!

Summer is always a time when it is good to have a project that doesn't provoke the "I can't stand that making me hot in my lap!" reaction that some of our knitting sets off.  I know that this time of year I love to work with cotton and linen, and I begin thinking about things that will work for gifts.  I'm knitting a linen guest towel now using the new Sculana linen that just came in, and I'm soon to start a new knitted bathmat for one of the young'uns.  Patterns are free, so come in and take a look.

You all know that knitting slippers is my "go-to relax" project, and my friend Susan Z has turned me on to the "Duffers" pattern for a flat shoe reminiscent of the Papagallos we all wore years ago.  I'm working on my first pair, and I'll let you know how it goes.

We have lots of new yarns, and new ideas.  Come in and check it out!

CHANGE IS GOOD! PROTEST IS GOOD!

After our incredibly busy winter, and our week's vacation, we are spending the next few days renovating and painting, all to make your Flying Sheep shopping experience better!  We will be closed on Saturday, April 28th, while the floors are being refurbished, but other than that, we'll be here to help you!  If you're desperate on Saturday, knock on the door and we would more than likely hand you something!

A lot of us knitters are old enough to remember the debate in the late sixties/early seventies about a woman's right to make decisions about her own body, without any government involvement.  Whether or not we chose to use birthcontrol, or terminate a pregnancy, or NOT,  the idea was that it was not the government's business to make those decisions for us.  Most women felt that our own moral compasses should be our guides, with help from our physicians and our faith.  Certainly we didn't need the help of Congress!

So now here we are in 2012, and women's health issues are right back in the limelight.  This is a fight that we thought had been won forty years ago, but apparently we were wrong.  Some knitting groups around the country have come up the kind of protest knitters should love.  It's subtle, it's fun, and goes right to the core of what the problem may be.  Go to www.governmentfreevjj.com and read the suggestions there.  The idea is to knit a bit of the female equipment that some of our male representatives seem so interested in, and send it along to him, with a note that says, "Now that you have your own uterus, how about leaving mine alone?"  We have the pattern at the shop, if you want to stop by and get one.

Knit Night will resume on Monday, April 30, and the "new look" for The Flying Sheep should be complete.  Since our house will be spiffed up, we'll be doing a little "Martha Stewart" discussion of household items that can be knit or crocheted to really refresh your home.  Small pillows, bowls, rugs, etc., can all be turned out quickly and happily during the spring and summer, from different kinds of fabrics, to make a real statement about your craft.  Patterns will be free, and any yarn you buy that night will be discounted 10%.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

New Jasper Landmark!

If you haven't seen it, you are missing out!  Jasper has a wonderful new landmark, courtesy of th City of Jasper.

When the courthouse renovations began, we requested that some kind of stop sign be placed at our corner. Traffic patterns had changed, there were more folks around who were unfamiliar with the corner, and a serious wreck became a daily possibility.

We asked and we immediately got the Godzilla of all stop signs, right in the middle of the right lane!  While it is interestingly placed, it DOES present some opportunities.  As a model, it can hold a myriad of knitted creations!  It is so tall that as a Maypole, it can center a street dance!  And as a conversation starter.....it is even more inspiring than the courthouse construction, which got this whole ball rolling.

So tonight, we are kicking off our week-long spring sale with a dedication and naming ceremony for our new Jasper landmark.  Most likely we'll break an obscure law or two in the process, so we're hoping that the Mayor will come to keep us straight!

The sale will last all week, and it is a good one!  We are just before renovating, ands we would like to have a whole lot less yarn to move around!  So come tonight, and tomorrow, and the next day, have fun, and score s

HEAT WAVE!

Does this weather make you want to knit something light, airy and cool?  I've just finished a linen and
Wink loopy scarf that is so cute.  And it wasn't bulky and hot to work on, and it looks great with almost any color.  Didn't take long, either.

Last Sunday the choir director at a local church impressed the congregation with music, of course, but also with the pink and white lace scarf she was wearing.  Just when it seems you've got enough of these great little creations, along comes a new mesh flounce with an entirely different look.  Get in here and see the new colors and the new looks!  Still having fun with these.

Monday night at Knit Night we're having a little demonstration of a great crafty way to use up the snippets of yarn that seem to accumulate in knitters' and crocheters' stash.  Not knit, not crochet....just ingenious, so stop in at 5:30 on Monday 4/2 to take a look.  Bring your current project and sit a spell!

You'll be receiving a notice soon of a very special happening at The Sheep, so please watch your email.  We're planning a great spring festival event! So stay tuned!