First Day of Winter

Winter is well & truly here.  Last night's dramatic eclipse, which nicely rounded out the shortest & darkest day of the year,was a fitting finale to Fall. Winter means our busy Knitting Season can get under way!

January has been called Selfish Knitting Month which seems to assume that we've all been slavishly knitting holiday gifts this Fall.  Winter is a great time to tackle a 'big' project--something complicated or a new technique.  After all, the garden isn't calling to us with it's endless weeds--and the grass doesn't need to be mowed!  Take time to sit down with your knitting in a bright window--maybe while snow is drifting down--& with a cup of cocoa to hand!   Need company?  Join us for Thursday Knit Night or for one of our Free Workshops.  

I have a sweater I've been haphazardly working on that I plan to finish up by the New Year so I can move on to a project I've been thinking about for the last few weeks.  We're available to help plan your next big project!  Stop in for yarn, patterns, inspiration & knitting help!  You can follow our tweets & posts on twitter & Facebook, & we have a class blog, too.  

Not quite finished your holiday shopping?  We've got swifts & winders, blocking wires, gift certificates, pretty scissors & tools PLUS hand-knit, fair trade hats, mittens, socks & headbands to stuff into stockings or under the tree!
 



Ilga Leja's Beech Wood Cowl





Yesterday was a wonderful, wintry day for a workshop!  Classic Alpaca yarn wound into balls & patterns in hand, nine knitters spent two hours in the Lancaster Yarn Shop studios casting on Ilga Leja's beautiful 'Beech Wood Cowl' and talking about knitting.  
The pattern is available through the website www.ilgaleja.com or on www.ravelry.com.  The cowl features bands of alternating garter ridges & stockinette that support innovative lacy openings.  Knit with approximately 100 grams of dk weight alpaca on US#7 needles, there's still time to knit this up before Christmas gets here! 
I love my cowl, which features a 'mistake' now styled as a modification, & I'm getting lots of opportunities to wear it as temperatures here in Lancaster County remain chilly
Keep an eye out for our next Free Workshop!  We'll have three in January!  Check out our new blog over the next few weeks for details as they unfold!
Happy Knitting!

Free Beech Wood Cowl Workshop

Lancaster Yarn Shop is happy to offer our third in a series of free Knitting Workshops this fall!  Class size is limited, please call (717) 768.8007 to reserve your spot right away!

Project:  Beech Wood by Ilga Leja
Date:  Tuesday, December 7
Time:  9:30 - 11:03a

Check out our new class & workshop blog for details!

See you soon!

What's the Buzz?

what's happening at lys?

Is it really mid November?  It seems like the leaves just started to turn!  I turned around the other day & the Quilt Shop next door was redoing their window with, you guessed it, a Christmas tree!  You know what that means!  The countdown for Holiday Hand Knits is ON!  

I have too many projects on my needles, as usual.  In fact, if I bring my rational mind in to the equation, I may despair.  There really is no way I'll finish everything I've started before the holidays this year.  It is a mathematical impossibility.  I think.  Actually, I'm too busy knitting to do the math!

In the meantime, we are working on our third free Knitting Workshop.  The first two went really well.  We filled the studio upstairs with cheerful knitters of all sorts--& got some good knitting done!  In our first workshop, we learned how to make Jared Flood's handsome 'Turn A Square' hat.  Everyone successfully cast on & learned the tricks & tips for this pattern.

Our second workshop pattern was the Baktus shawl.  This great little sock yarn scarf now has 33 versions on Ravelry, and more than 5,000 knitters have made one.  What a great starting point for a simple project!

Our next workshop should prove to be fun!  I'm excited to hear back from the designer so I can let you know what pattern we'll be working on.

Save the date:  Tuesday, December 7th 9:30a - 11:30a in the studio at LYS.

Hope your knitting is going well!  Need yarn for your next project?  Need a gift for a knitter? We're happy to help with knitting questions, too!
Stop in to see us at LYS!

Baktus Workshop Tomorrow

Hello Knitters!

We are so excited about our second free workshop tomorrow!  Here are some details for tomorrow morning. 

Yarn for your 'Baktus' may be purchased at Lancaster Yarn Shop in advance of the class or on Saturday morning.  We open at 9:00 & class starts at 9:15 (to accommodate choosing yarns, etc).  You may purchase necessary tools or you may bring your own.  You will need US #2 or 3 circular or straight needles, stitch markers, and a copy of the pattern*.  It won't hurt to bring along other needle sizes as your gauge may vary!  This is a simple pattern, suitable for beginners & intermediate knitters.  

*Links to the pattern for download can be found on our class blog

Kitchen Kettle is a great destination for shopping & dining & there are several nice restaurants & a cafe nearby. 

I'm looking forward to spending the morning knitting with you!

Winter/Holiday Hours

I can't believe it's time to post this already! 
LYS follows the lead of Kitchen Kettle Village in posting our hours.

Beginning November 1:
Mon - Fri 9:00a - 5:00p
Every Thursday open til 8:00p
Saturdays in November 9:00a - 6:00p

Saturday Holly Days open til 6:00p
November 27, 2010
December 4, 2010
December 11, 2010
December 18, 2010

Old Fashioned Christmas Friday Nights
Shop until 9pm:
November 26, 2010
December 3, 2010
December 10, 2010
December 17, 2010

We will be open Thanksgiving Day 10:00 - 4:00
We will be open Christmas Eve 9:00 - 4:00